초록 ▼

The invention herein described consists of a system destined to harness wind resources, transferring wind power to the ground station group on the surface, the process being performed through the tensioning and unwinding of the cable group connecting the airborne group to a reeler in the said ground

The invention herein described consists of a system destined to harness wind resources, transferring wind power to the ground station group on the surface, the process being performed through the tensioning and unwinding of the cable group connecting the airborne group to a reeler in the said ground station group. Through the control group the resultant force vector of the aerodynamic forces tensioning the cable can be significantly altered. This change in aerodynamic forces can be done in order to create two different phases which define the cyclic movement performed by the system: a work phase, where the resultant force vector is of greater magnitude and tensions the cable, unwinding it at the ground station group and thus producing power; and a recovery phase (which requires power from the system) when the cable is rewound in order to bring the airborne group back to its original position. Because the work produced in the work phase is of greater magnitude than the work required during the recovery phase, the system generates positive net power, which can then be introduced in the electrical grid, or stored as any other form of energy such as chemical or mechanical.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An Atmospheric Resources Explorer, characterized by an airborne group that for using wind power and momentum to maintain a controlled self-sustained flight and cable stress, comprises at least the following: a) an airborne group including a buoyancy system comprising inflated components and an ae

1. An Atmospheric Resources Explorer, characterized by an airborne group that for using wind power and momentum to maintain a controlled self-sustained flight and cable stress, comprises at least the following: a) an airborne group including a buoyancy system comprising inflated components and an aerodynamic system (5) consisting of a combination of the following: i) airfoils with a leading edge facing an incoming wind; andii) axially rotating bodies making use of the Magnus effect to create lift force and increased drag;b) a control group (2);c) a ground station group (13) comprising at least one winch (7) to unwind and rewind a cable, as well as ballast or an anchorage structure (9); andd) a cable group (3) which comprises one main tether cable (3), that connects the airborne group to the ground station group (13), as well as an assembly of cables used by the control group (2) to act upon the airborne group. 2. The Atmospheric Resources Explorer according to claim 1, wherein the airborne group comprises: a) a payload system;b) a buoyancy system (4), comprising gas tight components inflated with a lighter-than-air gas;c) a propulsion system (16), comprising reaction engines;d) a structural system, comprising all the connectors and anchorages between components;e) an aerodynamic system (5) that comprises one or several of the following components: i) airfoils to generate aerodynamic lift;ii) drag elements to control the position of an aerodynamic pressure center and thus provide a natural aerodynamic stability to the airborne system; andiii) bodies with variable axial rotating speed and consequently aerodynamic force variation due to the Magnus effect;f) components of the control group (2) that comprise actuators to perform a combination of the following changes: i) the pitch angle of the airborne group, by moving the position of the bridle point; andii) the angular velocity of the axially rotating bodies;g) visual and/or electronic aeronautic identification elements comprising a combination of: i) physical reconnaissance elements identifying, the airborne system; andii) electronic reconnaissance elements, mainly transponders able to supply geographical coordinates and information on the airborne group to other airborne crafts in its vicinity and to air traffic control entities. 3. The Atmospheric Resources Explorer according to claim 2 wherein the buoyancy system (4) comprises at least a double layer arrangement, wherein an inner layer is filled with lighter-than-air gas and an outer layer is filled with an gas inert to combustion. 4. The Atmospheric Resources Explorer according to claim 3 wherein the buoyancy system (4) can be re-inflated through: i) water electrolysis from a supplied tank or a tap, or captured from a stream, a river, sea or from condensed atmospheric humidity, after which hydrogen obtained is supplied to the inner volume of the buoyancy system components; andii) nitrogen and/or argon sequestration from atmospheric air, purging its oxygen content, followed by the provision of nitrogen and/or argon to the outer layer of the buoyancy system components. 5. The Atmospheric Resources Explorer according to claim 1 wherein the cable group (3), that comprises one main tether cable, joining the airborne group to the ground station group (13), comprises a combination of the following components: a) electrical conductors;b) fiber optic cables;c) tubes for fluid exchange, essentially to refill the gas in the buoyancy system (4);d) structural cablings;e) optionally, buoyancy system components (4);f) visual reconnaissance elements; andg) a cable swivel, to avoid cable twisting. 6. The Atmospheric Resources Explorer according to claim 1, wherein the ground station group (13) comprises a combination of: a) a winch (7) to unwind and rewind the cable group (3), consuming energy during a rewinding step and converting wind energy into torque and rotation during a work stage;b) equipment for electric power generation;c) an energy storage component acting during the work stage that releases the energy in a later stage and, at the same time, smoothes torque transmitted to the winch;d) a structural system;e) a transmission shaft to transfer torque and rotation between components;f) a clutch device which is closed during the work stage, hence transmitting force to the generator, but which can be opened as soon as a recovery phase begins in order to decouple the generator;g) a cable roller fairlead to guide the main tether cable to a reeler;h) a coupling system, comprising a gearbox, to change operating torque and speed parameters in order to operate in more favorable regimes;i) a braking system capable of limiting rotation speed avoiding damage to the rotating system;j) an electric current rectifying system;k) a component to perform system electrostatic discharge;l) anchorages between the ground station group (13) and the cable group (3); andm) ballast and/or anchorage equipment capable of compensating the pulling force that can be exerted by the cables on the ground station group (13). 7. The Atmospheric Resources Explorer according to claim 1 wherein the control group (2), when the aerodynamic system (5) is composed of airfoils, the power production cycle is maximized by the following iterative process: a) during the working phase, in a time period sample, power generated during that operating period in the cycle is evaluated and an input signal is sent to the control box to modify characteristics of the bridle point for the next sample period, followed by a comparison between power produced in both periods in order to assess in which period the generated power was greater; andb) the previous process is repeated with the modification of the anchorage point characteristics in increments pointing to the power conversion increase, until it is monitored a time period in which the referred power decreases or, the maximum nominal power is reached, in which case, the bridle point should maintain the immediately previous position until: i) it starts to reach the end of the cable length defined for the cycle; andii) the power generation value is changed;c) a similar optimization process will be performed for the recovery phase in which the intention is to optimize the ratio between the energy used, to recover the airborne system to the cycle starting position, and the time of the recovery phase in such a way that the average generated power per cycle is maximized;d) unless the wind conditions change significantly the first cycles will be performed at slightly different attack angles, and bridle point conditions and unwinding speeds, until a maximum net power output per cycle is achieved; ande) a database is thus constructed for each location and altitude interval in which such a system is operated in order for this iteration process to be speeded up, since the control group (2) will then be able to compare the real output against the expectable output for those conditions and hence reduce the time delay in which the optimization is taking place. 8. The Atmospheric Resources Explorer according to claim 1 wherein the control group (2), when the aerodynamic system (5) is composed of axially rotating bodies, the monitoring and maximization control of the power production cycle is done by: a) the rotating bodies (5), which during a work phase are oriented so that their vector of angular velocity is essentially parallel to the ground and perpendicularly to the apparent facing wind, and so, the Magnus effect is maximized, which can be expected to increase the lift and drag, and hence the cable tension as well as the generated power; andb) during the recovery phase, the rotation of the bodies is stopped, meaning that both lift and a drag decrease significantly which in turn minimizes the tension on the main tether cable being rewound and whose rewinding velocity is controlled to maximize the average power produced per cycle, with the possibility i) to further minimize drag, the aerodynamic system being oriented so that the area facing the apparent wind is that of one single body possible to actuate upon and animate with angular velocity. 9. The Atmospheric Resources Explorer according to claim 1 characterized by a control group (2) that actuates and modifies the aerodynamic system (5) orientation with respect to the incident wind by using the following processes: a) changing, by rewinding or unwinding, bridle and knot cables length, responsible for the connection in the bridle point between the main tether cable and the airborne group; andb) changing the bridle point position by using an actuator that moves the main tether cable along a control cable that defines the bridle and knot lengths, using it as a sort of rail, and thus, providing an equal increment and decrement of the bridle and knot lengths or vice-versa. 10. The Atmospheric Resources Explorer according to claim 2, wherein a payload system is kept in a stationary position by defining the main tether cable length and controlling wind-induced aerodynamic forces in combination with a propulsion system (16) located in the airborne group, whose energy is supplied from the ground station group (13) through the cable group (3). 11. The Atmospheric Resources Explorer according to claim 1, characterized by the actuation of the control group (2) on a winch of the ground station group (13) defining in a way that defines the cycle operation interval by the main tether cable length trough through a process which in the cases where the produced electric power is below or above the nominal value, a work or recovery phase respectively, of longer period is carried through, until the airborne group is operating on an altitude interval where, due to wind energy density the normal rated power is effectively converted, or that, if, in alternative, it is reached the superior limit authorized by the airspace regulators or inferior for operation security that adapts the duration of the working and recovery cycles to approach a nominal predefined output power while respecting a suitable operation altitude interval.