Challenge
The rotor blades of a conventional wind turbine are radially cantilevered from the rotor head, with the blades arranged equally around the horizontal rotation axis in a circle. This results in different circulation velocities depending on the radial distance to the axis of rotation. Therefore, a rotor blade has to be twisted to adapt to these different velocities. Only at its outer end is a blade highly efficient at converting the kinetic energy of the airflow into rotation. What would a turbine look like that was exclusively driven by rotor blades on the outer radius of the rotor?
Invention
For example, the RES-Flow-Conducting Turbine uses the rim of a spoked wheel as a flow conductor, deflecting the incoming flow so that it passes the rim either on the inside or outside. This imposes a double cone angle on the incoming flow. The rotor blades on the inside and outside of the rim extend diagonally from upwind to downwind in a symmetrical arrangement. Each pair of rotor blades generates a propulsion force when the flow approaches at a favourable angle.
Advantages
- The rotor blades exclusively generate propulsion forces on the outer circle of the rotor
- There is no need to twist the rotor blades
- Introduction of a lightweight turbine structure
- The creation of an upwind rotor relieves the load-bearing structure of thrust
- Minimising the visual effects of rotation
Applications
- The rotor diameter can be extended up to 300 meters
- The design of a wind turbine that is capable of delivering 16 MW