Vertical axis wind turbine and methods of customizing same

Abstract

A vertical axis wind turbine with at least one deflector is provided. In some embodiments, the vertical axis wind turbine comprises: a rotor assembly comprising a shaft, a support structure, and at least two blades connected to the shaft via the support structure, the rotor assembly having an outer circumference; and a deflector assembly comprising at least one deflector, the at least one deflector extending outwards from the rotor assembly at an angle of between 15° and 40° with respect to the tangent of the outer circumference of the rotor assembly. In some embodiments, there are two deflectors of different sizes, which create a Venturi tube therebetween. Related methods of customizing the vertical axis wind turbine are also provided.

Description

[0001] VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINE AND METHODS OF CUSTOMIZING SAME

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0003] [1] The present disclosure claims priority to U.S. Provisional No. 63 / 634,229, filed April 15, 2024, the entire content of which is herein incorporated by reference.

[0004] FIELD

[0005] [2] Embodiments taught herein relate to a vertical axis wind turbine with deflectors and methods of customizing same. More specifically, the vertical axis wind turbine includes multiple deflectors to funnel the wind towards the blades of the turbine to generate electrical energy.

[0006] BACKGROUND

[0007] [3] Wind turbines can be used to generate electrical and mechanical energy without the detrimental environmental impacts of conventional fossil fuelbased energy generation. Wind turbines may have a horizontal axis or a vertical axis. Horizontal axis wind turbines are a common sight in the valleys and open prairie regions in North America. However, these types of turbines have drawbacks, including their size, strong wind requirements, high maintenance costs, impact on various birds and limitations on where they can be built.

[0008] [4] Vertical axis wind turbines are more compact than horizontal axis wind turbines and have fewer limitations on where they can be installed. Vertical axis wind turbines also have lower production and maintenance costs and are less dangerous to birds and other wildlife. However, despite these advantages, vertical axis wind turbines have not been widely implemented, largely due to their lower efficiency compared to horizontal axis wind turbines. This difference in efficiency is at least partially due to the orientation of the blades with respect to the direction of the wind. Typical horizontal axis wind turbines are able to rotate such that all of the blades face the wind direction, which urges the blades to turn. In contrast, the blades of a vertical axis wind turbine do not all face the wind direction at once in the same way as the blade of a horizontal axis wind turbine.

[0009] [5] There are several types of vertical axis wind turbines, including Savonius and Darrieus types. Savonius-type turbines comprise a rotor with curved blades arranged around a central vertical axis. To improve efficiency, some Savonius-type turbines also include one or more deflectors, louvres, or stator blades arranged around the outside of the rotor or to help direct incoming wind towards the rotor blades. However, the geometry of the blades and deflectors is still not optimal for high efficiency operation. Moreover, conventional Savonius-type turbines tend to have small dimensions with a high structural mass and cannot easily be scaled for a variety of turbine sizes. Conventional turbines also typically have the same structure regardless of the speed and direction of the wind at the location at which they are installed and are difficult to adapt for differing wind conditions.

[0010] SUMMARY

[0011] [6] The disclosure provides a vertical axis wind turbine and methods relating to customizing same. [7] In one aspect, there is provided a vertical axis wind turbine, comprising: a rotor assembly comprising a shaft, a support structure, and at least two blades connected to the shaft via the support structure, the rotor assembly having an outer circumference; a deflector assembly comprising at least one deflector, the at least one deflector extending outwards from the rotor assembly at an angle of between 15° and 40° with respect to the tangent of the outer circumference of the rotor assembly; and a base assembly engaging the shaft of the rotor assembly, the base assembly configured to convert mechanical energy from rotation of the shaft to electrical energy.

[0012] [8] In some embodiments, at least one blade of the at least two blades has a curved or semi-circular cross-section.

[0013] [9] In some embodiments, a curvature of at least one blade of the at least two blades is approximately equal to the curvature of a circumference of a circle.

[0014]

[0010] In some embodiments, a length of at least one blade of the at least two blades is approximately the length of an arc drawn from a second vertex of a triangle to a third vertex of the triangle, with a first vertex of the triangle being at the center of the arc and the angle at the first vertex of the triangle being approximately 60°, and wherein the length of each side of the triangle is approximately half the radius of the rotor assembly multiplied by the square root of two.

[0015]

[0011] In some embodiments, the at least two blades are two blades, four blades, six blades, eight blades, ten blades, or twelve blades.

[0016]

[0012] In some embodiments, all of the blades of the at least two blades have the same curvature.

[0013] In some embodiments, the at least two blades are positioned approximately equidistant from one another circumferentially around the shaft.

[0017]

[0014] In some embodiments, the at least one deflector are two deflectors, four deflectors, six deflectors, eight deflectors, ten deflectors or twelve deflectors,

[0018]

[0015] In some embodiments, all of the deflectors of the at least one deflector are approximately the same size.

[0019]

[0016] In some embodiments, the at least one deflector comprises a first deflector and a second deflector, and wherein the first deflector is longer than the second deflector.

[0020]

[0017] In some embodiments, the first and second deflectors create a Venturi tube therebetween.

[0021]

[0018] In some embodiments, the angle of the at least one deflector with respect to the tangent of the outer circumference of the rotor assembly is between 20° and 30°

[0022]

[0019] In some embodiments, the angle of the at least one deflector with respect to the tangent of the outer circumference of the rotor assembly is between 25° and 27°

[0023]

[0020] In some embodiments, the angle of the at least one deflector with respect to the tangent of the outer circumference of the rotor assembly is approximately 26.6°.

[0024]

[0021] In some embodiments, the support structure comprises a plurality of ring-shaped scaffold members that are approximately perpendicular to the shaft and spaced vertically from one another.

[0022] In some embodiments, each ring-shaped scaffold member of the plurality of ring-shaped scaffold members comprises an inner support ring and an outer support ring, and wherein the at least two blades are secured between the inner support ring and the outer support ring.

[0025]

[0023] In some embodiments, the vertical axis wind turbine further comprises a deflector support structure to support the at least one deflector, the deflector support structure comprising a plurality of inner vertical posts arranged in an inner ring and a plurality of outer vertical posts arranged in an outer ring, wherein adjacent inner vertical posts and outer vertical posts are interconnected by horizontal bars, and wherein each deflector of the at least one deflector is secured to a respective inner vertical post of the inner ring and a respective outer vertical post of the outer ring.

[0026]

[0024] In another aspect, there is provided a method for determining a length of a blade of a vertical axis wind turbine from a top view of a rotor assembly, the method comprising: drawing a square having a first vertex at a halfway point of the radius of the rotor assembly and a second vertex at an end tip of the blade, the square having side lengths of approximately fifty percent of the radius of the rotor assembly; drawing a diagonal line within the square and using the diagonal line to form an equilateral triangle, the equilateral triangle having a first vertex, a second vertex, and a third vertex; and drawing an arc from the second vertex of the triangle to the third vertex of the triangle, with the first vertex of the triangle being at the center of the arc; wherein the length of the blade is the length of the arc.

[0025] In some embodiments, the angle at the first vertex of the triangle is approximately 60° and the length of each side of the triangle is approximately half the radius of the rotor assembly multiplied by the square root of two.

[0027]

[0026] In another aspect, there is provided a method customizing a vertical axis wind turbine, the method comprising: obtaining data on wind speed and direction at a specific location; determining, based on the wind speed and direction data, a height, a diameter, a number of blades and a number of deflectors to enhance power generation at the specific location; and producing a design for a customized vertical axis wind turbine.

[0028] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029]

[0027] Some aspects of the disclosure will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0030]

[0028] Figures 1A is a perspective view of an example vertical axis wind turbine, according to some embodiments;

[0031]

[0029] Figure 1 B is an exploded view of the vertical axis wind turbine of Figure 1A;

[0032]

[0030] Figure 1 C is a top view of the vertical axis wind turbine of Figure 1 B;

[0033]

[0031] Figures 2A and 2B are perspective and top views, respectively, of the rotor assembly of the vertical axis turbine of Figures 1 A-1 C;

[0034]

[0032] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a support structure of the rotor assembly of Figures 2A-2B;

[0033] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a main shaft of the rotor assembly of Figures 2A-2B;

[0035]

[0034] Figures 5A-5C are perspective views of a blade frame, a blade plate, and an assembled blade of the rotor assembly of Figures 2A-2B;

[0036]

[0035] Figures 6A and 6B are perspective views of a base assembly of the vertical axis wind turbine of Figures 1A-1 C, shown with and without a protective cover, respectively;

[0037]

[0036] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the base assembly of Figures 6A and 6B, shown without the protective cover;

[0038]

[0037] Figures 8A and 8B are perspective views of a bevel gear axis and a bevel gear ring of the base assembly of Figures 6A and 6B;

[0039]

[0038] Figure 9A is a perspective view of a deflector assembly of the vertical axis wind turbine of Figures 1A-1 C;

[0040]

[0039] Figures 9B and 9C are enlarged views of the portions of Figure 9A in boxes A and B, respectively;

[0041]

[0040] Figures 9D and 9E are top and side views, respectively, of the deflector assembly of Figure 9A;

[0042]

[0041] Figure 10 is a perspective view of an example deflector of the deflector assembly of Figures 9A-9C;

[0043]

[0042] Figure 11 is a top view schematic of an embodiment of a vertical axis wind turbine showing the geometric relationship of the rotor and the deflectors;

[0044]

[0043] Figures 12A-12C are simplified top view schematics of alternative embodiments of rotor assemblies with six, eight, and twelve blades, respectively;

[0044] Figures 13A-13D are simplified top view schematics of alternative embodiments of deflector assemblies with two, six, eight, and twelve deflectors, respectively;

[0045]

[0045] Figure 14 is a simplified top view schematic of an alternative embodiment of a deflector assembly with two deflectors of different lengths;

[0046]

[0046] Figure 15 is a simplified top view schematic of an embodiment of a vertical axis wind turbine comprising a rotor assembly with twelve blades and a deflector assembly with two deflectors of different lengths; and

[0047]

[0047] Figures 16A and 16B are simplified top and side view schematics, respectively, of an embodiment of a vertical axis wind turbine comprising a rotor assembly with eight blades and a deflector assembly with two deflectors of different lengths.

[0048] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049]

[0048] As used herein, the singular forms of “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0050]

[0049] As used herein, the terms “top” and “bottom”, “upper” and “lower”, “upward” and “downward”, “vertical” and “horizontal” and the like refer to the typical orientation of the wind turbine and its components during normal operation. It will be understood that “vertical” and “horizontal” refer to an element being approximately in a vertical or horizontal plane although some variations are possible.

[0051]

[0050] As used herein, the terms “engaged”, “coupled”, “secured”, “connected” and the like are intended to encompass components that are directly connected to one another as well as components that are indirectly connected with one or more other components therebetween, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0052]

[0051] An example vertical axis wind turbine 100 will be discussed with reference to Figures 1 A to 10.

[0053]

[0052] Referring first to Figures 1A to 1 C, the wind turbine 100 comprises a rotor assembly 102, a base assembly 104, and a deflector assembly 106. The rotor assembly 102 is positioned above the base assembly 104 and is rotatably engaged thereto. The deflector assembly 106 is positioned around the rotor assembly 102 and the base assembly 104. The deflector assembly 106 and the rotor assembly 102 are approximately concentric with one another about a vertical (longitudinal) axis 101 (the axis 101 is labeled in Figure 1 B).

[0054]

[0053] The rotor assembly 102 will be discussed in more detail with reference to Figures 2A to 5. The rotor assembly 102 may also simply be referred to as the “rotor” herein. As shown in Figure 2A, the rotor assembly 102 comprises a main rotor shaft 108, at least two blades 110, and a support structure 112. In this embodiment, the rotor assembly 102 comprises eight blades 110, spaced circumferentially around the shaft 108. In other embodiments, the rotor assembly 102 may comprise any other suitable number of blades 110, as discussed in more detail below.

[0055]

[0054] The shaft 108 extends vertically along the vertical axis 101 and the blades 110 extend outwards therefrom. The shaft 108 is an approximately cylindrical rod or tube and may be made of carbon steel or any other suitable material. The shaft 108 may be a single rod or tube or two or more rods or tubes coupled together. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, at least two flanges 109 are coupled to a top portion 107 of the shaft 108 for connecting the shaft 108 to the support structure 112. In this embodiment, four flanges 109 are coupled to the shaft 108 to connect to the four scaffold members 114 of the support structure 112 discussed below. In some embodiments, the top portion 107 of the shaft 108 is about 50% the height of the full height of the shaft 108.

[0056]

[0055] Referring to Figures 5A-5C, each blade 110 comprises a frame 113 and a plate 115. Each plate 115 may be approximately rectangular in shape and generally curved about its vertical axis. In some embodiments, the plate 115 has a semi-circular cross-section. Each frame 113 includes a plurality of curved bars 117 that hold the curved shape of the plate 115 such that the overall blade 110 has that curved shape. The frame 113 may be made of carbon steel and the plate 115 may be made of fiberglass. In other embodiments, the frame 113 and plate 115 may each be made of any other suitable materials.

[0057]

[0056] In some embodiments, one or more of the plates 115 may be at least partially coloured to alert birds so that they avoid the vertical axis wind turbine 100. In some embodiments, the plates 115 are coloured in alternating colours. In some embodiments, the top and bottom sections of each of the plates 115 are coloured in different colours.

[0058]

[0057] The blades 110 are secured to the shaft 108 via the support structure 112. Referring again to Figure 3, the support structure 112 comprises a plurality of ring-shaped scaffold members 114 that are approximately perpendicular to the shaft 108. In this embodiment, the support structure 112 comprises four scaffold members 114 spaced vertically from one another along the shaft 108. Each scaffold member 114 comprises a plurality of inner scaffold elements 116 that are coupled to the flanges 109 of the shaft 108 and extend outwards from the shaft 108. The inner scaffold elements 116 further comprise inner connector bars 117 that interconnect the inner scaffold elements 116 and form an inner support ring 120. Each scaffold member 114 further comprises a plurality of outer scaffold elements 118 that extend around the circumference of the inner scaffold elements 116 thereby forming an outer support ring 122. Adjacent outer scaffold elements 118 form a joint 125 with a respective inner scaffold element 116. The inner and outer scaffold elements 116, 118 may be made of carbon steel or any other suitable material.

[0059]

[0058] When the rotor assembly 102 is assembled (as shown in Figures 2A and 2B), the frames 113 of the blades 110 are secured between the inner support rings 120 and the outer support rings 122 of all four scaffold members 114, thereby maintaining the blades 110 in their proper position and proper angle. More particularly, one side of each frame 113 is coupled to an inner connector bar 117 of each inner ring 120 and the other side is coupled to a joint 125 of each outer ring 122.

[0060]

[0059] Referring again to Figure 3, an upper housing 128 is positioned at the top of the shaft 108 above the support structure 112. The upper housing 128 houses one or more upper roller bearings therein (not shown) that engage the upper end of the shaft 108. The shaft 108 itself may directly engage the upper roller bearings or it may be received into a tube or other structure that in turn engages with the roller bearings. In some embodiments, the upper roller bearings are deep groove ball bearings. In other embodiments, the upper bearings are any other suitable type of bearing. The upper roller bearing(s) allows the shaft 108 to rotate with respect to the housing 128. As the shaft 108, the blades 110, and the support structure 112 are coupled together, they rotate as one unit. Thus, the force of the wind on the blades 110 drives rotation of the entire rotor assembly (i.e. the blades 110, the shaft 108, and the support structure 112) without rotating the upper housing 128.

[0061]

[0060] A plurality of support crossbars 124 may extend outwards from the upper housing 128. In this embodiment, ten crossbars 124 are approximately evenly spaced around the circumference of the upper housing 128. In other embodiments, the support structure 112 may further comprise any other suitable number of crossbars 124. Each crossbar 124 comprises a connector portion 126 at its distal end. The connector portions 126 may connect the upper housing 128 to the support structure 148 of the deflector assembly 106 described below. As the crossbars 124 are coupled to the upper housing 128 and the deflector assembly 106, the crossbars 124 remain stationary and do not rotate with the rotor assembly 102.

[0062]

[0061] The base assembly 104 will be discussed in more detail with reference to Figures 6A to 8B.

[0063]

[0062] Referring to Figures 6A-6C, the base assembly 104 in this embodiment comprises a lower housing 130 that houses one or more lower roller bearings 132 (visible in Figure 6C), a gear set 134, and a brake mechanism 136 (visible in Figure 6B). Optionally, the base assembly 104 may further comprise a protective covering 138, shown in Figure 6A, that protects the gear set 134 from the surrounding environment.

[0064]

[0063] The lower end of the shaft 108 is received into the lower housing 130 and engages the lower roller bearings 132. The shaft 108 itself may directly engage the roller bearings 132 or it may be received into a tube or other structure that in turn engages with the roller bearings 132. In some embodiments, the lower roller bearings 132 are deep groove ball bearings. In other embodiments, the lower roller bearings 132 are any other suitable type of bearing. The lower roller bearings 132 allow the shaft 108 (and thus the rotor assembly 102) to rotate with respect to the lower housing 130.

[0065]

[0064] The gear set 134 comprises a bevel gear axis 140 and a bevel gear ring 142 (shown in Figures 8A and 8B, respectively). Rotation of the shaft 108 drives rotation of the bevel gear ring 142 about the vertical axis 101 , which in turn rotates the bevel gear axis 140 about its horizontal axis. In this embodiment, the gear set 134 is a speed multiplier that multiplies the rotation of the rotor assembly 102. While any appropriate speed multiplier can be used, in one example, a speed multiplier that multiplies the rotation of the rotor 102 by thirty times (meaning one rotation of the rotor 102 corresponds to thirty rotations of the speed multiplier) can be used. The axis 140 of the gear set 134 can be connected to an alternator (not shown) to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. For example, the alternator can be a 120-amp alternator. The gear set 134, and related components such as the alternator, may also be referred to as the “electrical generator” of the wind turbine 100 as they convert the rotation of the shaft 108 into electrical energy.

[0065] The brake mechanism 136 in this embodiment is a hydraulic break mechanism that engages one or more brake discs 144 around the shaft 108 to stop rotation of the shaft 108 when needed. In other embodiments, the brake mechanism 136 may be any other suitable brake mechanism.

[0066]

[0066] The deflector assembly 106 will be discussed in more detail with reference to Figures 9A-10.

[0067]

[0067] The deflector assembly 106 comprises at least one deflector 146 and a support structure 148. In this embodiment, the deflector assembly 106 comprises ten deflectors 146 spaced circumferentially around the support structure 148. As discussed in more detail below, the deflectors 146 are angled to direct wind towards the blades 110 of the rotor assembly 102. Wind may approach the deflector assembly 106 from any number of directions and may be redirected by at least one deflector 146 towards the blades 110.

[0068]

[0068] As shown in Figure 10, each deflector 146 is substantially planar and may have curved edges to facilitate engagement with the support structure 148. In this embodiment, each deflector 146 also comprises notches 150 for accommodating the joints of the support structure 148 as discussed below. Each deflector 146 may be made of fiberglass or any other suitable material.

[0069]

[0069] The support structure 148 is configured to support the deflectors 146. The support structure 148 comprises vertical posts 152 and horizontal bars 154. As shown in Figure 9D, the vertical posts 152 are staggered such that the posts 152 alternate between an outer position and an inner position. The posts 152A in the inner position thereby form an inner ring 156 and the posts 152B in the outer position form an outer ring 158. The inner posts 152A are interconnected by horizontal bars 154A and the outer posts 152B are interconnected by horizontal bars 154B. Horizontal bars 154C interconnect the inner posts 152A with the outer posts 152B. The inner ring 156 thereby comprises inner joints 160 between the inner posts 152A and horizontal bars 154A and 154C. The outer ring 158 comprises outer joints 162 between the outer posts 152B and horizontal bars 154B and 154C. An enlarged view of an inner joint 160 is shown in Figure 9B and an enlarged view of an outer joint 162 is shown in Figure 9C.

[0070]

[0070] Each deflector 146 is secured to an inner post 152A and an outer post 152B by the curved edges of its opposing sides. Each notch 150 of the deflector 146 fits around a respective outer joint 162, as can be seen in Figure 9A, such that the deflector 146 remains flush with the outer post 152B.

[0071]

[0071] Referring back to Figures 1A-1 C, when the deflector assembly 106 is assembled with the rotor assembly 102, the connector portions 126 of the crossbars 124 are coupled to the inner joints 160, thereby securing the support structure 112 of the rotor assembly 102 and the support structure 148 of the deflector assembly 106 to one another. In alternative embodiments, the support structure 112 of the rotor assembly 102 and the support structure 148 of the deflector assembly 106 could be combined into a single structure.

[0072]

[0072] The geometry and configuration of the blades 110 and the deflectors 146 will be discussed in more detail with reference to Figure 11 .

[0073]

[0073] Figure 11 is a simplified top view schematic showing the blades 110 positioned around the shaft 108. The distance between the blades 110 impacts the consistency of the rotation of the rotor assembly 102. In a preferred embodiment, the blades 110 are positioned approximately equidistant from each other circumferentially around the outer surface of the shaft 108. For example, if the turbine 100 has six blades 110, then each blade 110 will be positioned approximately every 60 degrees. If the turbine 100 has eight blades 110, then each blade will be positioned approximately every 45 degrees. If the turbine 100 has twelve blades 110, then each blade 110 will be positioned approximately every 30 degrees. Examples of equidistant arrangements of six, eight, and twelve blades 110 are shown in Figures 12A-12C, respectively. In other embodiments, the rotor assembly 102 may comprise ten blades 110, fourteen blades 110, or any other suitable number of blades 110, and the blades 110 may be spaced accordingly.

[0074]

[0074] The curvature of the blades 110 impacts how and where the wind hits the blades 110, which determines the amount of rotation and thus the amount of power that is then generated. If the curvature of the blades 110 is changed, the location where the wind impacts the blades 110 is altered and impacts the amount of power that is generated within the vertical axis wind turbine 100. As discussed above and shown in Figure 5C, in a preferred embodiment, each blade 110 has a generally curved or semi-circular cross-section.

[0075]

[0075] In a preferred embodiment, the curvature and length of each blade 110 is determined using the following approach, shown in Figure 11. First, a square 164 is drawn having a first vertex 163 at the halfway point of the radius 166 of the rotor assembly 102, a second vertex 165 at the end tip of a first blade and having side lengths of approximately fifty percent of the radius 166 of the rotor assembly 102. A diagonal line 168 is drawn within the square 164, and forms one side of an equilateral triangle 170. The triangle 170 has a first vertex 171 , a second vertex 173, and a third vertex 175 (which is also the second vertex 165 of the square 164).

[0076]

[0076] In order to determine the general curvature of at least one of the blades 110, an arc 172 is drawn. The arc 172 is drawn between the second vertex 173 of the triangle 170 and the third vertex 175 of the triangle 170, with the first vertex 171 of the triangle 170 at the center of the arc 172. The arc 172 can be used to determine the curvature and length of at least one of the blades 110. In a preferred embodiment, the arc 172 and the curvature of at least one of the blades 110 are the same or are substantially the same. In a preferred embodiment all of the blades 110 have the same or substantially the same curvature as the arc 172. In other embodiments, the curvature of the blades 110 are different. In some embodiments, the curvature of at least one of the blades 110 is within 20 percent of the curvature of the arc 172. In some embodiments, the curvature of the blades 110 is approximately equal to the curvature of a circumference of a circle. In some embodiments, the length of at least one of the blades 110 is approximately the length of an arc 172 drawn from the second vertex 173 of the triangle 170 to the third vertex 175 of the triangle 170, the angle at the first vertex 171 of the triangle 170 is approximately 60° and the length of each side of the triangle 170 is approximately half the radius 166 of the rotor 102 multiplied by the square root of two. In some embodiments the length of the blade 110 is determined using the following formula:

[0077] Blade length = 2irr(9 / 360) where r is half the radius of the rotor multiplied by the square root of 2, and 0 is 60°.

[0078]

[0077] In some embodiments, r can be 10% more or less than half the radius of the rotor multiplied by the square root of 2. In some embodiments, 0 can be 10° more or less than 60°.

[0079]

[0078] As shown in Figure 11 , each deflector 146 is at an angle a with respect to the tangent 180 to the outer circumference 182 of the rotor 102. The outer circumference 182 is the circumference of a circle drawn around the outermost edges of the blades 110. The angle a may be the same for all deflectors 146 or one or more deflectors 146 may be at different angles from the others. In some embodiments, the angle a for some or all of the deflectors 146 is between about 15° and about 40°. In some embodiments, the angle a for some or all of the deflectors 146 is between about 20° and about 30°, between about 22° and about 28°, or between about 25° and about 27°. In a preferred embodiment, the angle a of some or all of the deflectors 146 is 26.6° with respect to the tangent 180 to the outer circumference 182 of the rotor 102. In some embodiments, the vertical axis wind turbine 100 can adjust its position towards the direction of the wind to adapt to changes in wind direction.

[0080]

[0079] Each deflector 146 can be between approximately 40% and approximately 200% as long as the diameter of the rotor 102. The height of each deflector 146 may be preferably approximately the same height as the blades 110.

[0081]

[0080] Only one deflector is shown in Figure 11 for simplicity but it will be understood that other deflectors 146 can be similarly configured. Some options for the number of deflectors 146 which can be used are shown in Figures 13A to 13D. Figures 13A-13D show embodiments with two, six, eight, and twelve deflectors 146, respectively. Other embodiments may have four, ten, or fourteen deflectors 146 or any other suitable number of deflectors 146.

[0082]

[0081] In the embodiments shown in Figures 13A-13D, all of the deflectors 146 are the same length. In other embodiments, one or more deflectors 146 may be a different length than the other deflectors 146.

[0083]

[0082] Figures 14 and 15 show an alternative embodiment with a first deflector 186 that is longer than a second deflector 188. The first deflector 186 extends well past the outer circumference of the second deflector 188, thereby enabling the first deflector 186 to redirect more wind than would otherwise be directed toward the rotor 102. As shown in Figure 15, wind 10 is redirected by the first deflector 186 and tunneled towards the blades 110 of the rotor assembly 102. The second deflector 188 is positioned ahead of the first deflector 186 and angled to create a Venturi tube 185 therebetween. This causes the wind 10 to increase in speed, and, due to the positioning of the first deflector 186 and second deflector 188, directs the faster wind 10 towards the blades 110 of the rotor assembly 102, increasing the power generated via the electrical generator.

[0084]

[0083] In some embodiments, the first deflector 186 is approximately five times longer than the second deflector 188. In some embodiments, the first deflector 186 has a length that is approximately 200% the diameter of the rotor 102 and the second deflector 188 has a length that is approximately 40% the diameter of the rotor 102. In some embodiment, there can be a plurality of first deflectors 186 and / or a plurality of second deflectors 188.

[0085]

[0084] Figures 16A and 16B are more detailed top and perspective views of the wind turbine of Figures 14 and 15. The longer first deflector 186 can be supported by an extended deflector turbine support structure 190, as shown in Figure 16B.

[0086]

[0085] Also provided herein is a method of customizing the vertical axis wind turbine 100. The method can comprise first obtaining data on the wind speed and direction for a particular location of interest. Based on the data obtained from the initial study of the location, the height of the vertical axis wind turbine 100, the diameter of the rotor 102, the number of blades 110, and the number of deflectors 146 needed to optimize output of the vertical axis wind turbine 100 can be determined. For example, on the coast, the wind direction is consistent all year long and so fewer deflectors 146 would be necessary. In contrast, in locations where the winds are less consistent with respect to direction and / or strength / speed, more deflectors can be used to funnel a greater amount of the wind towards to blades of the vertical axis wind turbine 100. Additionally, when there is inconsistency in the direction of the wind, or lower wind speed, the vertical axis wind turbine 100 would be larger in height, diameter or both, because the higher and wider the vertical axis wind turbine 100, the more wind it will capture. The greater the height and diameter of the vertical axis wind turbine 100, the more power it can generate. For areas with higher wind speed, fewer blades 110 and / or fewer deflectors 146 would be needed to produce the same amount of power. Described another way, the weaker the wind speed, the more blades and / or deflectors would be needed.

[0087]

[0086] Therefore, embodiments of the vertical axis wind turbine 100 and the methods disclosed herein may be used to generate energy at locations with a variety of wind conditions, including differing wind direction and wind speeds. The disclosed wind turbine 100 is able to achieve higher efficiencies than conventional vertical axis wind turbines via optimization of the geometry of the blades 110 and deflectors 146 as discussed above, which can be adapted for differing wind conditions.

[0088]

[0087] The energy generated by vertical axis wind turbine 100 can be used for any suitable application or purpose. In some embodiments, the energy can be used to charge a battery, for example a 200-amp battery. The battery may be connected to an inverter (not shown). For example, the inverter can be a 110V inverter or a 220V inverter. From the inverter, the electric energy can be connected to a power grid, for example, the power grid of a building.

[0089]

[0088] In other embodiments, the energy generated by the vertical axis wind turbine 100 can be used to pump air, for example to provide oxygenation for fish or shrimp farming. In other embodiments, the energy generated by the vertical axis wind turbine 100 can be used to pump water from wells and for buildings or irrigation. For example, the vertical axis wind turbine 100 can pump more than 200,000 liters of water per hour or generate electrical energy of more than 100 kVA.

[0090] EXAMPLE

[0089] In one non-limiting example of a vertical axis wind turbine, the height of the shaft 108 is about six meters, the top section 107 of the shaft 108 is about three meters and the diameter of the shaft 108 is about 55 centimeters. Each blade 110 is about three meters in height and about 55.3 centimeters in length and positioned approximately equidistance from each other around the shaft 108. The curvature of each of the blades 110 is about the curvature of the arc 172 of Figure 11. Each deflector 146 is about three meters in height and about 75 centimeters in length.

[0091]

[0090] Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to these embodiments without changing or departing from their scope, intent or functionality. The terms and expressions used in the preceding specification have been used herein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof.

Claims

WE CLAIM:1 . A vertical axis wind turbine, comprising: a rotor assembly comprising a shaft, a support structure, and at least two blades connected to the shaft via the support structure, the rotor assembly having an outer circumference; a deflector assembly comprising at least one deflector, the at least one deflector extending outwards from the rotor assembly at an angle of between 15° and 40° with respect to the tangent of the outer circumference of the rotor assembly; and a base assembly engaging the shaft of the rotor assembly, the base assembly configured to convert mechanical energy from rotation of the shaft to electrical energy.

2. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein at least one blade of the at least two blades has a curved or semi-circular cross-section.

3. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 1 or 2, wherein a curvature of at least one blade of the at least two blades is approximately equal to the curvature of a circumference of a circle.

4. The vertical axis turbine of claim 2 or 3, wherein a length of at least one blade of the at least two blades is approximately the length of an arc drawn from a second vertex of a triangle to a third vertex of the triangle, with a first vertex of thetriangle being at the center of the arc and the angle at the first vertex of the triangle being approximately 60°, and wherein the length of each side of the triangle is approximately half the radius of the rotor assembly multiplied by the square root of two.

5. The vertical axis wind turbine of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least two blades are two blades, four blades, six blades, eight blades, ten blades, or twelve blades.

6. The vertical axis wind turbine of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein all of the blades of the at least two blades have the same curvature.

7. The vertical axis wind turbine of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least two blades are positioned approximately equidistant from one another circumferentially around the shaft.

8. The vertical axis wind turbine of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the at least one deflector are two deflectors, four deflectors, six deflectors, eight deflectors, ten deflectors or twelve deflectors.

9. The vertical axis wind turbine of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein all of the deflectors of the at least one deflector are approximately the same size.

10. The vertical axis wind turbine of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the at least one deflector comprises a first deflector and a second deflector, and wherein the first deflector is longer than the second deflector.

11. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 10, wherein the first and second deflectors create a Venturi tube therebetween.

12. The vertical axis wind turbine of any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the angle of the at least one deflector with respect to the tangent of the outer circumference of the rotor assembly is between 20° and 30°.

13. The vertical axis wind turbine of any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the angle of the at least one deflector with respect to the tangent of the outer circumference of the rotor assembly is between 25° and 27°.

14. The vertical axis wind turbine of any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the angle of the at least one deflector with respect to the tangent of the outer circumference of the rotor assembly is approximately 26.6°.

15. The vertical axis wind turbine of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the support structure comprises a plurality of ring-shaped scaffold members that are approximately perpendicular to the shaft and spaced vertically from one another.

16. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 15, wherein each ring-shaped scaffold member of the plurality of ring-shaped scaffold members comprises an inner support ring and an outer support ring, and wherein the at least two blades are secured between the inner support ring and the outer support ring.

17. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 16, further comprising a deflector support structure to support the at least one deflector, the deflector supportstructure comprising a plurality of inner vertical posts arranged in an inner ring and a plurality of outer vertical posts arranged in an outer ring, wherein adjacent inner vertical posts and outer vertical posts are interconnected by horizontal bars, and wherein each deflector of the at least one deflector is secured to a respective inner vertical post of the inner ring and a respective outer vertical post of the outer ring.

18. A method for determining a length of a blade of a vertical axis wind turbine from a top view of a rotor assembly, the method comprising: drawing a square having a first vertex at a halfway point of the radius of the rotor assembly and a second vertex at an end tip of the blade, the square having side lengths of approximately fifty percent of the radius of the rotor assembly; drawing a diagonal line within the square and using the diagonal line to form an equilateral triangle, the equilateral triangle having a first vertex, a second vertex, and a third vertex; and drawing an arc from the second vertex of the triangle to the third vertex of the triangle, with the first vertex of the triangle being at the center of the arc; wherein the length of the blade is the length of the arc.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the angle at the first vertex of the triangle is approximately 60° and the length of each side of the triangle is approximately half the radius of the rotor assembly multiplied by the square root of two.

20. A method customizing a vertical axis wind turbine, the method comprising:obtaining data on wind speed and direction at a specific location; determining, based on the wind speed and direction data, a height, a diameter, a number of blades and a number of deflectors to enhance power generation at the specific location; and producing a design for a customized vertical axis wind turbine.

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