The revolving overhead windmill includes airfoils that harvest wind energy using a configuration, in the class of vertical axis wind turbines, wherein the airfoils are modestly elevated above a water or ground surface through the use of buoyancy forces and elongated structural members. The airfoil a
The revolving overhead windmill includes airfoils that harvest wind energy using a configuration, in the class of vertical axis wind turbines, wherein the airfoils are modestly elevated above a water or ground surface through the use of buoyancy forces and elongated structural members. The airfoil angle of attack is controlled in a periodic manner as each airfoil revolves around a closed circuit of revolution, in order to optimize system energy harvest as measured by metrics such as megawatts of electric power generation under rated wind conditions. Typical large-scale applications in high wind, offshore locations can substantively contribute to utility-scale renewable energy production and also contribute towards climate change mitigation targets.
대표청구항▼
1. A revolving overhead windmill, comprising: plural airfoil means for contacting proximate flow fields of a wind current when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy;an effective axis of rotation around which each of said airfoil means ca
1. A revolving overhead windmill, comprising: plural airfoil means for contacting proximate flow fields of a wind current when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy;an effective axis of rotation around which each of said airfoil means can effectively rotate in orientation to some extent, said axis of rotation being disposed within 60 degrees of vertical during normal operation of said revolving overhead windmill;control system means including actuator means, for controlling time-variable orientations of said airfoil means relative to said proximate flow fields of said wind current when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy;buoyant support means for utilizing a buoyancy force from fluid displacement to at least partially contribute to supporting said airfoil means above a ground surface;connecting means for connecting said plural airfoil means in sequence in an annular volume, said connecting means including connecting members that connect adjacently-located airfoil means in said sequence;vertical load reacting means for reacting vertical loads, said vertical loads comprising at least one of airfoil means weight loads and buoyant support means buoyancy loads, said vertical load reacting means comprising plural vertical-load-carrying structural members arranged in sequence in a second annular volume that is topologically coaxial with said annular volume;andenergy harvesting means including said control system means, for converting a portion of said fluid-dynamic kinetic energy into net work on said airfoil means over the course of a cycle of substantially periodic motion of said airfoil means revolving in said annular volume, by utilizing time-variable fluid-dynamic pressure distributions and resulting forces acting on said airfoil means at said time-variable orientations to contribute to driving said substantially periodic motion when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy;said energy harvesting means further including energy conversion means for converting at least some of said net work into energy in a desired form for at least one of transmission, storage, processing and use; wherein said energy harvesting means utilizes relative motion between (i) revolving structure connected to said airfoil means revolving in said annular volume and driving said substantially periodic motion when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy, and (ii) nonrevolving connected structure including said vertical-load-carrying structural members arranged in sequence in said second annular volume, said vertical-load-carrying structural members comprising elongated structural members making plural separated penetrations through a water surface, with portions of said elongated structural members below said water surface displacing water to generate said buoyancy loads and to thereby serve as plural separated float members, said buoyancy loads associated with said plural separated float members further providing at least contributory support to support said energy conversion means above said water surface. 2. A revolving overhead windmill, comprising: plural airfoil means for contacting proximate flow fields of a wind current when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy;an effective axis of rotation around which each of said airfoil means can effectively rotate in orientation to some extent, said axis of rotation being disposed within 60 degrees of vertical during normal operation of said revolving overhead windmill;control system means including actuator means, for controlling time-variable orientations of said airfoil means relative to said proximate flow fields of said wind current when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy;buoyant support means for utilizing a buoyancy force from fluid displacement comprising water displacement from a volume below a water surface, to at least partially contribute to supporting said airfoil means above the water surface and above a ground surface wherein the ground surface is an underwater ground surface;connecting means for connecting said plural airfoil means in sequence in an annular volume, said connecting means including connecting members that connect adjacently-located airfoil means in said sequence;wave load reduction means for reducing peak wave-induced loads acting on said connecting means relative to reference peak wave-induced loads that would occur if said connecting means were rigidly attached to and supported by a rigid half-submerged toroidal ring floating in the water directly beneath said connecting means, said wave load reduction means comprising plural load reduction elements arranged in sequence in a third annular volume that is topologically coaxial with said annular volumeandenergy harvesting means including said control system means, for converting a portion of said fluid-dynamic kinetic energy into net work on said airfoil means over the course of a cycle of substantially periodic motion of said airfoil means revolving in said annular volume, by utilizing time-variable fluid-dynamic pressure distributions and resulting forces acting on said airfoil means at said time-variable orientations to contribute to driving said substantially periodic motion when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy;said energy harvesting means further including energy conversion means for converting at least some of said net work into energy in a desired form for at least one of transmission, storage, processing and use; wherein said energy harvesting means utilizes relative motion between (i) said connecting means for connecting said plural airfoil means, serving as revolving structure connected to said airfoil means, revolving in said annular volume and driving said substantially periodic motion when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy, and (ii) nonrevolving connected structure including said plural load reduction elements arranged in sequence in said third annular volume, said load reduction elements comprising elongated structural members making plural separated penetrations through said water surface, with portions of said elongated structural members below said water surface displacing water to serve as plural separated float members, with said plural separated float members together serving as said buoyant support means. 3. A revolving overhead windmill, comprising: plural airfoil means for contacting proximate flow fields of a wind current when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy;an effective axis of rotation around which each of said airfoil means can effectively rotate in orientation to some extent, said axis of rotation being disposed within 60 degrees of vertical during normal operation of said revolving overhead windmill;control system means including actuator means, for controlling time-variable orientations of said airfoil means relative to said proximate flow fields of said wind current when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy;buoyant support means for utilizing a buoyancy force from fluid displacement to at least partially contribute to supporting said airfoil means above a ground surface, wherein said buoyant support means utilizes a buoyancy force from fluid displacement comprising displacement of air utilizing a lifting gas chamber;connecting means for connecting said plural airfoil means in sequence in an annular volume, said connecting means including connecting members that connect adjacently-located airfoil means in said sequence;andenergy harvesting means including said control system means, for converting a portion of said fluid-dynamic kinetic energy into net work on said airfoil means over the course of a cycle of substantially periodic motion of said airfoil means revolving in said annular volume, by utilizing time-variable fluid-dynamic pressure distributions and resulting forces acting on said airfoil means at said time-variable orientations to contribute to driving said substantially periodic motion when said wind current exists and carries wind current energy in the form of fluid-dynamic kinetic energy;said energy harvesting means further including energy conversion means for converting at least some of said net work into energy in a desired form for at least one of transmission, storage, processing and use;said energy conversion means including an annular electromagnetic generator located in a fourth annular volume that is topologically coaxial with said annular volume; wherein said energy harvesting means including said annular electromagnetic generator, is connected to plural vertical-load-carrying structural members arranged in sequence in a second annular volume that is topologically coaxial with said annular volume, said plural vertical-load-carrying structural members comprising plural separated elongated structural members spaced around said second annular volume; wherein each said elongated structural member comprises at least one of a cable, a stretchable cord, a pivoting structural member, a post and a guy wire; and wherein each said elongated structural member has a length less than half the height of said airfoil means and is capable of carrying some tension loading in a circumferential direction associated with circumferential forces between (i) revolving upper structure of said revolving overhead windmill and (ii) nonrevolving lower structure of said revolving overhead windmill. 4. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 1, wherein said control system means utilizes actuator means that acts on at least one of (i) said airfoil means and (ii) a control surface connected to at least one of said airfoil means and a trailing edge flap, which trailing edge flap is connected to said airfoil means and (iii) a control tab;and wherein said actuator means utilizes at least one of electrical actuation and electro-mechanical actuation and electro-hydraulic actuation and hydraulic actuation and pneumatic actuation and magnetic actuation and piezoelectric actuation and thermal actuation and shape memory alloy actuation. 5. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 1, wherein said buoyant support means utilizes at least one of (i) a buoyancy force from fluid displacement comprising displacement of water utilizing, an underwater float member, and (ii) a buoyancy force from fluid displacement comprising displacement of air utilizing a lifting gas chamber. 6. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 1, wherein said vertical-load-carrying structural members include at least one of (i) a post and (ii) a truss and (iii) an annular truss and (iv) a floating annular truss and (v) a pivoting structural member and (vi) a cable and (vii) a stretchable cord and (viii) a damper and (ix) a shock absorber. 7. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 1, wherein said energy conversion means for converting at least some of said net work into energy in a desired form for at least one of transmission, storage, processing and use, comprises an annular electromagnetic generator located in a fourth annular volume that is topologically coaxial with said annular volume, which annular electromagnetic generator is configured to convert said net work into electrical energy. 8. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 1, further comprising an electrical device supported by structure in said airfoil means, which electrical device comprises at least one of a battery and a sensor and an electrical wire and a signal wire and a an electro-optical component and a computer and a light and a display and a communication device and a human interface device and a photovoltaic electrical power source device and an air turbine electrical power source device. 9. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 1, wherein said revolving overhead windmill includes plural modular structural members and further includes fastener means for detachably connecting adjacent modular structural members to enable at least one of assembly and maintenance and inspection and service and repair and replacement, and further includes an access space for at least one of a human and a robot and a tool and a camera to be in said access space to at least one of facilitate and perform said at least one of assembly and maintenance and inspection and service and repair and replacement. 10. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 2, wherein said wave load reduction means are contained in vertical load reacting means for reacting vertical loads, said vertical loads comprising at least one of airfoil means weight loads and buoyant support means buoyancy loads, said vertical load reacting means comprising plural vertical-load-carrying structural members arranged in sequence in a second annular volume that is topologically coaxial with said annular volume. 11. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 2, wherein said load reduction elements include at least one of (i) a damper and (ii) a shock absorber and (iii) a pivoting structural member and (iv) a flexible structural member and (v) a stretchable cord and (vi) a cable. 12. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 2, wherein said wave load reduction means comprises water surface penetrating members with a total cross-sectional area on the plane of said water surface when there are no waves, that is less than a corresponding total cross-sectional area that would occur for said rigid half-submerged toroidal ring on the plane of said water surface when there are no waves. 13. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 12, wherein said water surface penetrating members collectively include at least one of (i) a post and (ii) a truss and (iii) an annular truss and (iv) a floating annular truss. 14. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 2, wherein said buoyant support means includes utilizes a buoyancy force from fluid displacement comprising displacement of water utilizing an underwater float member, and further comprising buoyancy control means for varying said buoyancy force by pumping water ballast between a water tank and the body of water below said water surface. 15. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 2, further comprising protection means for reducing risk of damage to said revolving overhead windmill from an environmental threat, wherein said environmental threat comprises at least one of a lightning strike and an electromagnetic energy threat and a hurricane and a typhoon and a cyclone and a storm and a tsunami and a seismic sea wave and a tidal wave and a tidal bore and a large sea wave and an earthquake and volcanic activity and hail and a rainstorm and a snowstorm; and wherein said protection means comprises at least one of a grounding wire, an electromagnetic threat shielding layer, means for limiting revolutions per minute of said plural airfoil means over said cycle of substantially periodic motion, means for commanding said plural airfoil means to a feathered condition, motion limiting means for protecting bearing members that normally enable said cycle of substantially periodic motion, means for elevating said plural airfoil means to an increased elevation above said water surface, and tether load reduction means for reducing loads consequent to said environmental threat acting on said revolving overhead windmill from at least one tether connecting said revolving overhead windmill to said underwater ground surface. 16. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 2, further comprising position-keeping means for maintaining said revolving overhead windmill substantially within a desired geographic envelope, which position-keeping means includes at least one of a tether or cable and an anchor fastened to the underwater ground surface. 17. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 2, wherein a portion of said revolving overhead windmill that is supported by said buoyancy force, has a center of gravity location that is below a metacenter associated with said buoyancy force provided by said buoyant support means. 18. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 1, said energy conversion means including at least one of (i) an annular electromagnetic generator located in a fourth annular volume that is topologically coaxial with said annular volume, and (ii) an electrical generator using an electromagnet and (iii) an induction generator and (iv) a doubly fed induction generator and (v) a field excited synchronous generator and (vi) a gear-driven generator and (vii) a direct-drive generator and (viii) an AC generator and (ix) a multiphase AC generator and (x) a DC generator. 19. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 2, said energy conversion means including at least one of (i) an annular electromagnetic generator located in a fourth annular volume that is topologically coaxial with said annular volume, and (ii) an electrical generator using an electromagnet and (iii) an induction generator and (iv) a doubly fed induction generator and (v) a field excited synchronous generator and (vi) a gear-driven generator and (vii) a direct-drive generator and (viii) an AC generator and (ix) a multiphase AC generator and (x) a DC generator. 20. The revolving overhead windmill of claim 3, wherein said annular electromagnetic generator comprises at least one of (i) a permanent magnet generator and (ii) a permanent magnet synchronous generator and (iii) a pancake permanent magnet generator and (iv) a direct drive permanent magnet generator with an ironless stator core and (v) a permanent magnet generator with at least one of rigid wheels and rigid rollers and rigid ball bearings that serve as means for maintaining a small and substantially constant air gap between stator and rotor members.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (4)
Sankrithi, Mithra M. K. V., Fluid-dynamic renewable energy harvesting system.
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