BE1008885A6 - Improved wind turbine system - Google Patents

Abstract

The system includes a wind turbine mounted on a mast, so as to be able topivot around a vertical axis, constituted by a pivoted head carrying blades,connected to a rotary air compressor anchored to said mast, and by a means ofstoring the compressed air provided by the compressor.

Description

       

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  Advanced wind turbine system
The object of the invention is to provide an energy supply system of simple and robust design, operating independently and requiring practically no maintenance, intended in particular for isolated areas, not having a hand - sufficient qualified work.



  More particularly, the invention relates to such a system actuated by a wind turbine, in which the energy of the wind is transformed into energy usable by machines, and easily storable.



  In this area, it is known to use wind energy to produce electricity which then supplies either the local network or one or more motors.



   A drawback of this system is the problem of storing the energy thus produced, in order to make it possible to establish a buffer between the production installation and the consumption unit, said buffer accumulating energy when production exceeds demand , and restoring it when demand exceeds production.



   According to the invention, it is proposed to solve this problem by providing a new energy production system of the above type, in which a wind turbine directly actuates an air compressor mounted on its axis, said compressor supplying compressed air l installation consuming energy, while a storage tank is provided in the system, to respectively absorb the production of excess compressed air, or to supplement production when consumption exceeds it.



   An object of the invention is therefore to provide a system for transforming wind energy into energy usable by machines, characterized in that it comprises a wind turbine mounted on a mast, so as to be able to pivot around a vertical axis, consisting of a pivoting head carrying blades, connected to a rotary air compressor, fixed to said mast, and a means

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 accumulation of compressed air supplied by the compressor.



   According to another characteristic of the invention, the means for accumulating the compressed air is a reservoir independent of the mat, and the system also comprises a flexible pneumatic conduit connecting the compressor to the reservoir, this flexible pneumatic conduit connecting the compressor to the reservoir loosely, so as to allow the orientation of the wind turbine to pivot relative to the wind, on either side of a central position corresponding to the prevailing wind.



   According to another characteristic of the invention, the reservoir is placed in series in the pneumatic circuit, between the compressor and the consuming unit.



   According to another characteristic of the invention, the reservoir is placed in bypass in the pneumatic circuit, between the compressor and the consuming unit.



   Other aspects, characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows, and from the appended drawing, in which the single figure is a schematic view of an embodiment of the invention.



   Referring to the drawing, the wind turbine comprises a rotary head 1 carrying blades 2, and mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, relative to a casing 3.



   The casing 3 is fixed to a support mast 4 by means of a coupling 5 allowing pivoting around a vertical axis.



   A tail unit 6 also serves to ensure, under the action of the wind, the pivoting of the wind turbine relative to the mast, by means of the pivoting coupling 5, the correct orientation of the head 1, with the axis of rotation in the wind direction.



   The casing 3 contains an air compressor (not shown) and is provided with suitable air supply ports for the compressor.



   In the preferred embodiment, the compressor is connected by a flexible pneumatic conduit 7 to a

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 EMI3.1
 storage tank 8 as well as to a use or consumption network represented by line 9.



  It goes without saying that the tank is provided with a safety valve, to avoid dangerous overpressure, as well as valves necessary to be able to disconnect it from the system if necessary, for maintenance or repair.



  With regard to the pneumatic circuit connecting the compressor to the use, provision may be made for the reservoir 8, either in series between the compressor and the consuming unit 9, or even in bypass.



  The tank capacity will of course be adapted to the needs, for example by calculating the minimum autonomy that is desired for the system in the event of total absence of wind; the power of the compressor, and its nominal rotation speed, will also be adapted to the characteristics of the head 1.



  Other variants and modifications which come within the scope of the invention will appear to a person skilled in the art, on reading the description.


    

Claims (4)

CLAIMS 1. System for transforming wind energy into energy usable by machines, characterized in that it comprises a wind turbine mounted on a mast, so as to be able to pivot around a vertical axis, consisting of a pivoting head carrying blades, connected to a rotary air compressor, fixed to said mast, and a means of accumulating the compressed air supplied by the compressor.  2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for accumulating compressed air is a tank independent of the mat, and in that it also comprises a flexible pneumatic conduit connecting the compressor to said means of accumulation, said flexible pneumatic conduit connecting the compressor to said accumulation means loosely, so as to allow the orientation of the wind turbine to pivot relative to the wind, on either side of a central position corresponding to the prevailing wind.  3. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the reservoir is placed in series in the pneumatic circuit, between the compressor and the consuming unit.  4. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the reservoir is placed in bypass in the pneumatic circuit, between the compressor and the consuming unit.