Air cooled brushless wind alternator

• US 20110049902A1
• Filed: 08/28/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fred Noah Miekka, William R. Conklin
• Original Assignee: Fred Noah Miekka, William R. Conklin
• Inventors: Conklin, William R., Miekka, Fred Noah
• Application Number:
  US12/807,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20110049902A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/55
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/025 coaxially arranged
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0248 by mechanical means acting on the power train
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/60 Cooling or heating of wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/25 the apparatus being an electrical generator F03D9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/7068 equipped with permanent magnets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 16/00 Machines with more than one rotor or stator machines for transmitting mechanical power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft and comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; permanent magnet machines with multiple rotors or stators relatively rotated for vectorially combining the excitation fields or the armature voltages H02K21/029
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1838 Generators mounted in a nacelle or similar structure of a horizontal axis wind turbine
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/02 by ambient air flowing through the machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

Low cost high output wind alternators are disclosed that may be made by modifying existing windmills. The wind alternators of the present invention are brushless alternators that provide high power output without the need to employ rare earth magnets. The low cost high output wind alternators of the present invention employ one or more rotors of circular cross section having permanent magnets mounted around their periphery. The permanent magnets may be mounted to inner rotor surfaces, outer rotor surfaces or both. Stationary stator electromagnets are mounted close enough to the path of the rotating permanent magnets of the rotor to generate electric power. Electromagnet windings are cooled by allowing some of the air coming through the central portion of the windmill to pass over exposed electromagnet winding surfaces. The air cooled brushless alternators of the present invention may be used to add power generating capabilities to existing windmills.

Claims

1. An air cooled brushless wind alternator comprising:

a propeller blade and a shaft;

said propeller blade fixedly attached to said shaft, and

a hoop having a periphery;

said hoop being fixedly attached to said shaft, and

said periphery of said hoop having permanent magnets fixedly attached, and a base;

said base having at least one bearing for rotatably supporting said shaft, and electromagnets;

said electromagnets being fixedly attached to said base in magnetic coupling proximity to said permanent magnets attached to said periphery of said hoop.