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New Wind Turbine Patent Issued
Monday, May 03, 2010
Howard J. Fuller, Jr.'s boundary-layer wind turbine receives U.S. patent
Greenville, NH -- Solar Aero Research is pleased to announce its new type of boundary-layer, bladeless wind turbine has been granted U.S. Patent No. 7,695,242. The turbine is an improvement on a 1913 Tesla patent, specially modified for use in wind generation applications, says inventor Howard J. Fuller, Jr., of the Greenville, N.H.-based not-for-profit scientific research organization.
Solar Aero's completely enclosed model avoids many of the drawbacks of bladed turbines such as noise, radar interference, visual pollution and wildlife injuries -- while retaining relatively high efficiency ratings. With only one rotating component (a turbine/driveshaft/alternator assembly) and no heavily loaded bearings, the turbine is expected to deliver power at a cost comparable to present coal-fired power plants.
The Fuller turbine has lower maintenance requirements than bladed turbines. In addition, all generation equipment can be located at ground level while the turbine itself can be supported on magnetic bearings, thus eliminating the need for up-tower routine maintenance. This will make life-cycle costs considerably lower than for bladed wind turbines, making the Fuller unit desirable for use in areas where support and maintenance infrastructure is limited. The design will be highly attractive for urban rooftop generation applications.
Fuller's bladeless turbine is being evaluated by a potential licensee while a full-scale prototype is under construction. For more info, see http://solaraero.org.
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