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US 8,896,144 B2Granted
Wind turbine energy storage system and method
OwnerCarlos Wong, Livia Wong +1inventors
InventorsCarlos Wong, Livia Wong, Zhaohui Xiong
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wind turbine energy storage system includes a hollow wind turbine tower shaft having a top end and a bottom end covered by top and bottom end caps respectively to form a tank. A compressor is coupled to the wind turbine for compressing air into the tank through a high pressure pipe and valve assembly. The compressed air stored in the tank can be released on demand or on a fixed schedule. A method of storing energy in a wind turbine is also disclosed.
Claims24
A wind turbine energy storage system, comprising:
- a hollow, cylindrical wind turbine tower shaft having a top end and a bottom end, hemispherical-shaped top and bottom end caps attached near the top and bottom ends of the tower shaft respectively to form a tank in the tower shaft, the tower shaft including a top hollow tower shaft extension connected to and extending upwardly from the top end cap and having substantially the same diameter as that of the hemispherical-shaped top end cap, the top shaft extension directly supporting a nacelle and a plurality of turbine blades of a wind turbine, and the tower shaft including a bottom hollow tower shaft extension connected to and extending downwardly from the bottom end cap and having substantially the same diameter as that of the hemispherical-shaped bottom end cap, the bottom shaft extension supporting the tower shaft with the tank;
- and a compressor coupled to the wind turbine for compressing air into the tank, wherein compressed air stored in the tank is adapted to be released on demand or on a fixed schedule.
A wind turbine energy storage system, comprising:
- an upwardly tapered, cylindrical, steel wind turbine tower shaft, a pair of spaced hemispherical top and bottom steel end caps attached near respective top and bottom ends of the tower shaft, the spaced hemispherical end caps defining a cylindrical tank portion of the tower shaft, an upper tower shaft extension connected to the top end cap, having substantially the same diameter as that of the hemispherical top end cap, and extending upward from the top end cap, a lower tower shaft extension connected to the bottom end cap, having substantially the same diameter as that of the hemispherical bottom end cap, and extending downward from the bottom end cap, and a compressor coupled to a wind turbine for compressing air into the tank portion of the tower shaft at a working pressure of at least 10 bar, the wind turbine having a rating of at least 2.5 MW.
A wind turbine energy storage system, comprising:
- a cylindrical, wind turbine tower shaft, a pair of spaced hemispherical top and bottom end caps attached near respective top and bottom ends of the tower shaft, the spaced hemispherical end caps defining a cylindrical tank portion in the tower shaft, an upper tower shaft extension connected to the top end cap, having substantially the same diameter as that of the hemispherical top end cap and extending upward from the top end cap, a gap in the upper shaft extension provided between the top end cap and where a nacelle and turbine blades of a wind turbine are directly supported by the upper shaft extension, a lower tower shaft extension connected to the bottom end cap, having substantially the same diameter as that of the hemispherical bottom end cap and extending downward from the bottom end cap to a concrete pile cap, a gap in the lower shaft extension provided between the bottom end cap and the concrete pile cap on which the bottom end of the wind turbine tower shaft sits, and a compressor coupled to the wind turbine for compressing air into the tank portion of the tower shaft, wherein compressed air stored in the tank is adapted to be released on demand or on a fixed schedule.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.