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US 10,122,238 B2Granted
Fluid flow power generation system
AssigneeEmpire Magnetics Inc.
InventorRichard Halstead
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wind turbine rotary shaft is coupled to the rotary axis of a grid connected generator/alternator by magnetic means to feed power to the grid at all rotation speeds of the turbine shaft that exceed the generator speed when it acts as a motor power by the grid. The coupling is a generally circular first plate having a magnet array at the end of the generator shaft. The rotary axis of a turbine is likewise connected to a second generally circular plate. The second plate is electrically conductive, but not magnetic and is offset but adjacent to the first plate. When the turbine shaft is turning faster than the generator shaft more power is fed into the grid by the generator/alternator.
Claims25
A fluid flow power generation system comprising:
- a) a fluid driven rotary turbine blade assembly,
- b) a first rotary shaft having a rotary coupling to said rotary turbine blade assembly,
- c) a first electrically conductive plate having a principal plane, the first electrically conductive plate being coupled to said first rotary shaft to dispose the principal plane of the first electrically conductive plate orthogonal to said first rotary shaft,
- d) an electric dynamo machine (EDM) having a second rotary shaft, wherein the EDM is energized by an electric power grid to run at a constant rotary speed determined by a grid frequency,
- e) a second plate having a principal plane, the second plate being coupled to the second rotary shaft to dispose the principal plane of the second plate orthogonal to said second rotary shaft, the second plate having disposed parallel to the principal plane of said second plate an array of permanent magnets with a principal axis of each magnet disposed in a radial direction of said second plate with alternating polarity between each immediately adjacent magnet in the array, in which the magnets of the array are disposed about a circumference of the second plate,
- f) wherein the first and second plates are disposed spaced apart but sufficiently proximal to each other such when an increased differential speed of rotation of the first rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft results in an increased phase lead from the grid frequency the EDM is operative to send power back to the electric power grid.
3 more elements
A fluid flow power generation system comprising:
- a) a fluid driven rotary turbine blade assembly,
- b) a first rotary shaft having a rotary coupling to said rotary turbine blade assembly,
- c) a first electrically conductive cylinder co-axially coupled to said first rotary shaft,
- d) an electric dynamo machine (EDM) having a rotary axle, wherein the EDM is energized by an electric power grid to run at a constant rotary speed,
- e) a second cylinder coupled to rotate about a cylindrical axis thereof to said rotary axle, the second cylinder having disposed parallel to a surface thereof one or more ring-like arrays of permanent magnets, each magnet in the one or more arrays having a north and a south pole of which each magnet has one of the north pole and the south pole oriented about the surface of the second cylinder, wherein for each of the magnets in the arrays the north and south poles are at an opposite radial orientation with respect to an immediately adjacent magnet in the array,
- f) wherein the first electrically conductive cylinder and the second cylinder are disposed with surfaces spaced apart but with at least a portion of the surfaces adjacent to each other such that when an increased differential speed of rotation of the first and second rotary shafts results in an increased phase lead from a grid frequency the EDM is operative to send power back to the electric power grid.
3 more elements
A method of electrical power generation, the method comprising:
- a) providing a fluid driven rotary turbine blade assembly having:
- i) a first rotary shaft having a rotary coupling to said rotary turbine blade assembly,
- ii) a first conductive rotating surface driven by the first rotary shaft;
- b) providing an electric dynamo machine (EDM) having a first rotary axle and an external array of permanent magnets of alternating polarity disposed on a second rotating surface driven by the first rotary axle,
- c) energizing the EDM from an electric power grid having a grid frequency and operative to rotate the first rotary axle at a constant rotary speed,
- d) wherein the first rotary shaft and the first rotary axle are oriented in a same direction so that the first conductive rotating surface and the second rotating surface are disposed adjacent to each other such that when an increased differential speed of rotation of the first rotary shaft and first rotary axle results in an increased phase lead from the grid frequency the EDM is operative to send power back to the electric power grid.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.