Wind turbine with vertical axis

Abstract

A wind turbine having a rotor which rotates in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis to produce power to an electric generator, a propeller driven boat, or other mechanical apparatus. The turbine mounted on a vertical shaft has a plurality of vanes attached to the shaft either directly or through a hub surrounding the shaft. The vanes extend radially outwardly from the shaft and are spaced at equal distances from each other around the shaft. Each vane has a wind responsive flange mounted at its radially outer edge and extending substantially perpendicular to a surface of the vane. Each flange of each vane extends in the same circumferential direction around the rotor. As wind blows against any vane when the flange is facing in the windward direction, the vane tends to contain wind striking that vane and create a greater force than the wind striking the vanes with the flanges facing away from the wind. The different amounts of force striking different vanes causes the rotor to turn either clockwise or counterclockwise, depending upon which circumferential direction the wind responsive flanges are positioned on the vanes. The turning of the rotor also turns the shaft which provides power to a generator or to any other device it is connected to.

1 . A wind turbine having a rotor which rotates in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis comprising: 
 a vertical shaft rotatably attached to a fixed support means;    at least one pair of substantially planar vanes, each vane of each pair having a radially inner edge, a radially outer edge, and a top and bottom edge, each vane having its radially inner edge secured to the shaft and extending radially outwardly therefrom in opposite directions from the other vane;    a wind responsive flange at the radially outer edge of each vane and extending from one face of each vane at a substantially right angle thereto, the flange of one of each pair of vanes extending in an opposite direction to the other flange of the same pair of vanes;    the flange of each vane partially confining the wind flow against its respective vane when the flange is facing in the windward direction and thereby causing a greater wind force concentration against that vane than against the opposite vane in which its flange is facing away from the wind, thereby causing the rotor and shaft to rotate in a given horizontal direction due to the difference in wind force against each vane of each pair.    
   
   
       2 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the radially inner edge of each vane is fastened to a hub which is mounted on the vertical shaft to rotate therewith.  
   
   
       3 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 1  wherein there are two pairs of vanes with each pair being at a 900 angle to the other pair.  
   
   
       4 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 1  wherein there are three pairs of vanes with each pair of vanes being at a 60° angle to the next adjacent pair of vanes on either side.  
   
   
       5 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 1  including a wind responsive flange at the radially inner edge of each vane extending at substantially right angles to the vane in the same direction from the respective vane as the wind responsive flange at the radially outer edge of the vane.  
   
   
       6 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 1  including a wind responsive flange at both the top and bottom edge of each vane extending at substantially right angles to the vane in the same direction from the respective vane as the wind responsive flange at the radially outer edge of the vane.  
   
   
       7 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the vanes are concave on one side and convex on the other side and wherein one vane of each pair of vanes has its concave and convex sides facing in the opposite direction from the concave and convex sides on the other vane of the pair.  
   
   
       8 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 1  wherein each vane curves around a radius at its radially outer edge to merge into the wind responsive flange.  
   
   
       9 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the vertical shaft is operatively connected to an electrical generator.  
   
   
       10 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the vertical shaft is operatively connected to a propeller shaft of a boat  
   
   
       11 . A wind turbine having a rotor which rotates in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis comprising: 
 a vertical shaft rotatably attached to a fixed support means;    at least one pair of substantially rectangular vanes, each vane of each pair having a radially inner end and a radially outer end, each vane having its radially inner end secured to the shaft and extending radially outwardly therefrom in opposite directions from the other vane;    a portion of each radially outer end of each flange being folded along a vertical line to form a wind responsive flange at the radially outer end of each vane and extending from one face of each vane at a substantially right angle thereto, the flange of one of each pair of vanes extending in an opposite direction to the other flange of the same pair of vanes;    the flange of each vane partially confining the wind flow against its respective vane when the flange is facing in the windward direction and thereby causing a greater wind force concentration against that vane than against the opposite vane in which its flange is facing away from the wind, thereby causing the rotor and shaft to rotate in a given horizontal direction due to the difference in wind force against each vane of each pair.    
   
   
       12 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the radially inner end of each vane is fastened to a hub which is mounted on the vertical shaft to rotate therewith.  
   
   
       13 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 11  wherein there are two pairs of vanes with each pair being at a 900 angle to the other pair.  
   
   
       14 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 11  wherein there are three pairs of vanes with each pair of vanes being at a 600 angle to the next adjacent pair of vanes on either side.  
   
   
       15 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 11  wherein each vane is longer in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction.  
   
   
       16 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the vertical shaft is operatively connected to an electrical generator.  
   
   
       17 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the vertical shaft is operatively connected to a propeller shaft of a boat.  
   
   
       18 . A wind turbine having a rotor which rotates in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis comprising: 
 a vertical shaft rotatably attached to a fixed support means;    a plurality of substantially planar vanes, each vane having a radially inner edge, a radially outer edge, and a top and bottom edge, each vane having its radially inner edge secured to the shaft and extending radially outwardly therefrom in different directions from the other vanes;    a wind responsive flange at the radially outer edge of each vane and extending from one face of each vane at a substantially right angle thereto, the flange of each of vanes extending in the same circumferential direction as the flanges of the other vanes;    the flange of each vane partially confining the wind flow against its respective vane when the flange is facing in the windward direction and thereby causing a greater wind force concentration against that vane than against the other vanes when their flanges are facing away from the wind, thereby causing the rotor and shaft to rotate in a given horizontal direction due to the difference in wind force against each of the vanes.    
   
   
       19 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 18  wherein the radially inner edge of each vane is fastened to a hub which is mounted on the vertical shaft to rotate therewith.  
   
   
       20 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 18  wherein there are three vanes with each vane being at a 120° angle to the other vanes.  
   
   
       21 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 18  wherein the vertical shaft is operatively connected to an electrical generator.  
   
   
       22 . A wind turbine as claimed in  claim 18  wherein the vertical shaft is operatively connected to a propeller shaft of a boat.