Vertical Axis Wind Turbine with Variable Pitch Wings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) face issues such as high maintenance and capital costs, are cumbersome and non-operational in high winds, inefficient, and pose risks to birds due to their tall structure and vortex creation, limiting their use in high wind environments.
Innovation Solution
A proportional moving air power transmission and energy collection system with a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) design featuring variable pitch wings that can adjust to different wind speeds, furl in extreme winds, and operate without the need for a tall structure, using a hub assembly with wings supported around a vertical hub to maximize energy harvesting while minimizing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If horizontal axis wind turbines use very long cantilever blades attached on one end only, then they can capture more wind energy, but they become very tall structures making maintenance difficult and increasing capital costs
Solution Approach 1:
The wind turbine structure is divided into modular segments. The rotor assembly with blades is separated from the power house, and both can be independently serviced. The blades are designed as separate replaceable components that can be removed and replaced without service vehicles, addressing the maintenance difficulty of traditional long-blade HAWTs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from the conventional horizontal axis configuration to a vertical axis configuration. This dimensional change allows the turbine to operate without extremely tall structures, as the vertical axis design captures wind energy from all directions around the vertical shaft, eliminating the need for long cantilever blades extending hundreds of feet above ground.
2Reliability
If horizontal axis wind turbines rotate the complete head, blades and power house broadside to the wind for furling, then they can reduce damage forces in high winds, but the top being very heavy and not rotating rapidly causes delayed response
Solution Approach 1:
The furling mechanism is segmented into independent blade pitch control systems. Each blade can be independently pitched or feathered without moving the entire rotor assembly. This allows individual blades to adjust their angle to reduce wind load quickly, providing rapid response protection during high wind events.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic blade pitch adjustment capability. The blades can be actively controlled to change their pitch angle in real-time based on wind conditions, allowing the turbine to dynamically adapt to varying wind speeds and directions, providing both rapid response and effective damage protection.
3Productivity
If horizontal axis wind turbines operate in high wind environments, then they can continue generating power, but they are damaged by extremely high winds and have high maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical axis design with adjustable blade pitch provides dynamic adaptability to high wind conditions. The blades can be pitched to reduce aerodynamic loads or feathered to minimize wind resistance, allowing the turbine to survive extreme wind events while maintaining operational capability during moderate conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the blades through pitch adjustment. By varying the pitch angle of the blades, the turbine can modify its aerodynamic characteristics to withstand high wind speeds, transforming the blade parameters to match extreme environmental conditions rather than relying on structural strength alone.
4Power
If horizontal axis wind turbines use lubricated steel bearings driving alternators through gear boxes located hundreds of feet above ground, then they can transmit power efficiently, but maintenance costs increase and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the power collection and alternator from the elevated rotor position and relocates them to ground level. The vertical hub assembly collects power at ground level, eliminating the need for high-elevation gear boxes and alternators. This extraction of critical components from height reduces maintenance requirements and costs while maintaining power transmission efficiency through the vertical drive shaft.
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 system efficiently transforms wind energy into electrical power across various wind speeds, reduces maintenance and capital costs, operates safely in high winds, and minimizes bird fatalities by avoiding vortex creation, offering a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional HAWTs.
Implementation Method 1
a vertical hub assembly which rotates about a fixed vertical spindle, with a plurality of wings which are supported around the vertical hub in 360° so that the wings drive the vertical hub to rotate
Implementation Method 2
an energy collection unit located at the base section of the tower and operatively linked to the vertical hub for transforming the wind energy into a renewable energy
Data Source
AI summary
A proportional moving air power transmission and energy collection and control system includes a fixed vertical spindle, a vertical rotational hub and a plurality of wings being supported around the vertical hub in 360°. Each of the wings has a blunt leading end and a pointy trailing end and defining an outer surface and an inner surface. In a fully opened position, the trailing end of each wing is moved away from the vertical hub to a diameter of the wing assembly to drive the vertical hub to rotate. In a fully closed position, the wings are overlapped with each other end-to-end to form a hollow cylinder-like structure to furl, such that the diameter of the wing assembly is minimized for facing the wind at all direction.