摘要 |
A wind-powered turbine has vanes (2-5; 36-39) that are pivoted (13; 44) to radial arms (6; 41) of its rotor (1; 30, 31) and are turned by rods (14; 45) linking the vanes (2-5; 36-39) individually to a common pivot (16; 47) which is offset from the rotor-axis (8; 42) on a crank-arm (17; 48). The rods (14; 45) constrain their pivots (15; 46) with the vanes (2-5; 36-39), to follow a circular path (B) centred on their common pivot (16; 47) on the crank-arm (17; 48) so that vane-pitch varies cyclically with rotor-rotation. Angular adjustment of the crank-arm (17; 48) about the rotor-axis (8; 42) varies the angular phasing of the pitch cycle within each revolution such that for constant wind speed and direction (W), rotor-speed changes. Where the rotor-axis (8) is vertical, maximum output torque is maintained by turning the crank-arm (17) in response to change of wind-direction sensed by a sensor-vane (21), and the rods (14) include hydraulic rams (23) for varying rod-lengths in feathering the vanes (2-5) into edge-on alignment withe wind when an anemometer (26) senses high-wind conditions. Where the rotor-axis (42) is horizontal, two rotors (30, 31) are mounted at opposite ends of a boom (32) that is turned across the wind according to wind-direction sensed by a vane (62), and in high-wind conditions sensed by an anemometer (63) is turned into alignment with the wind.
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