초록
▼
A wind turbine and compressed gas storage system for producing electrical energy. A plurality of wind turbines is serially interconnected for staged compression to output high pressure compressed gas. Each wind turbine includes an upper head portion with two or more propellers, a gear box, a rudder and fin assembly, and a propeller feathering and braking system, all pivotally mounted on a lower storage tank portion. The storage tank portion houses a turbine compressor, and one or more internal tanks. Compressed gas, outputted from one or more of such lin...
A wind turbine and compressed gas storage system for producing electrical energy. A plurality of wind turbines is serially interconnected for staged compression to output high pressure compressed gas. Each wind turbine includes an upper head portion with two or more propellers, a gear box, a rudder and fin assembly, and a propeller feathering and braking system, all pivotally mounted on a lower storage tank portion. The storage tank portion houses a turbine compressor, and one or more internal tanks. Compressed gas, outputted from one or more of such lines, is directed into a reserve tank, comprising a plurality of concentric, scalloped, ring-like tanks, interconnected by pressure-actuated valves. Each tank is adapted for storing compressed gas at stepped pressures, varying from the highest pressure central tank to the lowest pressure outermost ring tank. Compressed gas from the outer ring tank drives one or more air turbines and respective electrical generators.
대표
청구항
▼
1. A wind turbine comprising; a. a head portion having at least two propellers extending radially from a hub, said at least two propellers having respective longitudinal axes and being mounted to said hub for rotation about said axes between a first rotational position where said propellers are fully engaged with oncoming wind and a second rotational position where said propellers are minimally engaged with incoming wind, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion, a drive shaft interconnecting said hub with an input shaft of...
1. A wind turbine comprising; a. a head portion having at least two propellers extending radially from a hub, said at least two propellers having respective longitudinal axes and being mounted to said hub for rotation about said axes between a first rotational position where said propellers are fully engaged with oncoming wind and a second rotational position where said propellers are minimally engaged with incoming wind, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion, a drive shaft interconnecting said hub with an input shaft of a gear box, a rudder and fin assembly on a rear end of said head portion, said rudder comprising a vertical member, said fin assembly having a horizontal portion with a trailing edge, and an elevator pivotally attached to said trailing edge, and a propeller feathering and braking system, said feathering and braking system comprising means interconnecting said elevator of said fin assembly with each of said propellers adjacent said hub, whereby when said elevator is in a downwardly directed position said propellers are in said first position, and when said elevator is in a substantially horizontal position said propellers are in said second position;b. a turbine air compressor, said compressor having an upper air inlet and a lower air outlet, said air outlet being provided with a check valve, said turbine air compressor being driven by an output shaft of said gear box;c. a storage tank portion having an upper end and a lower end, said head portion being pivotally attached to said upper end of said storage tank portion, said storage tank portion having an inner volume for the storage of compressed air, said turbine air compressor being mounted within said upper end of said storage tank portion with said upper air inlet being in communication with ambient air outside said tank portion and said lower air outlet being in communication with said inner volume. 2. A wind turbine as in claim 1 in which said braking system comprises a disc mounted on said drive shaft between said hub and said gear box, said braking system further comprising caliper means responsive to said interconnecting means, for selectively engaging opposing sides of said disc when said elevator approaches said substantially horizontal position. 3. A wind turbine as in claim 1 in which said turbine air compressor delivers air through its air outlet at approximately 300 psi. 4. A wind turbine comprising; a. a head portion having at least two propellers extending radially from a hub, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion, a drive shaft interconnecting said hub with an input shaft of a gear box, and a rudder and fin assembly on a rear end of said head portion, said rudder comprising a vertical member, said fin assembly having a horizontal portion with a trailing edge, and an elevator pivotally attached to said trailing edge;b. a turbine air compressor, said compressor having an upper air inlet and a lower air outlet, said air outlet being provided with a check valve, said turbine air compressor being driven by an output shaft of said gear box;c. a storage tank portion having an upper end and a lower end, said head portion being pivotally attached to said upper end of said storage tank portion, said storage tank portion having an inner volume for the storage of compressed air in which said inner volume includes an inner tank, said inner tank defining a first volume outside said inner tank and a second volume within said inner tank, and in which said air compressor is located within said first volume having its air inlet in communication with said first volume, and in which said air outlet of said air compressor is in communication with said second volume. 5. A wind turbine as in claim 4 in which said air compressor produces a pressure differential between said first volume and said second volume of approximately 300 psi. 6. A wind turbine as in claim 4 including a low pressure air supply line in communication with said first volume, and a high pressure air supply line in communication with said second volume. 7. A wind turbine comprising: a. a head portion having at least two propellers extending radially from a hub, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion, a drive shaft interconnecting said hub with an input shaft of a gear box, and a rudder and fin assembly on a rear end of said head portion, said rudder comprising a vertical member, said fin assembly having a horizontal portion with a trailing edge, and elevator pivotally attached to said trailing edge;b. a turbine air compressor, said compressor having an upper air inlet and a lower air outlet, said air outlet being provided with a check valve, said turbine air compressor being driven by an output shaft of said gear box;c. a storage tank portion having an upper end and a lower end, said head portion being pivotally attached to said upper end of said storage tank portion, said storage tank portion having an inner volume containing said turbine air compressor, said air inlet of said turbine air compressor being in communication with a low pressure air supply line extending outside said inner volume, and said air outlet of said turbine air compressor being in communication with a high pressure air supply line extending outside said inner volume, said storage tank further including a cooling air inlet line and a cooling air outlet line in communication with said inner volume. 8. A wind turbine as in claim 7 in which said turbine air compressor produces a pressure differential between said low pressure air supply line and high pressure air supply line of approximately 300 psi. 9. A wind turbine as in claim 7 in which said inner volume includes at least one inner wall defining cooling air ducts effective to confine and direct cooling air around said low pressure air supply line and said high pressure air supply line. 10. A plurality of wind turbines, serially interconnected for staged compression to output high pressure compressed gas, comprising: a. a first wind turbine comprising: a head portion having at least two propellers extending radially from a hub, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion, a drive shaft interconnecting said hub with an input shaft of a gear box, and a rudder and fin assembly on a rear end of said head portion, said rudder comprising a vertical member, said fin assembly having a horizontal portion with a trailing edge, and elevator pivotally attached to said trailing edge; a gas turbine compressor, said compressor having an upper gas inlet and a lower gas outlet, said gas outlet being provided with a check valve, said gas turbine compressor being driven by an output shaft of said gear box; a storage tank portion having an upper end and a lower end, said head portion being pivotally attached to said upper end of said storage tank portion, said storage tank portion having an inner volume for the storage of compressed gas, said gas turbine compressor being mounted within said upper end of said storage tank portion with said upper gas inlet being in communication with gas outside said tank portion and said lower gas outlet being in communication with said inner volume; and, a first turbine gas supply line in communication with said inner volume, and extending outside said storage tank;b. a second wind turbine comprising: a head portion having at least two propellers extending radially from a hub, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion, a drive shaft interconnecting said hub with an input shaft of a gear box, and a rudder and fin assembly on a rear end of said head portion, said rudder comprising a vertical member, said fin assembly having a horizontal portion with a trailing edge, and elevator pivotally attached to said trailing edge; a gas turbine compressor, said compressor having an upper gas inlet and a lower gas outlet, said gas outlet being provided with a check valve, said gas turbine compressor being driven by an output shaft of said gear box; a storage tank portion having an upper end and a lower end, said head portion being pivotally attached to said upper end of said storage tank portion, said storage tank portion having an inner volume for the storage of compressed gas, said inner volume including an inner tank, said inner tank defining a first volume outside said inner tank and a second volume within said inner tank, and in which said gas turbine compressor is located within said first volume having its gas inlet in communication with said first volume, and in which said gas outlet of said gas turbine compressor is in communication with said second volume, said first wind turbine gas supply line being in communication with said first volume of said second wind turbine, whereby compressed gas produced by said first wind turbine is increased in pressure by said second wind turbine. 11. A plurality of wind turbines as in claim 10, in which compressed gas in said first wind turbine gas supply line is approximately 300 psi, and in which compressed gas in said second volume of said inner tank in said second wind turbine is approximately 600 psi. 12. A plurality of wind turbines as in claim 10, further including a third wind turbine, said third wind turbine comprising: a head portion having at least two propellers extending radially from a hub, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion, a drive shaft interconnecting said hub with an input shaft of a gear box, and a rudder and fin assembly on a rear end of said head portion, said rudder comprising a vertical member, said fin assembly having a horizontal portion with a trailing edge, and elevator pivotally attached to said trailing edge; a gas turbine compressor, said compressor having an upper gas inlet and a lower gas outlet, said gas outlet being provided with a check valve, said gas turbine compressor being driven by an output shaft of said gear box; a storage tank portion having an upper end and a lower end, said head portion being pivotally attached to said upper end of said storage tank portion, said storage tank portion having an inner volume containing said gas turbine compressor, said gas inlet of said gas turbine compressor being in communication with a second wind turbine gas supply line extending from said inner volume of said second wind turbine, and said gas outlet of said gas turbine compressor being in communication with a high pressure air supply line extending outside said inner volume, said storage tank further including a cooling air inlet line and a cooling air outlet line in communication with said inner volume. 13. A reserve tank for storing compressed air, comprising: a. a central tank, said central tank being in communication with a high pressure air supply line, said central tank being elongated and having sidewalls with a generally cylindrical configuration;b. a plurality of ring tanks, a first innermost one of said ring tanks being concentric with and surrounding said sidewall of said central tank and having a sidewall which is arranged and spaced from said sidewall of said central tank, said plurality further including successive rings tanks, each successively arranged around said first ring tank and around each other to form the reserve tank;c. a plurality of pressure-actuated transfer valves, a first of said transfer valves having an inlet side in communication with said central tank and an outlet side in communication with said first innermost ring tank, said first transfer valve being adapted to open and release air from said central tank into said first innermost ring tank, as long as a predetermined pressure differential exists between said central tank and said first innermost ring tank, said plurality of transfer valves further including successive transfer valves, each being successively arranged between adjacent successive ring tanks, having an inlet side in communication with an adjacent ring tank radially closer to said central tank and an outlet side in communication with an adjacent successive ring tank radially remote from said central tank. 14. A reserve tank as in claim 13, including nine ring tanks, in which the compressed air in said central tank is approximately 3000 psi, and in which the predetermined pressure differential between each tank is approximately 300 psi, so that an outermost ring tank stores compressed air at approximately 300 psi. 15. A reserve tank as in claim 14, in which compressed gas from said outermost ring tank drives one or more air turbines and respective electrical generators. 16. A wind turbine and compressed gas storage system for producing electrical energy, comprising: a. a plurality of wind turbines, each of said wind turbines including an upper head portion with two or more propellers operatively connected through a drive shaft to an input of a gear box, a rudder and fin assembly, and a propeller feathering and braking means responsive to a movable portion of said fin assembly and effective to rotate said propellers out of engagement with the wind and to brake said drive shaft in response to strong wind, each of said wind turbines further including a lower storage tank portion having an upper end and a lower end, said upper head portion being pivotally mounted on said upper end of said lower storage tank portion, said storage tank portion housing a turbine compressor, each of said wind turbines having an air supply input and an air supply output, said wind turbines being serially interconnected for staged compression by connecting a respective air supply output of a first wind turbine to a respective air supply input of a second wind turbine and by connecting successive wind turbines in identical fashion to output high pressure compressed air from said line of wind turbines;b. a reserve tank for receiving said high pressure compressed air, said reserve tank comprising a central tank surrounded by a plurality of concentric, scalloped, ring-like tanks, interconnected by pressure-actuated valves, each tank being adapted for storing compressed air at stepped pressures, varying from a highest pressure in said central tank to a lowest pressure in an outer tank ring; and,c. at least one air turbine having an inlet in communication with said outer tank ring, and an output drive shaft interconnected to an electrical generator. 17. A system as in claim 16 in which ten wind turbines are included in said plurality of wind turbines, and in which said high pressure compressed air is approximately 3000 psi, and in which said lowest pressure is approximately 300 psi. 18. A system as in claim 16 in which said plurality of tank rings comprises an innermost ring tank numbered nine and an outermost ring tank numbered one, and further including at least one by-pass line and a first regulator valve, said by-pass line having one end in communication with said central tank or one of the tank rings numbered nine through three, closest to said central tank, and said by-pass line having another end in communication with an inlet to said first regulator valve, said first regulator valve further having an outlet in communication with a ring tank numbered two, immediately inside said outermost ring tank numbered one, said regulator valve being effective to open when air pressure in said ring tank numbered two drops below 600 psi. 19. A system as in claim 18, further including a second regulator valve, said second regulator valve having an inlet in communication with said ring tank numbered two, and having an outlet in communication with said ring tank numbered one, said second regulator valve being effective to open when air pressure in said ring tank numbered one drops below 300 psi.
