Wind turbines augmented with rotating diffusers

摘要

Diffuser-augmented wind turbines can include a first diffuser ring arranged to form a turbine rotor cowling, the diffuser being fixed to and rotatable with the turbine rotor about the horizontal axis of the wind turbine. The first diffuser ring may have one or more dynamic, aero-elastic, vortex entrainment devices attached to a trailing edge of the diffuser. The first diffuser ring may include one or more slot gaps arranged within its body, each slot gap creating a channel between the interior and exterior surfaces of the first diffuser ring. In some embodiments the diffuser may optionally further include one or more further diffuser rings, the one or more further diffuser rings being static rings (e.g. non-rotatable about the horizontal axis) or dynamic diffuser rings (e.g. rotatable around the horizontal axis).

主权项

1. A horizontal axis wind turbine augmented with a diffuser, the diffuser comprising:
a first diffuser ring comprising; an inlet and an outlet; and one or more vortex entrainment devices attached to a trailing edge of the first diffuser ring; wherein the first diffuser ring is adapted to form a turbine rotor cowling that is integrally attachable to a turbine rotor to form a unit that is rotatable about a horizontal axis of the wind turbine; and wherein the one or more vortex entrainment devices are dynamic, aero-elastic vortex entrainment devices.