BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the utilisation of wind energy for the purpose of generating mechanical energy which can be used directly to drive machines or can be converted to other forms of energy such as electrical energy.

Wind energy is a theoretically attractive source of man's energy requirements because the wind is universal and free and because it occupies a high position in the chain of energy conversion processes that start with the arrival of the sun's rayson the earth.

Although it has been exploited industrially for millenia, wind energy suffers from several disadvantages in relation to current-day patterns of energy requirements. Although the wind possesses vast quantities of energy, this energy is present ina relatively attenuated form and mechanically large devices, extracting energy over a correspondingly large surface, are required if meaningful quantities of energy are to be obtained from it. Further, it is sporadic in nature, and over large parts ofthe earth's surface is subject to a cyclical pattern in which the wind rises during the sunlight hours and subsides in the evening. Since the inertia of most wind-driven devices is substantial, it is often thought that low-speed winds, such as occur inthe early and late sunrise hours before and after the main hours of wind, are not useful for industrial purposes. Moreover, being highly directional, the wind is inherently unsuitable for driving large bodies since the orientation of these bodies mustnormally change with the wind if they are to operate efficiently.

PRIOR ART

It is known to create a wind vortex and then to place a rotary member in the vortex so created so that the wind energy concentrated in the vortex can be extracted. Such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,144 to Loth and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,105,362 and 4,111,594 to Sforza. In both the Sforza specifications, the vortices created are leading edge separation vortices created by wind flowing over the sharp edges of a slim delta plan form. The vortices created in this manner are lessconcentrated than is desirable. A rotary device is simply placed in the path of the vortex, without any attempt to boost the energy within the vortex. Furthermore, in the construction of specification U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,362, the two vortices whichare produced would be in danger of interfering with one another to cancel one another out, in view of their close proximity.

The Loth specification U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,144 discloses the use of a wing tip vortex to concentrate wind energy from a large area. No attempt is made to augment the energy in the vortex, in order to increase the output from the device. Lothdiscloses the use of propellors i.e. a type of horizontal-axis rotor, to extract energy from the vortex. In an article in the Journal of Energy, volume 2 number 4 July-August 1978, Loth discusses this type of arrangement and comes to the conclusion, atthe top of the first column on page 217, that the energy in the vortex cannot be harnessed by a wind machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a wind energy device comprising an air foil having a leading edge, a trailing edge and a tip, the air foil being supported above a surface and being adapted, when traversed by prevailing windto generate a vortex at its tip, an air deflector associated with the air foil and arranged so as to deflect prevailing wind traversing the deflector into the vortex to augment the energy of the vortex, means to vary the orientation of the air foilrelative to the prevailling wind, and a rotary device located in the path of the vortex and adapted to be driven by the wind in the vortex.

The use of an air deflector to deflect additional wind into the vortex makes a substantial contribution to the volume of wind moving at high speed in the vortex and thus the energy which can be extracted from the vortex.

The rotary device is preferably a vertical axis rotary device. Such vertical axis rotary devices can be distinguished from horizontal axis devices in that in a vertical axis device the device axis is generally normal to the incident wind, whilstin a horizontal axis device the device axis is generally parallel to the incident wind. The word "vertical" in this context conveys no limitation as to the arrangement in space of the device, but is merely used as a conventional term of the art todescribe the type of device.

My studies indicate that the use of a vertical-axis rotor will enable wind energy to be extracted from the vortex. The rotary device can be arranged either on the axis of the vortex or, preferably, offset from the vortex axis. A preferred formof vertical axis rotary device is a Savonius rotor.

Further preferable features of the invention will be set forth in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the device shown in FIG. 1, with the guide vane omitted;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with a first type of rotary device;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a part of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with a second type of rotary device;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a portion of the device showing the air flow over that portion;

FIG. 6 is a cross section through the main air foil;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the outer end of the main air foil; and

FIG. 8 is an end view of a rotor for use in the device of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows one side only of a wind energy device. The other side will be a mirror image of the side shown, and the same reference numerals will be used. The device has a first or main air foil 1 mounted on a central support 2. The support 2carries a vane 3 at the end of outrigger arms 4, and the whole device can rotate on a base 6 about a central pillar 7, in response to changes in the wind direction. The bottom of the pillar 7 includes a bearing to permit this rotational movement. Because the main air foil 1 will tend to lift as it is traversed by a prevailing wind, a strut 8 is provided between the supporting member 2 and the base 6. The bottom of the strut 8 carries rollers 9 running in a track 10 which permit the necessaryrotational movement without allowing the air foil to lift. It is however necessary to raise and lower the leading edge of the air foil 1 to vary the angle of attack for maximum efficiency as the wind strength changes. To permit this adjustment, thestrut 8 includes a cylinder 11, and piston rods 12, 13 of pistons inside the cylinder project from either end and can be extended or retracted.

The track 10 of the base 6 extends in a full 360.degree. circle around the pillar 7.

The force of the wind on the vane 3 should be sufficient to turn the device into the correct orientation relative to the wind direction.

Suspended from the underside of the main air foil 1 is a second or auxiliary air foil 14. This is pivoted to the under surface of the main air foil 1 about a pivot axis coincident with its leading edge 15. The upper surface of the second airfoil 14 is cut away immediately adjacent the underside of air foil 1 in order to permit air to flow along the length of the air foil 1.

When the strut 8 is extended or retracted to raise or lower the front edge of the air foil 1, the supporting body 2 on which the air foil 1 is mounted pivots about a pivot point 16. A bevel gear 17 is mounted on the supporting body 2, and afurther bevel gear 18 engages with the gear 17. Therefore, as the body 2 is raised or lowered the bevel gear 18 is rotated and in turn turns an actuating disc 19. Rods 20 and 21 (see FIG. 2) are fixed to the disc 19, and it will be seen that as thedisc 19 rotates, the two air foils 14 are turned about the pivot axes running along their forward edges.

The main air foil 1 has a barrier channel section 22 running along its trailing edge, for reasons which will become apparent later.

Looking now at FIG. 3, it will be seen that Savonius rotor units, generally designated 24, are mounted downstream of the air foils 1 behind the tips of the air foils. The rotor units are mounted away from the core of the vortex, and are arrangedso that they lie at the edges of the vortices 25 as shown with their axes arranged along the conical shape formed by the vortex. The wind in the vortex will have a component of movement along the vortex axis and also a component of movement at rightangles to this axis. The component acting at right angles to the vortex axis will also be generally at right angles to the rotor axis, so that the rotors will act in the conventional manner for vertical-axis rotor types.

In an alternative embodiment the rotor units 24 may be placed with their axes coincident with the vortex axes. For example the rotor units may consist, as shown in FIG. 4, of three co-axial Savonius rotors 24a, 24b, 24c, the sizes of which arechosen in accordance with the dimensions of the conical vortex produced.

The corners of the air foil where the trailing edge 26 meets the tip 27 are cut away at 28 to permit the rotor units 24 to be positioned close to the source of the vortex. The rotor units 24 are mounted on the air foil tips by means of a rigidlink 29, and can be raised or lowered relative to the air foil section in such a way that they remain positioned in the center of the vortex.

FIG. 8 is an end view of a Savonius rotor, which consists of a series of vanes 40 arranged generally as illustrated with their outer edges in a cylindrical surface and their inner edges overlapping each other.

THEORY OF OPERATION

The design of the air foil sections 1 is generally contrary to conventional aerodynamic practice. In designing wings for aircraft, it is desirable to minimise the tip vortex produced. In contrast, in the present invention it is advantageous tomaximise the vortex, because the creation of the vortex is being used as a way of concentrating wind energy, which can subsequently be extracted. Thus, the air foils 1 are preferably low aspect-ratio, slow-speed, high-lift sections. FIG. 6 shows atypical air foil section having these properties, and the coordinates of this air foil are given in Table 1. The preferred aspect ratio will be apparent from FIG. 3.

Firstly, a relatively large dihedral angle is used. Thirteen degrees is a preferred angle, and this is larger than would be used in a aeroplane. It will be immediately apparent that raising the tips of the air foils above the roots willincrease the spanwise flow of air.

Secondly, channel 22 is provided along the trailing edge of the air foils. The wind passing over the high pressure under surface of the air foil will tend to be deflected towards the air foil tip when it meets this channel section 22.

Thirdly, the leading edge 31 of the air foil has a backward step 32 along its length. The step is such that the leading edge of the air foil on the tip side of the step is set back from the leading edge on the root side of the step. Because theair foil used in this device has a large camber, there may be tendency for the wind passing over the upper surface to break away from the air foil section. The step 32 helps to prevent this breaking away by allowing high pressure air to spill over fromthe bottom surface to the top surface to re-energise decay in laminar flow on the top surface.

The effect of the axiliary air foils 14 is shown in FIG. 4. In this figure, the edges of the vortex are indicated at 25, and it will be seen that wind incident on the leading edge 15 of the auxiliary wing 14 is deflected into the vortex 25. When an air foil section 14 is used, as shown, the downwash effect from the air foil will all be fed into the vortex. The angle of the air foil 14 can be adjusted, and two different positions are indicated in FIG. 4 by solid lines and dotted linesrespectively. The wind deflected by the air foil 14 should be fed into the vortex generally tangentially and in the direction of rotation of the vortex. The direction of rotation of the vortices will be apparent from FIG. 2 and it will therefore beclear that auxiliary air foils located beneath the main air foils 1 should deflect wind generally outwards.

It would also be possible to have auxiliary air foils mounted above the main air foils 1; however such upper auxiliary air foils should be oppositely directed so that they deflect wind towards the center of the device and thereby draw wind in asideways direction into the top half of the vortex.

It may also be advantageous to provide some form of heating below the tips of the main air foils. If the wind passing below the air foil tips is heated, the pressure will increase and lead to increased energy in the vortex.

A further feature of the device is shown in FIG. 7. This feature is not shown in any of the other drawings, but consists in mounting a plate 33 at the tip of the air foil 1, with the bottom edge 34 of the plate extending between the lowerextremities of the leading and trailing edges. The plate 33 also has a slot 35, and it is hoped that the end 36 of this slot will provide a point source for the vortex, where the high pressure air from the underside of the wing will be able to escapeand meet the low pressure air on the upper side of the wing. The slot 35 can be of different shape from that shown, and in particular may simply be a hole (of adjustable size) in a similar position to the end 36 of a slot 35 shown in FIG. 7. The slot35 of the shape shown may be provided with a series of spring-loaded covers which will be opened sequentially by the air pressure under the air foil 1. It is important that the plates 33 should be retractable, since they must be removed when thevortices first form at the tips, and will only be lowered into position once the vortices are established.

It may be possible to use non-air foil deflector plates instead of the auxiliary air foils 14. All that is required of these members is that they should deflect the incident wind sideways into the vortex, and this could be done by a simpleplate. However, an air foil is preferred since the thickness of the member allows it to be structurally relatively strong, and also because the downwash from an air foil will originate from both sides of the air foil since the wind follows the air foilsurface on both sides, whereas the downwash from a simple deflector plate would come from one side only of the plate.

Many constructural materials are possible for the air foils 1, but it is considered that concrete may ultimately be the most suitable material, because of its low cost. The weight of concrete would be an advantage rather than a disadvantage,because this will assist other measures which will have to be taken to secure the device to the ground, to prevent the lift generated by the air foils from lifting the device into the air.

Hydraulic means may be provided to automatically vary the angle of attack of the main air foils 1 in accordance with the wind speed.

A horizontal vane 38 may be provided on the vane 3, and up and down movement of the vane 38 can be used to move the rotor units 24 up and down relative to the air foils 1.

In gale or storm force winds, the device will be closed down, i.e. the leading edge of the air foils 1 will be brought as close to the ground as possible. In these conditions, the rotor units 24 can be arranged so that they flip up, to bringtheir axis vertical. The rotors then rotate in the wind in a manner which is conventional for Savonius rotors.

In light winds, the leading edge of the air foil 1 will be raised to its maximum position, and will then be lowered as the wind strength increases.

The auxiliary air foils 14 are conveniently mounted at right angles to the main air foils 1.

It would be possible to construct the device with the air foils upside down when compared with the orientation shown in the Figures. This could have certain advantages.

For some applications of the invention the vanes in different sections of the rotor may be staggered or offset in order to smooth the torque curve. The vanes may also taper in the longitudinal direction to fit more precisely into the conicalspace of the vortex. While the Savonius rotors are particularly suitable rotary devices for the purposes of the invention, other vertical-axis rotary devices could also be used.

Because the device concentrates wind energy in a small area, relatively low wind speeds, which cannot be harnessed by a conventional windmill, can be used to turn the rotors situated in the tip vortices.

The device may be as large or as small as circumstances require, but will naturally become cumbersome and difficult to anchor if it is unduly large. However it is considered that a device with an air foil span of about 6 meters will suffice togenerate the electrical power needed to supply a farm of substantial size or at least a large domestic load.

Any suitable electricity generating device can be connected to the rotors to produce electricity from the rotary movement of the rotors. It is considered best to mount hydraulic pumps at the wing tips to be directly driven by the rotors, withthe fluid inlet and outlet from the pump flowing in a circuit to operate an electricity generator. The pumps could be housed in the air flow sections 1 near the tips thereof, and mechanically connected to the rotor units 24. Alternatively, a generatorsuch as an alternator could be mounted on the axis of the rotor unit at any convenient point to produce electricity directly.

Since the wind is not a continuous source of energy, it is desirable to associate with a wind energy device some form of energy storage system. Excess energy generated when the wind is blowing can be used to perform mechanical work which canthen be used when the wind is not blowing to generate electricity. For example, a very large flywheel can be driven, gas could be compressed, fluids could be pumped uphill. Alternatively, the electricity could be used to charge batteries. Thesesuggestions, for storing energy are not intended to be exhaustive, and any known methods could be used.

TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Upper Surface Lower Surface Station as % of Chord as % of Chord ______________________________________ 0 -4.59 -6.31 1 -1.02 -7.94 2 +1.17 -8.13 3 +2.82 -8.06 4 +4.19 -7.77 5 +5.37 -7.29 6 +6.38 -6.77 8 +8.35 -5.57 10 +9.95 -4.32 15 +13.12 -0.81 20 +15.15 +3.30 25 +16.46 +6.86 30 +17.38 +9.57 35 +17.83 +11.10 40 +17.96 +11.90 45 +17.72 +11.94 50 +16.94 +11.63 60 +14.57 +10.36 70 +11.50 +8.55 80 +8.46 +6.14 90 +5.08 +3.23 100 +1.12 +0.00 ______________________________________

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