Vertical axis wind turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11486354-B2
Application number	US-202117557187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2021
Priority date	Mar 26, 2019
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

In a vertical rotor apparatus that rotates in response to a moving fluid, a shaft defines an axis of rotor rotation. Rotor blades are longitudinally aligned in parallel with the shaft and each rotor blade defines an axis of blade rotation. A sensor generates a signal when any of the rotor blades are within rotor azimuthal angles of blade stall regions. A controller generates blade pitch information for the blade stall regions and an actuator, which is mechanically coupled to each of the rotor blades, alters blade pitch about the axis of blade rotation in accordance with the blade pitch information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vertical axis wind turbine having a vertical rotor apparatus,
wherein a shaft of the vertical rotor apparatus rotates in response to wind,
wherein the shaft is configured to transfer mechanical energy from the vertical rotor apparatus to a generator, and
wherein the vertical rotor apparatus comprises:
a rotor having an axis of rotor rotation defined by the shaft;
a plurality of rotor blades longitudinally aligned in parallel with the shaft, each rotor blade defining an axis of blade rotation, wherein each rotor blade is attached to the shaft by an upper strut attached to an upper end of the rotor blade through an upper attachment point and a lower strut attached to a lower end of the rotor blade through a lower attachment point, the upper and lower attachments points defining an axis of rotor blade rotation;
a sensor to determine whether any of the rotor blades are within rotor azimuthal angles of the blade stall regions, wherein the sensor comprises:
a fluid vane configured to indicate wind direction;
contact wires connected to the fluid vane and displaced with rotation thereof, the contact wires defining blade stall regions as a function of the wind direction; and
a contact sensor mounted proximally to the shaft and moving through azimuthal angles therewith, the contact sensor generating a signal in response to contacting the contact wires;

a controller to provide blade pitch information for the blade stall regions; and
an actuator mechanically coupled to each of the rotor blades to alter blade pitch about the respective axis of rotor blade rotation in accordance with the blade pitch information so as to avoid blade stall for all rotor azimuthal angles.

2. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein the contact sensor is mounted on the upper struts.

3. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 2 , wherein the actuator is mounted on the upper struts.

4. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein the sensor further comprises a rotary encoder.

5. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 4 , further comprising a photovoltaic power source to provide power to the rotary encoder.

6. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein the blade pitch information includes a blade pitch profile that defines a pitch angle as a function of azimuthal angle of rotor rotation.

7. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 6 , wherein the blade pitch profile is constant at a predetermined blade pitch for all azimuthal angles.

8. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 6 , wherein the blade pitch profile is a sinusoid.

9. The vertical axis wind turbine of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is internal to each of the rotor blades and rotates the corresponding blade about the respective axis of rotor blade rotation.

Assignees

• Univ Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal

Inventors

• Saeed Farooq

Classifications

• F05B2200/261

  Sine · CPC title

• F05B2270/326

  Rotor angle · CPC title

• F05B2270/329

  Azimuth or yaw angle · CPC title

• F05B2270/809

  Encoders · CPC title

• F03D7/06

  the wind motors having rotation axis substantially perpendicular to the air flow entering the rotor · CPC title