Wind/Updraft Synergy
Imagine a solar updraft tower where the wall of the tower is a stack of toroidal balloons filled with a buoyant gas such as He or NH3. The tower actually erects itself by floats into the sky! This is a patented system called the Floating Solar Chimney (hereafter FSC).
One of the problems with the FSC is its tendency to bend with the wind, thereby losing some altitude at the top, which results in lower temperature differences hence lower efficiency.
If, however, each of the toroids had a pair of wind turbines attached in such a way that they always faced into the wind, the less energy produced by the updraft tower, the more energy would be produced by the wind turbines!
Now, one might ask: Why bother with the balloons when you could just put the turbines on a solid tower and enjoy additional power when the wind rose?
A reasonable question which has a two interesting answers:
1) Adjusting the orientation of the FSC to adapt to wind direction is built into its design, so the wind turbines could be positioned so as to naturally follow the wind direction at all times.
2) The FSC is _much_ cheaper to construct than a solid tower of the same dimensions hence generator power.
PS: I have an ulterior motive here in that I've been considering a design for the solar updraft tower algae biosphere where the water condenser is constructed from a floating solar chimney.
One of the problems with the FSC is its tendency to bend with the wind, thereby losing some altitude at the top, which results in lower temperature differences hence lower efficiency.
If, however, each of the toroids had a pair of wind turbines attached in such a way that they always faced into the wind, the less energy produced by the updraft tower, the more energy would be produced by the wind turbines!
Now, one might ask: Why bother with the balloons when you could just put the turbines on a solid tower and enjoy additional power when the wind rose?
A reasonable question which has a two interesting answers:
1) Adjusting the orientation of the FSC to adapt to wind direction is built into its design, so the wind turbines could be positioned so as to naturally follow the wind direction at all times.
2) The FSC is _much_ cheaper to construct than a solid tower of the same dimensions hence generator power.
PS: I have an ulterior motive here in that I've been considering a design for the solar updraft tower algae biosphere where the water condenser is constructed from a floating solar chimney.
Tags: chimney, floating, solar, wind, algae, ballon, biosphere, condenser, float, fsc
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by James Bowery on -
There are several members named "Childres". To which were you referring?
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Permalink Reply by Jim Martin on -
Buoyancy could improve the Solar Updraft Tower concept. Adding turbines in the wind is a little like some concepts for putting wind turbines at high elevation using balloons or kites. The Solar Updraft tower can also be improved by making into a Solar Windmill as described here:
http://push.pickensplan.com/forum/topic/show?id=2187034%3ATopic%3A2...
Most of the materials and construction of the Solar Windmill are the same as the Solar Updraft Tower. The difference is the addition of 1-way valves in at the bottom and out at the top. With the addition of buoyancy, the Solar Windmill outlet of air on the down-wind side near the top would reduce the drag, allowing the tower to stand more straight up and reducing wind-induced stresses.
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Permalink Reply by Jim Martin on
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After thinking about the concept of buoyancy for the Solar Updraft Tower, I wonder if the warm air could hold up the tower. Consider the gliding parachutes that are popular: they have tubes held in a shape by the force of wind. If a series of tubes are put together to form the outside of the tower, with some of the upward-flowing air going into the tubes and exiting out small holes at the top, the tubes would stand up, just like an air-sock stands out. Have you seen the football fans with air-sock flags? Of course, I would incorporate this with the Solar Windmill and other uses under the greenhouse.
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Permalink Reply by Ira Sorkin on -
As to the tubes standing up by internal wind...This is used quite a bit in advertising.
You can see them all over as tubes with arms and faces waving and bending over
and straightening up again. And don't forget the "jolly jumpers" used at kids' parties
all over the country. All of these run on the same principle...Blow air in the bottom
and let some escape out the top.
Actually, I don't know why, after the original inflation, the tower can't be held up
by using the same air that has already been used to run the turbines. Since this
air is already hot, it would naturally be lighter than the surrounding air and provide
even more lift.
By doing this, you can even have the tower diameter larger at the top because of
the added lift...And then you can have even more turbines around that diameter.
Using carbon composites and honeycomb structures the whole system can be made
extremely light weight.
Also, instead of using just a heat absorbing material around the base, why not use
a bed of solar panels? That way, you get co-generation...More bang for the buck.
And, as long as you have all this hot air, why not line the thing with thermocouples
and have tri-generation?
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