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Ultra-High Efficiency Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Detailed Technology Description

Introduction With a recent focus on renewable energy, wind turbines have become a popular method for harvesting unused energy and providing clean energy to customers. There are two types of wind turbines that are commonly used: horizontal axis wind turbines and vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT). These terms describe the axis around which the blade disk rotates. VAWTs are favorable because they are not space intensive and require less stabilizing infrastructure due to their relatively smaller height. However, horizontal turbines are traditionally more efficient than those with vertical axes. This is due to the fact that horizontal turbines face the wind, while VAWTs do not. In addition to lower efficiency, VAWTs experience lower wind speeds because they cannot be installed as high above the ground. Lastly, VAWTs exhibit more blade stress than horizontal turbines requiring stronger and more rugged materials.  Description of Technology This technology is a vertical wind turbine that combines the accessibility and serviceability advantages of current VAWT designs with the higher efficiencies of a horizontal turbine. This VAWT replaces the current fixed blade design with individually adjustable blades that alter the blade angle to provide maximal power output based upon wind direction. Key BenefitsAdjustable Blade: The blade of this turbine is not fixed so that it can be adjusted based upon the wind angle to take advantage of maximum wind speedIncreased Power Output: By capturing the maximal wind speed, the power output of the turbine will increase significantlyHigh Efficiency: The efficiency of this turbine is higher than other VAWTs and is comparable to horizontal axis turbines ApplicationsVertical axis wind turbinesWind FarmsUtilities  Patent Status Patent Pending.  Inventors John Foss Tech ID TEC2010-0072

*Abstract

None

*Principal Investigator

Name: John Foss, Professor

Department: Mechanical Engineering

Country/Region

USA