FLODESIGN WIND TURBINE CORP. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20140169937 | MIXER-EJECTOR TURBINE WITH ANNULAR AIRFOILS - Example embodiments are directed to fluid turbines that include a turbine shroud, a rotor and an ejector shroud. The turbine shroud includes an inlet, an outlet, a leading edge and a trialing edge. The leading edge of the turbine shroud can be round and the trialing edge of the turbine shroud can include linear faceted segments. The rotor can be disposed within the turbine shroud and can define a rotor plane. The turbine shroud can provide a first portion of a fluid stream to the rotor plane via the inlet of the turbine shroud. The ejector shroud can provide a second portion of the fluid stream to the outlet of the turbine shroud via an open area. An example method of operating a fluid turbine is also provided. | 06-19-2014 |
20140030059 | FLUID TURBINE WITH VARIABLE PITCH SHROUD SEGMENTS - One or more variable pitch airfoils in fluid communication with a rotor of a fluid turbine can control the amount of energy directed to the rotor, and further control the amount of energy generated by the turbine. Varying the pitch of the airfoils may provide a means of controlling the power output of a fluid turbine without the need to control the pitch of the rotor blades, and may further provide a means of mitigating the effects of wind shear on the rotor. Variable pitch airfoils may also include a means of controlling the active power, reactive power and SCADA, of a group of fluid turbines. | 01-30-2014 |
20130287543 | DOWN WIND FLUID TURBINE - A shrouded fluid turbine includes a support structure, a nacelle body rotationally coupled to the support structure and configured to pivot about a pivot axis passing through the support structure, a rotor coupled to the nacelle body and having a rotor plane passing therethrough, the rotor plane being offset from the pivot axis, and an aerodynamically contoured turbine shroud surrounding the rotor and having a leading edge, a trailing edge and a plurality of mixing elements disposed therein. A center of pressure may be located downstream of the rotor plane with respect to direction of a fluid flow, and a combination of the nacelle body, the rotor, and the aerodynamically contoured turbine shroud may be configured to pivot about the pivot axis in response to a force exerted on the combination by the fluid flow such that the leading edge faces into the direction of the fluid flow. | 10-31-2013 |
20130272842 | FLUID TURBINE WITH HYBRID YAW - Example embodiments are directed to shrouded fluid turbines that include a turbine shroud and a rotor. The turbine shroud includes a plurality of mixer elements and the rotor can be disposed within the turbine shroud. The shrouded fluid turbine further includes a hybrid yaw system having a passive yaw system and an active yaw system for regulating a yaw of the shrouded fluid turbine. The hybrid yaw system further includes a torque limiter. Example embodiments are also directed to methods of yawing a shrouded fluid turbine. Example embodiments are further directed to hybrid yaw systems for a shrouded fluid turbine that includes a shrouded fluid turbine assembly rotationally engaged with a tower. The hybrid yaw system includes a passive yaw system and an active yaw system associated with the shrouded fluid turbine. | 10-17-2013 |
20130272841 | FLUID TURBINE WITH INTEGRATED PASSIVE YAW - Example embodiments are directed to shrouded fluid turbines that include a turbine shroud and a rotor. The turbine shroud includes a an inlet, an outlet and a plurality of mixer lobes circumferentially spaced about the outlet. The rotor can be disposed within the turbine shroud and downstream of the inlet. The rotor includes a hub and at least one rotor blade engaged with the hub. The shrouded fluid turbines further include a passive yaw system for regulating a yaw of the shrouded fluid turbine. The shrouded fluid turbine defines a center of gravity and a center of pressure. The center of gravity can be offset from the center of pressure. Example embodiments are also directed to methods of yawing a shrouded fluid turbine. | 10-17-2013 |
20130266446 | RINGED AIRFOIL WITH MIXING ELEMENTS - A shrouded fluid turbine includes a ringed airfoil having a leading edge, a trailing edge, an outer surface, an inner surface, and a body extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The shrouded turbine further includes a rotor surrounded by the ringed airfoil. The rotor is disposed downstream of the leading edge and about a central axis of the fluid turbine. The shrouded turbine further includes an aperture extending through the body of the ringed airfoil between the outer surface and the inner surface. The aperture is configured to mix a first fluid flow adjacent to the outer surface of the ringed airfoil and a second fluid flow downstream of the rotor. | 10-10-2013 |
20130266439 | FLUID TURBINE WITH VORTEX GENERATORS - The present disclosure relates to fluid turbines having a turbine shroud assembly formed with mixing elements (e.g., both inwardly and outwardly curving elements) having airfoil cross sections. These airfoils form ringed airfoil shapes that provide a means of controlling the flow of fluid over the rotor assembly or over portions of the rotor assembly. The fluid dynamic performance of the ringed airfoils directly affects the performance of the turbine rotor assembly. The mass and surface area of the shrouds result in load forces on support structures. By delaying or eliminating the separation of the boundary layer over the ringed airfoils, boundary layer energizing members (e.g., vortex generators, flow control ports) on the ringed airfoils increase the power output of the fluid turbine system and allow for relatively shorter chord-length airfoil cross sections and therefore reduced mass and surface area of the shroud assemblies. | 10-10-2013 |
20130266438 | RING AIRFOIL WITH PARALLEL INNER AND OUTER SURFACES - A ring airfoil with a voluminous leading edge region, an intermediate region, a trailing edge region including a flap. The ringed structural leading edge region combined with a rigid trailing edge region having intermediate discrete support portions extending therebetween provides sufficient rigidity to support the flap on the trailing edge region while using a membrane intermediate surface to form a portion of the intermediate region of the airfoil. | 10-10-2013 |
20130195655 | BLADE TIP TO SHROUD CLEARANCE FOR SHROUDED FLUID TURBINES - Shrouded fluid turbines having features for setting, adjusting or controlling a blade tip-shroud clearance are described. Also described are methods for setting, adjusting or controlling a blade tip-shroud clearance in a shrouded fluid turbine. | 08-01-2013 |
20130189099 | Fluid Turbine Lightning Protection System - A fluid turbine lightning protection system includes at least one air termination device, formed at least in part of an electrically conductive material, that can be positioned on a shroud of a fluid turbine and placed in electrical communication with a down conduction system. The down conduction system is in electrical communication with an earth-termination system configured to dissipate electricity transferred thereto to the ground. The at least one air termination device is configured to intercept a lightning strike and direct it through the down conduction system, the earth-termination system, and into the ground. The at least one air termination device may be positioned on a turbine shroud based on a “Rolling Sphere” derivation wherein the “Rolling Sphere” derivation is derived from the equation r=10·I | 07-25-2013 |
20130101403 | AERODYNAMIC MODIFICATION OF A RING FOIL FOR A FLUID TURBINE - A ring fluid foil including a modified trailing portion for a shrouded fluid turbine and shrouded fluid turbine including such ring fluid foils are described herein. The modification of the trailing portion increases flow turning by the fluid foil without, or with reduced, boundary layer separation on a suction side of the fluid foil. | 04-25-2013 |
20120315125 | TURBINE BLADES WITH MIXED BLADE LOADING - An unevenly loaded turbine blade is disclosed including a first region configured for extracting power from a fluid flow and a second region configured for adding power to the fluid flow. The power extracted from the fluid flow is typically greater than the power added to the fluid flow resulting in a net power extracted for the blades. The addition of power to the fluid flow advantageously results in localized injections of high velocity fluid flow which provide distributed mixing of wake and tip vortices along the length of the blade. | 12-13-2012 |
20120301283 | TURBINE WITH UNEVENLY LOADED ROTOR BLADES - An unevenly loaded turbine rotor blade is disclosed herein, the blade including a power-extracting region adapted for radially-varied (relative to the axis of rotation) power extraction per mass flow rate. The pitch and/or shape of the airfoil at a first radial position may be configured, so that power extraction per mass flow rate at the first radial position is different than power extraction per mass flow rate at a second radial position. Thus, the power-extracting region may be advantageously configured to take advantage of a non-uniform flow profile across a rotor plane such as may be induced using a shrouded turbine. | 11-29-2012 |
20110274533 | FLUID TURBINE WITH MOVEABLE FLUID CONTROL MEMBER - A shrouded fluid turbine includes an impeller for generating power from a fluid stream and a shroud surrounding the impeller. The impeller and/or the shroud have a moveable member for controlling power generation in the fluid turbine. The shroud has a plurality of mixing lobes on a trailing edge thereof, the trailing edge having a circular crenellated shape. The power generation is controlled by reducing loads and/or controlling impeller speed. Various moveable components are described for the stator vanes and the rotor blades. | 11-10-2011 |
20110229302 | WIND TURBINE WITH MIXERS AND EJECTORS - A Mixer/Ejector Wind Turbine (“MEWT”) system is disclosed which routinely exceeds the efficiencies of prior wind turbines. Unique ejector concepts are used to fluid-dynamically improve many operational characteristics of conventional wind/water turbines for potential power generation improvements of 50% and above. Applicants' preferred MEWT embodiment comprises: an aerodynamically contoured turbine shroud with an inlet; a ring of stator vanes; a ring of rotating blades (i.e., an impeller) in line with the stator vanes; and a mixer/ejector pump to increase the flow volume through the turbine while rapidly mixing the low energy turbine exit flow with high energy bypass wind flow. The MEWT can produce three or more time the power of its un-shrouded counterparts for the same frontal area, and can increase the productivity of wind farms by a factor of two or more. The same MEWT is safer and quieter providing improved wind turbine options for populated areas. | 09-22-2011 |