Vertical axis wind turbine
A vertical axis wind turbine formed from an arrangement of fixed stator blades to provide fluid flow acceleration into an arrangement of rotatable blades secured to a generator for invoking electrical power generation. The stator blades are maintained in position by use of a stator plate. Rotor blades are coupled to the generator. The amount of stator and rotor blades may be scaled in number and size depending upon the type of generator to be driven and associated mechanical energy to be obtained. The stator blades are designed for air deflection in a direction for optimal rotor blade rotation by accelerating air flow into a pre-swirl before the flow contacts the rotor blades. Each stator blade is oriented at a sufficient stagger angle so that an angle of the relative velocity does not exceed the stall angle of said rotor blade.
1. A turbine securable to a generator and positionable in a fluid flow for converting kinetic energy into mechanical energy for use in electrical power generation, said turbine comprising:
a stator section formed from a plurality of geometrically shaped and vertically positioned stator blades having a leading edge and a trailing edge with an upper surface shaped convexly from said stator blade leading edge to said stator blade trailing edge and a pressure surface shaped concavely from said leading edge to said trailing edge, each said stator blade having an upper end secured to a fixed stator top plate and a lower end secured to a fixed stator bottom plate, each stator blade oriented to provide a stagger angle wherein said upper surface of said stator blade is constructed and arranged to generate a pre-swirl of the fluid flow to guide the fluid flow to a tangential direction in the direction of rotor rotation to accelerate the fluid flow, each said stator blade oriented such that a sufficient stagger angle exists between a first line passing perpendicular from the leading edge of said stator blade to the center of the vertical axis and a second line passing from said leading edge of the stator blade to the trailing edge of said stator blade wherein the angle of relative velocity does not exceed the stall angle of said stator blade;
a rotor section formed from a plurality of geometrically shaped vertical blades having a leading edge and a trailing edge with an upper surface shaped convexly from said rotor blade leading edge to said rotor blade trailing edge and a lower surface shaped concavely from said rotor blade leading edge to said rotor blade trailing edge, each rotor blade having an upper end secured to a rotatable top plate and a lower end secured to a rotatable lower plate constructed and arranged to rotate about a longitudinal axis within said stator section; wherein the fluid flow is accelerated prior to striking a rotor whereby fluid directed past two adjacent stator blades is accelerated for use in enhanced rotation of said rotor section.
2. The turbine according to claim 1 wherein each said stator blade is oriented at a sufficient stagger angle so that an angle of relative velocity does not exceed the stall angle of a rotor blade.
3. The wind turbine according to claim 1 wherein each said rotor blade has an incidence angle of about two degrees (2°).
4. The turbine according to claim 1 wherein pitch of said rotor blades is adjustable.
5. The turbine according to claim 1 wherein pitch of said rotor blades is adjustable.