VAWT/AR overview

  • The first new mechanical motion for a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine since Darrieus (1931)
  • Patent Pending 8/7/06
  • Unique combination of helicopter rotor head design with wind turbine design.
  • No prior art in wind turbine technology found during extensive patent searches.
  • A result of 4-5 years of research.

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blackhawk tr-10The Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Articulating Rotor

TR-10 (patent pending)

The newly developed Blackhawk Tilt Rotor VAWT/AR is changing the landscape of alternative energy and the access individuals have to it. The TR-10 will allow the average user to access up to 1.5 kilowatts of wind-generated power, lessening their dependence upon coal-fired, petroleum burning, hydroelectric and nuclear power plants.

With efficiencies in advance of the older style wind mills, and with much lower, self-starting cut-in speeds, the Blackhawk VAWT/AR allows its owner to realize clean energy generation at times when other individual wind energy systems are just marking time. Push/pull rods change the pitch of the solid "sails" in the same way helicopter rotors, turboprop propellers and standard windmill rotors do, but without any of the complicated electronic control systems.

The dampened Articulating Rotor, a design which allows the entire turbine to ‘lean into the wind' to generate and retain higher torque at lower RPMs, develops greater amounts of power as wind speed varies.

An improvement over the standard windmill, the aesthetically pleasing, extremely quiet and easily zoned Blackhawk is also bird-friendly.
 
Technical Specs for TR-10 Tilt Rotor Print E-mail

The national average for energy consumption, is +/- 1.5KW instantaneous average, or ~1095 KWh/mo (1.5KW x 720 hrs/mo). Just like in real estate, the top 3 things to consider are: location, location, location - specifically regarding AVERAGE WIND SPEED. You can't calculate your AEO (annual energy output) based solely on the NREL or AWEA average wind speed recordings in an area. Typically in the Lower 48, the statistical wind power distribution is a Wiebull Distribution with a form factor of 2, which is called the Rayleigh Distribution.

The occasional very windy conditions contribute more to the overall energy production than the average wind conditions. This is due to the fact that the energy in wind is a function of the cube of its velocity, so every time the wind speed doubles, you get 8 times more power.
Read more... [Technical Specs for TR-10 Tilt Rotor]
 
How does it work? Print E-mail
    Wind Action Overview
  • Wind causes Rotor Tilt

  • Rotor Tilt sets Airfoil Angle of Attack (AOA)

  • Airfoil AOA creates Aerodynamic Lift

  • Aerodynamic Lift creates Rotation/Torque

  • Additionally, there is a simple means of correction for gyroscopic precession built in.
view illustrations [How does it work?]
 
Operating Characteristics Print E-mail

  • Very high torque due to long moment arms

  • Large swept area for more power

  • Dynamic response to wind and load conditions

  • Self-limiting, which prevents run-aways.  No external wind alignment mechanics

  • Canted airfoils create lift in perpendicular axis

  • Self-starting in low wind speeds

  • Very quiet compared to most turbines
 
VAWT/AR vs. other VAWTs Print E-mail

  • Reliably self-starting

  • Higher torque

  • Will not "run away"

  • No external wind-vane-type devices

  • Dynamically responsive to wind & load

  • Many variables to adjust performance

  • Projected to be more efficient