Wind turbine system for generating electrical power

A wind turbine comprising:

• a. a head portion having a ring fan propeller, said ring fan propeller comprising a peripheral outer ring, a concentric inner ring, and a central hub, said fan propeller further having a plurality of support arms extending radially from said hub to said inner ring, said fan propeller further including a plurality of propeller blades located transversely between said inner ring and said outer ring, each of said blades having a leading edge and a trailing edge end and being pivotally mounted adjacent said leading edge for rotation about a transverse axis, further including means to rotate said blades from a first rotational position where said blades are fully engaged with incoming wind and a second rotational position where said blades are minimally engaged with incoming wind, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion;
• a gear assembly mounted in said head portion between said front end and a rear end of said head portion, said gear assembly having a first shaft interconnected to said hub, and a second shaft directed vertically and downwardly;
• a rudder mounted on said rear end of said head portion;
• feathering and braking means responsive to the incoming wind and interconnected to said means for rotating said blades, for maintaining said blades in said first rotational position when the incoming winds are light and moderate, and for progressively and proportionally rotating said blades into said second rotational position as the incoming winds increase from moderate to strong in strength, said feathering and braking means further applying rotational braking forces to said first shaft when the incoming winds are strong in strength;
• b. a tower, said tower having an upper end and a lower end, said head portion being rotationally mounted to said upper end of said tower;
• c. a turbine gas compressor, said compressor having a gas inlet and a gas outlet;
• d. a gear box located adjacent said lower end of said tower, said gear box having an input shaft and an output shaft, said output shaft being connected to said compressor,
• e. a main shaft, said main shaft being vertically oriented and extending from said second shaft of said gear assembly to said input shaft of said gear box;
• and
• f. wherein said feathering and braking means includes a fin assembly on said rear end of said head portion, and in which said fin assembly has a horizontal portion with a trailing edge and an elevator pivotally attached to said trailing edge.

A plurality of wind turbines, serially interconnected for staged compression to output high pressure gas, comprising:

• a. a first wind turbine comprising:
• a head portion having a propeller with a plurality of propeller blades and a hub, further including means to rotate said blades from a first rotational position where said blades are fully engaged with incoming wind and a second rotational position where said blades are minimally engaged with incoming wind, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion;
• a gear assembly mounted in said head portion between said front end and a rear end of said head portion, said gear assembly having a first shaft interconnected to said hub, and a second shaft directed vertically and downwardly;
• a rudder mounted on said rear end of said head portion, feathering and braking means responsive to the incoming wind and interconnected to said means for rotating said blades, for maintaining said blades in said first rotational position when the incoming winds are light and moderate, and for progressively and proportionally rotating said propeller blades into said second rotational position as the incoming winds increase from moderate to strong in strength, said feathering and braking means further applying rotational braking forces to said first shaft when said incoming winds are strong in strength;
• a tower, said tower having an upper end and a lower end, said head portion being rotationally mounted to said upper end of said tower;
• a turbine gas compressor, said compressor having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, said gas outlet being connected to a first turbine gas supply line with a check valve therein;
• a gear box located adjacent said lower end of said tower, said gear box having an input shaft and an output shaft, said output shaft being connected to said compressor;
• and,
• a main shaft, said main shaft being vertically oriented and extending from said second shaft of said gear assembly to said input shaft of said gear box;
• and,
• b. a second wind turbine comprising:
• a head portion having a propeller with a plurality of propeller blades and a hub, further including means to rotate said blades from a first rotational position where said blades are fully engaged with incoming wind and a second rotational position where said blades are minimally engaged with incoming wind, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion;
• a gear assembly mounted in said head portion between said front end and a rear end of said head portion, said gear assembly having a first shaft interconnected to said hub, and a second shaft directed vertically and downwardly;
• a rudder mounted on said rear end of said head portion;
• feathering and braking means responsive to the incoming wind and interconnected to said means for rotating said blades, for maintaining said blades in said first rotational position when the incoming winds are light and moderate, and for progressively and proportionally rotating said blades into said second rotational position as the incoming winds increase from moderate to strong in strength, said feathering and braking means further applying rotational braking forces to said first shaft when said incoming winds are strong in strength;
• a tower, said tower having an upper end and a lower end, said head portion being rotationally mounted to said upper end of said tower;
• a turbine gas compressor, said compressor having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, said gas inlet being connected to said first turbine gas supply line and said gas outlet being connected to a second turbine gas supply line with a check valve therein;
• a gear box located adjacent said lower end of said tower, said gear box having an input shaft and an output shaft, said output shaft being connected to said compressor;
• and,
• a main shaft, said main shaft being vertically oriented and extending from said second shaft of said gear assembly to said input shaft of said gear box, whereby compressed gas produced by said first wind turbine is increased in pressure by said second wind turbine.

A wind turbine system for generating electrical power, comprising:

• a. a first plurality of wind turbines, each of said wind turbines including a head portion having a propeller with a plurality of propeller blades and a hub, further including means to rotate said blades from a first rotational position where said blades are fully engaged with incoming wind and a second rotational position where said blades are minimally engaged with incoming wind, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion;
• a gear assembly mounted in said head portion between said front end and a rear end of said head portion, said gear assembly having a first shaft interconnected to said hub, and a second shaft directed vertically and downwardly;
• a rudder mounted on said rear end of said head portion, feathering and braking means responsive to the incoming wind and interconnected to said means for rotating said blades, for maintaining said blades in said first rotational position when the incoming winds are light and moderate, and for progressively and proportionally rotating said propeller blades into said second rotational position as the incoming winds increase from moderate to strong in strength, said feathering and braking means further applying rotational braking forces to said first shaft when said incoming winds are strong in strength;
• a tower, said tower having an upper end and a lower end, said head portion being rotationally mounted to said upper end of said tower;
• a turbine gas compressor, said compressor having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, said gas outlet being connected to a first turbine gas supply line with a check valve therein;
• a gear box located adjacent said lower end of said tower, said gear box having an input shaft and an output shaft, said output shaft being connected to said compressor;
• and, a main shaft, said main shaft being vertically oriented and extending from said second shaft of said gear assembly to said input shaft of said gear box;
• said first plurality of wind turbines being serially interconnected for staged compression by connecting a respective gas outlet of a first wind turbine to a respective gas inlet of a second wind turbine and by connecting successive wind turbines in identical fashion to output high pressure compressed gas from a gas outlet of a last wind turbine of said first plurality of wind turbines into a first cooling line;
• b. a second plurality of wind turbines, each of said wind turbines including a head portion having a propeller with a plurality of propeller blades and a hub, further including means to rotate said blades from a first rotational position where said blades are fully engaged with incoming wind and a second rotational position where said blades are minimally engaged with incoming wind, said hub being mounted for rotation on a front end of said head portion;
• a gear assembly mounted in said head portion between said front end and a rear end of said head portion, said gear assembly having an first shaft interconnected to said hub, and a second shaft directed vertically and downwardly;
• a rudder mounted on said rear end of said head portion, feathering and braking means responsive to the incoming wind and interconnected to said means for rotating said blades, for maintaining said blades in said first rotational position when the incoming winds are light and moderate, and for progressively and proportionally rotating said propeller blades into said second rotational position as the incoming winds increase from moderate to strong in strength, said feathering and braking means further applying rotational braking forces to said first shaft when said incoming winds are strong in strength;
• a tower, said tower having an upper end and a lower end, said head portion being rotationally mounted to said upper end of said tower;
• a turbine gas compressor, said compressor having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, said gas outlet being connected to a first turbine gas supply line with a check valve therein;
• a gear box located adjacent said lower end of said tower, said gear box having an input shaft and an output shaft, said output shaft being connected to said compressor;
• and, a main shaft, said main shaft being vertically oriented and extending from said second shaft of said gear assembly to said input shaft of said gear box;
• said second plurality of wind turbines being serially interconnected for staged compression by connecting a respective gas outlet of a first wind turbine to a respective gas inlet of a second wind turbine and by connecting successive wind turbines in identical fashion to output high pressure compressed gas from said second plurality of wind turbines, said gas inlet of said first wind turbine of said second plurality of wind turbines being interconnected to a second cooling line;
• c. a storage tank system for receiving said high pressure compressed air outputted from said second plurality of wind turbines, said tank system comprising a central tank surrounded by a plurality of concentric, ring-like tanks, said central tank and said ring-like tanks being respectively interconnected by pressure-actuated valves, each tank being adapted for storing compressed air at stepped pressures, varying from a highest pressure in said central tank, to a lowest pressure in an outermost ring tank, said outermost ring tank including a heat exchanger line, said heat exchanger line having an inlet connected to said first cooling line and an outlet connected to said second cooling line, said heat exchanger passing through said outer ring tank and effective to transfer heat from gas outputted by said first plurality of wind turbines into gas contained within said outer ring tank, and to return cooled gas passing through said second cooling line to said second plurality of wind turbines.