Prime-mover dynamo plants – Fluid-current motors – Wind
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-06
2001-09-25
Ponomarenko, Nicholas (Department: 2834)
Prime-mover dynamo plants
Fluid-current motors
Wind
C290S044000, C415S007000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06294844
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an installation for converting wind energy into electric energy, which installation comprises a number of windmills provided with vanes which rotate about a substantially horizontal shaft, which horizontal shaft is supported in bearings in a gondola, which may also accommodate an electric generator, as well as a frame for supporting said gondolas with their horizontal shafts extending substantially parallel to each other, in such a manner that said vanes rotate in a substantially common plane, and float bodies attached to said frame, which function to keep the installation afloat.
Installations of this kind are known from literature, wherein various proposals have been made as regards the construction of such an installation. It is not known thereby, in particular when windmills having large dimensions are used, how the various problems which may present themselves thereby are to be solved. Said problems are in particular problems caused by the wind load on the vanes and on the frame, which may lead to tilting of the frame, which is not acceptable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to avoid the above problems and in accordance with the invention, supporting means connected to the frame are provided, whereby said supporting means, which are disposed some distance away from said common plane, function to keep said common plane substantially vertically oriented. This leads to a construction which is supported in a stable manner.
According to one improvement, said supporting means are connected to the frame inter alia at locations near the gondolas. This further enhances the stability of the construction, whilst at the same a weight reduction is achieved.
According to one embodiment, the frame is provided with at least two horizontal rows of gondolas provided with windmills, one row being disposed above the other. By arranging two rows of gondolas one above the other, a large number of windmills can be incorporated in one structure, which increases the output which can be achieved with the installation.
According to one improvement of the invention, the frame is provided with at least one horizontal row of gondolas, whereby each row comprises at least three gondolas provided with windmills. Also in this manner it is possible to increase the number of windmills that are installed.
According to one embodiment, the float bodies comprise at least two floats, which are provided on one side of or near the common plane, whereby said supporting means are provided on the other side of said common plane. By using two floats, sufficient buoyancy is available for the windmills, whilst the flow resistance of the floats in the water and the waves is small. By disposing the supporting means on said other side of the common plane rather than on the side where the floats are disposed, a stable, floating structure is obtained, which rests on at least three supporting points.
According to one embodiment, the supporting means comprise a body which is anchored to the bottom, which body is attached to a connecting piece by means of a bearing, whereby said connecting piece is capable of rotation about a first vertical axis of rotation, and whereby said connecting piece is fixedly connected to the frame. As a result of this, the floating frame is position more or less at a fixed location.
According to one embodiment, said anchored body floats partly below and partly above the water surface, and it is secured to the bottom by means of an anchorage. As a result of this, wave movements and changing water levels can be followed in a simple manner.
According to one embodiment, the anchored body is fixed to the bottom, and said bearing can also rotate about one or two horizontal axes of rotation. This enables a stable anchoring of the installation, whilst the possibilities of motion within the bearing enable the installation to follow the movements caused by waves and tidal changes in the water level.
According to one embodiment, the bearing comprises transmission means for transmitting energy generated on the frame to an anchored power cable. Thus, the energy can be transported to a location ashore in a simple and known manner.
According to another aspect of the invention, the frame is provided with driving means for rotating the frame about a first vertical axis of rotation. This makes it possible in a simple manner to turn the windmills present in the frame to face the wind, which is necessary because it must not be assumed that the force of the wind alone is sufficient for achieving this. The fact is that the frame is also exposed to other forces, such as those of the current and the waves, whilst the wind direction at the level of the lower row of windmills is furthermore not always the same as that at the level of the upper row.
According to one embodiment, the driving means for rotating the frame comprise a mechanically driven ship's propellor, which is positioned in the water. This makes it possible to use a simple construction for the turning mechanism.
According to another embodiment, the flow resistance of the float bodies which are not anchored is greater in a first direction than in a second direction, and said float bodies are mounted on the frame by means of a bearing comprising a second vertical axis of rotation. This makes it possible to position the floats in a manner which minimizes the forces being exerted on the frame by the current.
According to another improvement, the float bodies can be rotated more or less parallel to each other by being driven about said second vertical axis of rotation. This makes it possible to rotate the installation about said first vertical axis of rotation under the influence of the current, because one float will experience a greater force than the other body if the direction in which said body flows is not parallel to the direction in which the flow resistance is smallest whilst said directions are indeed parallel with the other float. As a result of this difference in forces, the frame will experience a torque about the vertical axis of rotation, as a result of which the frame will start to rotate about said axis.
According to another aspect of the invention, the frame is provided with mounting means for mounting and dismounting parts of the windmills. The maintenance of windmills involves the use of mounting means which are not readily available on the water, and certainly not at sea. Since quite a few windmills are disposed closely together on the windmill island, it is worthwhile to provide a number of such facilities on the installation, as a result of which the maintenance costs will be strongly reduced.
According to one embodiment, said mounting means comprise a crane track and a crane, among other things, which crane track extends parallel to said common plane. By incorporating a crane in the installation, the cost of renting a mobile, seaworthy crane can be saved.
According to another aspect of the invention, the frame is provided with a platform for loading and unloading goods. This means a further simplification of the maintenance of the installation.
According to another aspect of the invention, the frame comprises crew's quarters for accommodating maintenance personnel for a prolonged period of time. This enables the constant presence of crew members on the installation, also during periods of bad weather conditions, for example.
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Koehler S.
Lagerwey Windturbine B.V.
Ponomarenko Nicholas
Westman Champlin & Kelly P.A.
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