US4452562A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tornado type wind turbines
Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation Inc
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Filing: 1983-05-06
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Granted: 1984-06-05
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Expires: 2003-05-06
Abstract
Abstract A tornado type wind turbine has a vertically disposed wind collecting tower with spaced apart inner and outer walls and a central bore. The upper end of the tower is open while the lower end of the structure is in communication with a wind intake chamber. An opening in the wind chamber is positioned over a turbine which is in driving communication with an electrical generator. An opening between the inner and outer walls at the lower end of the tower permits radially flowing air to enter the space between the inner and outer walls while a vertically disposed opening in the wind collecting tower permits tangentially flowing air to enter the central bore. A porous portion of the inner wall permits the radially flowing air to interact with the tangentially flowing air so as to create an intensified vortex flow which exits out of the top opening of the tower so as to create a low pressure core and thus draw air through the opening of the wind intake chamber so as to drive the turbine.
Inventors
- 👤 Cheng-Ting Hsu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 05:15
CPC Classifications
F; F03; F03D; F03D1/00; F03D1/04; F03D9/00; F03D9/20; F03D9/25; F05; F05B; F05B2240/00; F05B2240/10; F05B2240/13; F05B2240/131; F05B2240/132; F05B2240/90; F05B2240/91; F05B2240/911; F05B2240/9111; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/70; Y02E10/72; Y02E10/728; Y10; Y10S; Y10S415/00; Y10S415/905; Y10S415/907; Y10S415/908; Y10S415/909; Y10S415/914
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
104 words
A tornado type wind turbine comprising: a wind collecting tower with vertically disposed longitudinal axis having spaced apart inner and outer walls and a central bore, a means for providing radially flowing air to said central bore, a means for providing tangentially flowing air to said central bore, said wind collecting tower having a lower end in communication with a wind intake chamber and an open upper end, a portion of said inner wall being porous, and said radially flowing air and said tangentially flowing air interacting within said central bore of said wind collecting tower so as to create an intensified vortex flow.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
104 words
A tornado type wind turbine comprising: a wind collecting tower with vertically disposed longitudinal axis having spaced apart inner and outer walls and a central bore, a means for providing radially flowing air to said central bore, a means for providing tangentially flowing air to said central bore, said wind collecting tower having a lower end in communication with a wind intake chamber and an open upper end, a portion of said inner wall being porous, and said radially flowing air and said tangentially flowing air interacting within said central bore of said wind collecting tower so as to create an intensified vortex flow.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein said wind tower has a first large opening positioned above a turbine and a plurality of smaller openings providing said communication between said lower end of said tower and said wind intake chamber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The wind turbine of claim 2 wherein said turbine is in driving communication with an electrical generator.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The wind turbine of claim 3 wherein said means for providing tangentially flowing air to said central bore is a vertically disposed opening in said tower whereby tangentially flowing air passes into said central bore.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
91 words
The wind turbine of claim 4 wherein said means for providing radially flowing air to said central bore includes a space between said inner and outer walls, said space being in communication with said plurality of smaller openings of said wind chamber, and a porous portion of said inner wall whereby air passes upwardly from said wind chamber through said smaller openings of said wind chamber into said space between said inner and outer walls and through said porous portion of said inner wall into said central bore of said tower.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
The wind turbine of claim 5 wherein said vortex flow exits said wind collecting tower through said open upper end and creates a corresponding low pressure zone along said longitudinal axis of said tower so as to draw ambient air from said wind chamber through said first opening of said wind chamber so as to drive said turbine.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein said wind collecting tower is circular in cross section.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein said wind collecting tower is spiral in cross section.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
63 words
The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein said means for providing radially flowing air to said central bore is a vertically disposed slot in said tower and a porous portion in said inner wall whereby air passes directly into said space between said inner and outer walls and through said porous portion of said inner wall into said central bore of said tower.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1987-06-05 | 1987-12-05 | 1988-06-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1991-06-05 | 1991-12-05 | 1992-06-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1995-06-05 | 1995-12-05 | 1996-06-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |