Wind Turbine Adjustable Blade Elements for Low Wind Adaptability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbines are unsuitable for developed areas with low wind speeds and unpredictable wind directions due to their size and foundation requirements, making them inefficient for such environments.
Innovation Solution
A wind turbine assembly with a cantilever support and rotors that include an adjustment mechanism for blade elements, allowing for optimal positioning in low wind conditions, featuring a rotor hub, rotors with adjustable blade elements, and a support system that accommodates rotation and axial loads, enabling operation in developed areas with changing wind directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional wind turbines are used in developed areas, then they can generate electrical energy, but their large size and foundation requirements make them unsuitable for low-altitude developed areas with unpredictable wind directions
Solution Approach 1:
The blade elements are made adjustable through an adjustment mechanism that allows changing the rake angle and position of each blade element relative to the rotor arm. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the turbine to adapt to changing wind directions and low wind speeds without requiring a large, complex foundation structure, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity.
2Productivity
If traditional wind turbines are used in low wind speed areas, then they can generate electrical energy, but their size and foundation costs make them inefficient and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism allows changing the rake angle parameter of blade elements to optimize performance for low wind speeds. By adjusting the position and orientation of blade elements, the turbine can efficiently capture energy from low-speed winds without requiring a large, expensive foundation structure, thus improving productivity while reducing stationary object weight.
3Productivity
If blade elements are made adjustable to optimize for low wind conditions, then energy generation improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is divided into multiple adjustable blade elements, each with its own adjustment mechanism. This segmentation allows independent optimization of different blade sections for low wind conditions while keeping each individual adjustment mechanism relatively simple. The modular approach improves energy generation in low wind conditions without excessively increasing overall device complexity.
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 wind turbine assembly effectively generates electrical energy in low wind speeds and changing directions, enhancing energy production in areas where traditional turbines are inefficient, while minimizing foundation costs and size constraints.
Implementation Method 1
A wind turbine is turned by the flow of air and converted to shaft energy which is used to power generators
Data Source
AI summary
A wind turbine assembly comprising a cantilever support, a rotor assembly having a rotor hub rotatably coupled to the cantilever support, and a plurality of rotors radially arranged about and coupled to the rotor hub is provided. Each rotor includes a rotor arm defining an arm axis, a blade element, and an adjustment mechanism coupled between the rotor arm and the blade element. The blade element has a concave face portion and defines a target axis. The adjustment mechanism is movable between a first rake angle defined between the first arm axis and the target axis, and a second rake angle to position each of the blade elements relative to each other.