Patent Application
20160186725
The present disclosure relates generally to clean sustainable energy generation. In particular, turbines for capture of both wind and thermal energy for conversion into electricity are described.
Green sustainable energy generation is of critical importance as our world accelerates transition from fossil fuels to clean energy as part of the ongoing effort to stem worsening climate change, and reliance on foreign sources for importing energy supplies. Part of the portfolio of possible green energy sources in wind power. Utilities across the country have invested substantial sums in establishing large farms for capturing and generating power from the wind. However, known wind turbines are not entirely satisfactory for the range of applications in which they are employed. For example, existing wind turbines rely almost exclusively upon blowing wind for energy generation, and are ineffective when the wind comes to a standstill. For this reason, energy companies cannot rely exclusively on wind power, but must resort to types of base load power generation in situations where the wind may not be blowing, yet there is abundant sunshine.
Conversely, solar generating systems do not rely upon wind, but are ineffective at night, and of reduced effectiveness during dark or overcast days. A combination of wind and solar power can cover both contingencies, however, such an implementation increases cost as two wholly different modes of energy generation must be built.
Thus, there exists a need for wind turbines that improve upon and advance the design of known wind turbines. Examples of new and useful thermal wind turbines relevant to the needs existing in the field are discussed below.
The present disclosure is directed to a thermal wind turbine that is capable of capturing energy from both blowing wind, and rising air heated by sunlight or another source of heat. The thermal wind turbine is equipped two turbines, one optimized for receiving rising air, and the other optimized for receiving lateral winds. These turbines are installed into a housing designed to funnel air effectively through both turbines. The housing is equipped with adjustable louvers for optimizing flow through the turbine system as wind and heat conditions vary.
The disclosed thermal wind turbines will become better understood through review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the figures. The detailed description and figures provide merely examples of the various inventions described herein. Those skillet in the art will understand that the disclosed examples may be varied, modified, and altered without departing from the scope of the inventions described herein. Many variations are contemplated for different applications and design considerations; however, for the sake of brevity, each and every contemplated variation is not individually described in the following detailed description.
Throughout the following detailed description, examples of various thermal wind turbines are provided. Related features in the examples may be identical, similar, or dissimilar in different examples. For the sake of brevity, related features will not be redundantly explained in each example. Instead, the use of related feature names will cue the reader that the feature with a related feature name may be similar to the related feature in an example explained previously. Features specific to a given example will be described in that particular example. The reader should understand that a given feature need not be the same or similar to the specific portrayal of a related feature in any given figure or example.
With reference to
For example, by harnessing energy from both moving air and/or heated rising air, thermal wind turbine 100 can generate electricity during times when little wind is blowing, but abundant heated air is present. The converse holds true as well, with thermal wind turbine 100 being able to capture energy from wind alone when there is relatively little heated air, such as during cooler but windy conditions, as might be experienced at night. This ability to generate power from dual energy sources within a single generating facility dramatically reduces costs that would otherwise be incurred by having to build both wired and solar facilities.
Further, by keeping wind and heated air separate until just prior to passing through the turbine stages, thermal wind turbine 100 maximizes efficiency of energy capture, as the rising motion of the heated air joins moving air from wind that has been directed in the same path of travel as the heated air. Thus, the heated air is protected from cooler wind that is moving at a direction perpendicular to naturally rising heated air.
In
As is demonstrated in
Housing 102 is preferably manufactured from a transparent or translucent material so as to allow for transfer of solar energy to heat the ground underneath thermal wind turbine 100, maximizing the amount of heated air fed into thermal wind turbine 100.
One each of plurality of openings 110 are located on lower housing section 104 and upper housing section 106.
Louvers 142 may be controlled by an automatic control mechanism as is known in the art which receives feedback from instrumentation that determines wind speed and direction and adjusts louvers 142 in response. Louvers 142 may further be individually articulated to create specific channels through housing 102 which direct wind across and/or through the turbine system.
To aid in efficient use and direction of both and heated air, thermal wind turbine 100 further includes a frustoconical baffle 114 disposed within internal cavity 108 and substantially in lower housing section 104, below turbine assembly 112. Frustoconical baffle 114 further defines a hollow interior 116, a smaller diameter opening 118 disposed proximate to turbine assembly 112, and that opens to internal cavity 108, and a larger diameter opening 120 positioned so as to receive outside air flow. Thus, frustoconical baffle 114 sits concentrically within lower housing section 104. Due to its position within internal cavity 108, frustoconical baffle 114 has an outer surface 122 that faces internal cavity 108, disposed apart from and opposite to the interior of internal cavity 108.
Upon outer surface 122 are located a plurality of fins 124, positioned so as to direct air flowing between outer surface 122 and lower housing section 104 into turbine assembly 112. A substantial lower portion of frustoconical baffle 114 sits opposite to opening 110 located near the base of lower housing section 104. Louvers 142 on opening 110 direct air onto plurality of fins 124, which in turn guide the moving air up through internal cavity 108. Plurality of fins 124 are depicted as being arranged in an essentially helical or spiral pattern in
A shield 144 disposed immediately below plurality of openings 110 on lower housing section 104 extends radially away from lower housing section 104. Below shield 144 is a second opening 146 through which heated air may be accepted through larger diameter opening 120 into hollow interior 116, where it travels up through smaller diameter opening 118 so as to mix with cooler air accepted through opening 110 located on lower housing section 104. Shield 144 serves to prevent wind from entering into second opening 146, so that second opening 146 is limited to heated air only.
Turning to
It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the relevant art that one-way clutch mechanism can be implemented using any known method or mechanism for ensuring that lower turbine 128 spins at the same speed or faster than upper turbine 126 that is now known or later developed.
Common central shaft 130 is mechanically linked to a generator 136 such that rotational energy imparted to common central shaft 130 by either or both turbines is imparted to generator 136. Generator 136 is any device that can be used to generate electricity that is now known or later developed in the art. Alternatively, generator 136 can be implemented as a power take off for harnessing the raw mechanical power from the turbine assembly 112.
Lower turbine 128 is located approximately at the interface between lower housing section 104 and upper housing section 106, and as such receives a substantially vertical air flow. Lower turbine 128 is preferably equipped with a plurality of adjustable-pitch blades 138, which can be automatically controlled. Adjustable-pitch blades 138 enable lower turbine 128 to be optimized for harnessing power for either the wind, heated air, or blend of both received from lower housing section 104. The same controller implemented for controlling plurality of louvers 142 positioned on plurality of openings 110 can coordinate the pitch of adjustable-pitch blades 138 to work in concert with the louvers 142 to optimize airflow through thermal wind turbine 100.
Considering
It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the relevant art that upper turbine 126 receives comparably little energy from vertically rising air coming from lower housing section 104, as understood from the profile of plurality of angled blades 140. Concurrently, the profile of angled blades 140 is designed to minimize cross section with respect to air rising from lower housing section 104, to ensure maximal airflow through lower turbine 128. Energy imparted from rising air is captured by lower turbine 128.
A person skilled in the relevant art will further understand that thermal wind turbine 100 can be manufactured a range of sizes, from small models that could fit on a desktop or in a yard, to large scale models that would be suitable for deployment in a commercial power generation facility. Finally, the design of thermal wind turbine 100 is such that its operation will not be substantially affected by covering the various openings with screens. Equipping the openings, such as plurality of openings 110, with screens will prevent ingestion or ingress of foreign objects that could harm the internal mechanisms of thermal wind turbine 100, and additionally with prevent possible harm to animals such as birds, fowl, and bats. This protection provides an advantage over existing open-air wind turbines that have been known to cause injury to wildlife.
The disclosure above encompasses multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. While each of these inventions has been disclosed in a particular form, the specific embodiments disclosed and illustrated above are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed above and inherent to those skilled in the art pertaining to such inventions. Where the disclosure or subsequently filed claims recite “a” element, “a first” element, or any such equivalent term, the disclosure or claims should be understood to incorporate one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.
Applicant(s) reserves the right to submit claims directed to combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed inventions that are believed to be novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of those claims or presentation of new claims in the present application or in a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to the same invention or a different invention and whether they are different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are to be considered within the subject matter of the inventions described herein.
