IP Library Granted Patent US 8,998,562
Granted Patent B2
US 8,998,562 · App. 13/496,357 · Granted Apr 7, 2015

Hollow rotor core for generating a vortex in a wind turbine

Inventor: Horia Nica (Laval, CA)
F03D3/0409F03D3/061F05B2240/132Y02E10/721Y02E10/74Y10S415/907
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,998,562
App. No.
13/496,357
Granted
Apr 7, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A hollow rotor core assembly for a wind turbine with at least one set of cylindrical stacks having a plurality of guiding vanes on the internal surface of the cylindrical stacks, having at least one set of air openings to accept airflow into the hollow rotor core for creating when in rotation a vortex inside the hollow rotor core, having at one end a partial blocking device as such to allow the exhaust of only a fraction of the peripheral portion of the vortex and to redirect the remaining central portion of the vortex towards the other end of the hollow rotor core where the bulk of the airflow will be exhausted from the hollow rotor core.

Claims (22)

1. A hollow rotor core assembly for a wind turbine, comprising:

a hollow rotor core having a first end defining a first aperture and a second end defining a second aperture, the hollow rotor core comprising at least one set of cylindrical stacks, each cylindrical stack having a plurality of guiding vanes on an internal surface thereof;

a plurality of air openings formed on the cylindrical stacks and adapted to accept an airflow into the hollow rotor core for creating a vortex inside the hollow rotor core upon rotation of the hollow rotor core assembly, wherein the plurality of guiding vanes maintain the vortex within the hollow rotor core; and

an airflow blocking device mounted to the first end of the hollow rotor core, the blocking device having a surface over the first aperture of the first end partially blocking the first aperture of the first end to allow an exhaust of a fraction of a peripheral portion of the vortex through the first end of the hollow rotor core and to redirect a remaining central portion of the vortex towards the second end of the hollow rotor core for exhaustion of the remaining central portion of the vortex from the hollow rotor core through the second end.

2. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow rotor core is adapted to rotate about a vertical axis.

3. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow rotor is adapted to rotate about a horizontal axis.

4. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of guiding vanes form a helical shape to guide, upon rotation of the hollow rotor core, the remaining central portion of the vortex towards the second end of the hollow rotor core.

5. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the blocking device has a spherical shape with a concave central deflector for redirecting the remaining central portion of the vortex towards the second end.

6. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the blocking device rotates synchronously with the hollow rotor core.

7. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 6 , wherein a frame is attached to the blocking device at the first end, the frame containing a shaft mountably connected to the rotor of the wind turbine.

8. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the blocking device is mounted to the hollow rotor core in close vicinity with the plurality of guiding vanes.

9. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow rotor core is provided at the second end with a conical rotating device having a plurality of helical threads adapted to boost, upon rotation of the hollow rotor core, a rapid exhaust of the remaining central portion of the vortex.

10. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the threaded conical rotating device is connected to the hollow rotor core via a gearing device, the gearing device rotating the threaded conical rotating device faster than the hollow rotor core.

11. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 9 , wherein a frame is attached at the second end, the frame containing a shaft mountably connected to the rotor of the wind turbine, and further wherein the conical rotating device is attached to the frame.

12. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 9 , wherein a frame is attached at the second end, the frame containing a shaft mountably connected to the rotor of the wind turbine.

13. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the airflow accepted by the air openings enters into the hollow rotor core tangentially or in close vicinity to a peripheral internal surface of the hollow rotor core.

14. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow rotor core is attached to a rotor of a wind turbine, the rotor of the wind turbine redirecting at least a portion of the airflow towards the air openings of the hollow rotor core.

15. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 14 , wherein a frame is attached at the second end, the frame containing a shaft mountably connected to the rotor of the wind turbine.

16. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the rotor of the wind turbine is attached via a shaft to an electrical generator.

17. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each cylindrical stack is adapted to be assembled to a corresponding adjacent cylindrical stack and further wherein the set of cylindrical stacks comprises a pair of assembled adjacent cylindrical stacks.

18. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each cylindrical stack comprises a plurality of stacked disks and further wherein the air openings are formed by a spacing between adjacent ones of the stacked disks.

19. The hollow rotor core assembly according to claim 18 , wherein each cylindrical stack further comprises a plurality of pins for maintaining the spacing between the adjacent stacked disks.

Continuity (1)
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