Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates generally to wind turbines and, more particularly, to a device for maintaining powered rotation while eliminating the danger of overheating.
The background information discussed below is presented to better illustrate the novelty and usefulness of the present invention. This background information is not admitted prior art.
Early wind turbines were commercial and by the end of 1986 about 6,700 wind turbines, mostly less than 100 kW generated about 550 million kWh/year. In 2005 output increased to 59,012 MW. By year-end 2009, the USA supplied 22.1% of global wind energy followed by China (16.3%), Germany (16.2%), Spain (11.5%) and India (6.8%). By 2010, worldwide wind energy capacity reached 194,000 MW, which was 2% of global energy supply. Increasing need to replace conventional sources of energy with renewable energy is expected to continue to drive the market for wind power generation over the next decade. Wind consumes no fuel for continuing operation with no emissions and zero pollution directly related to electricity production.
Global climate change, energy costs, and a desire to be off of the grid all contribute to the continued interest in wind power. Currently, residential wind energy is the fastest growing sector in the renewable energy market. There is good reason to believe that there will be much growth for years to come. Inversely correlated, however, is a continued decrease in residential lot size. DimensionsInfo reported that the current median average lot size in the United States is 8,750 square feet or a little over ⅕ of an acre. In the 1990 most lots in America measured 14,680 square feet. The number fell to 12,870 square feet eight years later. The prognosis is the average lot size in USA will decrease further. This trend appears to be global. The Urban Development Institute of Australia reported that over the past 10 years alone, lot sizes in that country have decreased in size by 29 per cent. A growing population and rising demand for real estate is likely to be behind this trend.
Zoning codes control whether a wind mill may be installed in a given location. The number of zoning jurisdictions estimated by the United States Department of Energy in 2008 was approaching 40,000. The height of wind turbines for use on residential lots varies depending, in part, on the zoning restrictions of the lot. Wind turbine height in generally reported as “hub-height”. The hub height of a wind turbine is the distance from the turbine platform to the rotor of an installed wind turbine and indicates how high the turbine stands above the ground. Commercial scale turbines (greater than 1 MW) are typically installed at 262 feet or higher, while small-scale wind turbines (approximately 10 kW) are installed on shorter towers.
Wind turbine height restrictions, in general, are concerned with safety issues and residential zoning requirements recognize this. Although, residential zoning restrictions differ among governmental entities, they are not too different from the following example of requiring that the set-back distance of a wind turbine tower must be 1½ times the height of the tower. Thus, a set-back distance of 1½ times the height of the tower would require a 130 foot tower to be sited on a lot that is no smaller than 195′×195′=38,025 square feet, which is nearly one acre (43, 560 sq. ft.). Clearly, as shown above, the vast majority of residential lots are considerably less than that. However, in addition to tower height restrictions based on lot size, most suburban townships have a general zoning height restriction of 40 feet.
The inventive concept of the present invention relates to low height wind turbines providing for homeowners and small business to have a wind turbine on today's typically sized residential lots. In addition to being within the height regulations required by most residential zoning codes, the turbines following the principles of the inventive concept are able to: continuously generate power even in high winds, eliminate overheating of the turbine's generator, deliver the power of a commercial height tower, and are affordable to build.
For each wind turbine, large or small scale, there is a maximum wind speed, called the survival speed, that poses a danger to the turbine. The survival speed of commercial wind turbines is in the range of 40 m/s (144 km/h, 89 MPH) to 72 m/s (259 km/h, 161 MPH). The most common survival speed is 60 m/s (216 km/h, 134 MPH). When winds occur over the maximum rated for a given turbine, the turbine must prevent its blades from going faster than their survival speed in order to prevent the wind turbine's generator from overheating. To do this, large commercial wind turbines reduce the speed of their blade's rotation using a hydraulic system to turn the plane of rotation of the blades out of the wind. Smaller wind turbines use their tail to turn their blade's plane of rotation out of the wind. However, as each of these systems turn their blade's plane of rotation away from the wind, eventually they each will suffer “kick-out”, which is the point that that the turbine stops generating power. The survival speed of presently available residential wind turbines is in a range of about 8-38 mph; above that wind speed the tail will push the blades out of the wind causing “kick-out” and a cessation of power generation. Thus, presently available wind turbines are unable to utilize winds over 40 mph.
The principles of the present invention provide for wind turbine systems in compliance with residential lot zoning restrictions and that are able to maintain power production even in high winds to generate the amount of power expected from some commercially sized turbines.
Wind turbines of the present invention have a hub height of only 30 feet, meeting zoning requirements, yet produce the same power output of a wind turbine having a hub height of 120-130 feet. Such enhanced power output is possible because the inventive concept includes having four blades of a width that supplies approximately 400 percent more surface area then other turbines. Having such wide blades is possible because of the four inch diameter shaft that is able to support the blades. The increased width of the blades coupled with their angled shape provides for increased torque providing for the enhanced power output. In addition to supporting the blades, the enhanced sized shaft supports the generator, two large diameter steel plates, and an enlarged nose cone that extends outward from the blades at approximately 20 percent of the blades diameter, and provides an anchor for the blade support struts to which the nose cone is secured. It should be understood that in a standard residential wind turbine, such an enlarged nose cone is of no value to the production of power because of their open-centered design through which the wind will travel to no effect, but for a turbine built according to the inventive principles the increase in power production due to the presence of an enlarged nose cone is substantial. The weight and design of the steel plates provides for the plates to act as flywheels providing for the system to run more smoothly and efficiently even in the swirling winds that are more prevalent at lower altitudes. Adding to these enhanced effects is the aero-dynamically large-sized conically shaped nose cone that, in the turbine illustrated, extends outward from the blades at approximately 20 percent of the blades diameter, which is this example is seven feet from the blades that have a diameter of 32 feet as measured from blade tip to blade tip and has sides angled at approximately 60 degrees, which increases the aero-dynamic properties of the system by deflecting the wind to the outer blade area resulting in increasing the effective speed of the wind giving the system extra power. The increased wind speed on the nose cone also helps to turn the system to follow the prevailing winds.
The example horizontal wind turbine, illustrated herein, also provides for a swivel tower and a two-section hinged-tail attached to the swivel tower in cooperation with a computer controlled actuator that will position the tail in relation to the wind at pre-determined settings. The swivel tower system, of the present example, consists of a rotatable, topmost, outer tube supported by a bottom, stationary tube. The top outer tube supports the blades, generator, steel plates, nose cone, and the hinged-tail with its computer controlled actuator. The two part hinged-tail has a non-solid planar section and a solid planar section. The non-solid planar section of the tail is situated adjacent and fixedly connected to the outer tube and hingedly connected to the solid planar section of the tail that is spaced away from the tower. In low to moderate winds, both planar sections of the tail are in the same plane that is perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the blades. The computer controlled actuator in cooperation with an actuator motor regulates the position of the solid planar section of the tail to respond to changes in wind speed. Such computer controlled actuators are used to produce movement when given a signal to drive motion in mechanical systems. In the present invention, the computer controlled actuator can be set to cause the actuator motor to move the tail in response to the computer sensing either a pre-determined rpm of the blades or the power output of the generator. When either of the pre-determined settings is sensed by the computer, the actuator instructs the actuator motor to move the solid, planar section of the hinged tail into the wind to reduce the rotational speed of turbine blades, thus avoiding the generator overheating and possibly failing. To do this, the computer directs the actuator motor to provide incremental force to turn the solid section of the wind turbine's hinged tail. As the plane of the tail approaches being parallel to the plane of blade rotation, the increased pressure of the wind impinging on the tail causes the upper tower to rotate about the lower tower to turn the blade's plane of rotation out of the wind, thus reducing the blades rpm and eliminating overheating of the generator.
Circular bearings or bushings positioned between the top and bottom tubes of the tower assist in the rotation. A top thrust bearing, sitting atop the stationary lower, inner tower cylinder, supports the weight of the outer, upper tower cylinder including the blades, steel plates, tail, and generator.
The sensitivity of this system provides for the generator to continue generating maximum power even in the high winds that result in other systems suffering “kick-out”, i.e., cessation of power production. Even at wind speeds of 70 mph the wind turbines of the present invention keep producing without any fear of generator burn-out. All of the above described advantages are available in addition to savings of about 15-25 percent over the cost of currently available 120-130 foot tower turbine systems. Considering the demand for alternative “green” sources of energy, there is a real market-place need for the wind turbines of the present invention that can match the power output of even 130 foot towers at reduced cost.
The inventive concept also employs blade torque instead of blade speed to generate electric power. This is accomplished by using a blade width to blade length ratio of 1 to 4, which differs significantly from the industrial standard of blade width to blade length ratio closer to 1 to 12. The torque of this system is also increased by using specific blade angles that favor power over speed. These wide torque-driven blades are connected by support struts between the blades and from blades to front support plate.
Still other benefits and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed specification and related drawings.
In order that these and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention may be more fully comprehended and appreciated, the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in appended drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures. It should be understood that these drawings only depict preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not therefore to be considered limiting in scope, thus, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:
2 Blades.
4 Top outer tube of tower 12.
6 Bottom inner tube of tower 12.
8 Generator.
10 Wind turbine.
12 Tower.
14 Support bearings.
15 Top situated bearings inside tube 6.
16 Nose cone.
17 Bearings inside tube 6.
18 Universal pilot turnbuckle.
20 Solid section of pivoting tail.
22 Linear actuator rod.
24 Open section of pivoting tail.
26 Actuator motor.
27 Platform supporting actuator motor.
28 Actuator computerized controller.
30 Pivoting tail.
32 Hinges of tail 30.
36 Shaft supporting the plate 42 which supports the blade.
40 Struts supporting blade.
42 Steel plate.
46 Steel plate.
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted.
Referring now, with more particularity, to the drawings, it should be noted that the disclosed invention is disposed to embodiments in various sizes, shapes, and forms. It is well-known that wind turbines differ in size and shape for several reasons, such as the size of the lot on which the turbine will be sited, the style of turbine, horizontal or vertical, for example, and the amount of power to be generated. Therefore, the embodiments described herein are provided with the understanding that the present disclosure is intended as illustrative and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment described herein.
The present invention is directed towards wind turbines that consist of a series of blades width-sized and angled for maximum torque production when struck by sufficiently strong winds, so that as the blades rotate they, in turn, rotate the supporting shaft (central rotor) that provides the generator with the mechanical energy the generator uses to generate electricity. The principles of the present invention provide wind turbines that are able to: generate the amount of power expected from some commercially sized turbines, continue generating power even in winds at velocities of 60-70 mph, eliminate the danger of overheating the generator, and yet are sized for use on small, residential lots. Accordingly, the present example of the inventive concept illustrated is a wind turbine of approximately 30 feet in height that will not suffer from the phenomenon referred to as “kick-out” and, is able to continue generating power at wind velocities of over 60 mph without any fear of overheating the generator.
In essence, the inventive concept enables a wind turbine to continue functioning even at wind velocities exceeding 60 mph by providing for continuous rotation of the blades even in the wind velocities that will cause “kick-out” of other turbines. This is accomplished by having a system that continuously and incrementally moves the blades to positions of reduced wind velocity when required. The principles of the inventive concept provide for a computer that senses when a pre-determined wind survival speed is reached. At this point the computer directs the motor of the computer controlled actuator to continuously and incrementally move the turbine's tail relative into the wind that, in turn, increase the force of wind on the solid section of the hinged tail causing the tail to rotate the upper tube about the lower tube, causing the plane of the blades rotation to be moved out of the wind, thus reducing the rpm of the blades and eliminating overheating of the generator. Additionally, two steel plates supported by the shaft supply the function of a fly wheel, that is, contribute the centrifugal force that keeps the blades turning longer when the wind force is reduced or the wind direction changes. Turning now to the drawings, how to make and use a turbine exemplary of these principles will be described illustrated.
Alternatively, the computer can monitor the generator's output to control the actuator. The computer is programmed to notify the actuator motor when the predetermined maximum value of the generator's power output is sensed by the computer so that the generator is not overworked. A control circuit connected to the generator will control the actuator. If the output of the generator exceeds its limit, the circuit will switch on telling the actuator to reduce the rotation of the blades until output is lowered back to maximum. If maximum output is not being produced the circuit will turn on to have the actuator move the tail until it is perpendicular to the blades.
It is to be understood that it is contemplated by the inventive concept that the support tower tubes can also be built by using fabricated self-supporting structures, including but not limited to squares, triangles, etc. For bracing, the towers use a cross-bracing or zig-zag pattern, similar to that of an erector set.
The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, uses specific and defined nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, the foregoing description of the specific embodiment is presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made to the features, embodiments, and methods of making the embodiments of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the described methods, embodiments, features or combinations of features but include all the variation, methods, modifications, and combinations of features within the scope of the appended claims. The invention is limited only by the claims.
This is a Patent Cooperation Treaty Application of Provisional Application No. 61/922,391 filed on Dec. 31, 2013.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US14/72670 | 12/30/2014 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61922391 | Dec 2013 | US |