颱風發電 - 無扇葉的垂直風力發電機

圖文轉載自: 風的想像   http://www.rthk.hk/tv/dtt31/programme/sciencewithyou/episode/516703

大家都知道風力發電，不過你聽過「颱風發電」嗎？據美國國家氣象部門的估計，由颱風或龍捲風所產生的能量，足夠為地球上一半的人口提供電力。不過怎樣的風車，才不會被颱風摧毀呢？日本風力工程師清水敦史(Atsushi Shimizu, https://challenergy.com/en)在沖繩島正在設計無扇葉的風力發電機，能夠在颱風和龍捲風之下發電, 它是如何運作的呢？

We all know what wind power is, but do you know typhoons could generate power too? It is estimated that the energy of typhoons, if harnessed, could provide electricity for half of the world. But first we would need wind turbines that would not be destroyed by strong winds. Japanese engineer Atsushi Shimizu (Challenergy) is designing turbines without blades in Okinawa – how does that work? 

日本是島國, 有很多地點不缺乏大風, 但用作風力發電是不太適合. 原因是風力不穩定, 風向經常改變, 風力的強度亦差一點.  一年之中總有幾次刮颱風,  風力又大得令很多風車受到損壞. 針對颱風和龍捲風的特點, 清水敦史設計了一款垂直風力發電機, 主體由三個轉動中的圓柱體所組成(見上圖).

清水敦史說, 當三個圓柱體在烈風裡作急速垂直轉動時,  其中心部份便愈難轉移, 愈穩固並呈現出一種向心的隋性,  舉例說, 足球員十二碼射罰球時用上一股旋轉勁,  球便會以翻滚中的香蕉形射程, 拐灣繞過人牆而直撲龍門, 並有其準確性.  正確來說應該是線性運動裏的扭力問題, 
圓柱體的重量愈輕, 產生的電力愈大.

用了垂直圓柱體, 不再受風向影響, 風速亦不會象螺旋槳一般局限在90公里時速之內(超出了便停止運作), 最高可達300公里時速, 大大地增加了三倍.

他說平日的日本颱風數量和最高風速還是太少了點,  未及得上心目中的水平,  還得耐心等待風季的到來, 這具垂直滾筒風力發電機(一千瓦特)才能受到真正的考驗.  現時它所生產的電力, 跟螺旋槳風車相比, 還不算很理想,  性能還是比較弱, 距離那些1MW的水平軸風車有一千倍.

他估計到真正建造成與傳統風力發電機一樣高大時, 在颱風下, 它能夠發出的電力會多出很多.


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Challenergy Inc., Tokyo, Japan (President & CEO: Atsushi Shimizu) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PNOC Renewables Corporation, Manila, Republic of the Philippines (Philippine National Oil Company Renewables Corporation, President & CEO：John J. Arenas) and NAREDCO, Manila, Republic of the Philippines (Natures Renewable Energy Development Corporation, President and CEO：Paul Michael Robles) for the conduct of a joint research and development on the application of Challenergy's wind turbine: "Magnus VAWT" in the Philippines. This is the second time for Challenergy to enter into an MOU with a local company in the country.

Challenergy is developing a first-of-its-kind wind turbine, to realize a safe supply of electricity for a sustainable society for mankind. Since August 2016, the company has been conducting field testing of its technology in Okinawa, and is currently developing its 10 kW prototype, with the aim of starting mass production in 2020. The Philippines is a country with an emerging economy, and power is an essential component to its development. It is composed of more than 7,000 islands, located in a typhoon-prone zone. This country is a promising market for the Magnus VAWT technology which offers a solution to problems of power shortage, especially in times of typhoon and its aftermath.  Source: https://challenergy.com/en/news//00293.html 

     比較中小水力, 地熱, 太陽光, 陸上風力, 洋上風力  Source:  https://challenergy.com/typhoon

延伸閱讀:  https://challenergy.com/typhoon