Crosswind Airfoil Track System for Wind Power Extraction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional turbine-based systems for extracting power from fluid flow are limited by the 'square-cube' law, leading to restricted scale due to increased destructive forces, and airborne wind energy systems face issues like tether drag, cosine losses, and regulatory hurdles.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a track with elongate sections and an airfoil that moves crosswind, utilizing a bridle system to distribute forces and eliminate the need for a tether, allowing the airfoil to travel at higher speeds and capture wind power efficiently without cosine losses, and is designed to avoid aviation regulations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If turbine blades increase in size to extract more power, then power extraction capability improves, but destructive forces (moment about tower) increase cubically
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from vertical axis rotation (traditional turbine) to horizontal crosswind motion along an elevated track. This dimensional change allows the airfoil to extract power from wind without creating cubic moment forces about a tower, as the force vector is redirected through the track structure to ground anchors.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the airfoil from traditional turbine blade configuration and places it on an elevated track system. This separates the power extraction function (airfoil on track) from the support structure (ground anchors and cables), allowing independent optimization of each component.
2Reliability
If airborne wind energy systems use a tether to ground the airborne object, then the system can be anchored, but tether drag and cosine losses reduce power extraction efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the flexible tether mechanism with a rigid elevated track structure. The airfoil moves along the track on wheels or rollers, eliminating tether drag and cosine losses while maintaining anchoring capability through ground-based cable supports.
Solution Approach 2:
The system elevates the airfoil movement path above ground level, creating a three-dimensional configuration where the track is positioned in the vertical dimension. This allows the airfoil to move horizontally along the track while being supported from below by ground anchors, avoiding the planar constraints of tether-based systems.
3Power
If high-flying airborne wind energy systems operate at high altitudes, then more wind power is available, but aviation restrictions and regulatory hurdles limit geographic scope
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the operational altitude parameter by positioning the track at elevated but sub-aviation heights (e.g., 10-100 meters above ground). This parameter change allows the system to access significant wind resources while remaining below aviation restriction thresholds, expanding geographic deployability.
4Stability of the object's composition
If traditional turbines use rigid towers to support blades, then structural stability is maintained, but structural support costs increase with scale
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the support structure into multiple independent ground anchors distributed along the track length, rather than using a single continuous tower. This segmentation reduces the scale and cost of individual support elements while maintaining overall system stability through distributed anchoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is reconfigured from a vertical tower to a three-dimensional system comprising elevated horizontal track segments supported by ground-based cables and anchors. This dimensional reconfiguration eliminates the need for tall towers while maintaining structural stability through geometric bracing and distributed anchoring.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables larger-scale power extraction without the limitations of traditional turbines and airborne systems, reducing structural support costs and avoiding tether-related losses, while also avoiding regulatory issues associated with airborne devices.
Implementation Method 1
an airfoil moveable in opposite directions when alternately coupled to the first elongate section and second elongate section
Implementation Method 2
harvesting power from an atmospheric wind through the movement of the airfoil
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
An apparatus for extracting power includes a track and an airfoil coupled to the track. The track includes first and second elongate sections, where the first elongate section is positioned above the second elongate section. The airfoil is moveable in opposite directions when alternately coupled to the first elongate section and second elongate section.