JPS6131674A - Photo-turbine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the structure of photo-turbine for converting the light energy into mechanical rotary energy in the air, by providing a spiral and/or radial reflector/straightner while arranging an impeller rotatably in the center. CONSTITUTION:Plural (eight in the drawing) reflector/straightner 1 are arranged in spiral on a circular bottom plate 4 then an impeller 2 is journaled rotatably to the rotary shaft 5 planted vertically from the center of the bottom plate 4 such that it will be positioned in the center of the spiral of said reflector/ straightner 1. While a tube having open ends 3 is arranged above the reflector/ straightner 1 coaxially with the impeller 2. An updraft is produced by the thermal energy produced from each vane of the impeller 2 through irradiation of light and the air flow sucked through the gap of said reflector/straightner 1 is straightened and taken in then collided against one face of impeller to rotate the impeller.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object] Industrial Application Field This invention relates to an impeller device for converting light energy into mechanical rotational energy in the atmosphere.

Conventional technology There are 1 devices that directly convert light energy into mechanical rotational energy by irradiating light onto an impeller.
There is a device called a radiometer that was invented by John Crookes in 873 (for example, Masaichi Mashima, Takashi Isobe, ``General Theory of Measurement'' (1983.3), University of Tokyo Press, p. 198). This is a transparent high-vacuum bulb with a vertical shaft impeller placed inside it. Each blade is a thin flat plate whose surface lies in a vertical plane. One side of the feather is coated with black soot, and the other side is either white or has a shiny reflective surface. When light hits the feather, the temperature of the black side rises compared to the other side, and the molecules that hit the black side are warmed and their momentum increases. This increase in momentum occurs when the molecules collide with and repel the blades, creating pressure on the blades and causing the impeller to rotate in such a way that the black surface is pushed.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The radiometer described above rotates only an extremely light impeller;
The drawback is that the rotational power obtained is also small. Also, since rotational energy is generated within the vacuum sphere, extracting that energy outside without breaking the vacuum requires extra mechanisms and energy loss. In addition, in order for the impeller to continue rotating, the inside of the bulb must be kept at a high vacuum, and there is a drawback that it will not rotate if it is at atmospheric pressure. And since the mean free path of gas molecules in vacuum must be about the same size as the sphere, a large impeller (
For example, it is difficult to make a material with dimensions of several meters.

The present invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional ones, and can operate under atmospheric pressure, has large rotational power,
It rotates not only with natural sunlight from outside but also with artificial light, the light source can be located at any position relative to the turbine, and it has become possible to use large impellers with a diameter of several meters. The object of the present invention is to provide a phototurbine that directly generates mechanical rotational motion using energy.

〔composition〕

Means for Solving the Problems FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention, and a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
The figure is an exploded perspective view. FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 1. Several reflective rectifying plates 1 are arranged in a spiral shape. In the figure, eight spiral-shaped reflective rectifying plates are shown, but the number is not limited to eight.

The impeller 2 is located at the center of the vortex of this spiral reflection straightening plate, and the bottom plate 4
It is rotatably supported on a rotating shaft 5 vertically extending from the center. The cylinder 3, which is open at both ends, is attached above the reflective rectifier plate as shown in FIG. In Figures 1 to 3, the diameter of the cylinder 3 is illustrated as being slightly larger than the diameter of the impeller 2, but it is not limited to this size, and it can be made larger (for example, by making it the same diameter as the bottom plate 4). It's okay too. In that case, a thin annular lid is placed over the reflective rectifier plate 1.

By using the above method, the impeller receives light energy and rotates powerfully in the atmosphere with much more power than before.

Operation First, when the impeller 2 is taken out from the device shown in Fig. 1 and rotatably supported on a vertical shaft, that is, the naked impeller is rotatably supported on a vertical shaft. The effect in this case will be described first.

When this naked impeller was irradiated with light, it was found that the impeller rotated in the atmosphere, albeit relatively weakly.

Now, if the angle of inclination of the blade with respect to the horizontal plane is θ as shown in Figure 4, then the angular velocity of the impeller is as shown by the curve (a) in Figure 5.
It depends on θ, as shown in .

The θ dependence of torque and shaft output (=torque×angular velocity) is shown in curve (a) in FIG. 6 and curve (a) in FIG. 7, respectively. At θ=90° and angles in the vicinity thereof, no rotation occurs, and only a slight left/right deflection occurs. The vanes of the radiometer are made with θ = 90°, so if the impeller is placed in the atmosphere, it will only slightly move left and right and will not rotate. Now, if we tilt the blades of a radiometer, will it rotate in the atmosphere?However, unless we increase the number of blades and make them long and wide, rotation will be quite difficult.

As shown in curve (a) in Figure 5, curve (a) in Figure 6, and curve (a) in Figure 7, θ is around 30° and 150°.
Maximum angular velocity, torque, and shaft power are obtained around 30°. In this case, increase the light reflectance on one side of the blade,
The light absorption rate of the other surface may be increased, or both surfaces may be in the same state. When θ<90°, the rotation is clockwise, and when θ>90°, the rotation is counterclockwise. Therefore, the impeller shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 rotates clockwise.

The mean free path of gas molecules in a vacuum depends on the degree of vacuum, but in the case of an actual radiometer, it is on the order of several centimeters. On the other hand, the mean free path in the atmosphere is about 10-4 mm. Therefore, when irradiated with light, the distance from the surface of the blade is 10-4 mm.
A creeping layer consisting of molecules with large momentum is generated within a distance of approximately It is thought that when the blade inclination angle θ is not 90°, a pressure difference occurs on both sides of the blade, causing rotational movement.

The torque and shaft output of this rotation are shown in Figures 6(a) and 7.
As shown in figure (a), θ is around 30° and 150°
Experiments have shown that the maximum value occurs near the vicinity. The above is a bare impeller, and as it is, the rotational torque and shaft output are small.

Next, when we experimented with an impeller with the structure shown in Figure 1, we found that the angular velocity of rotation, torque, and shaft output were
As shown in the curve (b) in the figure, the curve (b) in FIG. 6, and the curve (b) in FIG. 7, the impeller becomes significantly larger than the bare impeller. Since the reflective rectifying plate 1 in the present invention is arranged in a spiral shape, it has the function of condensing light coming from the surroundings and irradiating the blades. Further, the bottom plate 4 has the function of reflecting light from above and diagonally above so that it hits the impeller.

Of course, there are also rays of light that hit the blades directly. Thermal energy generated by the blades due to light irradiation becomes thermal energy of gas molecules, resulting in an upward air current. The cylinder 3 has the function of helping the airflow rise, and the airflow that is sucked in from each gap of the spiral reflection straightening plate along with this rising airflow is rectified in the form of a vortex, enters the inside, and hits one side of the blade, so that the airflow Helps the car rotate.

According to this method, θ=
At and around 90°, the angular velocity, torque, and shaft output do not become 0, but exhibit considerably large values, and rotational motion occurs for any θ.

In experiments, rotation occurs regardless of the shape of the impeller.

In the most extreme example, a cylindrical or disk-shaped object with no blades can rotate if supported on its axis. However, θ≒
The rotational torque and shaft output of the impeller shape having blades with an inclination of 30° to 60° are by far greater.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the present invention, showing that a curved plate having the shape shown in the figure is used as the reflective rectifying plate 1 instead of the flat plate shown in FIG.

This reflective rectifier plate also has the same effect as a flat plate. It is also conceivable to use a bent plate instead of the curved plate shown here, and other variations.

FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, which uses a cylinder whose upper part is constricted. By doing this, the upward airflow will be stronger. Therefore, the length of the cylinder can be shortened by that much.

FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, which has a structure in which an inner cylinder 6 is provided within an outer cylinder 7. By doing this, the upward airflow will be stronger. Therefore, the length of the cylinder can be shortened by that much.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the bottom plate, etc. of the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Since the reflective rectifying plate 8 is attached to the bottom plate 4 at an angle and radially from the center, the airflow from below rises in a spiral shape, which has the effect of promoting the rotation of the blades. Both of the radially arranged reflective rectifying plates 8 and the spiral reflective rectifying plate 1 shown in FIG. 1 may be used simultaneously, or only one of them may be used. That is, if a structure in which the cylinder 3 is placed on the radial reflection rectifier plate 8 is used, the rotation of the impeller and the rotating body will occur within the cylinder even without the spiral reflection rectifier plate 1. FIG. 11 shows a method of placing the reflector 10 under the support 9 that supports the bottom plate 4. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention, in which reflection plates 11, 12
By providing these, light rays coming from above and diagonally above are reflected and concentrated on the impeller. The reflecting plate 11 is provided in the gap between the spiral reflection straightening plates 1, and the reflecting plate 12 is provided along the outer periphery of the bottom plate 4. In this case, the bottom plate 4 and the reflecting plate 12 may be integrated into a concave mirror shape.

FIG. 12 shows an example in which solar energy is used in particular, and in addition to reflectors 11 and 12, reflectors 13 and 14 and a top plate 15 are provided for concentrating solar rays.

The top plate 15 has the function of condensing light, and may be of a lens type or a reflective type. In addition, there are also known light concentration methods (for example, the Japanese Society of Solar Energy ``Solar Energy Reader'')
The shaft output can be further improved by condensing the light using Ohmsha, P210). In addition to condensing light, the top plate 15 functions to prevent rain and prevent wind from entering the cylinder 3 when it blows downward.

The reflecting plates 11, 12, 13 and the bottom plate 4 guide the wind coming from above or obliquely upward into the reflecting rectifying plate 1, so that it hits the impeller as a spiral wind. Since the wind direction generally has a horizontal component as its main component, the wind is rectified into the interior through the gap between the reflective rectifying plates 1 and 8 in a spiral or spiral shape, and serves to assist the rotation of the impeller. Therefore, the phototurbine of the present invention can use not only light energy but also wind energy.

In the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention, the case where the horizontal cross section of the cylinder is circular is shown, but other shapes may be used as long as the horizontal cross section is a cylinder. Although it will rotate even without a cylinder, the torque and shaft output will be greater if it is heated.

The impeller or rotating body may be provided at the center of the vortex of light or airflow generated by the reflective rectifying plate 1 or 8, or may be provided in a cylinder above the reflective rectifying plate 1 or 8. However, it is unavoidable that the rotational torque and shaft output become small in the upper cylinder.

A radiometer is a type of heat engine in which the blades serve as a high heat source and the glass bulb serves as a low heat source, but even the glass bulb, which is a low heat source, suffers from a drop in efficiency due to the considerable temperature rise caused by radiation. However, in the phototurbine of the present invention, the low heat source is the opening of the reflective straightening plate, which is in direct contact with the free space, and has a structure that allows air to flow easily, so there is no such concern.

As the radiation is gradually weakened, the eudiometer stops first, but the phototurbine of the present invention continues to rotate. That is, the phototurbine has a lower threshold of optical radiation intensity for rotation.

〔effect〕

Effects of the Invention The phototurbine according to the present invention, which directly converts light energy into mechanical energy in the atmosphere, is described below (1).
It has the effects of ~(7).

(1) Since it operates in the atmosphere, there is no need for an extra mechanism to extract mechanical energy from the vacuum, and there is no energy loss at that time, making it easier to manufacture and handle.

(2) Compared to conventional radiometers, the phototurbine of the present invention has a lower threshold for light radiation intensity at which rotation occurs, that is, it rotates more easily.

(3) By using the structure of the present invention, large devices (for example, dimensions of several meters) are possible. The larger the device, the greater the torque and shaft output, so it is possible to create a device with much larger torque and shaft output than conventional ones.

(4) Even indoors, if you are in a bright place near a window, the rotation will be sufficient due to natural radiation. In addition, for artificial light, commonly used electric stars (40W) and fluorescent lamp stands (
15W), it has the effect of rotating sufficiently even when placed near it.

(5) By adjusting the degree of opening of the opening, the rotational speed, torque, and shaft output can be adjusted.

(6) Since wind also contributes to rotation, wind energy can also be used.

(7) It has an educational effect as a unique type of heat engine that directly generates mechanical rotational motion at relatively low temperatures.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal view of the impeller blades. Figure 5 shows the angle of inclination θ, Figure 5 shows the θ dependence of angular velocity (experimental data), Figure 6 shows the θ dependence of torque (experimental data), and Figure 7 shows the shaft output (= torque). x angular velocity) (experimental data), Fig. 8 is a plan view of the second embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the cylinder of the third embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 10 is the main Invention No. 4
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the bottom plate etc. of the fifth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the sixth embodiment of the present invention;
It is. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... (vortex-like) reflective rectifier plate, 2... impeller, 3... tube, 4... bottom plate, 5... rotating shaft, 6... inner cylinder, 7... outer cylinder, 8... (radial)
Reflection rectifying plate, 9... Support, 10-14... Reflection plate, 15...
Top board,

Claims (1)

[Claims] Either or both of the spiral-shaped reflective rectifier plate 1 and the radial-shaped reflective rectifier plate 8 are fixed to the bottom plate 4, and when light or airflow is rotated by these reflective rectifier plates, the center or center of rotation is fixed. The impeller is pivoted above, and when using both reflective rectifier plates 1 and 8 or only 1, there is or is not a tube 3 at the top, and when only reflective rectifier plate 8 is used, the upper tube 3 is provided. A phototurbine that converts light energy into mechanical rotational motion, having a tube 3 at the top.