Tether handling for airborne electricity generators
AssigneeBaseload Energy, Inc.
InventorJoseph A. Carroll
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A power generation system (20) including an airborne electricity generator (30), a tether assembly (40) configured to carry electricity from the generator to land, the tether assembly having a first end portion (42) coupled to the generator, and a winch assembly (50) configured to reel the tether assembly onto a drum (52), wherein the winch assembly is configured to apply a reel tension to the tether assembly reeled onto the drum that is lower than a tension in the first end portion of the tether assembly.
Claims7
A method of handling a tether coupled to an airborne electricity generator, the method comprising:
- flying the airborne electricity generator at a first altitude;
- reducing tension in the tether substantially autorotating the airborne electricity generator in a descent from the first altitude, wherein autorotating includes employing an upward flow of air through rotors of the airborne electricity generator to rotate the rotors and provide lift during the descent;
- and
- reeling the tether onto a drum.
A method of handling a tether coupled to an airborne electricity generator, the method comprising;
- flying the airborne electricity generator at a first altitude;
- reducing tension in the tether while flying the airborne electricity generator;
- and
- reeling the tether onto a drum, wherein reeling the tether onto the drum comprises introducing the tether to the drum at an approximately level reel angle up to approximately 10degrees.
A method of handling a tether coupled to an airborne electricity generator, the method comprising;
- flying the airborne electricity generator at a first altitude;
- reducing tension in the tether while flying the airborne electricity generator;
- and
- reeling the tether onto a drum, wherein the tether comprises a load bearing cable attached to the airborne electricity generator and a conducting cable attached to the airborne electricity generator, and reeling the tether onto a drum comprises reeling the load bearing cable onto a first drum and reeling the conducting cable onto a second drum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.