1. A wind energy conversion apparatus comprising:
a supporting structure;
a horizontal shaft having a first and a second end, said horizontal shaft being rotatably journalled in said supporting structure; and
at least one rotor blade constructed as a, flat flexible plate and having a first end and a second end, said at least one rotor blade being mounted on said shaft with both ends, such that during use, said at least one rotor blade exhibits a rotating chain line configuration, and the rotor blade being provided with additional wind capturing means, the additional wind capturing means comprising an asymmetrically positioned widened portion of the rotor blade.
2. The wind energy conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the widened portion has an ellipsoid merged therein.
3. The wind energy conversion apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a main axis of the ellipsoid coincides with a longitudinal axis of the blade.
4. The wind energy conversion apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a main axis of the ellipsoid has an angle with a longitudinal axis of the blade.
5. The wind energy conversion apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the angle is in the range of 0\xb0 to 60\xb0.
6. The wind energy conversion apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the angle is in the range of 20\xb0 to 40\xb0.
7. The wind energy conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the widened portion is circlular in shape.
8. A rotor blade for a wind energy conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotor blade is flexible and mountable on a rotatable horizontal shaft of the wind energy conversion apparatus by two ends of the rotor blade, said rotor blade being capable of rotating and exhibiting a rotating chain line configuration and the rotor blade being provided with additional wind capturing means, the additional wind capturing means comprising an asymmetrically positioned widened portion of the rotor blade.
9. The rotor blade according to claim 8, wherein the widened portion portion has an ellipsoid merged therein.
10. The rotor blade according to claim 8, wherein a main axis of the ellipsoid coincides with a longitudinal axis of the blade.
11. The rotor blade according to claim 8, wherein a main axis of the ellipsoid has an angle with a longitudinal axis of the blade.
12. The rotor blade according to claim 11, wherein the angle is in the range of 0\xb0 to 60\xb0.
13. The rotor blade according to claim 12, wherein the angle is in the range of 20\xb0 to 40\xb0.
14. The rotor blade according to claim 8, wherein the widened portion is circlular in shape.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A fuel cell system, comprising:
a fuel cell;
an intake pipe for admitting an introduction of oxidizing gas;
an oxidizing gas moving source that is provided downstream of the intake pipe for moving the oxidizing gas to a fuel cell;
an exhaust pipe for discharging exhaust gas which contains vapor generated at an oxygen electrode side of the fuel cell through an operation of the fuel cell;
a circulating pipe that connects the intake pipe and the exhaust pipe;
a circulating valve that is provided in the circulating pipe for adjusting a flow rate of the exhaust gas supplied from the exhaust pipe to the intake pipe,
a pressure regulating valve that is provided in the exhaust pipe for regulating a pressure at a position at which the circulating pipe and the exhaust pipe are joined; and
a control unit for controlling the pressure regulating valve to regulate the pressure at the position at which the circulating pipe and the exhaust pipe are joined into a predetermined pressure value higher than a pressure within the intake pipe.
2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the pressure regulating valve to regulate the pressure at the position at which the circulating pipe and the exhaust pipe are joined to be higher than at least an atmospheric pressure.
3. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the pressure regulating valve to regulate a pressure of the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust pipe.
4. The fuel cell system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the pressure regulating valve to regulate a pressure of the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust pipe.
5. The fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein one end of the circulating pipe that circulates the exhaust gas is connected to the exhaust pipe at a position between the fuel cell and the pressure regulating valve.
6. The fuel cell system according to claim 4, wherein one end of the circulating pipe that circulates the exhaust gas is connected to the exhaust pipe at a position between the fuel cell and the pressure regulating valve.
7. The fuel cell system according to claim 3, further comprising a sensor that is provided in the exhaust pipe for detecting a pressure of the exhaust gas, wherein the control unit electrically regulates an opening degree of the pressure regulating valve based on an electric signal output from the sensor.
8. The fuel cell system according to claim 4, further comprising a sensor that is provided in the exhaust pipe for detecting a pressure of the exhaust gas, wherein the control unit electrically regulates an opening degree of the pressure regulating valve based on an electric signal output from the sensor.
9. The fuel cell system according to claim 5, further comprising a sensor that is provided in the exhaust pipe for detecting a pressure of the exhaust gas, wherein the control unit electrically regulates an opening degree of the pressure regulating valve based on an electric signal output from the sensor.
10. The fuel cell system according to claim 6, further comprising a sensor that is provided in the exhaust pipe for detecting a pressure of the exhaust gas, wherein the control unit electrically regulates an opening degree of the pressure regulating valve based on an electric signal output from the sensor.
11. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the pressure regulating valve to regulate a pressure within the fuel cell.
12. The fuel cell system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the pressure regulating valve to regulate a pressure within the fuel cell.
13. The fuel cell system according to claim 11, wherein one end of the circulating pipe that circulates the exhaust gas is connected to the exhaust pipe at a position between the fuel cell and the pressure regulating valve.
14. The fuel cell system according to claim 12, wherein one end of the circulating pipe that circulates the exhaust gas is connected to the exhaust pipe at a position between the fuel cell and the pressure regulating valve.
15. The fuel cell system according to claim 11, further comprising a sensor that is provided in the exhaust pipe at a position close to the fuel cell for detecting a pressure of the exhaust gas, wherein the control unit electrically regulates an opening degree of the pressure regulating valve based on an electric signal output from the sensor.
16. The fuel cell system according to claim 12, further comprising a sensor that is provided in the exhaust pipe at a position close to the fuel cell for detecting a pressure of the exhaust gas, wherein the control unit electrically regulates an opening degree of the pressure regulating valve based on an electric signal output from the sensor.
17. The fuel cell system according to claim 13, further comprising a sensor that is provided in the exhaust pipe at a position close to the fuel cell for detecting a pressure of the exhaust gas, wherein the control unit electrically regulates an opening degree of the pressure regulating valve based on an electric signal output from the sensor.
18. The fuel cell system according to claim 14, further comprising a sensor that is provided in the exhaust pipe at a position close to the fuel cell for detecting a pressure of the exhaust gas, wherein the control unit electrically regulates an opening degree of the pressure regulating valve based on an electric signal output from the sensor.
19. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the oxygen gas supply source is provided with a compressor that introduces air from outside through the intake pipe.
20. The fuel cell system according to claim 19, wherein the air that is introduced by the compressor is ambient air.