Airflow Enhancement for Wind Turbine Blades

Vertical wind turbine design with improved blade control and reduced energy loss for higher efficiency. The vertical turbine has blades that pitch continuously throughout rotation, controlled by cam disks, to optimize performance in partial load winds. The blades are supported by bearings at multiple points to enable independent pitching between sections. The pitch motors are enclosed in a housing with support ribs to transmit forces. A casing around the pitch motor reduces aerodynamic drag. The turbine has sensors on the blades for wind speed/direction feedback. A control device adjusts blade angles based on sensor data.

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Wind apparatus that maximizes the amount of kinetic energy captured from an air flow by changing the aerodynamic behavior of its blades over time in response to the air flow. The apparatus has blades that move along curved guides when hit by wind, rotating to optimize capture. This allows the blades to respond to changing wind directions and speeds, increasing energy capture compared to fixed blade designs. The blade motion is transmitted through mechanisms to turn shafts and generate electricity.

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Turbine design for wind power generation that improves efficiency by allowing blades to expand and close as the turbine rotates. The blades pivot on a rotary shaft and have stoppers to limit expansion angles. Elastic members connect the blades to the shaft. In the expanded position, the blades face the stoppers to capture more wind force. In the closed position, the blades are near the shaft to reduce drag. This eliminates negative power during blade reversal. The turbine can be integrated in a channel structure where the blades touch the walls when closed. The blades expand when diverted fluid flows between the walls. This allows high fluid speed entry and extraction. The turbine also integrates anti-friction members and cover sheets for pivotal motion.

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Impeller design for wind turbines that improves power generation efficiency and noise reduction. The impeller has blades that widen outwards towards the outer edge. The blade leading and trailing edges form overlapping segments on the front and rear sides of the impeller in the front view. This configuration allows more wind area capture without increasing blade count. The wider blade shape also reduces noise by smoothing airflow transition. The impeller can be used in a streamlined wind tunnel to further enhance efficiency.

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Rotating airfoil design for rotating systems like wind turbines and propellers that improves efficiency compared to conventional airfoils. The rotating airfoil has a concave working surface for lift generation and a convex section connected by motion transmitting members. The concave surface has veins for boundary layer effect. This allows autorotation, rapid fluid displacement, and retardation. The veins create a disturbed layer on the surface reducing direct fluid-blade interaction and drag. The convex section connects to the power generator.

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Wind turbine rotor design for cross-flow applications that improves efficiency and reduces vibrations compared to conventional Savonius-style turbines. The rotor has primary blades around a central axis and secondary blades positioned between the primary blades. The secondary blades are smaller than the primary blades. This configuration allows the secondary blades to capture additional wind energy and redirect it into the primary blades, enhancing overall performance. It also concentrates the force of the wind on the primary blades, reducing return drag and vibrations compared to having more primary blades.

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A wind turbine system with adjustable blades that can optimize drag and lift forces for higher efficiency, lower wind speeds, and reduced damage. The system has multiple blade assemblies with pivoting sub-blades. A main control unit adjusts the sub-blade angles during rotation to optimize forward drag and lift. This is done by rotating the blade shafts using primary control arrangements. The sub-blades open and close using secondary control arrangements. This allows partial or full blocking of wind flow. The blade panel design with adjustable sub-blades enables higher efficiency at lower speeds, protection against high winds, and smoother torque output during gusts.

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A vertical axis wind turbine blade design to improve performance by delaying blade stall. The blade has a leading edge slat with a curved hollow channel extending from the slat to the blade surface. An airflow blocker obstructs the channel. This creates a suction effect that helps prevent flow separation and stall. The slanted leading edge with the curved channel and blocker allows reattachment of the airflow. The design allows higher angles of attack before stall compared to conventional blades.

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Vertical axis wind turbine blade with a curved hollow channel and an airflow blocker to delay stall and improve performance. The blade has a leading edge slat and a curved hollow channel extending from the slat to the blade surface. An airflow blocker is placed in the channel to prevent airflow separation. This creates a localized low pressure region and promotes airflow reattachment during stall conditions. The curved hollow channel and blocker design delays stall and improves performance compared to traditional blades.

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Vertical wind turbine with a blade pitch motor that allows optimal blade angle adjustment for maximum efficiency and longevity. The blade pitch motor is mounted between the upper and lower blade sections, allowing symmetric torque distribution along the blade span. The pitch motor also supports the blade weight. This avoids external actuators and guys for blade angle control. The pitch motor can have absolute and relative position sensors. The turbine also has a compact transmission with planetary stages. The control calculates optimal blade angles based on wind speed and direction. This enables continuous, smoothest blade pitch control compared to discrete steps.

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Wind turbine design with a hollow center and blades mounted off-center to maximize power extraction. The turbine has a rotor with blades at the outer radius, mounted on supporting rods. This allows airflow to pass through the center undisrupted or accelerated to create higher velocity behind the turbine. The hollow center reduces wind drag and entrains faster moving air. The turbine can have a generator inside the center or mounted separately. The off-center blades leverage the "entrainment effect" to improve performance.

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A wind turbine blade design with self-aligning pitch control that maximizes performance by automatically adjusting blade angle of attack in response to changing wind speeds. The blade has a spar stub that allows the airfoil section to rotate freely around its longitudinal axis. The axis is located forward of the airfoil's aerodynamic center. The blade is mass balanced around this axis. This configuration causes the blade to trim itself to the optimal angle of attack for lift vs. drag based on wind and rotational velocity. Any perturbations cause the blade to rotate back to trim.

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Monitoring air flow over a wind turbine blade to improve blade design and control by placing a simple device on the blade surface. It has two air inlets facing opposite directions along an axis. A sensor module with two pressure sensors, one connected to each inlet, outputs signals. Processing determines flow direction based on pressure difference sign and speed based on magnitude. Additional inlets and sensors can provide additional flow data. The device is integrated in the blade and wirelessly communicates.

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Rotor blade design for wind turbines that reduces drag and noise while maintaining efficiency. The blade has a blunt trailing edge with a short trailing-edge region of less than 30% chord length. Inside this region, turbulators are placed on the suction side and/or pressure side. This prevents flow separation and vortices that cause drag and noise. The turbulators are small protrusions aligned parallel to the blade thickness. The blade can also have transition regions near the trailing edge to smoothly connect the profile and blunt edge. This avoids sharp corners that cause vortices.

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Passively modifying the airfoil shape of wind turbine blades to improve lift and reduce noise at low angles of attack using deformable elements that respond to local air pressure. The deformable elements are attached to the blade surface and deform when pressure builds up. This alters the blade thickness and profile without active control or components. The deformable elements can have fillers, semi-permeable membranes, or chambers to enhance their deformation.

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Power generation device using two distinct fluid flow streams, one external and one internal, to extract power from fluid flow like wind or water. The device has airfoils facing the wind to create low pressure that draws fluid into an internal stream through a separate inlet. This internal flow is accelerated by the airfoils, extracting energy in a turbine, then ejected back into the external flow. The dual flow design allows uncoupled pressure extraction from the external flow versus traditional single flow wind turbines.

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Wind turbine system with adjustable blades that optimize lift and drag forces at all wind speeds. The turbine has multiple rotating blade assemblies with pivoting sub-panels. The main rotor and blades rotate tangentially to the wind. The sub-panels can rotate independently during each rotation to continuously optimize the blade attack angle. This allows forward drag to be maximized and reverse drag minimized. The sub-panels also open/close to further reduce reverse drag. Sensors monitor wind, rotor speed, etc. to dynamically adjust the blade angles. This improves efficiency across wind speeds and prevents damage at high speeds.

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A wind turbine blade design with a unique pitch control mechanism that automatically adjusts the blade angle to optimize performance without using complex mechanical or electrical systems. The blade has a mass-balanced spar stub located forward of the airfoil's aerodynamic center. The airfoil is reflexed, meaning it has an upward camber line at the trailing edge. This creates a positive pitching moment. The blade can rotate freely around the spar stub axis. The reflexed airfoil pitches itself to the optimal angle due to aerodynamic forces, as any perturbation causes it to return to the trimmed position. This self-aligning blade design maximizes power extraction without requiring sensors or actuators.

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Variable scooping blade windmill with rotating blades to capture more wind energy compared to fixed blade windmills. The windmill has two sets of blades on a central hub at each end of the shaft. Each blade has an inner rod enclosed in an outer sleeve that can rotate around the inner rod. This allows the blade to pivot between a scooping orientation with the capture surface facing the wind and a knife orientation with the edge parallel to the wind. A drive gear rotates the outer sleeve to pivot the blade. By sensing wind direction and automatically pivoting the blades, more energy is captured compared to fixed blades.

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A wind director device to improve efficiency of vertical-axis wind turbines by simultaneously reducing drag force on the returning blade and increasing force on the advancing blade. The wind director has an inlet to capture wind and an outlet with a smaller width to accelerate the flow. It can be positioned near the turbine to direct wind into the advancing blade and also block wind from the returning blade. This reduces drag on the returning blade while increasing speed for the advancing blade. The device can also have a secondary duct to further enhance force on the returning blade.

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Wind generator with improved efficiency, stability, and noise reduction compared to conventional wind turbines. It uses an elliptical base with rollers on rails to allow the blades to pivot and follow the ellipse contour as the base rotates. The blades are fixed radially to carriages on the ellipse perimeter. This configuration allows the blades to sweep a larger area as the base rotates, reducing dead zones and increasing efficiency. The pivoting blades also stabilize the flow and reduce noise compared to fixed blades. The elliptical shape further reduces wind resistance. The roller-guided base allows the blades to rotate and follow the ellipse contour.

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Wind energy device with multiple axes and blades to capture more wind power. The device has four rotor wheels arranged in a square with cables connecting opposite wheels. Airfoils rotate with the cables. The leading edge generates lift, the trailing edge generates downforce. This asymmetry balances forces for efficient rotation. Multiple generators are coupled to the wheels. The device can have adjustable pitch control to optimize performance based on wind speed. The blade shape, spacing, and geometry can be varied to maximize power output. The four-axis design allows better wind capture compared to single-axis turbines.

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Vertical wind turbine design that enables higher energy yield and efficiency compared to conventional vertical wind turbines. The key features are: 1. Pitch motors embedded inside the blades to provide blade pitch control without external drives or chains. The pitch motors are torque motors with rotor rings that are torsionally rigidly connected to the blade axis. This allows the blades to be supported by the motor bearings instead of external structures, which reduces weight and complexity. 2. Blades supported on motor bearings in the pitch motors, instead of external supports. This allows the motors to absorb horizontal and vertical forces from the blades, reducing loads on the blade root. 3. Absolute and relative rotary position transducers in the pitch motors to accurately determine blade rotation. 4. Compact transmission with planetary gear stages to connect the rotor to the generator. 5. Cooling du

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A vertically oriented wind turbine with variable-tilt blades that can capture more wind energy by optimizing blade orientation for different wind conditions. The turbine has blades that can rotate 90 degrees around a central hub as they pass a fixed ring. This allows the blades to present a broad capturing surface when facing the wind, and a narrower profile when not. Tilting levers, a blade ring, and blade guides mechanically control the blade rotation. This enables blades to be optimized for wind capture while minimizing drag during rotation.

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A wind power generation device with a spiral blade that improves efficiency compared to conventional wind turbines. The device has an outer stator assembly and an inner rotor assembly. The rotor has a spiral blade attached to a column. The stator has a frame, an induction module, and a positioning member. The induction module is positioned between the rotor's magnetic modules in the annular gap around the blade. As the rotor turns, the induction module sweeps through, generating an induced current. This captures more power from the blade tip vortices compared to traditional vertical blades.

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An actuator for adjusting the pitch angle of a wind turbine rotor blade that eliminates lubrication and torque issues of conventional blade pitch actuators. The actuator is integrated into the large roller bearing of the blade hub. It uses an annular groove cylinder in one bearing ring and a piston that can move in the cylinder. The piston is connected to the other bearing ring. When pressurized, the piston moves in the cylinder and rotates both rings to adjust the blade pitch. This keeps the piston lever arm constant for consistent torque and has equal piston surfaces for independent direction force.

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Impeller for wind power generation with improved efficiency and reduced noise compared to conventional impellers. The impeller has blades that widen towards the outer edge, angled trailing edges, and partially overlapping leading/trailing edges on adjacent blades in the front view. This shape allows more wind capture, reduces vortex formation, and minimizes noise compared to traditional blades. The impeller is also designed for narrow wind tunnels to maximize power generation from limited areas. The wind tunnel shape avoids flow disturbance and allows high wind speeds.

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Vertical wind turbine design with optimized blade control and reduced energy losses for higher efficiency. The turbine operates in a partial load range of 3-12 m/s winds. Cam disks determine blade pitch angles continuously for smoother control. Blade-mounted sensors measure wind conditions close to the blades. The pitch motors have torsionally rigid rotors clamped to the blades. The motors have sealed bearings and housings for lubrication. The blade sections connect between hub bearings and the motor shaft. This allows optimal blade-motor transitions. The motors are enclosed in aerodynamic cases. A control device calculates setpoints based on wind sensors and adjusts the blades precisely.

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A wind turbine rotor design with a smaller secondary blade near the hub to improve power extraction at low wind speeds. The rotor has a primary blade and a shorter secondary blade. The primary blade extends further than the secondary blade. This allows the secondary blade to sweep over the region near the hub where the primary blade would have a suboptimal induction factor due to the rotor tip speed. The secondary blade's shorter length allows it to optimize induction in that area. The primary and secondary blades can be arranged on the hub along with pitch controls. This hybrid rotor design combines stall control near the hub with pitch control at higher speeds.

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A wind turbine design to increase efficiency and protect against adverse weather conditions. The turbine has a unique tapering body shape with a hemispherical fairing on top. The fairing creates low pressure above the turbine blades like an aircraft wing. This induces airflow through the blade plane. In bad weather, the fairing can retract downward to block precipitation and objects. This prevents ingress while still allowing high-speed airflow through the blades. The retractable fairing allows efficient operation in adverse conditions.

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A segmented self-positioning wind turbine assembly with adjustable airfoils for optimal wind capture. The turbine has a hub, rim, and cables connecting a set of rotatable airfoils between them. Each airfoil has a slight twist angle difference from its neighbor to self-align in wind. This allows the turbine to optimize energy extraction as wind direction changes. The airfoils can have upturned sections at the trailing edges to further adjust angles. The hub has an inner and outer cable with inner and outer sets of airfoils. This segmented design reduces weight and cost versus single large blades.

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Pitch varying system for wind turbine blades that replaces the conventional gear-driven pitch variation mechanism to improve reliability, reduce maintenance costs, and enhance pitch control performance. The system uses segmented linear actuators instead of a central gear. This eliminates tooth wear and abrasion issues between the gear and bearing during pitch variation, particularly in small angle ranges. The segmented actuators clamp tracks on the blade pitch bearing to drive pitch change. A control method sequences the actuators based on the pitch angle range to optimize pitch variation.

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A horizontal-axis wind turbine that overcomes the issues of low efficiency, high cut-in speeds, and sensitivity to wind fluctuations in micro wind turbines. The turbine has a unique blade configuration with two cooperating profiles that allows efficient operation over a wide range of wind speeds and angles of attack. The blades have variable chords and are twisted to match the rotational speed of the turbine. This allows the blades to maintain lift even at low Reynolds numbers where conventional profiles stall. The blades also have an elastic hinge on the hub to prevent overspeeding in high winds. This allows the turbine to operate at higher tip speeds for better efficiency without risking damage.

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A direct drive wind turbine system with improved efficiency and durability compared to conventional wind turbines. The system uses a counter rotating turbine inside a streamlined center body surrounded by a diffuser cuff. This configuration reduces losses, allows higher speeds, and mitigates torque and stress issues compared to conventional turbines with separate rotors and gearboxes. The counter rotating turbine is created by oppositely rotating magnets and coil windings. The diffuser cuff increases airflow through the turbine. The system also has features like channeled airflow, cooling impeller, and short turbine blades to further enhance performance.

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Encased wind turbine design that improves efficiency by optimizing airflow through the turbine. The design involves an aerodynamic shroud around the rotor blades that encloses and directs the airflow. This shroud has a curved shape with a narrow inlet section that widens towards the outlet. The shroud also has aerofoil sections along the sides to further improve airflow. The enclosed airflow path helps capture more energy by reducing turbulence and losses. The shroud also reduces noise and vibrations. The encased design protects the blades and components inside from weather and debris.

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A wind turbine rotor design with multiple blades arranged in an alternating configuration to improve cross-flow wind turbine performance. The rotor has a central axle with primary blades spaced around it. Smaller secondary blades are positioned between the primary blades. This configuration reduces return drag by redirecting wind force into the primary blades, while adding energy capture from the secondary blades. The alternating blade sizes allow more blades to be used without negatively impacting performance.

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Rotor blade design for wind turbines that improves efficiency and reduces noise compared to conventional blunt trailing edges. The rotor blade has a reduced trailing edge length on the suction side and/or pressure side compared to the full chord. Eddy generators are added in this region to create turbulent flow. This reduces separation and vortex shedding compared to a blunt edge. The generators are positioned near the trailing edge and extend a short distance. The reduced trailing edge length prevents excessive depth increase. The generators can be in suction side and/or pressure side regions.

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A wind turbine system with an air flow director that rotates with the blades to expose them to the wind or block it as needed. The air flow director accelerates and directs the air flow through the turbine. It has a convex windward side to accelerate the air flow toward the blades. The air flow director also has a leeward side to expel air not part of the prevailing flow. This reduces negative torque when the blades face the wrong direction. The blades pivot on their mountings to further vary angle.

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A wind turbine system with hollow propeller blades that allows continuous rotation in low wind conditions and prevents stalling. The blades have fluid reservoirs connected to pumps and wireless control. In low wind, pumps transfer fluid to the top reservoir, creating imbalance that keeps the blades rotating. In high wind, pumps slow rotation. Anemometers and shaft sensors monitor wind and rotation, activating pumps. The system prevents stalling, scuffing, and bearing wear. It also slows turbines at high speeds. The hollow blades reduce weight. The system can retrofit existing turbines.

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Variable tilting blade windmill design that can capture more wind energy than fixed blade windmills. The windmill has multiple turbines with blades that can rotate between a flat capture position and a slicing position. This allows the blades to present the maximum surface area when facing the wind and then rotate to slice through the wind when not in an ideal location. The blades can be manually or automatically rotated using levers, rings, posts, or motors based on wind direction. This increases the effectiveness of wind capture by enabling the blades to better harvest the available energy from the wind.

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Foldable wind turbine blades that can retract into the hub to reduce wind resistance in high winds. The blades pivot on hinges at the hub and can be folded by actuators. This allows the blades to lie close to the tower when retracted, significantly reducing the turbine's profile and drag. The folding mechanism has brakes to hold the blades closed during storms. The turbine also has devices to lock the blades in place when folded to prevent them from flapping in high winds. This allows the turbine to withstand extreme winds without needing a heavy, expensive structure. The blades can be opened and closed manually or automatically using batteries when the main power source is disconnected.

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Vertical axis wind turbine design that can self-start and operate in low wind speeds. The turbine has vertical helicoidal blades with venturis, or constricted channels, running through them. This configuration allows the turbine to capture low-velocity air flow and accelerate it through the venturis, increasing the blade tip speed and generating power. The helicoidal blades also provide omnidirectional operation unlike horizontal axis turbines.

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A wind turbine design with vertical airfoils forming a diffuser around a central airfoil containing the rotor and generator. The side airfoils are connected to the central airfoil by adjustable curtains. This allows the turbine to transition between horizontal and vertical axis rotation depending on wind conditions. The curtains can be opened to create a horizontal diffuser configuration or closed to create a vertical diffuser configuration around the central rotor. The curtains also allow adjustment of the diffuser shape to optimize efficiency in various wind speeds.

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A vertical-axis wind turbine with spherical rotor blades that increases energy capture compared to conventional Savonius-type turbines. The blades have a concave inner side and convex outer side, forming a spherical shape. This allows higher drag on the concave side and lower drag on the convex side. The blades also have arcuate top and bottom surfaces. This shape increases compression of the airflow through the center of the turbine as it exits, compared to traditional cylindrical turbines. This increases the energy extraction from the air. The open center with a spherical flow path compresses the airflow as it exits, unlike traditional cylindrical turbines with parallel blades and a fixed cross-sectional area. This increases the pressure drop and energy extraction compared to traditional Savonius turbines.

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A wind turbine design that improves efficiency and reduces visual impact compared to conventional horizontal and vertical axis turbines. The turbine has blades oriented radially away from the shaft with openings between the shaft and blades. An air flow director shields blades from counter-rotation air. The blades pivot to reduce drag when not facing wind. The air flow director accelerates air through the turbine. The blades have convex shapes to maximize lift. This allows blades to rotate with wind instead of fighting against it. The turbine can feather into the wind to stop rotation in high speeds. The air flow director can be shaped to optimize air flow and visibility.

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A lightweight vertical windmill blade design that reduces weight and improves efficiency compared to traditional metal blades. The blade has a frame structure with cutouts covered by a layer of flexible sheet material like PTFE instead of metal. The sheet material is attached over the cutouts on the exterior or interior surface of the blade. This reduces weight while maintaining blade strength. The flexible sheet also covers the cutouts to improve airflow and reduce drag compared to exposed cutouts.

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Wind power generation system with increased efficiency and scalability compared to conventional wind turbines. The system has multiple aligned wind turbines, flanked by blade units with inner shapes extending along the circumferences of circles defined by the turbine rotations. This enhances wind collection around the turbines. Additional outer turbines and blades gather wind that passes through the inner units. The setup converts the rotational energy using a conversion unit. The blade shape and configuration increases wind capture and allows scaling by adding more turbines and blades.

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A wind turbine design with a shell enclosure that increases efficiency by taking advantage of venturi, coanda, and Bernoulli effects. The turbine has a blade rotor encased in a cavity shell. The shell intake opening uses venturi principle to accelerate wind ingestion, increasing energy and lowering pressure inside. Coanda effect makes the shell curve attract wind. Bernoulli effect lowers pressure inside. This creates a suction effect pulling more wind into the turbine. The shell design helps turbines start in low winds and maintain vortex stability. The shell can also rotate into wind for optimal harvesting.

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A wind generator system with biomimetic vertical axis blades that improves efficiency by mimicking bird wing geometry. The blades have scoops with angled sections that increase lift and decrease drag compared to conventional vertical axis rotors. The scoop angles create a hook and twist shape similar to bird wings. This geometry harnesses more wind energy while reducing drag as blades rotate.

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Vertical axis wind turbine with a jetted shield to improve efficiency by redirecting wind striking the shield to further power the turbine. The shield has an angled scoop that channels wind into ejection ports behind the blades, forcing air onto the concave blade face. This redirects windflow to enhance lift and generation. The shield rotates with the blades but only in one direction to prevent counterrotation.

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