William Louis Watson
Engineers at 138 Ave, Seattle, WA

4491739, Jan 1, 1985

Sep 27, 1982

6/424583

William K. Watson - Seattle WA

F03D 900

290 44

A wind turbine, by use of a tethered airship for support, may be designed for the economical recovery of power at heights of 2,000 feet or more above ground, at which height power density in the wind is typically three times the power density available to a conventionally supported wind turbine. Means can be added to such an airship-floated wind turbine which will permit its generators to be used to meet load demand even during periods of little or no wind. Described to this end is a wind turbine system which combines, among other novel features: (a) a novel tether line system which provides access for men and materials to the supporting airship while in active service, (b) a novel system for providing additional buoyant lift at the nose of the turbine-supporting airship to offset the vertical component of tension induced in the tether line by the downwind force exerted by the turbine blades, (c) a novel bearing assembly at the nose of the supporting airship which permits the airship to rotate as a unit with the turbine it supports without causing a similar rotation of the tether line, (d) a novel turbine airship structure which handles concentrated loads from the turbine efficiently and also permits the safe use of hydrogen for buoyancy, (e) a novel "space frame" structure which supports the turbine blades and greatly reduces blade weight, (f) a novel system for controlling turbine blade angle of incidence and for varying blade incidene in synchrony with blade angular position abut the turbine axis to provide greater control over airship movement, (g) a novel system for locating propellor-driven generators out at the wind turbine perimeter and for using lightweight, high-RPM generators to produce electrical energy at a power line frequency, which greatly reduces the weight required to convert turbine blade torque into useful power, and (h) a novel system for incorporating compressed air storage and combustion turbine components into the wind turbine's generator drive systems to provide a supplementary source of power for driving the wind turbine's generators.

4735552, Apr 5, 1988

Oct 4, 1985

6/784789

William K. Watson - Seattle WA

F03D 1104

416 99

A new design for large wind turbines permitting a substantial reduction in weight and cost. Lightweight airfoils comprising the turbine blades are supported within an extensive space frame system which eliminates the large bending moments to which the blades of a conventional wind turbine are subject. The turbine's useful power output is produced by lightweight electrical generators mounted inside nacelles located at the wind turbine's rotational perimeter. The nacelle-mounted generators are driven by separate, pivotable, high RPM retropellers whose high RPM is made possible by the resultant high airstream velocity encountered at the turbine perimeter.

2009009, Apr 16, 2009

Oct 15, 2007

11/895296

William Kemper Watson - Seattle WA, US

F03D 11/00, F03D 9/00

290 55, 416142

The horizontal axis wind turbine of this invention has a space frame structure that enables a light weight blade system to force rotation of numerous small wheels into rolling contact with the surface of at least one ring that extends around the perimeter of said blade system. A portion of the wheels drive rotation of multiple small electrical generators, and air compressors (?), at a high initial RPM, in the numbers needed to produce this wind turbine's useful power output.For offshore use, a wind turbine structure as described above surmounts two horizontal toroidal members held apart by multiple vertical columns. The lower toroidal member and the vertical columns above this member float at a depth that is nearly half the column heights. Added structure enables the extraction of energy from waves transiting the vertical columns.

4684813, Aug 4, 1987

Jan 3, 1985

6/688682

William K. Watson - Seattle WA

H02J 100

290 4A

Two high frequency AC generators are enabled to deliver a low frequency AC output to a load, by means of heterodyning and rectifying circuitry.