Windmill powerplant

Details Windmill powerplant Windmill powerplant

1999-07-16

2002-05-07

Verdier, Christopher (Department: 3745)

Rotary kinetic fluid motors or pumps

With means for controlling casing or flow guiding means in...

Axial flow runner

C415S004300, C415S060000, C415S148000, C415S908000, C415S001000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06382904

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power engineering and, in particular, relates to a wind power generation unit, i.e., a unit for conversion of wind power to electrical or other energy to be used in industry, agriculture, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Long known are wind power units using kinetic energy of air flows by direct wind effect on turbine wind wheel blades. To increase the efficiency of the units, the pressure of the input flow before the wind wheel is changed, using diffusers and other structures of various geometric shapes that direct air flow. Units converting kinetic energy of air flow by direct effect on a wind wheel, Darrier rotors and the like have an essential disadvantage: blades are affected by irregular air flow that creates variable dynamic loads resulting in instability of generated electric current parameters. Significant power losses are related to application of multipliers to increase the number of revolutions of the generator rotor. To increase the efficiency of wind power generating units, it was suggested to double the effect on the turbine of an accelerated flow and rarefaction from the output channel side.
The station described in the patent comprises a turbine, a power generator, a unit to direct the air flow to the turbine made as a contractor and a unit to remove the air flow behind the turbine connected to the reduced pressure zone. Air intake parts of the station form channels that narrow in the middle part and are made to input external air flow from two sides. A separator distributes air flow entering the channel into two channels, inlet and outlet. One flow through an inlet orifice is directed, with a 270 degree turn, to the accumulation chamber where the power generator, the multiplier and the turbine are installed. An exhaust pipe of the latter is located in the air outlet chamber. The second flow accelerated in the channel creates rarefaction in the narrow section of the channel and provides output of the flow from the chamber though a system of air ducts with several turns in the outlet opening.
This station loses power in the flow coming to the accumulation chamber and to the turbine through an outlet opening due to several turns of the flow that creates an irregular velocity field, pressure, and temperatures in the accumulation chamber. A cumbersome multiplier in the input pipe of the turbine increases irregularity of the flow along the perimeter of the turbine input pipe. The multiplier also causes additional mechanical losses. Irregularity of the flow in the outlet chamber and flow turn by 270 degrees from the exit pipe of the turbine to the outlet opening prevent high efficiency of air flow energy transformation. Practical sue of the device in the stationary embodiment installed on the basement is extremely limited due to the impossibility of station orientation to wind direction.
The embodiment of the station installed on a tower also fails to provide self-orientation to the direction of the wind. Such design fails to provide the possibility of using the power of air flows streamlining the unit. Besides, input and output channels supplying the flow to chambers are located either laterally or in the middle of the unit, rather than on the entire channel perimeter. This precludes use of flow internal energy and its pressure energy.
A preferred design is the wind power-generating unit comprising an external shell, which is a central body installed on the axis of symmetry of the unit on the inside where a power generator is located. The generator shaft bears a turbine preceded by the contractor. Annular gaps between the central body and the cowl, the external shell internal surface, the outside surface of the cowl, and the internal surface of the external shell of the central body provide increases in the velocity of air flow in the channel minimum cross-sections and allow to increase its kinetic energy through reduction of its internal and pressure energy. The unit, essentially, has two stages which provide increase of flow velocity at the drop of pressure in channel minimum cross-sections. The boost of flows in the minimum cross-sections is achieved under the effect of energy of rarefaction in the basement shear of the unit and through energy coming to the air flow nozzle, in the first stage, and under the effect of rarefaction in the output cross-section of the exhaust pipe of the air turbine and energy coming to the input nozzle of the turbine of an air flow, in the second stage. However, a stable operational mode of this unit may be achieved only with rather large air flow velocities.
In the given invention, the indicated disadvantage is largely eliminated by the wind power-generating unit in the form of a power unit mounted on a support comprising at least one turbine with a nozzle apparatus mechanically connected to one or several generators, a central shell, an annular front shell with at least one input channel of the turbine forming an output channel with the central shell of the turbine, and an annular external shell forming a diffuser output channel with the central shell. The power-generating unit is equipped with an additional annular shell forming, with external surface of the front and central shells, a narrowing and expanding first intermediate channel connected in its intermediate part with the output channel of the turbine. With the internal surface of the outside shell, there is a second intermediate channel connected, along with the first intermediate channel, to the diffuser output channel. The back edge of the outside shell coincides with its maximum diameter. The input channel and the turbine are located in the center of the front shell. Input channels and turbines are located on the cross-sectional perimeter in the front shell. The generator is equipped with a cowl and is located in front of the turbine. The generator is located behind the turbine in the central shell. The turbine is equipped with two or several generators. The output part of the additional shell is made movable to change cross-section of adjacent channels. The output part of the front shell is made movable to change cross-section of adjacent channels. The trailing edge in it meridian plane has an angle of tangent declination to the external surface of the outside shell equal to 90-120 degrees relative to the plane of the basement shear of the shell. The support is made as a joint installed on the top of the column. The rotation axis of the joint is located along the wind flow in front of the center of power-generating unit wind pressure. At least one of the shells is filled with gas of a density less than that of ambient atmosphere. The support is made as a cable attached to the front part of the front shell. The cable is installed horizontally or with a slant, and its ends are attached at artificial or natural heights, while the power-generating unit is equipped with wings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aforementioned conceptual needs are satisfied by the formation and use of a wind power unit in the form of a support-installed power-generator. In one aspect, the wind power unit comprises a support, at least one turbine and mechanically connected to at least one generator, a central shell having an external surface, a front shell having an interior and exterior surface and a trailing edge and defining at least one input channel of the turbine with the front shell cooperating with the central shell to form a turbine output channel between the front shell and the central shell, and an annular external shell surrounding at least a portion of the central shell and cooperating with the central shell to form a diffuser output channel.
The wind power unit further comprises an additional annular shell having a trailing edge, the additional annular shell cooperating with the external surfaces of the front and central shells to form a narrowing-extending first intermediate channel that is connected in an intermediate part with the turbine output channel, the additional annular shell coope

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