Eduction industrial power system
An eduction industrial power system is provided. The system includes one or more vertical-axis wind turbine power plants. Wind is accelerated through a multi-floor eductor of the power plant. Each floor of the eductor is configured with a constricted portion designed to increase the air speed through the eductor, such that low speed winds enter the eductor and much higher speed winds exit it. A plurality of rotor-blade assemblies disposed in the constricted portion of each floor of the multi-floor eductor are mounted to, and rotate, a shared vertical-axis rotor shaft to generate electricity, via a generator. The electricity generated can be stored, used or channeled to an electrical grid, as desired.
1. A power plant, comprising
a power plant house defined by an upper bearing house, an eductor house below the upper bearing house and a lower bearing house below the eductor house;
a multi-floor eductor integrated with said power plant house, and extending from and beyond said power plant house, the multi-floor eductor including a wide wind intake distal from said power plant house, said wide wind intake being at least two times the width of said power plant house, and a narrower wind outlet disposed through a face of said power plant house distal from said wide wind intake, a constricted neck portion contained in said eductor house, each space between two adjacent floors of said multi-floor eductor and between two vertical side walls fixed to each floor for the length of the floor defining a wind channel, said floors outside said power plant house being parallel to one another;
a plurality of rotor-blade assemblies supported in said constricted neck portion of said multi-floor eductor between said wind intake and said wind outlet on the same, single, vertical-axis main rotor shaft, with each rotor-blade assembly of said plurality separated vertically from at least one other rotor-blade assembly by a floor of said multi-floor eductor; and
a generator vertically aligned with and directly connected to the vertical-axis main rotor shaft for generating power when said single main rotor shaft rotates.
2. The power plant of claim 1 , wherein said wind intake of said multi-floor eductor structure has a greater fluid flow volume than said wind outlet.
3. The power plant of claim 1 , wherein a width of said wind intake of said multi-floor eductor is greater than a distance between said wind intake and said wind outlet.
4. The power plant of claim 1 , wherein the wind intake of said multi-floor eductor has a greater height than said wind outlet.
5. The power plant of claim 1 , wherein each channel of said multi-floor eductor tapers in at least one of height and width from the wind inlet to said constricted neck portion in said eductor house, each rotor-blade assembly being disposed in said constricted neck portion.
6. The power plant of claim 5 , wherein each rotor-blade assembly is disposed in a semi-circular recess formed in a sidewall of each channel.
7. The power plant of claim 5 , wherein each rotor-blade assembly includes a plurality of rotor-blades fixed to a hub bearing disposed in said channel on said single, vertical-axis main rotor shaft.
8. The power plant of claim 1 , wherein said power plant house contains the single, vertical-axis main rotor shaft supported towards a top of said power plant house by a hanging bearing in said upper bearing house.
9. The power plant of claim 8 , wherein said single, vertical-axis main rotor shaft is supported at an end distal from said hanging bearing by a lower bearing contained in said lower bearing house of said power plant house.
10. The power plant of claim 9 , wherein said hanging bearing and said lower bearing are arranged relative to said single, vertical-axis main rotor shaft in a locating/non-locating bearing arrangement.
11. The power plant of claim 8 , wherein a lowest floor of said multi-floor eductor outside said power plant house is raised above ground level by at least one of columns and shear walls.
12. The power plant of claim 11 , wherein said lowest floor of said multi-floor eductor is at least five stories above ground level.
13. The power plant of claim 1 , wherein said power generator includes a plurality of magnets that are rotated when said single, vertical-axis main rotor shaft rotates.
14. The power plant of claim 13 , wherein said power generator includes a magnetic alternator.
15. The power plant of claim 1 , further comprising a control system for controlling: the rotation of the single, vertical-axis main rotor shaft; the generation of electricity by rotation of the single, vertical-axis main rotor shaft; and storage or distribution of the electricity generated.
16. An eduction industrial power system comprising:
a plurality of power plants according to claim 1 ;
each of said plurality of power plants tied to an electrical power grid to provide power generated by said power plant to said power grid.
17. A method of providing electricity, comprising the steps of:
providing a power plant according to claim 1 ;
controlling the production of energy from said power plant using a control system; and
at least one of:
storing electricity generated by said power plant in a battery at said power plant; and
distributing energy generated by said power plant across power lines to an electrical grid.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein adjacent floors of the multi-floor eductor define a wind channel there between, and each channel of the multi-floor eductor tapers in at least one of height and width from the wind inlet to the constricted neck portion proximal to said wind outlet, each rotor-blade assembly being disposed in the constricted neck portion.
19. The power plant of claim 1 , wherein the side walls defining each wind channel are concave from the wind intake to the power plant house.
20. A method of building a power plant, comprising the steps of:
building a power plant house defined by an upper bearing house, an eductor house below the upper bearing house and a lower bearing house below the eductor house and a multi-floor eductor integrated with said power plant house, and extending from and beyond said power plant house, the multi-floor eductor including a wide wind intake distal from said power plant house, said wide wind intake being at least two times the width of said power plant house, and a narrower wind outlet disposed through a face of said power plant house distal from said wide wind intake, a constricted neck portion contained in said eductor house, each space between two adjacent floors of said multi-floor eductor and between two vertical side walls fixed to each floor for the length of the floor defining a wind channel, the floors outside said power plant house being parallel to one another, said wind intake positioned to receive incoming wind;
positioning a plurality of rotor-blade assemblies in said multi-floor eductor between said wind intake and said wind outlet, each of said plurality of rotor-blade assemblies being positioned on the same, single, vertical-axis main rotor shaft, with only one rotor-blade assembly being positioned on said shaft per floor of said multi-floor eductor, with each rotor-blade assembly of the plurality separated vertically from at least one other rotor-blade assembly by a floor of said multi-floor eductor; and
providing a generator vertically aligned with and directly connected to the vertical-axis main rotor shaft for generating power when said single main rotor shaft rotates.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein said building step includes tapering at least one of height and width of each channel of the multi-floor eductor from the wind inlet to the constricted neck portion proximal to said wind outlet, each rotor-blade assembly being disposed in said constricted neck portion.