Windmill with Energy Storage System

About Solution

The present technology disclosed hereafter was developed in 2016 and further development has been made to ensure reliability and heavy duty operation of the system.

As an alternative source of power, wind energy has proven reliable for both ancient and modern times. Thus, the smallest percent of increase of efficiency or any better ways to harness and store the energy from wind for later use will make a significant difference.

The windmill of the present technology comprises a variable pneumatic motor (VPM), an air compressor, compressed air tanks, and the windmill or wind turbine. The increased efficiency of the present wind technology is based at least in parts on the VPM. The VPM comprises of an air motor and an air pump. The air pump is mechanically connected to the air motor with a shaft so that the air motor drives the air pump. The types of air pump and air motor used for the VPM are similar to hydraulic piston pump and motor. In other words, the working principles are the same, except that the air motor and the air pump of the VPM have been further developed and integrated for use in an air system for higher efficiency, quieter operation, and heavy duty applications.

The VPM air motor has an inlet valve (A) through which compressed air enters the VPM air motor to drive the VPM air motor and an outlet valve (B) through which the compressed air that drove the VPM air motor exits the VPM air motor. The VPM air pump has an inlet valve (C) for receiving air from the surrounding so that the air is compressed by the VPM air pump to be ejected through an outlet valve (D).

In accordance to the above explanation of the VPM, the windmill of the present technology may be configured and operated in the following manner; the air compressor of any suitable choice may be connected to a shaft of the windmill blades so that when wind drives the blades of the windmill, the blades of the windmill are caused to drive the shaft connected to the air compressor. In this way, the blades of the windmill drive the air compressor via the shaft. The driven air compressor may collect air from the surrounding through an inlet of the air compressor and then compresses the air towards the VPM through an outlet of the air compressor.

The compressed air leaving the air compressor through its outlet is directed by a tube (V) to flow into the VPM air motor through its inlet valve (A) so that the compressed air drives the VPM air motor. In other words, the tube (V) links air compressor outlet with VPM air motor inlet valve (A). Another tube (X) links VPM air pump outlet valve (D) to tube (V) so that the VPM air pump discharges compressed air towards the VPM air motor through tube (V).

Because the VPM air motor is in connection to the VPM air pump via the shaft, when the VPM air motor is driven by pressure of compressed air from the air compressor, flowing into the VPM air motor through the inlet valve (A), the VPM air motor is caused to drive the VPM air pump via the shaft. The driven VPM air pump is caused to collect air from the surrounding and compress it towards the VPM air motor through tube (X) which is linked with tube (V) to increase the rate of compressed air flow through the VPM air motor.

Stated differently, when the wind drives the blades of the windmill, the blades of the windmill drive the air compressor, which compresses air towards the VPM to drive the VPM air motor that is in connection with the VPM air pump. The driven VPM air pump compresses air towards the VPM air motor so that the compressed air from the VPM air pump merges with the compressed air from the air compressor to increase the rate of compressed air flow through the VPM air motor. The increased pressure through the VPM air motor results in an increased rotational speed of the VPM air motor thus, an increased rational speed of the VPM air pump. Without further increase of the rotational speed of the air compressor that is driven by the windmill blades, the continuous change of pressure through the VPM air motor due to the merging of compressed air from the VPM air pump and the air compressor, over time, the VPM attains an output speed higher than the input speed from the air compressor or the windmill blades that drive it.

The compressed air leaving the VPM air motor through the VPM air motor outlet valve (B) may be discharged into one or more compressed air tanks for later use or when there is little of no wind to drive the windmill blades. When there is no wind to power the blades of the windmill, compressed air from the compressed air tanks may be allowed to enter the VPM air motor through the inlet valve (A) to drive the VPM air motor. Similar to the first case where the air compressor drives the VPM air motor via compressed air, compressed air from the compressed air tanks may drive the VPM air motor, which drives the VPM air pump that compresses air towards the VPM air motor to increase the rotational speed of the VPM air motor as compressed air from the VPM air pump merges with the compressed air from the compressed air tanks.

One of the advantages of this type of windmill is that, at compressed air mode i.e., when compressed air from the compressed air tank(s) drive the VPM, the initial or starting pressure of compressed air from the compressed air tank required to drive the VPM so that the VPM air motor is rotated at 180 rpm may be held constant throughout operation time. In this way, a tank of compressed air can run the system for a longer period of time when compared with conventional air motor. The starting pressure from the compressed air tank drives the VPM air motor at 180 rpm, the VPM air motor drives the VPM air pump which compresses additional pressurized air to merge with the starting pressure from the compressed air tank. The additional compressed air causes change in air pressure flowing through the VPM air motor thereby, increasing the rotational speed of the VPM air motor. The cycle continues until the variable pneumatic motor reaches an output speed suitable for electric power generation via an alternator connected to the VPM.

Another advantage of this configuration is that the VPM may be configured so that the diameters of the VPM air motor pistons are larger than the diameters of the VPM air pump pistons. The pistons size differences between the diameters/areas of the VPM air motor and the VPM air pump provide advantages resulting from Pascal’s principle. When air is compressed by the VPM air pump which has smaller cross-sectional area, the compressed air drives the VPM air motor which has larger cross-sectional area resulting to higher output torque or power of the variable pneumatic motor.

The present wind technology provides higher output speeds from lower input speeds, higher output torque/power from lower input torque/power, hydraulic advantages, storage system which provides additional choice of electric generation at lower or zero wind velocity, and the elimination of gearbox.

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