Tunisia:Bladeless wind converter invented

A Tunisian engineer has created the first bladeless wind converter to generate wind energy. It can also be used to pump water and serve as a compressor for air conditioning.

The inventor, thirty-seven-year old Anis Aouni spent over more than two years on this project.

The invention known as ‘Saphonian’ or the ‘Zero-blade Wind Converter’ peculiar way of working, instead of rotating, the converter follows a back and forth three-dimensional knot motion that is directly converted to a rotational motion to generate electricity.

Ecofriendly

Aouini said his invention is unique because it is more environmentally friendly, less noisy and cheaper cost-efficient than other wind-based systems. According to him, the Saphonian can turn nearly 80 percent of wind energy into electricity.

“The elements of the machine do not rotate as a blade but they have another movement inspired by nature, I called it a three-dimensional-knot movement. It’s like a big ‘eight’ in space. It’s a movement that we can find in nature. That’s why I told you the Saphonian is rich in biomimetics because we find the same movement in fish tales when they are moving, or in birds’ wings,’‘ said Aouni.

Mohamed Amine Ben Achour,a co-engineer working on the renewable energy project said the dream is to replace the traditional wind turbines worldwide.

But Aouini is not looking forward to sell his invention in separate units yet. He wants his firm to be an energy provider rather than a hardware seller.

Cheap Energy

“The profitability, or rather the performance, of the Saphonian can be evaluated in two levels. First, technically, the Saphonian has a better efficiency than your conventional wind turbines. In practice, we reached 1.7 times the performance of a traditional wind turbine. Economically it is a machine that costs much less than an equivalent wind turbine.’‘ said Aouni.

Saphon Energy is a start up, Co-Founder, Hassine Labailed, said the invention is a classic example that the young Tunisians have the intellectual skills to prove themselves.

The machine’s name,Saphonian, comes from a wind divinity that was worshipped by the ancient Carthaginians.

Saphon energy was recently awarded the 2015 Gulfstream Navigator Award, a prize given to industries that make a positive impact on health, economies or the environment while respecting global cultures.