GB2500411A

GB2500411A - Wind Energy Generator System

Info

Publication number: GB2500411A
Application number: GB1204909.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Shakeel Ahmed Pervez
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-03-21
Filing date: 2012-03-21
Publication date: 2013-09-25
Also published as: GB201204909D0

Abstract

A wind energy generator system comprising a wind chamber 1 into and through which air flows, the wind chamber being an enclosure that is spheroid or domed or having a closed hollow cylinder/drum shape, where within the chamber there is an axle/drive shaft 6 that has at least one impeller 7a configured to rotate with the axle/drive shaft whereby the impeller drives airflow through the chamber. The system has a turbine generator to generate electricity. The axle/drive shaft may have a turbine generator to generate electricity from the its rotation and the system may also have an outlet 3 in one end the wind chamber downstream of the impeller that communicates with a duct 4 to direct airflow to re-enter the chamber at a different end region 1a of the chamber, where there are turbine-generators T4 mounted in the ducts to generate electrical energy.

Description

Wind Energy Generator System

Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a wind energy generator system for harvesting the kinetic energy of wind for generation of mechanical! s electrical energy and that may be used for a wide range of different applications and as a fixed power generator or as a mobile! portable generator that be used in automobiles or other vehicles..

Background to the Invention

Low carbon! renewable energy sources are critical to sustainability of the world economy and environment and numerous technologies are being developed to provide greater efficiency in energy harvesting, use and recycling! recovery. The major focus for such technologies is generation of electricity from wind power by turbines. In the UK and many other developed countries this is a multi-billion dollar industry where much of the effort is in developing and installing wind farms in which rotors coupled to electrical generators are mounted on tall pillars to harvest wind, depending on prevailing environmental wind patterns.

The present invention seeks to provide a further route to use of wind power (airflow) for generating electrical energy in a clean, renewable manner and which can be used over a broad range of scale and with high efficiency.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a wind energy generator system which comprises a wind chamber into and through which air flows, the wind chamber being partially or wholly spheroidal -eg spherical or hemi-spherical or otherwise domed -or having a closed hollow cylinder! drum shape. In plan! transverse section the chamber is preferably circular! ellipsoidal.

Within the chamber and preferably extending substantially centrally! axially of the chamber is an axlef drive shaft that has thereon at least one impeller and preferably a series of impellers that is! are configured to rotate with the axle! drive shaft. The at least one impeller drives or augments driving of airflow through the chamber.

At least one lateral outlet for the airflow is provided on the circumferential sidewall of the chamber in a distal end region of the chamber. Preferably, a plurality of lateral outlets is provided. These are suitably spaced apart from each other at intervals around the chamber (around the longitudinal! primary flow axis of the chamber). The at least one outlet or plurality of outlets communicates with a duct or respective plurality of ducts. The duct or ducts is! are configured to direct airflow to re-enter the chamber at a proximal end region of the chamber. The chamber suitably does not have an outlet that is aligned with the longitudinal axis! primary flow axis of the chamber. The air leaving the chamber does so substantially wholly through the lateral outlets.

In the, or each, duct is mounted at least one turbine-generator to generate electrical energy from the air flowing through the duct.

The axle! drive shaft within the wind chamber may itself operate as a wind turbine, generating electrical energy as it rotates. The system, which is branded as Shnzar by the inventor, takes the energy from flowing air! wind the flow of which is driven, wholly or at least in part, by rotation of the shaft within the enclosed cylindrical drum, dome or globe-shaped chamber.

The system generates electricity from the airflow in the drum, dome or globe-shaped wind chamber and the airflow in the ducts from the outlets radiating from the distal!downstream end of the chamber. The air flowing through those ducts is returned through inlets into the proximal!upstream end of the chamber and repeated circulation of the air through the system can enable substantially full harvesting! recovery of the kinetic energy from the airflow.

Brief Description of the Drawings

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of the system from above showing the wind chamber and four turbine-housing ducts radiating out equally spaced at respective quadrants from the wind chamber; Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the spheroidal wind chamber, showing the drive shaft! axle within the chamber bearing a set of three iO impellers; and Figure 3 is a side elevation view of a second embodiment of the system, that differs primarily in that the wind chamber is of a narrow cylindrical shape (drum! wheel shape) and the turbine-generators are all external to the wind chamber and not encased in return ducts, the wind from the distal is wind chamber being jetted by lateral nozzles towards arrays of turbine-generators along the sides of the wind chamber.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring to Figure 1, the system comprises a spheroidal wind chamber 1 that may be formed, for example, as a hollow steel sphere! oblate spheroid and which is supported seated on its proximal end region la by a frusto-conical base 2 with a central void! recess.

At each of the four quadrants around the circumference' of the spheroidal wind chamber 1 in the region of the distal end lb of the wind chamber 1 (uppermost end in the illustrated set-up) is a respective one of a set of four equi-spaced lateral outlets 3. The lateral outlets 3 each feed into a respective duct! conduit pipe 4 which passes in a curve back over the exterior of the wind chamber 1 to re-join with the wind chamber 1 at the proximal end region 1 a of the wind chamber 1. A corresponding set of four equi-spaced inlets 5 at the proximal end region la feed the airflow from the ducts! conduit pipes 4 back into the wind chamber 1 so that it is directed back through the chamber 1.

Each of the ducts! pipes 4 has an aerodynamic internal surface configured to optimise the ease of air flow therethrough with little or no friction. The ducts! pipes 4 are funnel shaped to form a venturi and each serves as a wind tunnel. In each of the ducts! pipes 5 there is a respective turbine Ti-T4 or indeed there may be a series of two or more turbines one behind the other in each duct! pipe 4. These turbines T1-T4 are configured to harvest the kinetic energy of the air flowing through the venturi of the ducts! pipes 4 and generate electrical energy.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the system has a single central longitudinal drive shaft! axle 6. The drive shaft! axle 6 has three sets of impellers 7a-c each comprising a plurality of blades, the impellers 7a-c being mounted on the shaft 6 in series, one above another, and serving to generate! augment wind (airflow) within the wind chamber 1. When not driving the airflow, the axle 6 may be driven by the airflow. Though not illustrated as such, the drive shaft! axle 6 suitably extends at one or both ends through and beyond the wall of the chamber 1 via an airtight aperture and has a turbine generator coupled to the external part of the drive shaft! axle 6. This enables the rotation of the drive shaft! axle 6 to generate electricity in addition to the turbines T1-T4 of the ducts! pipes 4.

The airflow in the chamber 1 flows from the proximal end la where it enters the chamber 1 and moves to the distal end lb of the chamber 1 where it exits the chamber 1. Air enters the chamber 1 both fresh from the outside environment and also from the re-circulation through the ducts! pipes 4. The re-circulated flow allows substantially all of the kinetic energy of the air to be harvested! recovered.

The system is able to operate in a variety of different modes and depending on scale and set-up can generate substantial levels of output energy, from a few kilo Watts at the smaller end of the scale suitable for powering individual household appliances and small electric motors or lighting, through to large installations for generating the mega Watts suitable to power multiple domestic premises or industrial premises.

The whole system may be in a fixed! static installation and could be housed inside a building to minimise noise pollution! visual obtrusiveness et cetera, with vents being provided in! near the roofline of the building to draw the air in, similar to a chimney. Such set-up would allow the system to be installed in close proximity to housing without any of the problems normally associated with wind turbines and other power generation systems.

The system may also be readily made in a portable form. Indeed, it may be supported on a moving platform! structure such as the chassis or body of an automobile or other vehicle. Indeed, when incorporated in a vehicle, the system may receive inflowing air from the air flowing passed the vehicle as the vehicle moves. The system may require little or no non-wind energy to start or drive the axle! drive shaft driving airflow while generating electrical energy from rotation of the axle! drive shaft and!or the rotation of the turbines T1-T4 in the ducts! pipes 4.

There are inlet openings in the region of the proximal end of the dome for intake of fresh air and for the intake of the recycled air from the tunnel! ducts 4. The fresh air and recycled air may be combined in a manifold and the inlets for fresh air suitably have one way valves to prevent pressurised air from escaping. The arrangement can enable reduction in the fresh air intake through the vents and reduction in noise pollution.

By its design, a majority of any energy consumed to drive the axle! drive shaft 6 of the system can be recovered by the dynamos coupled to the ends of the drive shaft 6. The drive shaft 6 can generate electrical energy as it spins while the blades generate wind to drive the other turbines T1-T4 in the tunnel! ducts 4.

In the first preferred embodiment there are the four or more wind tunnels! pipes or ducts 4 branching from the chamber 1 with two or more turbines T1-T4 in each tunnel! duct 4. However, number, size, location and output of each turbine is determined by the individual end requirements, including, inter alia, overall size of the system and the operating rate of revolution of the drive shaft 6.

In a second preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 the system has a squat circular cylindrical chamber 1 (example dimensions 600mm diameter and 300mm length) that is mounted on a base 2 with the axis of the cylinder and drive shaft! axle 6 within the cylinder 1 extending horizontally and with the drive shaft! axle 6 extending out of each end of the cylindrical chamber 1. One or a series of respective turbines Ti 0, Ti 1 is mounted on each end of the drive shaft! axle 6 to generate electricity from rotation of the drive shaft! axle 6.

The cylindrical chamber 1 has a pair of outlet nozzles 8 in the cylinder wall projecting in opposite radial directions. Air that flows through the cylindrical chamber 1 is directed! jetted out through each nozzle 8 to impinge on a respective turbine or row or array of turbines Ti2, Ti3 supported on a frame 9 surrounding the cylindrical chamber 1. In one preferred configuration there are eight turbines T12, T13 arranged in rows and banks for each of the two nozzles 8 plus two turbines Tb, Til on each end of the drive shaft! axle 6 and thus a total of twelve turbine generators in all. Turbines can be arranged side by side, one above another and one behind another to capture substantially all of the out-flowing air and harness the majority of kinetic energy from that air flow to generate electricity.

Claims

Claims 1. A wind energy generator system which comprises: (i) a wind chamber into and through which air flows in use, the wind chamber being an enclosure that is partially or wholly spheroidal or domed or having a closed hollow cylinder! drum shape; (ii) within the chamber, an axle! drive shaft that has thereon at least one impeller that is configured to rotate with the axle! drive shaft whereby the at least one impeller may drive airflow through the chamber, the system having at least one turbine generator to generate electricity.
2. A wind energy generator system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the axle! drive shaft has at least one turbine generator to generate electricity from the axle! drive shaft rotation.
3. A wind energy generator system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the axle! drive shaft extends through the chamber wall and has the turbine generator located thereon external to the chamber.
4. A wind energy generator system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the axle! drive shaft extends through the chamber wall in both directions and has at least one turbine located external to the chamber at one end and at least one further turbine located external to the chamber at the other end.
5. A wind energy generator system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the system has at least one outlet for the airflow in the wind chamber proximate one end thereof downstream of the at least one impeller.
6. A wind energy generator system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the system has a plurality of lateral outlets arranged at radial intervals around the chamber.
7. A wind energy generator system as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the at least one outlet or plurality of outlets communicates with a duct or respective plurality of ducts.S
8. A wind energy generator system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the duct or ducts is! are configured to direct airflow to re-enter the chamber at a proximal end region of the chamber.
9. A wind energy generator system as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein in the, or each, duct is mounted at least one turbine-generator to generate electrical energy from the air flowing through the duct.
10. A wind energy generator system as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the axle! drive shaft extends substantially centrally! axially of the chamber.
11. A wind energy generator system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the axle! drive shaft has a series of impellers therealong.
12. A wind energy generator system as claimed in claims 2 and 9, wherein the system generates electricity from the airflow in the drum, dome or globe-shaped wind chamber and the airflow in the ducts from the outlets radiating from the distal!downstream end of the chamber.
13. A wind energy generator system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the system has an outlet in the chamber wall that is formed as a nozzle and directs air in a jet! flow that impinges on a turbine mounted exterior to the chamber.
14. A wind energy generator system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the system has a plurality of turbines adjacent the outlet.
15. A wind energy generator system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plurality of turbines are arrayed side by side and!or one above another.
16 A wind energy generator system as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein the plurality of turbines are positioned successively in the direction of air flow so that air flows from one turbine to another to harvest residual kinetic energy.
17. A wind energy generator system as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.