Guide Vane Assembly Trough Sail for Wind Flow Concentration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are inherently less efficient due to blades receiving energy from wind for only a part of their rotation cycle, and existing guide vanes with planar surfaces disperse wind away from the intended direction, reducing efficiency and requiring a more effective guide vane design.
Innovation Solution
A guide vane assembly with a rig structure, sail, and actuator assembly that concentrates and redirects fluid flow through a trough-shaped sail, allowing for adjustable depth and direction to optimize wind energy capture by the turbine blades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If guide vanes with planar surfaces are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the wind flow is dispersed away from the intended direction, reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The guide vane employs a curved surface instead of a planar surface. The curved surface is configured to redirect wind flow towards the turbine blades, preventing dispersion and improving energy capture efficiency while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standard curving techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide vane design incorporates adjustable parameters including the curvature radius, surface angle, and position relative to the turbine. These parameters can be optimized to match different wind conditions and turbine configurations, enhancing energy harvesting efficiency without complicating the basic manufacturing process.
2Productivity
If guide vanes are added to improve wind flow guidance, then energy harvesting efficiency improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide vane system is segmented into multiple independent vanes arranged around the turbine. Each vane operates independently to guide wind flow from different directions, allowing the system to handle variable wind conditions effectively while keeping each individual component simple in design and easy to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide vanes serve multiple functions: they redirect wind flow towards the turbine blades, protect the turbine from direct exposure to extreme winds, and can be adjusted to optimize performance for different wind speeds and directions. This multi-functionality increases efficiency without proportionally increasing complexity.
3Productivity
If the guide vane structure is made more complex to better concentrate wind flow, then energy harvesting efficiency improves, but manufacturing cost and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guide vane utilizes a thin-walled curved shell structure that is lightweight and easy to manufacture using standard fabrication techniques. The curved surface is optimized to concentrate wind flow effectively, and the thin-walled construction allows for easy adjustment and replacement without requiring complex manufacturing processes.
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
The guide vane assembly enhances energy harvesting by concentrating wind flow towards the turbine blades, increasing efficiency and reducing turbulence, thereby improving the operational viability of VAWTs in variable wind conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The sail is shaped for presenting a trough to a flow of impinging fluid, the trough having a depth defined from the rig plane. The fluid impinging on the sail is concentrated at the trough and redirected towards the turbine from the vent.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a guide vane assembly including a rig structure configurable with a turbine and having an inner portion and an outer portion forming extremities thereof, a sail and an actuator assembly. The sail is coupled to the rig structure and shaped for presenting a trough to a flow of impinging fluid, the trough having a depth defined from the rig plane. The sail extends from the outer portion towards the inner portion of the rig structure to terminate at an inner edge whereat a vent is defined. The fluid impinging on the sail is concentrated at the trough and redirected towards the turbine from the vent.