Patent Description:
The present invention relates generally to clean energy devices, and more particularly, to a wind-powered energy generator capable of producing energy and storing said energy for later use in generating electricity.

It is becoming more important in many countries to limit their dependence on fossil fuel energy sources and to turn to more renewable and environmentally friendly sources of energy. Some of such alternative sources of energy may include solar, hydroelectric and wind powered energy. The utilization of wind power, in particular, is becoming more and more popular as an alternative to fossil fuels.

The utilization of wind power to generate electricity generally includes positioning an electrical generator at the top of a wind tower and using a rotating fan blade to intercept the wind and drive the electrical generator. The electricity produced by the electrical generator is then fed into an electrical grid or system which carries the electricity to the point of use. When many wind tower generators are positioned at a single location the result is often called a wind farm.

However, some limitations arise when producing electricity in this fashion. For instance, the cost of the materials forming the grid is quite high and there are transmission losses in power, the further the electricity has to travel along the wires of the grid. Often, transformers are needed to boost the energy along the length of the grid and additional power may be lost due to thermal losses in the wires themselves. Maintenance of these systems and electrical grids is also costly. An example of a prior art solution is available in document <CIT>.

More importantly, the generation of electricity at the site of the wind towers also has another problem. Inherent in the production of electricity is the need to immediately use the power as it cannot be easily stored and certainly not on a large scale. Thus, the electricity generated by the wind tower electrical generator needs to be used quickly or it is wasted or lost. This can greatly increase the cost of operating this type of generator which cost increases are typically passed on to consumers.

Accordingly, there is an established need for a wind-powered energy generation system that can solve at least one of the aforementioned problems. For example, there is a need for a wind-powered energy generation system can produce energy for later use in generating electricity and at a distance from the point of production.

The present invention is directed to an energy generator system according to claim <NUM>, that is capable of capturing the transitory energy contained within the wind and converting it to a form of storable energy for use in generating electricity at a later time. The energy generator system includes a compression system including an air compressor for compressing incoming air and a rotor for operating the compressor in response to the wind flowing over the rotor. The rotor converts the linear force of the wind into rotational mechanical energy for operating the air compressor. An air intake system is provided for supplying clean ambient air to the air compressor and a storage system may be provided for storing the compressed air produced by the air compressor. The compression system and the intake system can be contained in a wind tower having a head for supporting the rotor and an elongate pylon for positioning the rotor at a sufficient height to capture the energy of the wind. The energy generator system may additionally include a cooling system for cooling the compressed air to allow a higher amount of compressed air energy to be stored within a given storage system and a conversion system for converting the compressed air energy back into rotational mechanical energy for producing electricity.

In an example, an energy generator system comprises an air intake system configured to intake air, a rotor configured to be rotated by wind, and an air compression system comprising an air compressor. The energy generator system is configured to adopt a working configuration in which the rotor is rotating and thereby powering the air compressor, the air compressor is in fluid communication with and receives air from the air intake system, and the air compressor is compressing air received from the air intake system and producing compressed air.

In an example, the energy generator system may further include a compressed air storage system configured to receive compressed air from the air compression system and store the compressed air.

In an example, the compressed air storage system may include at least one storage tank and an air outflow line connecting the at least one storage tank to the air compression system.

In an example, , the compressed air storage system may further include a cooling system configured to cool the compressed air received from the air compression system.

In an example, the cooling system may include a bladder, a coolant, and a source of coolant. The bladder may be configured to receive and contain compressed air from the air compression system. The coolant may surround the bladder for cooling compressed air contained within the bladder. The source of coolant may provide coolant to the surroundings of the bladder.

In an example, the cooling system may further include a heat exchanger for removing heat from the coolant.

In an example, the air compression system may further include one or more intercoolers configured to generate a cooler, compressed air by cooling compressed air received from the air compressor.

In an example, the energy generator system may further include a compressed air storage system configured to receive the cooler, compressed air from the one or more intercoolers and store the cooler, compressed air.

In an example, the air compression system may further include a drive train connecting the rotor to the air compressor and configured to transmit rotation energy from the rotor to the air compressor.

In an example, the energy generator system may further include a wind tower housing and supporting the air compression system at a sufficient height to encounter wind. The wind tower may include a hub and an elongate pylon, wherein the hub supports the rotor and the air compression system and the pylon supports the hub.

In an example, the air intake system may be contained within the pylon.

In an example, the air intake system may include an air chamber positioned within the pylon, and may further include air intake port in fluid communication with an interior of the air chamber.

In an example, the air chamber may feature an upper air chamber section and a lower air chamber section separated by an air circulation device. The lower air chamber section may be configured to receive air from the air intake port. In turn, the air circulation device may be configured to generate a vortex in air passing from the lower air chamber section to the upper air chamber section towards the air compression system.

In an example, the intake system may further include a filter positioned within the air chamber and configured to filter particles carried by air flowing through the air chamber from the air intake port towards the air compression system.

In another aspect, the filter may be arranged in a central area of the air chamber, spaced apart from inner sidewalls of the air chamber.

In an example, the energy generator system may further include a conversion system configured to convert compressed air produced by the air compression system to electricity.

In an example, the conversion system may include at least one air stream generator and an electrical generator. The at least one air stream generator may be configured to receive compressed air produced by the air compression system and convert the received compressed air to rotational mechanical energy. The electrical generator may be configured to produce electricity when powered by the rotational mechanical energy produced by the at least one air stream generator.

In an example, the at least one air stream generator may include a plurality of air stream generators and a plurality of valves. The plurality of valves may be operable to regulate flow of compressed air from the air compression system to each air stream generator of the plurality of air stream generators.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.

The preferred embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word "exemplary" or "illustrative" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration. " Any implementation described herein as "exemplary" or "illustrative" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "rear", "right", "front", "vertical", "horizontal", and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in <FIG>. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims.

Shown throughout the figures, the present invention is directed toward a convenient and economical energy generator system that is capable of harnessing the power of the wind and converting the linear energy of the wind into mechanicallygenerated rotational energy which in turn is used to produce storable compressed air energy for later use in generating electricity.

Referring initially to <FIG>, an energy generator system <NUM> is illustrated in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, configured as a wind-powered air compression system. As shown, the energy generator system <NUM> generally includes an air compression system <NUM>, an air intake system <NUM> for supplying a flow of clean air to the air compression system <NUM>, and a compressed air storage system <NUM> for storage of the air compressed by the compression system <NUM>. The compressed air storage system <NUM> stores the compressed air provided by compression system <NUM> for a period of time and may transmit the stored compressed air over a distance to a location where the compressed air energy can be converted into electricity on demand. As shown, an air intake line <NUM> extends between the air intake system <NUM> and the compression system <NUM>, and a compressed air outflow line <NUM> extends between the compression system <NUM> and the compressed air storage system <NUM>.

The compression system <NUM> is provided to convert the fluctuating and temporal energy or power of naturally-occurring, linearly-moving wind to a constant form of stored energy in the form of compressed air. The air compression system <NUM> includes an air compressor <NUM> and a multi-bladed fan or rotor <NUM> movably mounted to, and configured to drive, the air compressor <NUM>. The rotor <NUM> is configured to be rotated by wind passing over the rotor <NUM> and to absorb the energy of the wind and convert the energy contained in the linearly moving wind to a form of rotational mechanical energy. The rotational mechanical energy is transmitted from the rotor <NUM> to the air compressor <NUM> through a drive train <NUM>. Specifically, the rotor <NUM> is mounted on a rotor shaft <NUM> of the drive train <NUM>. The drive train <NUM> additionally includes a gear assembly <NUM> connected to the rotor shaft <NUM> and a drive shaft <NUM> connecting the gear assembly <NUM> to the air compressor <NUM>. The rotational energy of the rotor <NUM> is transmitted through the rotor shaft <NUM>, through the gear assembly <NUM> and on to the air compressor <NUM> via the drive shaft <NUM>. The gear assembly <NUM> is provided to raise the rate of revolutions per minute or "rpm" of the system from a slower rpm at the rotor <NUM> to a higher rpm at the drive shaft <NUM> for more efficient use by the air compressor <NUM>. In this manner, the generally linear force of the wind impacting and driving the rotor <NUM> is converted by the compression system <NUM> into mechanical rotational energy for use by the air compressor <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the air compressor <NUM> can comprise a drill- or screw-type compressor capable of compressing incoming air and transmitting the compressed air to the compressed air storage system <NUM> while requiring a low starting torque and being capable of moving large volumes of air, making the system more efficient and able to work at lower wind speed. In other more preferred embodiments, as shown for instance in <FIG>, the air compressor <NUM> can comprise a centrifugal air compressor, which is a type of compressor generally capable of delivering high air volume and pressure. For simplicity, references made hereinafter to the air compressor <NUM> will apply indistinctly to either type of air compressor <NUM> (drill- or screw-type air compressor of <FIG>, or centrifugal air compressor of <FIG>), or to alternative types of air compressors which may potentially be included in the compression system <NUM>, unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, unless expressly stated otherwise, references made to <FIG> will also apply to <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the air intake system <NUM> of the energy generator system <NUM> includes an air intake port <NUM> and an air chamber <NUM>. The air intake port <NUM> receives ambient air from outside the energy generator system <NUM> and allows the ambient air to pass into the air chamber <NUM>. A micro filter <NUM> is provided in the air chamber <NUM> and is connected to the air compressor <NUM> through the air intake line <NUM>. More specifically, a first end <NUM> of the air intake line <NUM> is connected to and in fluid communication with an air intake or air inlet 121a of the air compressor <NUM>, while a second end <NUM> of the air intake line <NUM> is connected to and in fluid communication with the micro filter <NUM>. It must be noted that <FIG> has been drawn schematically and is omitting lines connecting the first end <NUM> of the air intake line <NUM> to the air inlet 121a; however, such lines have been omitted for clarity of the illustration only, as the air inlet 121a is arranged generally at a center of the centrifugal air compressor <NUM>, and it should be equally understood that the first end <NUM> of the air intake line <NUM> is connected to and in fluid communication with the air inlet 121a.

With continued reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, the micro filter <NUM>, which may be disposable, is provided to filter out contaminants and particulates that may be present in the ambient air and provide a source of clean, outside air to the air compressor <NUM>. An air circulation device <NUM> may be provided within the air chamber <NUM> to facilitate moving the ambient air from the air intake port <NUM> to the micro filter <NUM> and cleaning of the air by the micro filter <NUM> as described in more detail hereinbelow. The air circulation device <NUM>, which is described in greater detail hereinafter, may also serve as a debris remover.

The compressed air storage system <NUM> is provided to store the compressed air for later use in converting the compressed air to electrical power. In preferred embodiments, the compressed air storage system <NUM> includes one or more compressed air storage tanks. In different embodiments, the storage tank or tanks can be local or adjacent to the energy generator system <NUM>, shared by two or more energy generator systems <NUM>, remote or physically distant from the energy generator system(s) <NUM>, or combinations thereof. For example, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the compressed air storage system <NUM> can include a primary storage tank <NUM> located within or adjacent to the energy generator system <NUM>.

The air compressed by the air compressor <NUM> of the compression system <NUM> is transmitted or fed to the compressed air storage system <NUM> through the compressed air outflow line <NUM>. In some embodiments, such as the example shown in <FIG>, a first end <NUM> of the compressed air outflow line <NUM> is connected to and in fluid communication with an air outlet 121b of the air compressor <NUM> of the compression system <NUM>. In other embodiments, such as the example shown in <FIG>, the air outlet 121b of the air compressor <NUM> is instead connected to an air inlet <NUM> of a series of one or more intercoolers <NUM>, and the first end <NUM> of the compressed air outflow line <NUM> is connected to and in fluid communication with an air outlet <NUM> of the one or more intercoolers <NUM>. In both examples, a second end <NUM> of the compressed air outflow line <NUM> is connected to and in fluid communication with the compressed air storage system <NUM> (e.g., with the primary storage tank <NUM> of the compressed air storage system <NUM>).

The aforementioned one or more intercoolers <NUM>, which may be optionally included in the compression system <NUM> and be provided downstream of the air compressor <NUM>, are configured to cool the compressed air produced by the air compressor <NUM> prior to feeding the compressed air to the compressed air storage system <NUM>. The one or more intercoolers <NUM> may cool the compressed air produced by the air compressor <NUM> by exchanging heat with coolant fed into the one or more intercoolers <NUM> via one or more coolant intake lines <NUM>. The warmed coolant may be extracted from the one or more intercoolers <NUM> via a warmed coolant outlet line <NUM>, and heat carried by the warmed coolant may be optionally used for other purposes, industrial processes, etc. It must be noted that, while the one or more intercoolers <NUM> have been depicted together with the centrifugal air compressor <NUM>, this specific combination shown in the drawings should not be understood as limiting. For example, the one or more intercoolers <NUM> may be used with alternative types of air compressors (e.g., the drill- or screw-type air compressor <NUM> of <FIG>); in another example, the centrifugal air compressor <NUM> may not be followed by the aforementioned one or more intercoolers <NUM>.

Referring now to <FIG>, the energy generator system <NUM> includes a wind tower <NUM> for supporting and housing the compression system <NUM> and the air intake system <NUM>. The wind tower <NUM> can be located and mounted at a location that typically receives a reliably steady wind flow to optimize the output of the energy generator system <NUM>. In some embodiments, multiple compression systems <NUM>, each with their respective wind tower <NUM>, may be located together forming a wind park (not shown), which can provide substantial amounts of clean and efficient stored energy for later conversion to electricity. As shown in <FIG>, the disclosed wind tower <NUM> includes an elongate tower pylon <NUM> and a head or hub <NUM> mounted on a top end <NUM> of the tower pylon <NUM>. The tower pylon <NUM> houses the air intake system <NUM>. The air intake port <NUM> is mounted to and extends through the tower pylon <NUM> while an interior <NUM> of the tower pylon <NUM> (<FIG>) houses the air chamber <NUM>, micro filter <NUM> and air circulation device <NUM> of the air intake system <NUM>. The air intake port <NUM> is in fluid communication with the air chamber <NUM>.

In turn, the hub <NUM> of the wind tower <NUM> supports the rotor <NUM> of the compression system <NUM> and houses the air compressor <NUM>, drive train <NUM>, and the one or more intercoolers <NUM> (if applicable) of the compression system <NUM>. The pylon <NUM> is of a sufficient height to position the hub <NUM>, and thus the rotor <NUM>, in the path of a sustained wind. In some embodiments, the hub <NUM> may be rotatably mounted on the top end <NUM> of the tower pylon <NUM>, such as about a vertical rotation axis, so that the rotor <NUM> can be best positioned or oriented to take advantage of the naturally occurring wind approaching from any direction.

As best shown in <FIG>, the air circulation device <NUM> is positioned within an interior <NUM> of the air chamber <NUM> between the air intake port <NUM> and the micro filter <NUM>. The air circulation device <NUM> includes a housing <NUM> surrounding a plurality of static fan blades <NUM> which are mounted on a central hub <NUM>. The position of the air circulation device <NUM> within the interior <NUM> of the air chamber <NUM> separates the air chamber <NUM> into lower and upper chamber sections <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively. In turn, as shown in the figure, the micro filter <NUM> is arranged in a (radial-wise) central area of the interior <NUM> of the air chamber <NUM>, substantially spaced apart from inner sidewalls <NUM> of the air chamber <NUM> which face the interior <NUM> such that a space <NUM> is thereby formed between the micro filter <NUM> and the inner sidewalls <NUM> for purposes that will be hereinafter described.

Referring to <FIG>, the air intake port <NUM> allows the flow of ambient air <NUM> into the lower chamber section <NUM> and through the air circulation device <NUM>. The air compressor <NUM> draws air out of the upper chamber section <NUM> of the air chamber <NUM> through the micro filter <NUM>. The air circulation device <NUM> is designed such that air can travel through the static blades <NUM> (<FIG>), and due to the angle of the static blades <NUM>, can change direction and be forced to start spinning in the air chamber <NUM>, thereby forming a vortex, while centrifugal force moves debris outwards toward the pylon <NUM> to initially clean the incoming ambient air <NUM>. The air circulation device <NUM> also smoothly moves air upward from the lower chamber section <NUM> to the upper chamber <NUM> section of the air chamber <NUM>. Specifically, the ambient air <NUM> is drawn into the air intake port <NUM> in the direction of arrows "A" where it enters the lower chamber section <NUM> of the air chamber <NUM>. The ambient air <NUM> then flows upward in the direction of arrows "B" through the air circulation device <NUM> and into the upper chamber section <NUM> of the air chamber <NUM>. The air circulation device <NUM> may cause the ambient air <NUM> to swirl in the direction of arrows "C" in a vortex directing the ambient air <NUM> towards the micro filter <NUM>. The ambient air <NUM> is then drawn in the direction of arrows "D" into the micro filter <NUM> for passage into the air compressor <NUM> through the air intake line <NUM>. It should be noted that as the ambient air <NUM> is moved through the air chamber <NUM> it is cooled before it enters the air compressor <NUM>. This provides a slightly denser ambient air <NUM> to the air compressor <NUM> facilitating air compression.

Turning now to <FIG>, the operation of the energy generator system <NUM> in harnessing the energy of a relatively linear stream of wind <NUM>, convert the force of the wind <NUM> into rotational mechanical energy and using that rotational mechanical energy to compress the ambient air <NUM> into compressed air <NUM> for storage and later use in generating electricity will now be described. Initially, the hub <NUM> of the wind tower <NUM> is oriented such that the rotor <NUM> is facing directly into the wind <NUM> to harness as much energy as possible from the wind <NUM>. The wind <NUM> blows or flows over the rotor <NUM> such that the rotor <NUM> is rotated about rotation axis <NUM> by the wind <NUM>. The speed of rotation of the rotor <NUM> may be controlled by adjusting the angle or pitch of the rotor <NUM> to acquire a maximum amount of rotational power from a slow moving wind <NUM> or reduce the speed of rotation of the rotor <NUM> in a high velocity wind <NUM> to prevent over rotation of the rotor shaft <NUM> and thus damage to the air compressor <NUM>.

As the rotor <NUM> is rotated by the wind <NUM>, the rotor <NUM> rotates the rotor shaft <NUM> and thus the drive shaft <NUM> through the gear assembly <NUM>. Thus, the linear power of the wind <NUM> is converted into rotational mechanical energy. This rotational mechanical energy is transmitted to the air compressor <NUM> by the drive shaft <NUM> to operate the air compressor <NUM>. It must be noted that the air compressor <NUM> has been schematically depicted as a box to indicate that the air compressor <NUM> may include either one of the air compressors <NUM> described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, or others, in different embodiments of the invention.

Once the air compressor <NUM> is in operation, the air compressor <NUM> creates a suction to draw ambient air <NUM> into the wind tower <NUM> through the air intake port <NUM>. Specifically, and as noted hereinabove, the ambient air <NUM> is drawn into the lower chamber section <NUM> of the air chamber <NUM> through the air intake port <NUM> and passes upward through the air circulation device <NUM> and into the upper chamber section <NUM> of the air chamber <NUM>. As described heretofore, the air circulation device <NUM> causes the ambient air <NUM> from the lower chamber section <NUM> to start spinning and form a vortex which is fed into the upper chamber section <NUM>, while the centrifugal force created by the air spinning throws or projects the debris radially outward towards the inner sidewalls <NUM> of the chamber, leaving the air cleaner in the middle (i.e. in the radially central area of the upper chamber section <NUM>), where the micro filter <NUM> is located than in the lateral spaces <NUM>. The cleaner, ambient air <NUM> is then drawn into and through the micro filter <NUM> where it is further cleaned prior to passage into the air compressor <NUM>. The cleaned ambient air <NUM> passes from the micro filter <NUM> and into the air compressor <NUM> through the air intake line <NUM>. The spinning caused by the air circulation device <NUM> can also cool the air down for better efficiency.

Once the ambient air <NUM> has entered the air compressor <NUM> through the air intake line <NUM>, the ambient air <NUM> is compressed by the air compressor <NUM> into a source of compressed air <NUM>. Operation of the air compressor <NUM> forces the now compressed air <NUM> down through the one or more intercoolers <NUM> (if applicable), through the compressed air outflow line <NUM> and into the primary storage tank <NUM> of the compressed air storage system <NUM>. It should be noted that the primary storage tank <NUM> of the compressed air storage system <NUM> depicted herein is located immediately within or adjacent to or very near the wind tower <NUM>. The compressed air <NUM> may be used immediately or at later date to run an electricity producing generator as described hereinbelow.

With continued reference to <FIG>, and as noted hereinabove, multiple energy generator systems <NUM>, including wind towers <NUM>, may be provided at a single general location or site to create a wind energy park (not shown). Where there are multiple energy generator systems <NUM> at a single site, all the compressed air <NUM> generated by these energy generator systems <NUM> may be stored in a single or main wind park storage tank <NUM>, for instance and without limitation. Multiple, in-park transfer lines <NUM> may be provided between the individual primary storage tanks <NUM> of the energy generator systems <NUM> and the main wind park storage tank <NUM>.

Referring now to <FIG> and <FIG>, in accordance with the present invention, the compressed air <NUM> obtained by compressing outside air <NUM> in order to generate electricity, and thus the energy contained therein, can be stored until it is actually needed due to electrical demand. Further, by maintaining a constant pressure of the compressed air <NUM>, the energy contained therein is capable of being transported over great distances to a point or points of need. For example, the compressed air <NUM> contained in the main wind park storage tank <NUM> may be transferred at constant pressure and over great distances to off-site storage tanks <NUM> through one or more transfer lines <NUM>. The transfer lines <NUM> may be formed from a compressed air Teflon pipe, for instance and without limitation. As best shown in <FIG>, the capacity of the off-site storage in accordance with the present disclosure is limited only by the number of off-site storage tanks <NUM> available and is thus easily expandable through the addition of other off-site storage tanks 200a, at the same or differing locations, to increase the stored energy capacity.

The provision and operation of the energy generator system <NUM> to capture the power and energy of the wind <NUM> and store that energy as compressed air <NUM> in one or more on-site primary storage tanks or main wind park storage tanks and/or transfer that compressed air to one or more off site storage tanks <NUM> constitutes a first stage in converting the power of the wind <NUM> into electrical energy.

Referring to <FIG>, a second stage of converting the power of the wind <NUM>, and specifically the compressed air <NUM>, into electricity is disclosed. In this second stage, the energy contained within the compressed air <NUM> is converted back into rotational mechanical energy for running an electrical generator <NUM> to produce electricity. Here, the compressed air <NUM>, contained within the off-site storage tanks <NUM>, is conveyed by the transfer line <NUM> to one or more air turbines or air stream generators <NUM>, which convert the compressed air energy into a mechanical rotation force. Specifically, as the compressed air <NUM> is released into the air stream generators <NUM>, the compressed air <NUM> expands and rotates fans <NUM> within the air stream generators <NUM>. As the fans <NUM> are rotated, they in turn rotate generator shafts <NUM> connected to the fans <NUM>. The generator shafts <NUM> in turn operate the electrical generator <NUM> to produce electricity. Thus, the electrical generator <NUM> and the air stream generators <NUM> form a conversion system <NUM> for converting the stored energy in the compressed air <NUM> back into rotational mechanical energy. The rotational mechanical energy carried by the generator shafts <NUM> is transmitted to the electrical generator <NUM> which then produces electricity for use by the customer or general public.

In this manner, the energy generator system <NUM> captures the energy contained within the wind <NUM> (by using said energy to generate compressed air <NUM>), stores the energy (compressed air <NUM>) for later use depending on distance or demand and converts that stored energy into electrical energy for use by the public as needed.

The energy generator system <NUM> of the present disclosure can be easily and advantageously scaled to different sizes and in order to create different-sized power plants on demand. For example, as described heretofore, a variable number of compression systems <NUM> and associated wind towers <NUM>, and/or compressed air storage tanks, may be included in order to scale the energy generator system <NUM>. Furthermore, as shown in <FIG>, the number of air stream generators <NUM> may be varied in order to generate different magnitudes of electrical power, further contributing to obtain an energy generator system <NUM> which is flexible for any size system. The energy generator system <NUM> may further include operable valves <NUM> configured to control the flow of compressed air <NUM> to each air stream generator <NUM>. The valves <NUM> may be controlled by one or more electronic processors responsively to data received from sensors comprised in the system, and configured to measure air pressure, air volume, and other variables associated to the compressed air <NUM>. This allows to stack a plurality of air stream generators <NUM> to accommodate the demand of electrical energy to be provided by the energy generator system <NUM>. If air flow becomes less than sufficient to run the air stream generators <NUM>, the valves <NUM> may shut off each air stream generator <NUM> until the pressure and volume are restored, thus keeping the energy generator system <NUM> as efficient as possible. Thus, the number of air turbines or air stream generators <NUM> is dynamically adjustable in dependence of the desired electrical power output, available compressed air (compressed air pressure), etc..

Referring now to <FIG> and <FIG>, in order to increase the efficiency of the disclosed energy generator system <NUM>, there is provided a cooling system <NUM> for use with the primary storage tank <NUM>, the main wind park storage tank <NUM> and/or the off-site storage tanks <NUM>. For purposes of discussion, the cooling system <NUM> will be discussed with regard to the off-site storage tank <NUM>. The cooling system <NUM> generally includes a flexible inflatable bladder <NUM> positioned within the storage tank <NUM> and a coolant <NUM> removably located within the storage tank <NUM> and outside of the bladder <NUM>. The transfer line <NUM> is in fluid communication with the bladder <NUM> which is housed inside the storage tank <NUM>. A coolant tank <NUM> is provided to supply the coolant <NUM> to the storage tank <NUM> and a heat exchanger <NUM> is provided to draw off excess heat from the coolant <NUM> as the coolant <NUM> absorbs heat from the compressed air <NUM>. The coolant tank <NUM> is in fluid communication with the heat exchanger <NUM> through a tank line <NUM>. For instance, as shown, the tank line <NUM> may provide fluid communication between a base of the coolant tank <NUM> and a base of the storage tank <NUM>. The coolant tank <NUM> may be arranged generally higher than the storage tank <NUM> to promote gravity and fluid pressure tending to fill the storage tank <NUM> with coolant <NUM>, optionally in its entirety (i.e. optionally to a top <NUM> of the storage tank <NUM>). In turn, the heat exchanger <NUM> is in fluid communication with the bladder <NUM> through a bladder line <NUM>. The bladder <NUM> may include one or more internal or external bladder supports <NUM> to assist in maintaining the shape of the bladder <NUM> and preventing complete collapse in the absence of compressed air <NUM>.

In use, initially, the bladder <NUM> is generally deflated or collapsed and most of the coolant <NUM> is retained within the storage tank <NUM>. As pressurized compressed air <NUM> enters an interior <NUM> of the bladder <NUM> through the transfer line <NUM>, the compressed air <NUM> expands the bladder <NUM> and is cooled to a lower temperature by the surrounding coolant <NUM>, forming cooled compressed air 410a. As the bladder <NUM> expands, it also forces the coolant <NUM> out of the storage tank <NUM> through the bladder line <NUM> and into the heat exchanger <NUM> where the heat absorbed by the coolant <NUM> is drawn off by cooler coolant <NUM> from the coolant tank <NUM>. Pressure exerted by the expanded bladder <NUM> can optionally force the coolant <NUM> up into the coolant tank <NUM>. Since the cooling system <NUM> is gravity fed and the coolant tank <NUM> located at a higher elevation than the storage tank <NUM>, the coolant <NUM> is always maintaining pressure on the bladder <NUM> within the storage tank <NUM>.

The ideal gas law provides that PV = nRT, where P is the gas pressure within a vessel, V is the volume of gas within the vessel and T is the temperature of the gas within the vessel. The remaining factors "n" and "R" are constants, where n is the number of moles in the gas and R is a gas constant. Therefore, since the pressure of the compressed air <NUM> flowing into and the pressure of the cooled compressed air 410a flowing out of the storage tank <NUM> and, in particular, the bladder <NUM>, is kept constant, by decreasing the temperature of the compressed air <NUM> through exposure to the coolant <NUM>, the volume of the cooled compressed air 410a is decreased or made more dense thus allowing more cooled compressed air 410a to be contained within a given fixed volume of the storage tank <NUM> than would be the case if the compressed air <NUM> remained at ambient temperature. The cooling system <NUM> disclosed herein therefore increases the efficiency of the energy generator system <NUM> by cooling the compressed air stored inside a given storage tank and thereby increasing the mass of compressed air which can be stored within said given storage tank.

While the above description of the cooling system <NUM> has been provided with reference to storage tank <NUM>, the same cooling system may be incorporated into any compressed air tanks comprised in the energy generator system <NUM>, such as, but not limited to, the primary storage tank <NUM> and/or the main wind park storage tank <NUM> described heretofore. In fact, incorporating the cooling system <NUM> into all the storage tanks associated with the energy generator system <NUM> drastically increases the efficiency of the system as the air passes through the first and second stages of the system as described hereinabove.

The flexibility of the bladder <NUM> further allows to equalize or stabilize abnormal occurring pressures, from a sudden wind power change or a sudden air volume change in the system. The flexibility of the bladder <NUM> will take the pressure difference (up to its mechanical limits) and normalize pressure. The weight of the coolant <NUM> fed by gravity will keep the bladder <NUM> always to a collapse, so the forces between the weight of the coolant <NUM> and the air pressure in the bladder <NUM> can "battle" for the best outcome.

Finally, the now cooled compressed air 410a can pass out through an outflow transfer line <NUM> to the second stage including the air stream generators <NUM> (<FIG> or <FIG>) or to additional storage tanks for further storage or additional cooling.

Thus, in this manner the energy generator system <NUM> incorporating the cooling system <NUM> provides a novel and efficient means of capturing and storing wind energy in the form of compressed air for later use in generating electricity.

Claim 1:
An energy generator system (<NUM>) comprising:
an air intake system (<NUM>) configured to intake air;
a rotor (<NUM>) configured to be rotated by wind; and
an air compression system (<NUM>) comprising an air compressor; wherein
the energy generator system is configured to adopt a working configuration in which the rotor is rotating and thereby powering the air compressor, the air compressor is in fluid communication with and receives air from the air intake system, and the air compressor is compressing air received from the air intake system and producing compressed air,
further comprising a wind tower housing (<NUM>) and supporting the air compression system at a sufficient height to encounter wind, the wind tower comprising a hub and an elongate pylon, wherein the hub supports the rotor and the air compression system and the pylon supports the hub,
wherein the air intake system is contained within the pylon,
wherein the air intake system comprises an air chamber positioned within the pylon, the air intake system further comprising air intake port in fluid communication with an interior of the air chamber, and
wherein the air chamber (<NUM>) comprises an upper air chamber section (<NUM>) and a lower air chamber section separated by an air circulation device, wherein the lower air chamber section is configured to receive air from the air intake port, and the air circulation device is configured to generate a vortex in air passing from the lower air chamber section to the upper air chamber section (<NUM>) towards the air compression system.