AIRBORNE WIND POWERED GENERATOR

• US 20110101692A1
• Filed: 07/16/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nykolai Bilaniuk
• Original Assignee: Nykolai Bilaniuk
• Inventors: Bilaniuk, Nykolai
• Application Number:
  US12/999,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20110101692A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/44
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/10 Tail unit construction B64B1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/16 rigid
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/20 provided with wings or stabilising surfaces tail unit construction B64B1/10; movable control surfaces B64B1/12
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/50 Captive balloons
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 13/20 Arrangements for mounting or supporting wind motors; Masts or towers for wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/25 the apparatus being an electrical generator F03D9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/32 on moving objects, e.g. vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/921 kept aloft due to aerodynamic effects
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/922 kept aloft due to buoyancy effects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/728 Onshore wind turbines

Abstract

A wind powered generator is described that may take advantage of the strong wind present at higher altitudes above terrain than can feasibly be reached by traditional tower mounted wind generators. It makes use of a combination of lift sources. The generator comprises an envelope filled with a lifting gas that enables the system to rise in little or no wind, and wings that provide additional lift when there is wind, to thereby prevent the wind from blowing the tethered generator to the ground. The airborne wind powered generator is able to both rise aloft and land unattended. Power is extracted from the wind by means of turbine rotors that drive electric generators.

Claims

1. A wind generator and airship combination for generating electrical power from wind energy, comprising:

a) an airship gas envelope fillable with a lighter-than-air lifting gas to provide the airship with a first upwardly directed lifting force component due to the relative buoyancy of the gas with respect to that of the ambient atmosphere;

b) at least one main fixed airfoil member to impart to the airship a second lifting force component due to aerodynamic effects in response to airflow about the airfoil member;

c) a tethering member for attaching the airship to a remote tether point on the earth'"'"'s surface;

d) a wind generator system comprising at least one wind turbine for capturing kinetic energy from the relative motion of winds about the airship and converting the captured kinetic energy to mechanical energy, and a rotary electrical generator for converting the wind-derived mechanical energy to generated electrical power; and

e) an electrical power transmission system for transfer of the generated electrical power from the airship to an electrical load connection;

whereby, when exposed to the wind, the main fixed airfoil can impart to the airship an upwardly directed positive airfoil lifting force component responsive to wind speed about the airship to supplement the buoyancy of the lifting gas.

2. The airship of claim 1, wherein the main airfoil is dimensioned and shaped to provide a lifting force component that is of sufficient magnitude to limit the descent of the airship under increased windspeeds and maintain a greater airship altitude than would occur in the absence of the airfoil.

3. The airship of claim 2, further comprising at least one trailing airfoil located aft of the main airfoil for stabilizing airship attitude with respect to yaw.

4. The airship of claim 3, where at least one trailing airfoil is in the form of a vertically oriented tailfin.

5. The airship of claim 4, where the at least one vertically oriented tailfin is provided with at least one active control surface for adjusting airship attitude with respect to yaw.

6. The airship of claim 5, where at least one trailing airfoil is in the form of a horizontally oriented tailplane for stabilizing airship attitude with respect to pitch.

7. The airship of claim 6, where at least one horizontally oriented tailplane is provided with at least one active control surface for adjusting airship attitude with respect to pitch.

8. The airship of claim 7, where at least one main airfoil member is provided with at least one active control surface for adjusting the aerodynamic lift forces arising from the airfoil and to adjust airship attitude with respect to roll.

9. The airship of claim 8, further comprising at least one ballast ballonet located within the airship envelope, and a ballonet control pump for inflating and deflating the at least one ballonet, wherein the upwardly directed lifting force component due to the relative buoyancy of the lifting gas may be adjusted by inflating and deflating the ballonet to thereby vary the overall buoyancy of the airship.

10. The airship of claim 8, further comprising a dynamic attitude control system, comprising at least one sensor for the determination of the airship'"'"'s attitude in space, and an automatic flight control computer to read the sensor'"'"'s output and compute and output instructions or instruction sequences to the active control systems, whereby the active control surfaces are adjusted to compensate for changes in airship attitude and maintain a given attitude in flight.

11. The airship of claim 2, whereby the remote electrical load connection is located proximally to the remote tether point, and the electrical power transmission medium comprises at least one electrically conductive cable extending from the airship to the tether point.

12. The airship of claim 11, whereby at least one electrically conductive cable is integrated and co-extensive with the airship tethering member.

13. The airship of claim 2, further comprising a set of landing gear wherein the landing gear are of a sufficient height to prevent the rotor blades from contacting the ground when the airship is grounded.

14. The airship of claim 13, wherein the rotors are rotatably mounted to allow their axis of rotation to be tilted, in order to increase the clearance between the rotor blades and ground when the airship is not airborne.