*3.2.3 Solar collector*

The task of the solar collector is to create a temperature gradient between the base and the upper section of the "Rain Tower,", which forms a vertical thrust of the upward flow. For this purpose, the greenhouse effect is used, which is achieved due to the transparent coating of air intakes [12, 13].

The supersaturated steam generator has a distributed infrastructure, since air saturation with moisture is necessary in all air ducts of the solar collector at the same time. Supersaturated steam from the steam generator enters each duct sleeve of the solar collector. Its pressure drops, and it cools down, mixing with the surrounding air.

With the natural supply of steam, condensation occurs in full dependence on temperature, atmospheric pressure in the solar collector. The output of steam under pressure from the steam generator forms its directional movement, as a result of which less thermal energy is required, and condensation of cloud droplets occurs faster (**Figure 12**).

**Figure 11.**

*Vertical cross section of the evaporator with a comb of high-frequency acoustic emitters.*

**Figure 12.** *Multi-start spiral in solar collector topology.*

The solar collector architecturally performs the role of a greenhouse with a transparent roof for heating the air due to solar radiation and the formation of an elevated temperature at the base of the tower. The temperature gradient creates vertical thrust. The guides in the topology of the solar collector form a vortex structure (**Figure 12**), and the vertical angle of elevation of the air ducts sets the step of the rotational and translational motion of the updraft.

The solar collector architecturally plays the role of a greenhouse with a transparent roof for heating the air due to solar radiation and forming an elevated temperature at the base of the tower. The temperature gradient creates vertical thrust. The guides in the topology of the solar collector form a vortex structure, and the vertical angle of the air ducts sets the step of the rotational–translational movement of the upward flow.

Optimization of the solar collector topology during digital modeling of the operation of the air intake of the Rain Tower digital twin will determine the required number of air ducts and the most efficient form of spiral turns, guaranteeing the maximum throughput of the solar collector and the maximum updraft speed.

## *3.2.4 Aero-thermal power plant*

The thermal gradient that occurs in the Rain Tower due to the solar collector forms a fast-upward swirl of air. The hyperbolic generatrix of the tower surface focuses the flow into the narrow part of the tower, which acts as an impeller attachment to the turbine, which converts the kinetic energy of the upward flow into mechanical rotation.

The aero-thermal power plant in the "Rain Tower" is easy to operate, since the rotation of the rotor in such a design is the most uniform, and the speed of the ascending vortex flow fluctuates slightly due to control actions that adapt the turbine operation mode to changes in environmental parameters.

The turbine rotation speed reported to the rotor and its spatial layout significantly affect the design features of the generator. A wind turbine with a vertical layout does not require forced mechanisms to start, since the rotor movement begins when the airflow reaches the minimum pressure values, due to the minimization of reactive losses.

This is achieved due to the optimal shape of the turbine blades of the impeller of the aero-thermal power plant, which coincides with the shape of the forming tubes of the upward vortex flow velocity, which significantly reduces the dynamic loads on the support units and thereby increases their service life.

Low-speed power generators usually use permanent neodymium magnets (Nd-Fe-B) in their rotor, which can be made in different shapes and sizes. Their

#### *Rain Tower DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112937*

operating temperature range is <sup>60</sup><sup>0</sup> … + 120<sup>0</sup> С, and the service life is more than 10 years. The main parameters of neodymium magnets are given in **Table 1**.

Stator inductors are usually made of copper tape, which has high conductivity and low losses and gives a compact design. The design of the aero-thermal power plant is characterized by a simple control system and low operating costs, which makes it attractive. Unlike wind turbines with an open turbine, the design does not create dangerous and destructive vibrations. The "Rain Tower" with a built-in aero-thermal power plant on an ascending vortex flow in a closed duct works in any climatic conditions and can withstand strong gusts of wind, up to hurricane values, since its seismic resistance reaches 9 points on the Richter scale.

From an environmental point of view, an aero-thermal power plant with a vertical generator arrangement is not dangerous for birds due to the fact that it is perceived by them as a single obstacle that must be bypassed. It has a low sound background. Unlike horizontal structures, the level of acoustic pollution rarely exceeds the threshold of 18–20 dB. In addition, there are no frequencies close to the lower threshold of hearing, the so-called infrasound, which adversely affects human health. The generation of electromagnetic radiation by a generator with a vertical axis of the rotor is minimal and is not felt by others.

Not an unimportant role in achieving maximum efficiency. Aero-thermal power plant is played by the constancy of the parameters of the ascending vortex flow, which, in the absence of control actions, significantly depend on the environmental parameters (temperature, pressure, humidity, etc.).

#### *3.2.5 Vortex and coagulation control system*

In the "Rain Tower," the process of coagulation of cloud droplets into raindrops occurs as they drift in an ascending vortex flow. Cloud droplets in the process of rotational–translational motion collide and stick together into larger raindrops. At the same time, an increase in the volume and mass of droplets leads to the appearance of their radial drift to the center of rotation according to the law of conservation of momentum of the amount of motion.

To transfer large droplets to a higher orbit, they need to be given an additional linear velocity. While maintaining the angular velocity, the centrifugal acceleration imparted to the drop will ensure its drift along the radius of rotation in the vortex and transfer it to a higher orbit.

An electrically neutral drop can be linearly accelerated by acoustic pulses. In this case, due to the asymmetry of pressures on the surface of the drop, which occurs at the leading edge of the oncoming pulse, it is picked up and accelerated, like a surfer on the slope of a sea wave.

Acoustic pulse transmitters can be placed on the inside of the "Rain Tower" wall above the generator turbine. The axial symmetry of the directional patterns of the


#### **Table 1.**

*Physical parameters of permanent neodymium magnets.*

acoustic emitters of the control system during their in-phase operation leads to a centripetal drift of all droplets to the axis of rotation.

However, the use of phase delays between the individual elements of the radiating module makes it possible to electronically control the deflection of the beam of the radiation pattern, directing its axis not along the diameter, but along the chord of a circular section. In addition, it is possible to control the angle of inclination of the main beam of the radiation pattern of the radiating module not only horizontally but also vertically. Thus, the minimum number of elements in such a control module must be at least four.

The rotational–translational motion of drops in a vortex flow requires continuous correction of their trajectory so that the total vector of their velocity rotates along with the vortex. By placing the radiating modules of the control system with an angular displacement along the inner surface of the body of rotation, it is possible to create a traveling wave of the control action, which will be transmitted from module to module with a phase delay corresponding to the angle of rotation of the vortex body.

The controlling effect on the coagulating droplets will depend on the spectrum of their sizes, since with the equality of the impact force on the droplets, the difference in their masses will lead to sorting them according to the accelerations and velocities given, depending on the amplitude, duration and shape of the emitted pulses, as well as the frequency of their repetition.

Thus, by varying the parameters of the control actions, it is possible to set the distribution of water droplets by size, velocities, and location in the orbit of rotation, as well as by controlling the step of the rotational–translational movement of the ascending vortex flow, taking into account its dependence on environmental parameters at different horizons of the undisturbed atmosphere, to set the path that each drop of water will travel as it moves inside the tower and guarantee the distribution of raindrops in size and velocities on the upper section of the tower.

The system of sensors located on the inner surface of the "Rain Tower" will allow you to control the dynamic state of the ascending vortex flow throughout the entire interior of the tower. This multiparameter monitoring system will allow you to quickly classify the state of the "Rain Tower" considering the current environmental parameters and develop the most optimal control pattern of distributed impact on the ascending vortex flow [17–22].

#### *3.2.6 Concentration and dissipation of vortex flow energy in the atmosphere*

The control system for matching the vortex flow with the atmosphere and controlling the coagulation of raindrops is based on the idea of forming a virtual air duct, which is formed due to the use of an annular pulsed acoustic emitter on the upper section of the Rain Tower.

Concentric impulse waves emitted one after the other form a virtual duct. Hypersonic concentric pulses form a cylindrical body of revolution, composed of areas of high pressure, propagating at supersonic speed.

As shock waves dampen as a result of collisions, that is, friction that occurs when mass is transferred at supersonic speed, they turn into ordinary sound waves spreading in space like circles on water or rings of smoke. In this case, a divergent cone of a virtual air duct is formed, the walls of which, when damped, smooth out the pressure contrast at the boundary between the vortex and the undisturbed atmosphere.

The location of several "Rain Towers" along an imaginary perimeter allows you to create a more powerful total central vortex, capable of moving large air masses

#### *Rain Tower DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112937*

saturated with moisture. When forming a total vortex, it is necessary to consider the patterns of its formation, since such a nature-like technology, with its uncontrolled use, can potentially give rise to an uncontrolled natural disaster [23].

According to Professor Yakovlev of the Urals University, Professor Mayer of Harvard University managed to find a unique way to simulate the interaction of linear vortices of the same intensity with the same direction of rotation (same polarity) [24].

Mayer used equally magnetized needles stuck in small corks floating in a vessel of water. Needle magnets were positioned so that all of their positive poles were above the water. Such positive poles are attracted to an electromagnet placed above the vessel and simultaneously repel each other with forces inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. A regularity was found, which showed that the most stable are symmetrical configurations of magnets located on concentric circles.

William Thomson Kelvin discovered the analogy of the stationary position of magnets with a system of point vortices of the same intensity located around the center of symmetry, and J. J. Thomson mathematically proved that a regular vortex N-gon does indeed form a uniform rotation around the center of symmetry (**Figure 13**) [25].

Based on the analysis of the solution in a linear approximation, he showed that for small fluctuations in such a vortex structure, the most stable are polygons with the number of vortices N < 7 as show at **Figure 13**. That is, to ensure stable rotation of the air mass in the center of the polygon of the "Rain Towers" located along the perimeter, six towers will create the most stable central vortex due to rarefaction in the center of symmetry that occurs when the vortices are added. At present, we continue to search for new static configurations of vortices using numerical methods.

In the case of interaction of linear vortices with the same direction of rotation, there is no balance of forces. There are only repulsive forces imperceptible at distances greater than three vortex diameters and rapidly increasing at distances less than two vortex diameters. Therefore, regular polygons cannot formally be static configurations. Over time, the circle along which the polygonal configuration rotates around the center of symmetry should increase in size.

Attention should be paid to the feasibility of the model under consideration, which was confirmed on Saturn. A stable vortex in its atmosphere, discovered by NASA, has existed for many years (**Figure 14**).

It is stimulated by smaller vortices, which, despite their fluctuations, form a hexagonal structure (**Figure 15**).

Formally, regular polygons will be more static if a linear vortex with the opposite direction of rotation is placed in the center of symmetry. In this case, due to attraction to the central vortex, the distances between unipolar vortices are smaller. Attractive

**Figure 13.**

*5 degrees of strengthening the stabilization and power of the central vortex by increasing the number of linear vortices in the rain towers.*

**Figure 14.** *Interaction of vortices on Saturn, © NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Rakesh K. Yadav via Eurekalert!*

**Figure 15.** *Cassini filmed a hexagonal storm on Saturn, © NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Hampton University.*

forces arise between oppositely directed vortices according to Bernoulli's law. There is a common flow between them, therefore reduced pressure.

The normal external pressure of the medium presses the vortices of different polarity to each other. Between unipolar vortices, the flows are directed toward each other; therefore, an increased pressure arises in the space between them, which creates repulsive forces. If both repulsive and attractive forces exist simultaneously, then there must be a balance between them. With the balance of forces, the distance between the vortices can no longer change; now the configurations will indeed be static.

It was shown that all asymmetric vortex configurations are unstable to initial perturbations. And for symmetrical vortex configurations, it was shown that a system of N identical point vortices located at the vertices of a regular polygon rotates with a constant angular velocity at an arbitrary value of the intensity of a point vortex located in the center of the polygon, and therefore, when the "Rain Towers" are located with unipolar vortices rotating in one direction, symmetrically around the circle, they can generate a stable central vortex with rotation in the opposite direction, having several times greater power and therefore having the ability to carry a large mass of saturated air up to form a thundercloud.
