Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F03D—WIND MOTORS
  • F03D1/00—Wind motors with rotation axis substantially parallel to the air flow entering the rotor 
  • F03D1/04—Wind motors with rotation axis substantially parallel to the air flow entering the rotor  having stationary wind-guiding means, e.g. with shrouds or channels
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
  • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
  • F05B2230/00—Manufacture
  • F05B2230/20—Manufacture essentially without removing material
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
  • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
  • F05B2240/00—Components
  • F05B2240/10—Stators
  • F05B2240/13—Stators to collect or cause flow towards or away from turbines
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
  • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
  • F05B2240/00—Components
  • F05B2240/10—Stators
  • F05B2240/14—Casings, housings, nacelles, gondels or the like, protecting or supporting assemblies there within
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
  • F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
  • F05B2280/00—Materials; Properties thereof
  • F05B2280/60—Properties or characteristics given to material by treatment or manufacturing
  • F05B2280/6001—Fabrics
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
  • F05C—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO MATERIALS, MATERIAL PROPERTIES OR MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS FOR MACHINES, ENGINES OR PUMPS OTHER THAN NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES
  • F05C2253/00—Other material characteristics; Treatment of material
  • F05C2253/02—Fabric
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/70—Wind energy
  • Y02E10/72—Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P70/00—Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
  • Y02P70/50—Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Definitions

• the invention relates to a diffuser for a wind turbine, in particular a large wind turbine mounted on a mast and comprising a wind-driven propeller, as well as an alternator cooperating with the propeller to provide electric energy.
• wind turbines currently used are most often equipped with propellers with radial blades and with a horizontal axis similar to those allowing the propulsion of airplanes, but as a rule much larger.
• propellers conventionally cooperate with dynamos or industrial alternators with speed multiplier drives, which makes them heavy, expensive and of low efficiency.
• Such a wind turbine is mounted on a vertical mast and comprises a wind-actuated propeller which is equipped with helical blades inclined upstream carried by a hub of horizontal axis as well as an alternator cooperating with the propeller to provide electric power and which is equipped with a magnetic rotor fixed to the hub and a stator with magnetic coils adjacent to the rotor and fixed to a fixed frame.
• This wind turbine is furthermore equipped with a static diffuser constituted on the one hand by a fixed circular element of relatively short length mounted concentrically with the hub on arms integral with the chassis and cooperating with little play with the ends of the blades, and comprising both on the other hand a rounded leading edge followed by a thick hull and a thin diverging trailing edge.
• a static diffuser constituted on the one hand by a fixed circular element of relatively short length mounted concentrically with the hub on arms integral with the chassis and cooperating with little play with the ends of the blades, and comprising both on the other hand a rounded leading edge followed by a thick hull and a thin diverging trailing edge.
• This situation is due to the optimized profile of the rotor blades and the presence of the divergent diffuser.
• Such a diffuser conventionally consists of a skin which gives it its profile and an internal structure such as to absorb the forces and to receive the end of the support arms allowing the diffuser to be centered around the blades of the wind turbine.
• the object of the present invention is to fill this gap.
• a diffuser for wind turbines in particular large wind turbines mounted on a mast and comprising a wind-driven propeller equipped with blades, as well as an alternator transforming the kinetic energy of the wind into electricity.
• a diffuser is characterized in that it is formed by a circular element surrounding the ends of the blades, and consisting of a skin made of a stretched textile membrane associated with a rigid internal and / or external framework supporting the efforts and allowing the membrane to be stretched and shaped.
• the textile membrane preferably has a density of the order of 1 kg / dm 3 .
• the tension of this textile membrane which is produced by the internal framework, can be adjustable over time to compensate for possible creep phenomena in the materials.
• the textile membrane is equipped with a lattice making it possible to reinforce it in particular in its zone located near the blades.
• the rigid framework comprises a series of identical radiating ribs, closed on themselves in a flat curve having a wing-shaped contour corresponding to the profile of the diffuser and materializing the internal surfaces and external of it.
• These radiating ribs can advantageously be made of a metal such as steel or aluminum or also of wood or a composite material.
• the rigid framework also comprises a series of peripheral members allowing the connection of the radiating ribs and if necessary a series of stiffening elements making it possible to keep the thickness of the profile of the diffuser constant.
• These members and these stiffening elements can be made of materials similar to the constituent materials of the radiating ribs.
• the radiating ribs as well as the peripheral members consist of steel tubes.
• the neighboring peripheral members can advantageously be connected by stiffening elements constituted by steel profiles located in the plane of the radiating ribs along the internal and external faces of the diffuser and / or transverse thereto. Additional steel rods also having a stiffening function can optionally connect the radiating ribs parallel to the peripheral members.
• the radiating ribs are formed by aluminum profiles having in particular an ⁇ -shaped section while the peripheral members are constituted by aluminum tubes.
• the various aluminum tubes constituting the peripheral members can advantageously be connected to each other by other aluminum tubes acting as stiffening elements.
• the framework corresponding to this second variant is largely similar to that corresponding to the first variant of the invention but has the advantage of having a reduced weight, by the nature of the materials used.
• the radiating ribs are constituted by wooden profiles, in particular in the shape of a T and the peripheral members are constituted by carbon beams, in particular of rectangular section connected in pairs. by webs, in particular plywood on both sides of the radiating ribs so as to define boxed beams.
• boxed side members are preferably hollowed out in their middle part so as to limit as much as possible the weight of the rigid frame, and as a rule connected two by two by cables made of stainless steel.
• the radiating ribs are constituted by elements in particular of rectangular section made of a glued laminated composite material and the peripheral members consist of beams, in particular of rectangular section made of a composite material glued laminated laminated in pairs on both sides of the radiating ribs by a series of rings rigidly fixed to each other and also made of glued laminated composite material.
• the internal and external faces of each of the radiating ribs are preferably connected by a series of rings rigidly fixed to each other and made of a glued laminated composite material acting as stiffening elements. . It is also advantageous to provide additional wooden strips connecting the radiating ribs parallel to the peripheral members.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wind turbine fitted with a static diffuser according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a partial axial section view of this wind turbine
• FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating the installation of the static diffuser
• FIG. 4 is an axionometric view showing a detail of the framework of a diffuser according to the first variant of the invention
• FIG. 5 is an axionometric view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the framework of a diffuser according to the second variant of the invention
• FIG. 6 is an axionometric view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the framework of a diffuser according to the third variant of the invention
• FIG. 7 is an axionometric view similar to Figure 4 but showing the framework of a diffuser according to the fourth variant of the invention
• the wind turbine 1 is mounted on a vertical mast 2 and comprises a propeller 3 actuated by the wind which is equipped with helical blades 5 inclined upstream.
• the blades 5 are carried by a hub 4 with a horizontal axis.
• the wind turbine 1 also includes an alternator not shown in the figures which cooperates with the propeller 3 to supply electrical energy.
• This alternator is equipped with a magnetic rotor fixed to the hub 4 and a stator with magnetic coils adjacent to the rotor and fixed to a fixed frame 6.
• the rotor and the stator are not shown in the figures.
• the wind turbine is also equipped with a static diffuser 7 constituted by a fixed circular element of relatively short length.
• This diffuser 7 is mounted concentrically with the hub 4 on arms 8 integral with the chassis 6 and cooperates with low clearance with the ends 9 of the blades 5.
• the static diffuser 7 has an aerodynamic profile and has a rounded leading edge 10 followed by a thick hull 11 and a thin diverging trailing edge 12.
• the diverging trailing edge 12 is supported by gussets 13 distributed in radial planes.
• this configuration makes it possible to create a divergence of the air flow downstream of the diffuser according to the arrows F and F '.
• the diffuser 7 consists of a skin 14 made of a textile material of very low density. This skin 14 is stretched on a rigid frame 15 allowing it to be shaped and centered around the blades 6.
• the frame 15 is essentially constituted on the one hand by a series of radiating ribs 16 all identical and on the other hand by a series of peripheral members 17 having the function of allowing the connection of the radiating ribs 16 and receiving the end of the arm 8 on which the diffuser 7 is mounted.
• the radiating ribs 16 are constituted by elements closed in on themselves in a plane curve having a wing-shaped contour corresponding to the profile of the diffuser 7 as shown in FIG. 2.
• the radiating ribs 16 ⁇ and the peripheral members 17 ⁇ are constituted by steel tubes.
• the constituent tubes of the peripheral members 17 ⁇ are interconnected by different stiffening elements to allow the thickness of the profile of the diffuser 7 to be kept constant.
• these elements include steel profiles 20 located in the planes of the radiating ribs 16 ⁇ as well as cables 21 made of stainless steel which are located transverse to these planes.
• the radiating ribs I62 are constituted by aluminum profiles having a section in the shape of an ⁇ while the peripheral members 172 are constituted by aluminum tubes.
• the various neighboring tubes 172 on the internal surface 18 or on the external surface 19 of the diffuser 7 or on either side of the radiating ribs I62 are connected by aluminum tubes 23 situated in the plane of the radiating ribs I62 or transversely with respect to to these in a pyramidal configuration so as to make it possible to stiffen the internal framework 15 of the diffuser 7.
• the radiating ribs I6 3 are formed by T-shaped wooden profiles while the members peripherals 17 3 are constituted by carbon beams of rectangular section.
• the beams 17 3 are connected in pairs, on either side of these ribs I63, by plywood cores 24 equipped with recesses 25 at their middle part.
• the beams 173 and the plywood cores 24 thus define boxed beams making it possible to maintain the thickness of the profile of the diffuser 7.
• the neighboring boxed beams are connected together by stiffening cables 26 arranged obliquely to the plan of radiating ribs I63.
• the radiating ribs I64 are constituted by elements of rectangular section based on wood made of a glued-laminated composite material while the peripheral members 174 are constituted by beams of rectangular section made of a similar material.
• the beams 17 4 are connected two by two on either side of the radiating ribs I64 by a series of rings 27 rigidly fixed to each other and also made of a laminated composite material.
• the internal 18 and external 19 faces of the radiating ribs I64 are also connected to one another by a series of rings 28 rigidly fixed to each other and also made of a glued laminated composite material.
• the fixing arms 8 are not directly fixed on the peripheral members 174 at their external ends 81, but mounted at this level on fixing plates 30 themselves fixed on the rings 27, 28.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Sustainable Energy (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Wind Motors (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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ID=8869521

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

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• 2001
  • 2001-11-19 FR FR0114918A patent/FR2832465B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2002
  • 2002-11-19 US US10/495,502 patent/US20050069415A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-11-19 EP EP02795384A patent/EP1446577A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-11-19 CA CA002466897A patent/CA2466897A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-11-19 WO PCT/FR2002/003944 patent/WO2003044361A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-11-19 AU AU2002360179A patent/AU2002360179A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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