Axial flux alternator with air gap maintaining arrangement
OwnerMoshe Mellerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Axial flux alternator for a wind turbine arrangement includes at least one magnetic disk including magnets and at least one coil disk including electromagnetic assemblies. One or both disks are mounted to wind turbines such that adjacent disks rotate in opposite directions, or such that the magnets of a magnetic disk move relative to the electromagnetic assemblies of an adjacent coil disk which may move or be stationary, or vice versa. Between adjacent disks, rolling elements on one disk roll, slide or move on or against the surface of the opposite disk in order to fix and maintain air gaps between the magnets on a magnetic disk and magnetic cores of the electromagnetic assemblies on the coil disk, and thus enable continued motion and use of the alternator.
Claims20
A wind turbine arrangement, comprising:
- an axial flux alternator for generating electricity, said alternator comprising:
- a first coil disk;
- magnetic cores arranged on said first coil disk;
- a second magnetic disk arranged adjacent to said first coil disk;
- magnets arranged on said second magnetic disk;
- and
- rolling elements interposed between a surface of said first coil disk and a surface of said second magnetic disk that face each other, said rolling elements being arranged to maintain air gaps between a surface of said magnetic cores on said first coil disk and said magnets on said second magnetic disk,
- said alternator generating electricity from relative rotation between said first coil disk and said second magnetic disk during which said magnetic cores of said first coil disk and said magnets of said second magnetic disk are brought into and out of magnetic engagement with one another;
- and
- at least one wind turbine, at least one of said first coil disk and said second magnetic disk being rotatably coupled to a respective one of said at least one wind turbine to cause, when said at least one wind turbine is exposed to wind, the relative rotation between said first coil disk and said second magnetic disk.
A method for providing for and maintaining operability of a wind turbine arrangement, comprising:
- providing at least wind turbine that rotates about an axis when exposed to wind;
- providing an axial flux alternator including a first coil disk including magnetic cores and a second magnetic disk including magnets;
- rotatably coupling at least one of the first coil disk and the second magnetic disk to a respective one of the at least one wind turbine to cause, when the at least one wind turbine is exposed to wind, relative rotation between the first coil disk and the second magnetic disk during which the magnetic cores of the first coil disk and the magnets of the second magnetic disk are brought into and out of magnetic engagement with one another;
- and
- interposing rolling elements between a surface of the first coil disk and a surface of the second magnetic disk that face each other to maintain air gaps between a surface of the magnetic cores of the first coil disk and the magnets of the second magnetic disk.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.