Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Fluid flow energy harvester
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Application No.: US16641733Application Date: 2018-08-21
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Publication No.: US10968884B2Publication Date: 2021-04-06
- Inventor: Douglas Richard English
- Applicant: Douglas Richard English
- Applicant Address: AU Beeliar
- Assignee: Douglas Richard English
- Current Assignee: Douglas Richard English
- Current Assignee Address: AU Beeliar
- Agent David Guerra
- Priority: AU2017903532 20170901
- International Application: PCT/AU2018/050886 WO 20180821
- International Announcement: WO2019/040974 WO 20190307
- Main IPC: F03B17/06
- IPC: F03B17/06 ; F03B13/26 ; F03D5/06 ; F16C3/10

Abstract:
Provided is a fluid flow energy harvester (10) comprising a crankshaft (12) and at least one vane (14) pivoted into a sail portion (18) and a crank portion (20) on respective sides of the pivot (16). Both portions (18) and (20) are operatively oscillatable about the pivot (16) when the crank portion (20) is operatively arranged facing into a fluid flow (22). The crank portion (20) is linked to the crankshaft (12) via a crank (24) so that operative oscillation of the vane (14) imparts rotational force to said crankshaft (12). The harvester (10) also includes a fin arrangement (26) which comprises a fin (28) arranged on, and configured to guide, the sail portion (18) of the vane (14) facing towards or in a direction of the fluid flow (22). The harvester (10) also includes a fin actuator (30) configured to control an orientation of the fin (28) relative to the sail portion (18), so that during oscillation of the sail portion (18), either a surface (32) of the sail portion or a surface of the fin (34) impedes the fluid flow (22) when a surface of the other is parallel to such fluid flow. In this manner, stalling of the vane oscillation is counteracted thereby facilitating continuous rotation of the crankshaft (12) during fluid flow (22).
Public/Granted literature
- US20200256310A1 FLUID FLOW ENERGY HARVESTER Public/Granted day:2020-08-13
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