GB1561296A

GB1561296A - Fluid stream engine

Info

Publication number: GB1561296A
Application number: GB3772176A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1977-09-09
Filing date: 1977-09-09
Publication date: 1980-02-20

Description

(54) FLUID STREAM ENGINE (71) I, JOSEPH THOMAS BERRY, of 5 Ampleforth Road, Billingham, Cleveland County; a British Subject, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a fluid driven apparatus for converting the energy of moving streams into a form which can be used, for example by directly driving machinery. or by driving a dynamo set to generate electricity.

The history of attempts to harness wind power is long, and includes more or less successful wind driven machines from corn grinding mills to wind driven electrical generators.

An object of the invention is to provide fluid driven apparatus, wherein the vanes or sail used to catch the wind are feathered automatically by wind pressure alone, this being achieved by means of a simple expedient.

In accordance with the invention, a fluid driven apparatus comprise a shaft to be driven by the fluid, carrying one or more pairs of sails mounted at opposite ends of one or more corresponding beams extending diametrically of a notional circle about one end of the shaft, the sails on each beam being arranged in mutually perpendicular planes to be rotatable integrally with the respective beam, and each being mounted on the respective end of the beam to present a larger surface area to one side of the axis of beam than to the other, and a stop being provided to prevent rotation of the sail on the beam through more than a predetermined arc, whereby the sails are automatically feathered to present a small surface area when moving upstream and a larger surface area when moving downstream.

By this means, the fluid which is preferably wind will exert a greater force on the larger face than the smaller face, and by appropriate location of the stop, the wind will catch the larger face, and lift it until the sail engages the stop and presents its greatest area to the wind as the sail is presented to the wind by rotation of the shaft. The sail will then be driven around by the wind while the opposed sail is moving upstream of the wind, with the latter sail laid flat and presenting its narrow edge to the wind due to the wind blowing the larger face away from the stop and into the attitude of least resistance.A further stop may be provided so that the sail can rotate only through the right angle between the flat position where the minimum area is presented to the wind, and the upright position wherein the maximum area is presented to the wind for catching the full force of the wind.

By this means, the 'idling' sails moving upstream do not substantially impede the rotation of the beam or beams and the attached shaft by wind resistance, when moving up wind, and the 'working' sails catch the greatest possible wind force.

Preferably more than one beam is provided, so that a uniform and steady rotation is obtained. Two beams set at right angles carrying four sails altogether is considered the smallest number to obtain a useful output.

The shaft may carry a fly wheel to maintain momentum in gusty or irregular winds, and at phases of rotation where the power input is reduced, e.g. in a four sail apparatus when two of the four sails are aligned with the wind direction.

The apparatus is preferably horizontally disposed, so that it will catch the wind from any direction without needing to be steered manually or by a tail fin into the wind. The shaft may be arranged to drive light machinery such as a pump, forging hammer or similar, or drive an electrical generator. A wind driven device can provide a useful source of power in exposed locations and areas.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a foursailed wind driven apparatus according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the means for limiting rotation of the sails.

As shown in Fig. 1, a wind driven apparatus comprises two beams 1, or 2 mounted coaxially one above the other on a shaft 3. Each beam 1 or 2 comprises a central flanged collar 4 with a tubular shaft 5 or 6 passing therethrough so that its axis intersects the axis of the collar 4 Exerpendicularly. The tubular shaft 5 or 6 receives a respective shaft 7, 8 which passes through and is rotatable within the cavity of the respective tubular shaft 5 or 6 and received in annular bearings 16.

Each shaft 7, 8 carries a respective pair of sails 9 and 10 and the end of each respective shaft is split so that the sail is passed through it, and secured by means of screws 11.

Each sail 9 or 10 is divided into two parts by the shaft 7 or 8, i.e., a part of smaller surface area 9a, 6 inches deep, l0a and a part of larger surface area 12 inches deep 9b, lOb. This ensures that wind pressure will apply a larger total force to area 9b, lOb than to area 9a, lOa.

Each shaft 7, 8 carries a respective radially extending stop or lug 7a, 7b or 8a, 8b and each shaft 5, 6 carries respective stops or lugs Sa. 5b, and 6a, 6b for engagement by the lug 7a, 7b or 8a, 8b respectively. These stops co-operate to limit the rotation of the shafts 7, 8 in the respective tubular shafts 5, 6 to 900, for the purpose of feathering the sails 9, 10 so as to catch the wind when travelling down wind, and to minimise wind resistance when travelling upwind. The stops may be covered with rubber - to provide for silent running.

The shaft 3, as shown in Fig. 1 carries a fly wheel 12 which by means of inertial moentum, maintains rotation in gusty winds. This fly wheel is of course only shown schematically, and can be connected to the shaft 3 in any mechanically practicable way. A pulley 13 is drawn from the fly wheel 12 by a belt, and pulley 13 drives an electrical generator 14. The lower end of the shaft 3 is received in a thrust bearing 15.

In use, with wind blowing in the direction of arrows A (both figs.) sails 9 are catching the wind and moving down wind. The larger areas 9b are held up by the wind, the stop 7a butting against the down wind side of stop Sa. At the same time, the sails 10 are laid flat, the larger areas 10b having caught the wind on the opposite side to that which catches the wind when travelling downstream on passing through the position where the plane of the sail lies in the wind direction, so that the stop 7b is desengaged from the stop 5b and the sail 10 adopts the position of least resistance as shown.

On reaching the furthest upwind position and passing through the position where the sail lies in the wind direction, the larger area lOb is caught by the wind, and raised to catch the wind, being held to expose the greatest sail area by the co-operation of the catches 7b and 5b.

To ensure that the sail can only rotate through a quadrant, the sails being mounted on opposite ends of a common shaft the action of one sail in response to the wind is reinforced by the opposite action of the other.

Fig. 2 shows in detail the arrangement of stops and the central part of one of the beams 2.

The apparatus is particularly shown as having a horizontal rotor. This has the advantage that unlike a vertical rotor, it does not need to be steered into the wind by means of a tail or rudder fin, or manually. The rotor is shown as having two pairs of sails, but more sails may be provided, up to the point of diminishing returns where adidtional sails shelter those down wind from the wind, thus adding nothing to the power gained. A workable rotor may be provided with a single pair of sails, if a flywheel is provided to carry the sails through the aligned position by rotational inertia, to prevent the sails being stranded in the upwind-downwind position.

The apparatus described may be used to drive light machinery, pumps or generating equipment as a supplementary power source, or even as a primary source in exposed locations.

The invention is applicable to a vertically disposed rotor, a rudder or tail fin being used to turn the rotor into the wind, and while described as a wind mill, it can be adapted for use with other fluids such as a body of moving water in a river. While shown as flat rectangular sheets, the sails may be aerodynamically profiled to minimize resistance when travelling up wind and may be other wise shaped to catch the wind to best advantage, and the apparatus or any part of it may be fabricated in any suitable material, e.g. steel or aluminium alloy or any plastics material which may be found suitable.

The mechanism may readilv be employed under or partly under water, for example in rivers where it may be submerged and tidal waters. The apparatus may be buoyed, the sails being carried with their beams at or just above the water level so that one side of each sail on a beam is driven by water passing the anchored float when the said at the other end is feathered substantially clear of the water.

In the latter case the operative portion of the driven sail vane should leave the water, when rotated to a position downstream of the shaft, in the downstream direction i.e. driven out of the water as it passes the downstream radius from the shaft.

Consequent rotation of the beam dips half of the sail vane at its other end in the water. This may be accomplished by arranging the stops Sa, Sb for taking the strain from the sail vane 10a, 9a at the other end of the beam rather than as shown in Fig. 2, viz: 9, 10 respectively and similarly on the other beam 8. The stops as shown arc displaced from the bottom dead centre by an amount corresponding to their width, or otherwise as may be convenient however the sail vanes shown extend marginally further on the side of the beam opposed to their lug for counter-balancing same e.g. depth of 9b counterbalances vane 9a and lug 7a.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. Fluid driven apparatus comprising a shaft to be driven by the fluid, the shaft carrying one or more pairs of sails mounted at opposite ends of one or more corresponding beams extending diametrically of a notional circle about one end of the shaft, the sails on each beam being arranged in mutually perpendicular planes to be rotatable integrally with the respective beam, and each being mounted on the respective end of the beam to present a larger surface area to one side of the axis of the beam than to the other, and stop means being provided to prevent rotation of the sail on the beam through more than a predetermined arc, whereby the sails are automatically feathered to present a small surface area when moving upstream and a larger surface area when moving downstream.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein each sail is associated with co-operative stops defining a permitted arc of rotation of 900.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein each beam comprises a collar for mounting on the shaft, a tubular member extending perpendicularly through the collar, and a shaft carrying a pair of sails rotatably held in the cavity of the tubular member, so that the sails can rotate relative to the tubular members, the sails being set in planes mutually at right angles.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3 wherein a stop on each sail carrying shaft is mounted to engage a stop on the end of each tubular member, for defining a position of the sail wherein the wind is caught to maximum effect.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 4 wherein the stops are covered with rubber to provide for silent running.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim having two or more pairs of sails.

7. fluid driven apparatus substantially as herein before described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. waters. The apparatus may be buoyed, the sails being carried with their beams at or just above the water level so that one side of each sail on a beam is driven by water passing the anchored float when the said at the other end is feathered substantially clear of the water. In the latter case the operative portion of the driven sail vane should leave the water, when rotated to a position downstream of the shaft, in the downstream direction i.e. driven out of the water as it passes the downstream radius from the shaft. Consequent rotation of the beam dips half of the sail vane at its other end in the water. This may be accomplished by arranging the stops Sa, Sb for taking the strain from the sail vane 10a, 9a at the other end of the beam rather than as shown in Fig. 2, viz: 9, 10 respectively and similarly on the other beam 8. The stops as shown arc displaced from the bottom dead centre by an amount corresponding to their width, or otherwise as may be convenient however the sail vanes shown extend marginally further on the side of the beam opposed to their lug for counter-balancing same e.g. depth of 9b counterbalances vane 9a and lug 7a. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. Fluid driven apparatus comprising a shaft to be driven by the fluid, the shaft carrying one or more pairs of sails mounted at opposite ends of one or more corresponding beams extending diametrically of a notional circle about one end of the shaft, the sails on each beam being arranged in mutually perpendicular planes to be rotatable integrally with the respective beam, and each being mounted on the respective end of the beam to present a larger surface area to one side of the axis of the beam than to the other, and stop means being provided to prevent rotation of the sail on the beam through more than a predetermined arc, whereby the sails are automatically feathered to present a small surface area when moving upstream and a larger surface area when moving downstream.