The invention relates to an electric power source from wind.
The invention relates to a system for the generation of electric power from wind, which is adjustable to different wind flows.
Within the closest state of the art, MX patent MX334281 of the same inventor discloses an eolic generator comprising a Venturi tube with a similar arrangement to that of the present invention, however, the mentioned patent does not mention a mechanism for adapting the dimensions of the system to suit different levels of wind flow. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,61,601 B2 (Reitz) discloses an installation comprising several stages of a Venturi type tube (convergent divergent nozzles) which comprise at least one rotor connected to an electric generator, the novelty in this invention is the second air inlet stage which facilitates the wind flow from the first inlet, facilitating the generation of energy. The document FR25877631 (Thomas) discloses a wind turbine comprising two wind generators, a wind turbine and an aerogenerator. The converging air intake hood, presented to the wind, through two vertical ends which function as a vane, accelerates the velocity of the air to the diffuser and, by separating the air into two coils, the air spins in the vortex and transfers its energy to the blades which with low pressure and centripetal force the rotate around the axis of rotation; then, the air escapes laterally towards the 90-fold bends turned backwards on the wind machine and engages the diverging nozzles, this results in a static pressure at the outlet with the ambient air. This wind machine “panemone” with “push” and “pull” blades of maximum efficiency can actuate: a hydraulic pump, an alternator or generator for lighting, for desalination of seawater and electrolysis by decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen. The GB2413829A (Douglas) discloses a wind driven turbine having a rotor with a shaft carrying turbine rotor blades located within a housing. The housing forms a conduit with an air inlet and an air outlet, the rotor blades forming with the conduit an impact area of the blade with the conduit having a section area that is reduced towards the impact area of the blade to form a throat like interface between an interior of the conduit surface and the tips of the blades in order to produce a Venturi effect over the rotor blades. The turbine can be mounted on buildings and corners of buildings for the generation of electric power in urban areas. Document GB2430982 (A) discloses a wind turbine comprising a housing in the form of a Venturi. The turbine can make use of differential air pressures between opposite sides of a building. The turbine can rotate in opposite directions depending on the direction of wind. The turbine may be an axial or transverse flow turbine. The turbine conduit may have a solar reflective coating and a solar absorbing coating to create an internal differential air pressure to form an air movement through the primary motor. Document KR20130073241A discloses a wind power generator for including a guide panel that closes the left and right rotary vertical blades on both left and right sides based on a wind separation cover and inducing the wind to flow in the left and right rotary vertical blades on the fixed side direction. A wind power generator includes a body part, a multi stage vertical vane, a blade rotation axis, a wind separation cover and a guide panel. The multi stage vertical blade includes the left to right vertical blades. The rotational axis of the blade independently rotates each stage of the multi stage vertical blades. The wind separation cover separates the wind, from the front center of the multi stage blades, in the left and right directions. The guide panel closes the right rotary vertical blade on the left side thereof in reference of the wind cover and is obliquely shaped to have a step shape so that the wind flies in the left rotary vertical blade in a fixed direction. The guide panel blocks the left rotary vertical blade on the right hand side and is obliquely shaped to have a step shape so that the wind flies inside the right rotary vertical blade in a fixed direction.
Notwithstanding the latter, the cited documents do not disclose a mechanism or system for obtaining a ratio of the dimensions between the elements of the disclosed systems to generate a maximum electrical power independent of the usual air flow in the region where a system of these characteristics is intended to be installed. Also, the systems described in the cited documents are oriented to laminar wind flows, do not address or mention systems capable of generating power in accelerated or hurled air flows. Likewise, the documents cited do not describe the characteristic that the systems can be coupled to one another in a modular manner.
In addition, the following differences were also found with respect to the state of the art:
The present invention is designed and calculated to use extreme winds regimes: turbulent, strong winds and even gale force winds in order to be exploit the huge wind potential that exists in the different regions of the planet at industrial level. In addition, it can also be implemented for laminar flows.
Dimensionally, the system is calculated from the wind velocity at the inlet of the converging diverging nozzle subsystem and the pulse turbine. All of the calculations are based on fluid dynamics.
The system is much less and lighter than traditional systems and generates the double electric power as those.
In the present invention the traditional blades and steel towers are not used, making its cost significantly lower. The tower supports the inlet Venturi, the converging diverging nozzle subsystem, impulse turbine, inertia flywheel, anchoring system, drive shaft, orientation system, etc. And the cover for the whole module; it is built of concrete as a truncated pyramid in which in the upper surface the module is located and at the bottom, the entire electric power generation system, in addition to the peripheral metering and control systems.
The use of the present invention reduces costs, weight and measures. In traditional systems the height of the tower is determined by the size of the blades; and the generation of electric power for that size. If it is desired to generate more power, larger blades and higher towers are to be used. Increasing costs greatly, making it more problematic for the transport of the parts.
Each module of the electric power generation system of the present invention contains two independent subsystems. The heavier part of the whole electric power generation subsystem is seated in the floor of said truncated pyramid, as is easy to note, the cost savings of construction, transportation of parts, etc., is dramatically depressed.
The anchoring of the mechanical subsystem which seats on the upper face of the truncated pyramid has to be very robust because the entire system will suffer from extreme winds.
The problem of noise at the wind output can be solved by the aid of an inverted Venturi with blinds.
According to the present invention in the system no blades are used, systems of more than one module can be used by placing any number of modules in a horizontal or vertical parallel. Combinations of both arrangements for an exploitation of the potential wind resources of the location.
The system for generating electric power from wind can be installed at almost any location, in remote locations, hills, in the sea, etc. and local materials and workforce can be used for the construction of the tower.
The use of the present system for generating electric power from wind has the following advantages:
The electric power generation system proposed in the present invention consists of the design, calculation of dimensions and implementation of an electromechanical system for generating electric power from the wind.
The invention relates to a novel technology for generating electric power using wind energy as a primary source and operating effectively under any wind flow conditions, from laminar flow to turbulent, strong winds and even gale force.
The electric power generation system comprises coupling a mechanical subsystem to another electrical subsystem. The elements of the system together are constituted by the following elements:
Shown in
Structure
The structure 101 is the receptacle or frame, made of any material, which contains therein the mechanical subsystems: inlet cavity 103, converging diverging nozzle 105, impulse turbine 107, coupling shaft 108, and the flywheel. It is a module having an orientation mechanism capable of orienting it in the wind direction. Further, according to the preferred embodiment, each frame module 101 May contain at least two of each of the aforementioned mechanical subsystems. In
The operation of each of the aforementioned subsystems is further explained.
Inlet Cavity
The inlet cavity 103 is the front opening through which the air 104 penetrates from the outside to each module containing the electrical subsystems. It is conical in shape and constitutes a passive device called Venturi which is actually a truncated cone. Its function is to accelerate the incoming air in a first stage; so that when the narrower conical surface engages the diverging converging nozzle 105, it transmits a wind flow whose velocity is higher than that which has the outer wind at the inlet of the Venturi, which is the widest part of the truncated cone and forming the inlet orifice 103 of the module. The important feature of that device is to communicate an acceleration to the input wind 104. In other words, the same amount of air entering the device by its wider surface has to exit the Venturi at its narrowest part, but more quickly.
Converging Diverging Nozzle
The converging diverging nozzle 105 is a device that is first narrow and then widens up, in order that the wind from the Venturi is accelerated even further in that second stage; in order that very high flow rates can be achieved, which can even become supersonic, these velocities may range from 138m/s to 250 m/s. In general terms, the purpose of this subsystem is to accelerate the wind so that a high speed jet 106 is generated at the outlet of the nozzle. The converging diverging nozzle 106 of the present invention plays a role analogous to that of the sublevel that exists in a hydraulic system between the surface of the vessel of a dam and the machine room where the impulse turbines are placed. That sublevel provides the primary potential energy that the turbine transforms in motion or kinetic energy, which is then used by the electric power generators.
For the laminar flow case, one of the following two solutions can be used: adding to the nozzle 106 a further stage that is also converging diverging; constructing smaller modules for the utilization of that kind of wind flow rates; or both.
Impulse turbine
The impulse turbine 107 is a hydraulic device in which all of the primary energy of the usable wind is converted, by means of the previous subsystem into motion or kinetic energy.
Converging Diverging Nozzle
The convergent nozzle 105 converts to atmospheric pressure the available capacity of the high speed jet 106. The jet 106 produced impacts on each of the blades, or vanes of the turbine, which in the case of the system of the present invention uses a Pelton, Francis, or a combination of the two 200, thereby imparting to that mechanical subsystem a change in its amount of movement, or what is the same, a momentum change.
The vanes of the turbine 201 are in the form of a dividing cup, which has the objective to divide the flow. The cup has a partition in the center so that it has two cavities. This type of impulse turbines are called Pelton 200 wheels.
Coupling
The coupling between the mechanical subsystem and the corresponding electric power generation device is carried out via a shaft 108 that goes from the center of the impulse turbine 107 to the electric power generator 302 which lies in the floor of the tower. Between the drive turbine 107 and the generator 302, the coupling shaft 108 and a flywheel 301 which has the ability to stabilize the mobile mechanical system are placed.
Inertia Wheel
The inertia flywheel 301 is a passive element that only provides the mechanical subsystem with additional inertia that adds kinetic energy or movement to the subsystem. When the mechanical subsystem is stopped, the inertia wheel continues to move freely and delivers it to the generator through the coupling shaft, additional motion energy.
Power Generator
The electric power generator 302 is the subsystem that transforms the power of movement of the impulse turbine 107 into electrical energy. Its characteristics are well known in the art by which they are not disclosed herein. It is the heavier part of the entire system, the reason for which it is placed on the floor of the tower. Accordingly, the mechanical subsystems that transform the primary wind energy into kinetic energy are lighter decreasing the costs of the tower containing the entire system.
Support Equipment
The mechanical and electrical support equipment are all that which is used to attach to the tower, the modules and the peripheral equipment of the electric subsystem, they are conventional elements in electric power generating plants.
Exit Cavity
The outlet cavity 109 has the advantage of attenuating the noise that produces the flow of wind to its passage by all of the mechanical subsystems. It is intended to be a passive element that opens to the outlet and having the characteristics of an exhaust pipe as used in all types of internal combustion vehicles.
Container Tower
The container tower of the entire system can be constructed in the same way as a concrete building. Since the system no longer uses conventional wind tower blades, its height is small and its shape would be that of a small truncated pyramid in which the minor surface is fixed to the mechanical subsystems described above; while in its interior the electrical systems are concentrated in the floor.
The system for the generation of electric power from the wind is designed and calculated to use extreme winds regimes: turbulent, strong winds, and even gale force winds, in order to exploit to an industrial level the huge wind potential with different winds regimes, with some modifications for laminar flows.
Dimensionally, it is calculated from the wind velocity at the entrance of the converging diverging nozzle subsystem 105 and the impulse turbine 107. All the calculations are based on fluid mechanics.
The wind power generation system of the present invention is much less and lighter than traditional systems and can generate the double electric power as the conventional towers.
Since traditional blades and steel towers are not used in this invention, the cost is significantly lower. The tower supporting the inlet Venturi, the converging diverging nozzle subsystem, the impulse turbine, inertia flywheel, anchoring system, drive shaft, orientation system, etc. , and the cover of the whole module, can be constructed of concrete as a truncated pyramid in which the. upper surface supports the module 100 and at the bottom, the entire electric power generation system lies inside, in addition to the peripheral metering and control systems.
All the foregoing reduces costs, weight, and measures. In traditional systems, the height of the tower is determined by the size of the blades, and the amount of electric power generation for that size. If it is desired to generate more electrical power, larger blades and higher towers are to be used, increasing costs, and making it more problematic for transporting the parts.
Each module of the electric power generation system of the present invention contains two independent subsystems. The heavier part of the whole electric power generation subsystem is seated in the floor of said truncated pyramid, as is easy to note, the cost savings of construction, transportation of parts, etc., is dramatically depressed.
The anchoring of the mechanical subsystem which seats on the upper face of the truncated pyramid has to be very robust because the entire system will suffer from extreme winds.
The problem of noise at the wind output can be solved by the aid of An inverted Venturi with blinds.
According to the present invention in the system no blades are used, systems of more than one module can be used by placing any number of modules in a horizontal or vertical parallel. Combinations of both arrangements for an exploitation of the potential wind resources of the location.
The system for generating electric power from wind can be installed at almost any location, in remote locations, hills, in the sea, etc. and local materials and workforce can be used for the construction of the tower.
The use of the present system for generating electric power from wind has the following advantages:
The flow of the wind 104 flow through the inlet cavity 103, enters the system through a Venturi and undergoes a first acceleration stage and enters the converging diverging nozzle 105 which accelerates it more so that at the outlet of the device 105 a high speed jet 106 is provided. The value of that output velocity depends on the speed with which the wind system enters the system, and the dimensions of the various sections of the following cross sections:
All of the surfaces involved in the process will be calculated using the continuity equation in the mentioned stages, ie, the wind input speed 104 is used to calculate the wind output speed at the inlet of the Nozzle 105. With this value we now calculate the velocity of the jet 106.
The jet 106 impacts directly on the Pelton wheel 200 which is positioned in an horizontal arrangement, and strikes one vane 201 at a time. The calculation of the dimensions of the turbine 107 is performed from the velocity of the jet 106.
The turbine 107 rotates around itself and transmits the mechanical power to the electric power generator 302 through a shaft 108 that contains the flywheel 301. The role of the latter is to provide additional mechanical energy to the electric subsystem.
All of the calculations on this point are performed from the high speed jet 106 output using the continuity equation in a systematic fashion. This means that all of the characteristics of the entire electric power generation equipment are governed by the wind potential that exists in the region of interest, given that the system is effective for laminar flows, turbulent, strong winds and even gale force winds.
In order to attenuate the noise produced by the wind at the exit of the module, an inverted Venturi can be used with blinds, slots or louvers to eliminate acceleration, ie. if the exit cavity is as large as the inlet cavity, the wind will practically collect its inlet velocity. The blinds, louvers or slots reduce the noise because they are expected to act as a noise suppression.
The present invention solves the problem of using very high steel towers, which in traditional systems are very heavy so that its function in an scenario of laminar winds or not sufficiently turbulent winds is almost zero, in addition to being very expensive (cost per megawatt installed equivalent to 30% of the total cost of the equipment).
In the present invention the tower can be built of concrete using local materials and workforce, in the form of truncated pyramid and of much less height than the steel tower. The invention also avoids the use of traditional wind tower blades, which is difficult to calculate, manufacture and transport and which is reflected in the reduction in costs of the installed megawatts.
The modules of the invention disclosed herein are smaller than traditional generator systems therefore are of smaller weight, simpler, lower cost, and greater generation. Fort the design of the present invention, the following are required:
Impulse Turbine
The impulse turbine 107 is a hydraulic device in which all of the available energy in the wind flow is converted to kinetic energy by means of a nozzle or nozzle 105. The nozzle 105 transforms at atmospheric pressure, the available capacity into a high-speed jet 106. The jet 106 impacts on each of the vanes 201 of the turbine 107, one at a time, and transfers to the mobile system a change in momentum. The vanes 201 of the turbine are in the form of a dividing elliptical cup. This type of impulse turbines are called Pelton Wheels 200. Theoretically the power delivered by the jet 106 to the Pelton wheel 200 is given by the formula 1:
P=ρQu(vj−u)(1−cos β)
maximum power is delivered when:
[ρQ(1−cos β)](vj−u)(1−cos β)
*maximum power is delivered when: dp/du=0
Where ρ is the mass density, Q is the discharge, β≅165° is the vane angle (
Discharge
The mass of air passing into the unit of time through a cross section of the nozzle is given by the formula:
Q=ρvS
where Q is the discharge, ρ the mass density and v the velocity of the wind flow, and S the area of the cross section. The upper limit of that amount is calculated with the following formula:
Where
being Cρ and Cv the specific heats with constant pressure and volume respectively;
P0 and ρ0 are pressure and density of the ambient air respectively.
Diverging Converging Nozzle
The diverging converging nozzle 105 is a device which in its first section is continuously narrower towards its outer end, so that the outer end is where the minimum area of its cross section is located.
The nozzle is a device that is first narrow and then expanded. It is known as a Laval nozzle, and with its use, a supersonic flow speed rate can be achieved.
The maximum flow density j* can only be reached in the narrowest cross section of the nozzle 105 such that the total discharge cannot be greater than the value: Smin j*. On the other hand, at the narrowest part of the nozzle 105 the flow density increases while the pressure is decreased. A graphic can be made which exhibits a j as a function of p. By definition, the flow density is:
With the above mentioned relation, we can further calculate the following:
The upper limit of the discharge Q,
The mechanical power delivered to the impulse turbine 107
The diameter of the impulse turbine 107,
The inlet cavity and the inlet discharge.
In the electric power generation system of the present invention, the dynamic of gases are considered relevant since the maximum velocity is calculated with the ratio and the value of
for the case of the wind circulating through the system:
Wherein C0 is the speed of sound and for a fluid such as the air: γ=1.4
In order to calculate the surfaces of the straight sections, the continuity equation is systematically used. The maximum surface of the straight section of the inlet cavity is calculated by the formula:
ρ0v1Smaxe=ρ1vjS1;
This relationship is that of a compressible fluid. In addition, v1 is the velocity of the incoming flow, ρ1 the density of mass of jet vj, and S1; refers to the area of the straight output section.
Power Delivered in the Electric Power Generation System
From the following equation:
P=ρQu(vj−u)(1−cos β)
The power delivered to the Pelton wheel 200 by the jet 106 can be obtained for the case of air. Clearly, in that equation P is the mechanical power per unit of mass
P=ρ0W*
Moreover:
1−cos β≈1.966
ρ*=0.634ρ0
u=πnd
where p* is the critical mass density, u is the peripheral linear speed of the Pelton wheel 200 and d is its diameter. In that case in “XX” the following is obtained:
W
*=(0.634×1.966)Qmax[u(vj−u)]
On the other hand, according to the ratios, the maximum power is obtained as follows:
W
*max=1.246×0.261×103u2Smin
Thus, the narrower part of the device has to be:
W
*max=0.325×103u2Smin
For the following conditions:
u
e
m=25 m. seg−1
v
*=122.6 m. seg−1
v
j
m=138 m. seg−1
d=2.22 m
n=595 rpm
Under these conditions, the electric power generated is to be:
Wmaxm=0.32 Mw
The inlet cavity has the following maximum surface:
Smaxm=0.69 m2
while the inlet discharge is:
Qmaxm=180 kgr. seg−1
Finally, the outlet cross section surface of the converging diverging nozzle is:
S1m=0.25 m2
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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MX/A/2018/001433 | Feb 2018 | MX | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/MX2019/000009 | 2/1/2019 | WO | 00 |