VERTICAL WIND ELECTRICITY GENERATION SYSTEM

AEROGENERATEUR

English Abstract

A vertical wind electricity generating system, with two or four blades
encompassing
individual "wind movable" panels. Allowing for the generation of propulsion
when the
blades are facing in to the wind, as well as a reduction of drag resistance
once the blades
rotate with their back to the oncoming wind. The system will incorporate a
ground mounted
vertical generator, a tower with externally mounted bearings as well as a
cable suspension
system and an air brake system which will allow the electricity generating
system to not
only be light and inexpensive, but also wind efficient, with a lower minimum
wind speed
required to generate electricity, as well as the ability to operate in a wider
range of wind
speeds.

Claims

"The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege
is claimed
are defined as follows:"
1. A multiple triangular shaped blade system for generating electricity from
wind. Each
triangular shaped blade consists of a set of wind movable panels. These panels
will be:
.cndot. suspended by hinges at the top of each panel
.cndot. mounted at a slight horizontal tilt toward the center of each blade
.cndot. closed by the wind up against rear mounted support cables when each
blades open
side is facing into the wind, generating propulsion
.cndot. opened by the wind to 80 degrees vertically when the blades back
rotates and heads
against the wind, decreasing wind resistance considerably
2. The vertical electricity wind generator recited in claim 1, consisting of
an externally
mounted bearing system welded to the generator tower and supported by bearing
mounts.
3. The vertical electricity wind generator recited in claim 1, consisting of a
vertically
mounted set of plates attached to an externally mounted bearing, which will
provide for each
blade to be connected to the internally placed generator input shaft, while at
the same time
allowing for overhead support cables to be mounted across the top of the
vertically mounted
plates.
4. The vertical electricity wind generator recited in claim 1 consisting of a
set of upper and
lower mounted hydraulically powered air brakes on each blade, controlled by an
on board
computer based of generator temperature and rotation speed.
5. The vertical electricity wind generator recited in claim 1 consisting of a
set of
electromagnets attached to each panel and support cable which when powered
with electric
current will eliminate panel to cable impact.
6. The vertical electricity wind generator recited in claim 1 consisting of a
set of
electromagnets attached to each panel and support cable which when powered
with electric
current will force the panels to stay open during any wind cycle slowing the
entire system
down.

Description

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Vertical Wind Electricity Generation System
This invention deals with a vertical wind energy generation system using wind
movable
panels.
Summary of The Invention
Two types of wind energy generation systems exist. The first being horizontal
generators,
the second being vertical generators. Horizontal systems (those with the
generating motor
placed horizontally) are more wind efficient, however with motors and blades
mounted at
the top of a steel tower that reaches as much as a hundred fifty meters above
ground these
systems besides being eye sores are extremely heavy. The weight not only makes
these
systems very expensive to produce and install, it also means that a high wind
speed is
required in order to turn their gigantic blades and generate electricity.
Vertical generators having the electric motor closer to ground level and much
lighter blades
are significantly less expensive to produce. However these vertical systems do
not offer
wind efficiency levels of the horizontal systems. The lack of sufficient
ability of vertical
systems to convert wind in to energy means that only high and constant wind
speeds are
needed to make these systems economically viable.
My idea for a vertical wind generating system will bring the best of both
worlds together. It
will be significantly more wind efficient then traditional vertical systems
and it will be
significantly lighter and therefore cheaper then traditional horizontal
systems. The design
with wind movable plastic panels will capture the winds energy with one side
of the blade
and let wind resistance flow through when the blade spins around with its back
facing
towards the path of the wind. A four blade system will take advantage of above
mounted
suspension cables which will support the weight of the blades and individual
panels
diminishing the need for an excessively heavy skeleton frame. The lower weight
will mean
cheaper production and installation cost as well as lower wind speed needed to
turn the
blades and produce electricity. The individual panels on each blade can
potentially be made
from clear Plexiglas or other types of plastic making the system less visible,
solving another
important issue one of obstructing views. This invention will also solve
another dilemma in
vertical wind production by providing a system that will allow for its blades
to be slowed
down if wind speed becomes too high.

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Detailed Description of The Invention
The principal behind this idea are wind movable Plexiglas panels which will
rest on a
number of horizontally strung cables. As illustrated in Figure 2 A and B the
panels (before
the blade enters its propulsion cycle) are pushed by the approaching wind up
against the
cable supports that the individual panels are attached to using hinges at the
top each panel,
with their back pressed against the cable supports propulsion is produced. As
illustrated in
Figure 3 A and B once the blade rotates 180 degrees and has its back facing
towards the
wind the individual panels will be forced open 80 degrees by the wind allowing
for virtually
no wind resistance to slow the blade down.
Of course with the panels being lifted and dropped by the winds energy
constantly as the
system rotates could cause damage to the panels. This is why each panel as
well as support
cable that the panel comes in to contact with, will have thin strips of
electromagnetic
magnets attached to them as shown in Figure #11. The magnets will be
positioned so that
they repel each other if they get to close to each other. Therefore as shown
in Figure #11
when each panel is blown closed by the wind just before the panel comes in to
contact with
the rear mounted support cable, the repelling magnet attached to the panel and
the repelling
electromagnetic attached to the support cable will lessen if not entirely
eliminate impact
between panel and cable. The same will happen when the panel is forced open by
the wind
and is stopped by the front mounted stopping cable. As shown in Figure #11 as
the panel
approaches the forward and above mounted stopping cable its repelling magnet
will get
close to the cables own repelling electromagnet decreasing if not entirely
eliminating impact
before if occurs. A mild electric current supplied from the tower to each
blade can be wired
to each electromagnet making for stronger repulsion and cushioning or the
panels as rotation
speed of the systems blades increases.
Figure 9 A through D demonstrates wind propulsion and wind drag reduction
cycles using a
four blade system. In Figure 9 A all individual panels on the blade are closed
with their
backs against rear mounted support cables creating wind propulsion. In Figure
9 B wind
pushes open the blades nearest panels but closes and pushes against the far
side panels
producing more propulsion for the system. In Figure 9 C all of the blades
panels are open
decreasing wind drag on this blade considerably. Figure 9 D is similar to 9 B
in the sense
that wind pushes the backs of the nearest panels opening them, but pushes
against the front
of the panels on the other side of the same triangular blade producing yet
more propulsion.
Over all Figure 9 A through 9 D demonstrate how wind movable panels will
produce wind
propulsion when facing into the wind, as well as be allowed to open 80 degrees
vertically
when their backs are to the wind reducing drag significantly making this
vertical wind
energy system both light, inexpensive and also wind efficient.
The panels of each blade besides having support cables mounted behind them
will also have
a set of cables mounted in front of them allowing for the panel to be opened
about 80
degrees before being stopped by the forward and above mounted support cable
(Figure #11
B). This front mounted cable will act as a physical stop for the panels,
preventing then from

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climbing too high for the wind to be able to blow them back down when the
systems blade
rotates facing in to the wind for another propulsion cycle.
The cables that the individual panels are attached to will them selves will be
attached to the
blades solid triangular frame as illustrated in Figure 7. Each blade will be
attached to the
generator shaft near the top of the tower as illustrated in Figure 4, this
involves a vertically
placed steel plate welded to the outside of en externally mounted bearing.
This vertical plate
will spin with each blade and provide for support of the blade itself by
overhead cables
which will be strung from one blade to the next across the top of the plate
and also spin with
each blade. The over head cable suspension system involving externally mounted
bearings
and cable supports will allow for a much lighter blade, reducing cost and the
amount of
wind energy required to propel the entire system. A horizontally mounted cable
system as
illustrated in Figure 8 will also be employed providing for increased
stability during
rotation.
Each blade will hang along side the generator tower and will be attached to
the tower using
an externally mounted bearing illustrated in Figure 6. The externally mounted
bearings will
further increase stability as well as providing for a way of implementing
taller and wider
blades.
An air brake system as illustrated in Figure 5 will also be implemented. This
will consist of
a hydrologically or mechanically operated lift system along the top and bottom
of each
blade. This system will consist of a horizontal Plexiglas panel mounted along
the top and
bottom of a blade attached with hinges at the top and bottom of each blades
opening. These
air brakes will be hydraulically powered. If the rotation speed of the system
increases too
much, in order to slow the blades down and prevent damage to the generator
motor, these air
brakes will be deployed and opened facing the direction of rotation caching
wind and thus
slowing the entire system down. Once the systems blades are slowed enough to
facilitate
safe operating rotation speed the air brakes will be closed. The angle of
deployment of this
breaking system will be determined by an on board control computer based of
generator
speed and temperature. Another usefulness of the air bake system is that when
not deployed
the horizontally mounted panels will increase the drag coefficient of each
triangular shaped
blade. The electricity for this system will be provided from the tower using
an electrically
charged rail running the circumference of the tower, having an electric cable
on the blade
side sliding along this rail. As shown in Figure #11 repelling magnets will be
used to absorb
panel impact. However the same approach can be used with electrically charged
attracting
electromagnets in order to lock the blades panels in the open position in
order to let wind
pass through even in the propulsion cycle providing another method of slowing
the system
down. This will work by eliminating electric current to the repelling magnets
(eliminating
their repelling energy) and increasing current to the attracting
electromagnets, locking the
panel in the open position preventing wind from blowing the panels down and
creating
propulsion if the systems blades rotate too fast.

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Figure 10 illustrates how each blades panels will be attached at a slight
horizontal slant
towards the center of the systems triangular shaped blades. The purpose of
this horizontal
slant towards center will be to allow the wind to close one side of the blades
panels creating
propulsion while the panels on the opposite side of the same blade, closest to
the direction of
the wind will still be open.

Representative Drawing