Wind turbine

Abstract

According to the invention, a wind turbine (1) comprises a self-contained drive belt (4) which revolves on an upper deflection element (5a) and a lower deflection element (5b) which are mounted rotatably about mutually parallel, in particular horizontal, axes of rotation (A, B), the drive belt (4) being divided by the two deflection elements (5a, 5b) into two belt sides (8a, 8b), and a plurality of blades (6) fastened to the drive belt (4) and protruding outwards beyond the drive belt (4), wherein, for rising air (9) in each circulation position of the drive belt (4), the total flow resistance of all the blades (6) present on one belt side (8b) is greater than the total flow resistance of all the blades (6) present on the other belt side (8a), as a result of which the drive belt (4), driven by rising air (9), rotates in a circulating direction (10).

Description

[0001] March 17, 2025

[0002] Wind power plant

[0003] The invention relates to a wind turbine.

[0004] Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of horizontally flowing wind into electrical energy and feed it into a power grid. The dominant design is a three-bladed rotor, which is rotatably mounted at the top of a tall tower around a horizontal axis. A generator is also located at the top of the tower. Typically, the generator and rotor are steered to follow the wind direction by an electric motor. In contrast, the present invention aims to provide a novel wind turbine, particularly suitable for various types of wind currents, which makes it possible to optimize energy generation even under variable and less than ideal conditions.

[0005] This problem is solved according to the invention by a wind turbine comprising:

[0006] - a self-contained drive belt which runs on an upper deflection element and a lower deflection element which are rotatably mounted about parallel, in particular horizontal, axes of rotation, wherein the drive belt is divided into two belt sides by the two deflection elements, and

[0007] - a multitude of wings attached to the drive belt, projecting outwards beyond the drive belt,

[0008] wherein, for rising air in each rotational position of the drive belt, the total flow resistance of all vanes present on one side of the belt is greater than the total flow resistance of all vanes present on the other side of the belt, causing the drive belt to rotate in one direction of rotation, driven by rising air.

[0009] The wind turbine according to the invention is designed to utilize various types of wind currents – including horizontally flowing winds, thermals (vertically rising warm air currents), and updrafts (rising air currents on slopes or other geological structures) – either simultaneously or individually for energy generation. This multifunctional capability makes the wind turbine particularly efficient and flexible compared to conventional wind turbines. Furthermore, its operation does not cause any bird strikes or infrasound, as the turbine is designed as a slow-speed unit.

[0010] The presence of two axes of rotation allows for the effective combination and utilization of different movements and forces from various wind phenomena. This enables the system to efficiently convert both horizontal and vertical wind flows into energy. The axes of rotation are advantageously horizontally oriented but can also be inclined at up to 45°. At least one of the two axes is specifically designed for power transmission. This means that this axis can transfer the mechanical energy generated by the movement of the blades in the air to a power generator or other energy system.

[0011] The blades preferably have a leading edge facing in the direction of rotation and a trailing edge facing away from it, with the leading and trailing edges being shaped differently in at least some, and in particular all, blades. Thus, depending on which of the two blade faces downwards, the blades offer different drag on rising air. Preferably, all blades are identical and arranged in the same orientation on the drive belt. Preferably, the blades are arranged equidistantly along the drive belt in the direction of rotation and are aligned parallel to each other on straight sections of the drive belt.

[0012] Preferably, each wing has an airfoil with a leading edge facing in the direction of rotation and a trailing edge facing away from the direction of rotation, wherein the leading edge is convex and the trailing edge is concave. Thus, when the wing's concave trailing edge faces downwards, it has a higher drag on rising air than when its convex leading edge faces downwards.

[0013] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the airfoil is designed as a wing profile in which the leading edge of the profile has a longer flow surface than the trailing edge for air flowing frontally towards a profile end.

[0014] The drive belt can be designed, for example, as a drive chain or link belt, and the deflection elements as sprockets (gears) on which the drive chain runs. Alternatively, the drive belt can be designed as a belt, and the deflection elements as pulleys on which the belt runs. In preferred embodiments, the blades are mounted on the drive belt so that they can be tilted about a tilting axis that is perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the blade profile, in order to change the blade's angle of attack. The tilting axis can, for example, run parallel or obliquely to the axes of rotation of the deflection elements. The angle of attack influences how the wind strikes the blades and how much lift, and thus mechanical energy, is generated. By being able to change the angle of attack, the system can optimally adapt its blades to the current wind conditions.This allows for maximum energy generation regardless of whether the wind is strong or weak, or from which direction it comes.

[0015] The tilt angles of at least some, preferably all, blades are adjustable either individually or, preferably, collectively and synchronously. By making the blade profiles adjustable in their angle of attack, either individually or collectively, the wind turbine can respond even more effectively to varying airflow conditions. In a scenario where the wind strikes the turbine from different directions and with varying intensity, the blades can be adjusted to extract the optimal amount of energy from each individual airflow area. This significantly increases the overall energy yield of the turbine.

[0016] For a common adjustment of the angles of attack, at least some, preferably all, wings can be connected to each other by a self-contained control band which runs on an upper control band deflection element and a lower control band deflection element, which are rotatably mounted about the axes of rotation of the drive band deflection elements, wherein the control band acts on the wings eccentrically to their tilting axes, so that by a relative displacement of the control band with respect to the drive band in or against the direction of rotation the wings can be tilted together and synchronously about the tilting axes.

[0017] Preferably, the wings comprise or are formed from a heat-storing material (e.g., vermiculite) that is heated by solar radiation. This heat storage in the wings serves to increase the flow velocity of the thermals and to increase efficiency during periods of weak thermals by heating the air in the thermal lift areas and thus extracting more energy from the available air currents.

[0018] The wind turbine preferably has its own generator, which is driven by one of the two deflection elements, in particular the lower deflection element, or by its axis of rotation. This axis of rotation serves as the drive shaft for the generator or a gearbox and is particularly important because it directly converts the mechanical energy generated by the movement of the blades into electrical energy. Unlike conventional wind turbines, where the upper end of the mast must also support the generator, the generator, according to the invention, can be located on the ground.

[0019] Preferably, the wind turbine comprises at least two axially adjacent drive belts equipped with blades, the upper and lower deflection elements of which are rotatably mounted about the same axes of rotation. The blades or blade profiles of the drive belts are then horizontally offset in the direction of airflow, which allows for better utilization of thermals and updrafts. Preferably, the blades of the two drive belts are arranged equidistantly, with the blades of one drive belt positioned between two blades of the other drive belt, viewed in the belt direction.

[0020] The wind turbine preferably has a mast on which the two drive belt deflection elements and, if present, the control belt deflection elements are rotatably mounted. In principle, however, it is also possible to rotatably mount the deflection elements on a sufficiently high wall, such as a house wall, in order to utilize the air rising along the wall.

[0021] Preferably, the mast is mounted so that it can rotate freely around its vertical axis, allowing the wind turbine to automatically align itself with the prevailing wind direction (horizontal wind, thermals, or updrafts). This self-orientation ensures that the blades are always optimally aligned with the wind, which in turn maximizes efficiency and optimizes energy yield.

[0022] Overall, the wind turbine according to the invention offers a significant improvement over conventional wind power systems through the combination of multiple axes, adjustable high-lift blades, heat storage and automatic alignment to the wind direction.

[0023] Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description, the claims, and the drawing. The embodiments shown and described are not to be understood as an exhaustive list, but rather serve as examples for illustrating the invention.

[0024] They show:

[0025] Figs. 1a, 1b show a wind turbine according to the invention with a drive belt and a plurality of blades attached to it in a front view (Fig. 1a) and in a side view (Fig. 1b);

[0026] Fig. 2 shows an upper part of the drive belt and the wings attached to it in a perspective view;

[0027] Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view according to III in Fig. 1b;

[0028] Fig. 4 shows the wing profile in a frontal view of the outer wing end;

[0029] Fig. 5 shows the airfoil profile shown in Fig. 4 in a normal position and in positions tilted downwards and upwards; Fig. 6 shows a wind turbine according to the invention with two drive belts arranged side by side and a plurality of blades attached thereto in a side view analogous to Fig. 1b; and Fig. 7 shows an enlarged detail view according to VII in Fig. 6. The wind turbine 1 shown in Fig. 1 comprises a mast 2, a belt drive 3 with a closed drive belt 4 which runs on an upper and a lower deflection element 5a, 5b, a plurality of blades 6 attached to the drive belt 4 which project outwards beyond the drive belt 4, and a generator 7 standing on the ground. The two deflection elements 5a, 5b are rotatably mounted on the mast 2 about parallel, here horizontal, axes of rotation A, B and are arranged here exactly vertically one above the other.The drive belt 4 is divided into two belt sides by the two deflection elements 5a, 5b, namely in Fig. 1a into the left and the right belt side 8a, 8b. The current generator 7 is driven by the lower deflection element 5b or its axis of rotation B.

[0030] The belt drive 3 can, for example, be a chain drive in which the drive belt 4 is designed as a drive chain (link belt) and the deflection elements 5a, 5b as sprockets on which the drive chain runs, or a belt drive in which the drive belt 4 is designed as a belt and the deflection elements 5a, 5b as pulleys on which the belt runs.

[0031] In each rotational position of the drive belt 4, the total flow resistance of all vanes 6 on the right side of the belt 8b is greater than the total flow resistance of all vanes 6 on the left side of the belt 8a for rising air 9. This causes the drive belt 4, driven by rising air 9, to rotate in the direction of rotation 10, i.e., counterclockwise in Fig. 1a. The right side of the belt 8a is thus moving upwards and the left side of the belt 8b downwards.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 2, the leading edge 11a of the wing 6, pointing in the direction of rotation 10, and the trailing edge 11b of the wing 6, pointing against the direction of rotation 10, are each shaped differently. As a result, the wings 6 have different drag coefficients for rising air 9, depending on which of the two wing sides 11a, 11b is currently facing downwards. In the illustrated embodiment, all wings 6 are identical and, as shown in Fig. 3, have a wing profile 12 with a convexly curved leading edge 13a pointing in the direction of rotation 10 and a concavely curved trailing edge 13b pointing against the direction of rotation 10. The wings 6 are arranged equidistantly and in the same orientation along the drive belt 4. On the two straight sections of the drive belt 4, i.e., between the two deflection elements 5a, 5b, the vanes 6 are aligned parallel to each other. In Fig.Figure 3 shows the profiles 12 of the wings 6 on the downward-running side 8a in black and the profiles 12 of the wings 6 on the upward-running side 8b in gray. For example, the wing length is approximately 10 m, the wing depth (wing profile length) is approximately 1 m and the wing spacing is approximately 1 m.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 4, the airfoil 12 can be designed as an airfoil profile in which the convexly curved leading edge 13a has a longer flow surface for air 14 flowing frontally or horizontally towards the right end of the profile in Fig. 4 than the concavely curved trailing edge 13b. The oncoming air 14 reaches both the longer curved upper surface of the wing and the shorter lower surface and is then deflected downwards. The air flows faster on the upper surface than on the lower surface. Due to the high flow velocity, the dynamic pressure increases on the upper surface of the wing and the static pressure decreases accordingly. On the lower surface of the wing, due to the low flow velocity, the dynamic pressure decreases and the static pressure increases. As a result, the resulting static pressure pushes against the lower surface of the wing and generates lift.

[0034] As further shown in Fig. 3, the wings 6 are each mounted on the drive belt 4 so as to be tiltable about a tilting axis C, which here runs perpendicular to the wing profile 12, in order to adjust the tilt angle or angle of attack of the wing 6, as indicated in Fig. 5. In order to adjust the angle of attack of all wings 6 together and synchronously, all wings 6 are connected to each other by a closed control belt 15, which runs on an upper control belt deflection element 16a and a lower control belt deflection element 16b, which are rotatably mounted about the axes of rotation A, B of the drive belt deflection elements 5a, 5b. The control band 15 is arranged axially offset from the drive band 4 and engages the blades 6 eccentrically with respect to their tilting axes C at 17, so that by a relative displacement of the control band 15 with respect to the drive band 4 in or against the direction of rotation 10, the blades 6 can be tilted together and synchronously. As shown in Fig.As shown in Figure 4, the wings 6 each have two recesses 20, 21 for the drive belt 4 and the control belt 15.

[0035] Preferably, the wings are made of a heat-storing material (e.g., vermiculite) which is heated, in particular, by solar radiation. This heat storage in the wings 6 increases the flow velocity of the rising air 9 by heating the air 9 in the thermal buoyancy zones and thus extracting more energy from the available air currents.

[0036] As indicated in Fig. 1 by a double arrow 18, the mast 2 is mounted so as to be freely rotatable about its vertical axis 19, which allows the wind turbine 1 to automatically align itself optimally with the respective wind direction (horizontally flowing wind, thermals or updraft).

[0037] The wind turbine 1 shown in Fig. 6 comprises two axially or horizontally adjacent drive belts 4a, 4b, each equipped with blades, whose upper and lower deflection elements 5a, 5b are rotatably mounted about the same axes of rotation A, B. The blades of the drive belt 4a on the left in Fig. 6 are designated 6a and the blades of the drive belt 4b on the right in Fig. 6 are designated 6b.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 7, the blades 6a, 6b of the two drive belts 4a, 4b are offset in the direction of the horizontally flowing air 14, i.e., axially and horizontally offset, which allows for better utilization of thermals and updrafts. The blades 6a, 6b are arranged equidistantly on the two drive belts 4a, 4b, such that, viewed in the belt direction of the drive belts 4a, 4b, the blades of one belt drive are each positioned between two blades 6 of the other belt drive. The left control belt for the left blades 6a is designated 15a and the right control belt for the right blades 6b is designated 15b.

Claims

March 17, 2025 Claims 1. wind turbine (1) having - a self-contained drive belt (4) which rotates on an upper deflection element (5a) and a lower deflection element (5b) which are rotatably mounted about parallel, in particular horizontal, axes of rotation (A, B), wherein the drive belt (4) is divided into two belt sides (8a, 8b) by the two deflection elements (5a, 5b), and - a plurality of wings (6) attached to the drive belt (4) which project outwards beyond the drive belt (4), wherein for rising air (9) in each rotational position of the drive belt (4) the total flow resistance of all vanes (6) present on one side of the belt (8b) is greater than the total flow resistance of all vanes (6) present on the other side of the belt (8a), causing the drive belt (4), driven by rising air (9), to rotate in a rotational direction (10).

2. Wind turbine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the blades (6) have a blade front (11a) pointing in the direction of rotation (10) and a blade rear (11b) pointing against the direction of rotation (10), wherein at least in some blades (6), in particular in all blades (6), the blade front (11a) and the blade rear (11b) are shaped differently.

3. Wind turbine (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that all blades (6) are identically designed and are arranged in the same orientation on the drive belt (4).

4. Wind turbine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blades (6) are arranged equidistantly on the drive belt (4) in the belt direction of the drive belt (4).

5. Wind turbine (1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blades (6) are aligned parallel to each other on straight belt sections of the drive belt (4).

6. Wind turbine (1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blades (6) each have a blade profile (12) with a profile front (13a) pointing in the direction of rotation (8) and a profile rear (13b) pointing against the direction of rotation (8), wherein the profile front (13a) is convex and the profile rear (13b) is concave.

7. Wind turbine (1 ) according to claim 6, characterized in that for air (14) flowing frontally against a profile end of the wing (6) the profile front side (13a) has a longer flow surface than the profile rear side (13b).

8. Wind power plant (1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive belt (4) is designed as a drive chain and the deflection elements (5a, 5b) as sprockets on which the drive chain runs or that the drive belt (4) is designed as a belt and the deflection elements (5a, 5b) as pulleys on which the belt runs.

9. Wind turbine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blades (6) are each mounted on the drive belt (4) so ​​as to be tiltable about a tilting axis (C) which extends perpendicularly or almost perpendicularly to the blade profile (12).

10. Wind turbine (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that the tilting angles of at least some, preferably all, blades (6) are individually and separately adjustable.

11. Wind turbine (1 ) according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the tilt angles of at least some, preferably all, blades (6) are adjustable jointly and synchronously.

12. Wind turbine (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that at least some, preferably all, blades (6) are connected to each other by a closed control band (15) which rotates on an upper control band deflection element (16a) and a lower control band deflection element (16b) which are rotatably mounted about the axes of rotation (A, B) of the drive band deflection elements (5a, 5b), wherein the control band (15) engages the blades (6) eccentrically to their tilting axes (C) so that by a relative displacement of the control band (15) with respect to the drive band (4) in or against the direction of rotation (10) the blades (6) can be tilted together and synchronously about the tilting axes (C).

13. Wind turbine (1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blades (6) comprise or are formed from a heat-storing material.

14. Wind power plant (1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a power generator (7) which is driven by one of the two deflection elements (5a, 5b), in particular by the lower deflection element (5a).

15. Wind power plant (1) according to claim 14, characterized in that the power generator (7) is located on the ground.

16. Wind turbine (1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by at least two axially adjacent drive belts (4a, 4b) equipped with wings (6a, 6b), the upper and lower deflection elements (5a, 5b) of which are rotatably mounted about the same axes of rotation (A, B).

17. Wind power plant (1) according to claim 16, characterized in that, viewed in the direction of the drive belts (4a, 4b), the blades of one drive belt are each arranged between two blades of the other drive belt.

18. Wind power plant (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a mast (2) on which the two drive belt deflection elements (5a, 5b) and, if present, the control belt deflection elements (16a, 16b) are rotatably mounted.

19. Wind power plant (1) according to claim 18, characterized in that the mast (2) is mounted so as to be freely rotatable about its vertical axis (18).

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