Tornado Power

Can man make an artificial tornado for useful purposes?

A researcher working for Grumman Aerospace Corporation, James Yen, has suggested a device to create a controlled tornado which can then be used to drive propellers for generating electricity. The key to its success is the extremely high-speed vortex-like wind created; in natural tornadoes it can reach 500 mph. Calculations show that a "tornado tower" 60 meters high and 20 meters across can generate as much as 1 megawatt of electricity.

Wind enters controlled louvers in the sides of the tower. Guided by the louvers, it spirals around inside the tower and moves upward at very high speed. As in a natural tornado, a relative vacuum develops at the center of the tower. Air rushes in at the bottom to the lower-pressure region and in so doing drives the blades of a generating turbine.

James Yen's invention may well bring wind power to the fore for electrical generation in many regions. His idea is cited as an argument for supporting basic research. Doing basic research in another field, Yen got intrigued with the wind power problem and applied his knowledge of wind vortices to the task.