GB2513558A - Low cost wind turbine - Google Patents

Abstract

A wind turbine has a central shaft 1 and a plurality of arms 2 extending radially from the central shaft. The shaft and the arms may be made from used plastic bottles which are connected together end to end. The used bottles may also be internally interconnected allowing the passage of a gas or liquid via valve 7 to pressurize the structure thereby adding strength. The shaft may be supported upon and rotate around one or more bearings 5. A series of sails 3 may be connected to the arms. A generator 9 is provided to produce electricity. Guy ropes 4 and pegs 6 tether the structure. The bottles may have a printed material thereon to conduct electricity. Vertical and horizontal axis turbines are proposed. In an alternative embodiment sails are replaced with a structure made from sections of plastic bottles shaped to capture the wind (see figure 3).

Description

A low cost vertical axis wind turbine It is very important for humanity to reduce and ideally eliminate the carbon emissions as * these contribute to global warming which in turn could make our environment less able * to sustain life on this planet. Harnessing wind and solar energy to power our transport and fulfill other requirements can help achieve this goal.

One of the greatest hurdles to the adoption of small wind powered electricit9 generators or wind turbines is their high initial purchase and installation cost. Payback periods which are the time taken to recover the initial cost from reductions in energy bills can be several years. One of the reasons for this high capital cost is that the components used in existing designs are not manufactured in high enough volumes.

There are two main types of wind turbine. A horizontal axis turbine has its propeller blades or other wind driven actuators mounted on a shaft which in turn is mounted to allow rotation along an approximately horizontal axis. A vertical axis wind turbine has its actuators mounted on a shaft that rotates along an approximately vertical axis. Vertical axis wind turbines are well suited to urban environments which have constantly changing air flow but have an intrinsically lower efficiency compared to horizontal axis wind turbines as some of the actuators have to move against the wind as the shaft * rotates. Horizontal axis wind turbines also have problems which limit their widespread adoption These include-such asnoise and safety risk posedbythe fast moving-rotating components such as propeller blades when they fail.

This invention brings down the cost of small scale wind powered electricity generators by using some components that are available cheaply or for free. It also addresses the problems that reduce the efficiency of vertical axis wind turbines According to one embodiment of this invention there is a shaft mounted in bearings that allow it to rotate along a vertical or approximately vertical axis. Groups of two or more poles are mounted radially onto the shaft at a multiplicity points along its length. Sails are fixed to the shaft and radial poles in a similar way to which they are mounted to the mast and boom of a sailing boat.

The sails are constructed from netting or perforated material that is covered in flaps of material that hang down over the apertures. When air blows against the sail from one side the flaps are forced against the netting or perforated material closing the apertures and preventing airflow through the sail. When wind blows against the sail from the other side it flows through the apertures and pushes the flaps out of the way. As the sails rotate about the axis of the shaft they catch the wind that is behind them but can also move into the wind with minimal resistance on their return path into the wind.

To keep the shaft aligned along an approximately vertical axis it can be mounted in bearings along its length which can themselves be tethered by a multiplicity of guy ropes attached to the ground. The bearings could also be directly fixed to the wall of a building or other suitable object.

To reduce the cost of manufacture the shaft and poles are made up of new or discarded liquid packaging bottles which have been joined from end to end.

Advantageously the bottles would be pressurized to give the shaft and poles greater strength. -In a preferred arrangement of this invention the part or complete bottles would be connected together in such a way to minimise the number of valves allowing air to be introduced into a multiplicity of bottles from one point.

According to a second embodiment of this invention the sails would be replaced by a multiplicity of the scoops constructed from the cut open plastic drinks containers that are fixed at one end onto the poles.

Accordingto one arrangement of thisinvention-thwrotatingshaft iscoupled to-the-shaft of a commercially available generator so that the rotational motion generates electrical energy that can be consumed or stored or sold.

According to a second arrangement of this invention the rotating shaft has permanent magnets mounted on it to form the rotor of one or more generators.

According to a third arrangement of this invention to further the permanent magnets are replaced by coils made out of copper wire or another printed conductive material which when supplied with electricity generate a magnetic field.

This invention will now be illustrated by means of two figures.

Figure 1 shows the Oeneral arrangement of the vertical axis wind turbine with sails.

Figure 2 shows the how the sails are constructed to enable air flow through in one direction but not the other.

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Figure 3 shows the general arrangement of the vertical axis wind turbine with scoops made out of commonly available disposable plastic bottles with their sides cut off.

Referring to figure 1 there is a shaft 1 made up of multiple plastic drinks bottles that has groups of three poles 2 mounted radially at two points along its length. Sails 3 constructed out of the material depicted in figure 2 are fixed between the shaft 1 and the poles 2. The shaft 2 is mounted in bearings 5 that are tethered by guy ropes 5 to fixed mounting points 6. A valve 7 allows air to be pumped into the linked bottles of the shaft and poles to help maintain their rigidity. The shaft 1 is connected via a belt or chain drive 8 to a number of electrical generators 9. When the wind blows air flow is captured by the sails 3 on one side of the shaft 1 causing it to rotate in its bearings 5 and turn the generator 9 to produce electricity.

Referring to figure 2 there is a layer of netting or perforated material 10 that has flaps attached to it 11. When the wind blows from the side of the sail where it encounters the netting 10 first it lifts the flaps 11 out of the way and passes through the sail. When the wind blows from the side of the sail where it encounters the flaps 11 first it forces them against the netting 10 to prevent air flow thrciugh the sail. When the sail is mounted to the shaft 1 and poles 2 as shown in figure 1 then the otientation of the material should be that the sails on one side of the shaft I allow the air to blow through them whilst the sails on the other side of the shaft 1 stop the air flow.

Referring to figure 3 there is a shaft 12 made up of multiple rows of plastic drinks bottles fixed end to end fixed to a building 13. It is mounted in bearings 14 that allow it to rotate along an approximately vertical axis. Groups of poles 15 that are also made out of drinking bottles are mounted radially at points along the shaft 12. Scoops 16 made out of cut open drinking bottles are mounted along the length of the poles 15. When the wind blows air is captured by the scoops 16 on one side of the shaft 12 causing itto rotate. The bearings 14 are attached to guy ropes 17 which are mounted to pulleys 18 to allow the shaft 12 to be lowered to the ground for components to be add or maintained.

Claims (3)

1. Claims 1. A wind turbine that incorporates a multiplicity of sails which allow air flow through them in one direction but not the other.
2. 2. A wind turbine according to claim 1 where some or all of the sails comprises of a layer of netting or other material through which air can flow onto which are fixed a multiplicity of flaps made of material through which air cannot flow such that when the air blow from one side of the sail the flaps are blown away from the netting allowing air to pass through it and when the air flows from the other side it blows the flaps against the netting preventing air flow through the sail.
3. 3. A wind turbine according to claims 1 where the multiplicity of sails are fixed to a structure that is mounted in bearings so that it can turn about a vertical or near vertical axis where sails in positions that enable them to capture wind energy apply force to spin the turbine whilst sails in positions that are moving into the wind encounter reduced air resistance because the material advantageously allows air to flow through them.5. A wind turbine according to claim 4 where the structure comprises of a shaft that rotates about a vertical axis and a multiplicity of poles that radiate outwards from it.6. Packaging containers that incorporate the means to enable them to be joined to a multiplicity of other containers.7. Packaging containers for liquids that incorporate the means to enable them to be joined to a multiplicity of other containers.8. Packaging containers according to claim 6 or 7 where the means to join the container to other containers is combined with an aperture into the container such that gas or a liquid can pass through the joint.9. Packaging containers according to claim 8 that incorporate the means to enable them to be joined together to form all or pad of a wind turbine as per claims 1 to 5.10. Packaging containers as per claims 8 and 9 that can be joined and pressurised to create a sufficiently strong structure to form all or part of the shaft and poles of a wind turbine according to claims 1 to 5.11. Packaging containers as per claim 6 to 10 where some or all of the means used to join the container to other containers are circular protrusions with screw threads running around the outside that can screw into the circular indentations with screw threads running along the inside on other containers.12. Packaging containers as per claim 6 to 10 where some or all of the means used to join the container to other containers are circular protrusions with screw threads running around the inside that can screw into the circular indentations with screw threads running along the outside on other containers.13. Packaging containers as per claim 6 to 10 where some or all of the means used to join the container to other containers are protrusions that are sized and shaped so that they have an interference fit when pushed into indentations on other containers.14. Packaging containers as per claim 6 to 10 where some or all of the means used to join the container to other containers are indentations that are sized and shaped so that they have an interference fit when pushed onto protrusions on other containers.15. Packaging containers as per claim 6 to 14 where the means used to join one container to another is also the means by which a closure such as a cap or stopper is secured to the container.16. Packaging containers as per claim 6 to 14 which incorporate magnets.17. Packaging containers as per claim 6 to 14 which incorporate conductive coils that create a magnetic field when electricity is passed through them.18. A wind turbine according to claims ito 5 which is held in position by a multiplicity of tethers linked at various points along the length of its main shaft in such a way that it can still rotate because the tethers are attached to bearings in which the shaft is mounted.Amendments to the claims have been flied as follows Claims 1. Liquid packaging bottles that incorporate that incorporate the means to enable them to be joined from end to end with a plurality of other similar liquid packaging bottles.2. Containers according to claim 1 where the means to join the containers together is an orifice into, the container such that gas or a liquid can pass through the joint to enable a plurality of joined containers to be filled and pressurised from a single orifice.3. Packaging containers according to claims 1 or 2 that incorporate the means to enable them to be joined together to form the shaft and poles of a vertical axiá wind turbine incorporating a shaft supported at a multiplicity of points along tits length so that it can rotate about a vertical axis with a multiplicity of poles that are fixed so that they radiate outwards from the shaft and where sails are which restrict-the flow of air through them in one direction more than the other are fixed between that shaft and poles. 0 *4. Packaging containersas per claims I to 3that have coils of insulated copper wire mounted on their surface through which an electric current can be passed to create amagnetic field.5. Packaging containers as per blaims 1 to 3 that are printed with a conductive material through which an electric current canbe passed to create a magnetic field.