ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATOR

• US 20190101100A1
• Filed: 04/05/2017
• Published: 04/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vortex Bladeless, S.L.
• Original Assignee: Vortex Bladeless, S.L.
• Inventors: YANEZ VILLAREAL, David Jesus
• Granted Patent: US 11,053,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 5/06 the wind-engaging parts swinging to-and-fro and not rotating
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/00 Mechanical-power-producing mechanisms, not otherwise provided for or using energy sources not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2210/16 Air or water being indistinctly used as working fluid, i.e. the machine can work equally with air or water without any modification
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/20 Hydro energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/70 Wind energy

Abstract

An electrical power generator includes a first part having an elongated shape, a first end and a second end. The first part is arranged for attachment to a base in correspondence with the first end and configured to be located in a fluid and configured such that, when said fluid moves, the first part generates vortices in said fluid so that a lift force is generated on the first part, which produces an oscillating movement of the first part. In addition, the generator includes a subsystem configured for converting the oscillating movement of the first part into electrical energy. The subsystem is at least partially housed within the first part.

Claims

1. An electrical power generator comprising:

a first part, the first part having an elongated shape, a first end and a second end, the first part being arranged for attachment to a base in correspondence with the first end, the first part being configured to be located in a fluid and configured such that, when said fluid moves, the first part generates vortices in said fluid so that a lift force is generated on the first part, which produces an oscillating movement of the first part; and

a subsystem for converting the oscillating movement of the first part into electrical energy;

wherein

the subsystem is at least partially housed within the first part.

2. The electrical power generator according to claim 1, wherein the subsystem is completely housed within the first part.

3. The electrical power generator according to claim 1, wherein the second end is at a distance H above the first end, and wherein the subsystem is placed at a distance of more than 0.05 H above the first end, such as at a distance of more than 0.3 H or more than 0.4 H above the first end, and optionally at a distance of at least 0.1 H below the second end, such as at a distance of more than 0.2 H or more than 0.3 H below the second end.

4. The electrical power generator according to claims 1, further comprising a second part extending from the base in an axial direction, wherein the subsystem comprises at least one first subsystem component and at least one second subsystem component arranged for the production of electrical power by movement of the first subsystem component in relation to the second subsystem component, wherein the first subsystem component is attached to the first part and the second subsystem component is attached to the second part, so that the oscillating movement of the first part produces an oscillating movement of the first subsystem component in relation to the second subsystem component.

5. The electrical power generator according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the first subsystem component and the second subsystem component comprises at least one magnet, and wherein at least another one of the first subsystem component and the second subsystem component comprises at least one coil, arranged so that the oscillating movement of the first subsystem component in relation to the second subsystem component generates an electromotive force in the at least one coil by relative displacement between the at least one magnet and the at least one coil.

6. The electrical power generator according to claim 5, wherein the at least one coil comprises two coils arranged in a common plane and surrounding an axis of the second part, one of the coils being external to the other one of the coils, the two coils being connected in series so that when current circulates in a clockwise direction through one of the coils, current circulates in a counter-clockwise direction through the other one of the coils, and vice-versa.

7. The electrical power generator according to claim 1, wherein the subsystem comprises at least one annular magnet or at least one annular coil arranged in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the first part, wherein said annular magnet or annular coil is asymmetrically positioned in relation to the longitudinal axis.

13. The electrical power generator according to claim 4, wherein the first part is attached to the base via an attachment element arranged to be repetitively deformed or displaced by the oscillating movement of the first part, wherein the attachment element extends into the first part, wherein also the second part extends into the first part, and wherein the second part surrounds the attachment element at least partially inside the first part.

14. The electrical power generator according to claim 4, wherein the first part is attached to the base via a rod member extending from the base and into the first part, wherein the second part extends into the first part to a position axially beyond the rod member.

16. The electrical power generator according to claim 1, wherein at least one magnet forming part of the means for generating a magnetic field which produces a magnetic repulsion force between the first part and the second part, also forms part of the subsystem for converting the oscillating movement of the first part into electrical energy.

17. The electrical power generator according to claim 1, wherein the first part has a diameter that increases with the distance from the first end along at least a major portion of the first part between the first end and the second end, along at least 60% of the first part between the first end and the second end.

18. The electrical power generator according to claim 1, wherein the first part has a diameter that varies along the first part between the first end and the second end, wherein a maximum value of said diameter is not more that 20% of the distance between the first end and the second end.

8. An electrical power generator comprising:

a first part having a first end and a second end, the first part being configured to be located in a fluid and configured such that, when the fluid moves, the first part generates vortices in the fluid, so that a lift force is generated on the first part which produces an oscillating movement of the first part, the oscillating movement having an amplitude; and

a second part arranged at least partially within the first part;

the generator comprising means for generating a magnetic field that produces a magnetic repulsion force between the first part and the second part, which varies with the oscillating movement of the first part and which has a maximum value that increases when the amplitude of the oscillating movement of the first part increases.

9. The electrical power generator according to claim 8, wherein the means for generating a magnetic field comprises at least one first magnet associated to the first part and at least one second magnet associated to the second part,

said at least one first magnet and said at least one second magnet being arranged in such a way that they repel each other and in such a way that when the oscillating movement of the first part takes place, the distance between the at least one first magnet and the at least one second magnet varies according to the oscillating movement.

10. The electrical power generator according to claim 9, wherein the at least one first magnet comprises at least two diametrically opposed parts, and wherein the at least one second magnet comprises at least two diametrically opposed parts facing the at least two diametrically opposed parts of the, at least one, first magnet, and wherein the at least one first magnet or the at least one second magnet is optionally configured as at least one ring.

11. The electrical power generator according to claim 9, wherein the first part is arranged so that the amplitude of the oscillating movement increases with the velocity of the fluid, at least within a certain range of velocities, wherein the repulsion force between the, at least one, first magnet and the, at least one, second magnet is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the first magnet and the second magnet, and wherein, when the speed of the fluid increases, the amplitude of the oscillating movement tends to increase, whereby the magnets tend to get closer during a part of maximum approach of each oscillation cycle, whereby the maximum repulsion force produced between the, at least one, first magnet and the, at least one, second magnet in each oscillation cycle increases accordingly, whereby the increase of the repulsion force increases the resonance frequency of the first part, whereby the structure of the generator contributes to an automatic increase in the resonance frequency of the first part when the speed of the fluid increases, and vice-versa.

12. The electrical power generator according to claim 8, wherein the second end is at a distance H above the first end, and wherein the means for generating a magnetic field are placed at a distance of more than 0.05 H above the first end, such as at a distance of more than 0.3 H, above the first end, and optionally at a distance of at least 0.1 H below the second end, such as at a distance of more than 0.2 H or more than 0.3 H below the second end.

15. An electrical power generator comprising:

a first part, the first part having an elongated shape, a first end and a second end, the first part being arranged for attachment to a base in correspondence with the first end, the first part being configured to be located in a fluid and configured such that, when the fluid moves, the first part generates vortices in said fluid so that a lift force is generated on the first part, which produces an oscillating movement of the first part; and

a subsystem for converting the oscillating movement of the first part into electrical energy;

wherein the first part has a height between the first end and the second end,

wherein the first part has a substantially circular cross section with a diameter,

wherein the diameter increases from the first end towards the second end along at least 70% of the height of the first part from the first end towards the second end,

wherein from a position closer to the second end than to the first end, the diameter of the first part starts to decrease in the direction from the first end to the second end, and in that the longitudinal cross section of the first part features, at said position, a convex portion towards the exterior, followed by a concave portion between the convex portion and the second end.

19. A method for making an electrical power generator tune with wind speed, the electrical power generator comprising

a first part configured to be located in a fluid and configured such that when the fluid moves, the first part generates vortices in the fluid, so that a lift force is generated on the first part, which produces an oscillating movement of the first part,

and a second part extending at least partially within the first part,

the method comprising the step of arranging at least one first magnet on the first part and at least one second magnet on the second part, such that the at least one first magnet and the at least one second magnet repel each other.

20. Use of a plurality of magnets in an electrical power generator comprising a first part configured to be located in a fluid and configured such that when the fluid moves, the first part generates vortices in the fluid, so that a lift force is generated on the first part, which produces an oscillating movement of the first part, and a second part extending at least partially within the first part,

for generating an automatic adaptation of the natural oscillation frequency of the first part to wind speed.