Matt Goes Green

http://www.skyalgae.co.cc/ How the turbine works: Rotatable shutters mounted on a circular disk automatically open when directed into the wind, irregardless of the wind’s direction. Pairs of upper and lower shutters are geared together. The lower shutter acts as a counterweight to the upper shutter. The bottom shutter opens in the downward direction and its weight helps to lift the upper shutter in the upward direction, as the wind applies an opening force against both shutters. When the shutters reach the vertical position, stops prevent them from opening further and the force of the wind is transferred from the open shutters to the circular disk. And the circular disk is attached to the vertical axis for power output. The circular disk, shutters, and outer vertical axis rotate together. The outer vertical axis is mounted via bearings over an inner vertical axis that is stationery. The shutters are blown closed by the wind (no stops in the opposite direction) as they reverse direction during their rotation and move into the wind on the opposite side of the wind turbine. When the wind is not blowing, the shutters open by gravity because the lower shutter is weighted to be slightly heavier than the upper shutter and it therefore can cause the upper shutter to open via the force of gravity as the two shutters are geared together. Wind blows against the open shutters and the open shutters with stops apply a force against the disk, but the open shutters with no stops (opposite side going into the wind) merely close due to the force of the wind (not applying a force against the disk) and the wind turbine begins spinning no matter what direction the wind comes from. Operation of the turbine is remarkably quiet as compared to the appearance of the video due to biasing members that absorb the shock of the opening and closing and provide useful energy output.

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Vertical Axis Disk Wind Turbine