Method and system of extracting energy from wind
AssigneeWindpipe Corporation
InventorJohn R. Tuttle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Extracting energy from wind. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods including: directing a fluid flow across an aperture of an elongated cavity, the directing the fluid flow across the aperture at a non-right angle to a central axis defined by an entrance portion of the elongated cavity, and the elongated cavity has a resonant frequency; creating pressure waves within the elongated cavity, the pressure waves created at least in part by vortices within the fluid flow across the aperture; exciting a resonant structure by way of the pressure waves within the elongated cavity, the resonant structure coupled to the elongated cavity and the resonant structure configured to resonant at substantially the resonant frequency; and extracting energy from oscillatory motion of the resonant structure.
Claims50
A method comprising:
- directing a fluid flow across an aperture of an elongated cavity, the directing the fluid flow across the aperture at a non-right angle to a central axis defined by an entrance portion of the elongated cavity, and the elongated cavity has a resonant frequency;
- creating pressure waves within the elongated cavity, the pressure waves created at least in part by vortices within the fluid flow across the aperture;
- exciting a resonant structure by way of the pressure waves within the elongated cavity, the resonant structure coupled to the elongated cavity and the resonant structure configured to resonate at substantially the resonant frequency;
- and
- extracting energy from oscillatory motion of the resonant structure.
A system comprising:
- a structure that defines an elongated cavity that has a first resonant frequency;
- an entrance portion of the elongated cavity that defines an aperture, the entrance portion defines a central axis, two points on opposite sides of the aperture define a line segment, and the line segment intersects the central axis at a non-right angle;
- and
- a resonant structure configured to mechanically oscillate at the first resonant frequency, the resonant structure fluidly coupled to the elongated cavity, and wherein pressure waves in the elongated cavity cause the resonant structure to oscillate.
A method of generating electrical energy from wind comprising:
- directing air flow across an aperture of an elongated cavity that has a resonant frequency, an entrance portion of the elongated cavity defines a central axis, and the acute angle between the central axis and the direction of air flow is between 10 and 50 degrees inclusive;
- creating pressure waves within the elongated cavity at least in part by vortices within air flow across the aperture, and a frequency at which vortices are created substantially the same as the resonant frequency of the elongated cavity;
- exciting a resonant structure by way of the pressure waves within the elongated cavity, the resonant structure configured to resonate substantially at the resonant frequency;
- and
- generating electrical energy from oscillatory motion of the resonant structure.
A system to extract electrical energy from wind comprising:
- a structure that defines an elongated cavity that has a first resonant frequency;
- an entrance portion of the elongated cavity that defines an aperture, and air flow is directed across the aperture, the entrance portion defines a central axis and the acute angle between the central axis and the direction of air flow is between 10 and 50 degrees inclusive;
- a resonant structure configured to mechanically oscillate at the first resonant frequency, the resonant structure fluidly coupled to the elongated cavity;
- and
- an electrical generator mechanically coupled to the resonant structure;
- wherein pressure waves within the elongated cavity caused by the vortex shedding across the aperture cause the resonant structure to mechanically oscillate, and wherein the electrical generator creates electrical energy from the mechanical oscillation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.