Vertical-axis wind mill supported by a fluid

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/141,259, filed Jun. 30, 1999.

[0003] The disclosure relates to the wind turbines, more specifically those powered by the wind, about a vertical axis.

[0004] Certain patents have been drawn to our attention: DT 2758,180, Erno, Jun. 28, 1979, describes a wind turbine supported by an annular buoy and rollers that prevent the horizontal displacement and can be used as output of energy.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,974, Fryberger, Apr. 29, 1980, describes a wind turbine on several floors.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,666, Selman, Jul. 3, 1984, describes a wind powered turbine having a vertical collecting section constituted of a series of blades between two cones.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,972, Willmouth, Apr. 2, 1985, describes a vertical wind turbine having conical blades which are struck by the wind.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,925, Thomas, Jul. 26, 1994, describes a vertical wind turbine comprising several superimposed blades, which tend to break when there is too much wind. Several parts are mobile.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,926, Staley et al., Feb. 21, 1995, describes a wind turbine with vertical axis conceived for high winds, with external deflectors and a turbine in the centre.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,996, Farrar, Sep. 10, 1996, describes a turbine actuated by the wind having the blades in form of plane wings, mobile on nine pivoting axles. Blade orientation angles can be controlled.

[0011] There are several objectives to be considered in the choice of a vertical-axis wind mill supported by a fluid:

[0012] an embodiment to be built at a very large scale,

[0013] its weight limited because of buoyancy support,

[0014] the water does not freeze in winter (ex.: like in a well the water maintains itself at the ground temperature),

[0015] the wind turbine installed at the top of a hillock, where the speed of wind can increase by 40% to 80%,

[0016] the wind turbine creates its own space of installation by the fact that the surface of ground is increased according to the volume of moved soil to create the hillock,

[0017] the material used may be Aluminum (ex. a wind turbine of 200 feet in diameter is equivalent to 140 tons of Aluminum,

[0018] ecological,

[0019] not noisy,

[0020] the wind turbine uses the elements such as: water, air and ground,

[0021] discrete in the landscape,

[0022] the wind turbine uses three aerodynamic principles such as: Bernoulli, Venturi and Magnus,

[0023] the wind turbine is adjustable according to the speed of wind,

[0024] air is free and unlimited,

[0025] the number of blades can increase or decrease according to the dimension of the turbine,

[0026] The present invention will be further understood from the following description with reference to the drawings in which:

[0027] FIG. 1 shows in perspective a wind mill.

[0028] FIG. 2 a section of the wind mill according to line A—A of FIG. 1.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a section of the wind mill according to line 3—3 of FIG.2.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a section of the wind mill according to line 4—4 of FIG.2, of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0031] FIG. 5A is a perspective of a wind turbine on an electric car.

[0032] FIG. 5B is a side view of the wind turbine on an electric motor bike.

[0033] FIG. 5C is a top view of the wind turbine on an electric boat.

[0034] FIG. 5D shows a side view of the electric boat of FIG. 5C.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a section as per FIG. 2 of a preferred embodiment.

[0036] An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings wherein the same numbers identify the same characterising elements. As shown in FIGS. 1,2,3 and 4 a wind mill 20 with vertical axis 30, is constituted of a turbine 22, a buoy 50, and a cylindrical shape foundation 24 spread over two floors a higher floor surrounded by a ground 36 and a lower floor located below the ground 36 the higher floor supporting a basin 36 and the lower floor supporting an alternator 60 and supporting a basin 66 located on the higher floor and an alternator 60 room located in the lower floor. A rotor 61 of the alternator 60 is suspended from the turbine 22 and positioned facing a stator 63. Water in a basin 66 supports the weight of the turbine 22 and that of the rotor 61 their weight and the alignment is by a shaft about a vertical axis 30 and held in place by bearings 47. The turbine 22 comprises a collecting section 26 in sandwich between a roof 28 in the shape of a plane wing and a tunnel floor 42. The blades 32 also of the shape of a plane wing extend over all the circumference of the turbine 22 thus creating a series of openings 46 by which the air moving in strikes each blade 32. The blades are fixed to the floor 42 which is level with the top of the hillock and to the roof 28. A buoy 50 on water 68 supports the weight and allows adequate bearing for a significant mass such as that of the turbine 22 and of the rotor 61. The ball bearings 47 maintain the column central in its gyratory movement which is sliding from top to bottom. The whole of the wind turbine is assembled in a crater on the top of a hillock. By violent winds, the buoy 50 can be filled of ballast water or the level of water in the basin 66 can be lowered by gravity into an adjacent tank, to bury the turbine 22 in the crater. More water can be pumped into the basin 66. One can slow down the turbine 22 by increasing the number of rotors 61. 61′, 61″. Refer to FIG. 6 wherein a number of stator 63 are positioned in succession as 63′ and 63″. The foundation 24 has access to the outside by a door 38 and a window 40. The foundation 24 rests against ground 36.

[0037] In the embodiment of FIG. 6 is shown another view of FIG. 2 wherein a number of rotors and stators are superimposed: the floating liquid 68 is in the basin 66 of a height 80 and a diameter 82. The height may be twice the diameter 82 or more. The height of the basin may be equivalent to the breadth 84 of the blade turbine 22. A slim buoy 58 has a reduced diameter and a prolonged height, the height being similar to the breadth 84 of the turbine, the reduced diameter being about one quarter of the breadth 84. Although the same quantity of floating liquid 68 is needed the slim buoy offers less resistance to friction of the turning buoy and permits easier starts and greater acceleration.

[0038] The dimensions of a wind mill vary according to the average speed of the winds on a site, such as for a less windy site the wind mill will be taller, but at equal wind a wind mill double in diameter would require four times more material, but one would increase by eight times its volume of air and energy. Before using water as a support, it was not conceivable to produce a gigantic wind turbine, such as with a diameter of 500 feet, blades of 125 feet in height and 50 feet of width, for 24,543,750 cubic feet of air. Aluminium weight 1,000 tons.

[0039] Other embodiments are possible and limited only by the scope of the appended claims:

[0040] 20 Wind mill

[0041] 22 Turbine

[0042] 24 Foundation

[0043] 26 Collection section

[0044] 28 Cone roof

[0045] 30 Vertical axis

[0046] 32 Blades

[0047] 36 Ground

[0048] 38 Door

[0049] 40 Window

[0050] 42 Tunnel floor

[0051] 44 Angle

[0052] 46 Openings

[0053] 47 Ball bearings

[0054] 50 Buoy

[0055] 51 Cylindrical opening

[0056] 52 External wall

[0057] 54 Cylindrical upright

[0058] 58 Slim buoy

[0059] 60 Alternator

[0060] 61 Rotor

[0061] 63 Stator

[0062] 66 Basin

[0063] 68 Floating liquid

[0064] 72 Automobile

[0065] 73 Motocycle

[0066] 74 Boat

[0067] 76 Buoy diameter

[0068] 78 Buoy height

[0069] 80 Basin height

[0070] 82 Basin diameter

[0071] 84 Breadth