Wind Turbine Competitor Steps in well maybe? Enter Wind Pipe

[Cloxxki]

I would not be surprised if there was also an vortex effect, first enforced and then supported, by the internal vortex shape of the funnel. A few ridges might do the trick?

Mounting the funnel such , on a horizontally rotating frame, such that opening always "sees" that vertical pivot axis right in front, should already ensure being dead straight into the wind, I would think. This pivoting can be on top, or right at the base.

[PhiScience]

  It looks like the pivot point is at the base using a Turntable bearing like one of these http://www.mcmaster.com/#turntables/=3cy73z

Also from the article on http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2009/20090064.html it says that the inventor is no stranger to inventions and patenting. He’s the world’s leading patent holder (at least 78 patents) on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification devices) alone and about 30 more patents in the pipeline including on the WindPipe technology.

The inventor John R. Tuttle is also the Chief Executive Officer of DayStar Technologies, Inc. http://www.daystartech.com 

He graduated from Cornell University (B.S. - Engineering Physics), the Colorado School of Mines (M.S. - Physics), and the University of Colorado (Ph.D. - Electrical Engineering). Dr. Tuttle held the position of Senior Scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where he was responsible for process and device development activities relating to thin-film solar cells.

So no dummy here, his claims are probably very believable.   

[exxcomm0n]

@ infringer

That is a novel idea that I hope comes to fruition for you, but that's not how I saw a "no moving parts" (which has been clarified to "no rotating parts") wind generator.

The first thing to pop into my head was electrostatic collection using Bernoulli's venturi effect as the motive force, with or without an electret attraction (like the heat/charge treated coaxial cable which as has long been theorized about).
It would have some significant challenges to overcome to be a generator that could furnish usable output (High V/ low A output, V/A conversion losses, switching polarities, humidity, etc.), but this "armchair dream" came to mind (since I really don't have a decent enough grasp of electronics to theorize competently).

What if you mounted a pipe vertically that was 20' (approx. 6+ M) long with both ends open to the atmosphere and used the wind speed differential within that 20' to draw the air though one end of the tube using the venturi effect?
It's omni-directional (NSEW) and doesn't have to move to face the wind. Air moves up/down through the pipe too depending on which end has the greater wind speed and lower pressure.
I suppose you could shield one end (the lower) from the wind to make the venturi effect unidirectional pulling air through from the earth side of the pipe.

The static electricity charge could then be collected by lining the inside of the pipe with a conductive screen as inductors/collectors to create/capture the ionic charges from the moving air.

How does it do that?
(Here's where the armchair really takes off.)

One theory would be that the inventor of this tech has conquered the electret issue and forms the pipe that way so the differential
ionic charges can be collected.
If that's the case, this guy has a "trade secret" in the formation of the electret and the collection method used, but.....

....what if you made it like a kelvin water drop generator using ionic charges of the particles in the air (so it still generates when there's high humidity or rain) instead of water?
Consider the linear kelvin water drop generator here:

http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/emotor/ikelv.html

               ______
                \       /  Grounded
         _____\    /   Funnel
        |           ||    w/shower head
        V          ||
                    /\
             __________
       __ /    \         /   \ _________________o
      |    |___|____|___|
      |                                    Output leads
      |                                    __________o
      |     __________             |
      |    /    \.. .. .. /   \ ______|
      |    |___|____|___|           |
      |                                   |
      |                                   |
      |        ______                 |
      |        \        / Grounded  |
      |     ___\     /     Funnel   |  Connect the bundt pans
      |    |        ||                     |  together using bare wires
      |   V        ||                     |  and tape, or using alligator
      |             /\                     |  clipleads found at Radio
      |                                    |  Shack stores
      |     __________             |
      |    /    \        /    \ ______|
      |    |___|____|___|
      |
      |     __________
      |__ /    \.. .. ../    \
           |___|____|___|

<ASCII art stolen from above site.>

Instead of using funnels and bundt cake pans, if you took wire screen and lined the inside of the pipe with pieces of it insulated from each other and corresponding with the electrical connections of the funnels/pans above that you could use the motive force of the wind instead of gravity causing water to fall to create this effect.

Like this?

  WIND                     ------------------------>

AIRFLOW                            ----------->
                                          ^
                                   ____|____
                                    |#    |    #|
screen lining(#) ----->     |#    ^    #|  ---------------------
                                    |#    |    #|                         |
     insulator(<>)----->      |<    ^   >|                         |
                                    |#    |    #|                         |
          output--->       -----|#... ^...#|                         |
          screen          |      |#    |    #|                         |
              two          |      |<   ^    >|                         |
                             |      |#    |    #|                         |
                             |      |#   ^    #|-----                    | 
                             |      |#    |    #|      !                  |
                             |      |<   ^    >|      !                  |
                             |      |#    |    #|      ```!               |  wired to
                             |      |#... ^ ...#|--------!---------------|     earth
                             |      |#    |    #|       ..!               |   ground   
                             |      |<   ^    >|      !                  |
                             |      |#    |    #|      !                  |
                             |      |#...^ ...#|------  <--output    |
                             |      |#    |    #|             screen   |
                             |      |<   ^    >|               one    |
                             |      |#    |    #|                         |
                               -----|#   ^    #|                         |
                                    |#    |    #|                         |
                                    |<   ^    >|                         |
                                    |#    |    #|                         |
                                    |#   ^    #| -----------------------
                                    |#    |    #|
                                      ````^````
                                         ^ ^                                           SKY
                                       |   |   |                                           ^
  AIRFLOW                      ^  ^  ^                                           |
                                    |      |      |                                        |
                                  ^   ^  ^  ^   ^                                       |
   ->------->------->-------^          ^         ^-------<------<------<-    GROUND
-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------


This design has a few other problems besides polarity switching and V/A transformation of the kelvin generator. What happens if it starts raining and the rain drops (ionic particle) start traveling (moved by gravity) against the humidity/dust (ionic particle) in the ground to sky airflow and it starts working as a classic kelvin generator? What happens if much faster airflow happens ground side and reverses the venturi? Can you flare one end of the pipe into a cone to prevent that type of backflow?

Whew! The armchair kinda took off there, but that's how I'd see a no moving parts wind generation scheme.
If you could incorporate an electret into the scheme such as was produced here:

http://www.esdjournal.com/static/shower/shower.html

(read this too)

http://www.nuenergy.org/alt/radiant_energy_diatribe.htm

the screen lining of the inside of the pipe becomes MUCH less involved as the electret acts as the inductor, but most homebrew attempts at electret making seem to report failure.

Since he's "made his name" in RFID during experimentation with them he found a way to make a efficient electret using electrostatic  electrical traces like those used to mass produce RFID antennas?

As to how the collected current could be transformed into a lower volt-higher amp usable current is the biggest stumbling block for all electrostatic devices as efficiencies run about 15-20% for spark gap/coil/transformer.

Just some not-so-grounded-in-reality guesses.....



EDIT: Getting the ASCII art to show up correctly was a BIT**!

[infringer]

Better grab a snickers on the frutation part lol I have only two componnents of my puzzle...

But I really enjoy everyone feedback on this device and I thank each and everyone of you.

Venturi effect is an interesting effect indeed, but seeing he made thin film solar it seems as if he is taking old tech and revamping it to make it cheaper not doing nothing too out of the box so to speak actually there are plenty of start up solar places that are doing the film solar or printable solar and the electrosparse S series ink is nearly impossible to find!

I've looked for days to find a supplier! And settled on using silicon for now. And I don't believe prices will be much better for the consumer until a few years down the road as all the friggin big corps and gov. have the stuff on back order for the next year or better!

BACK ON TRACK HERE

So back pressure may be an issue I maybe but in thinking it may make the mags bounce that much more...

We want maximum movement. This is a test run anyways will consist of 3 coils and heavy mags bouncing up and down.

Its a new fresh idea worthy of testing and the cheapness of this thing is crazy ...

Any coil winders out there to share there experiences with coil winding bahhh hell I'm never going to learn if I don't do the coil testing myself I suppose.

I was hoping I could tempt someone into building with me so I do not have to go it alone but I will be checking back daily for anything that sticks out to add to the design. I could change the pressure by drilling a few holes at the bottom maybe swiss cheese pattern... Though I don't wish to ruin the structure either and weaken it but I will continue to work at it....


I wonder if it isn't black to to make use of the hot air rising as well to maximize output by causing hot air to rise during the heat of day...

Exxcomm0n I cannot believe you did not break out the straws  and the mini mags and do a small scale You are the master in testing something with nothing.

Take care all I will check back probably several times a day.

EDIT:
Those bearings you point out look like savonius wind turbine bearings aka lazy susan bearings ... very interesting you point that out Phiscince ...

Cloxxi don't give up man I could be all wrong that is why I am sharing all I can before the build bud I may have it all wrong you don't need much to move magnets that are repelling each other a slight tap is all that is required really so six of them stacked will give you a bit of movement or bounce up and down as the air enters the tube and exits the pressure both back and inward should cause a consistant bounce with a little wind.

Take a strand of fishing line tie the acrylic rod at the end and hang it from a tree with a coil wrapped around it and a wing that would catch the wind and cause it to swing and the mags should bounce and generate power similar.

[infringer]

UPDATE:

Got the acrylic rods in the mail today along with the mags holy talk about cool it preforms as expected with bounce ...

Should be in for an interesting project!