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VAWT fiddling started... | 41 comments (41 topical, 0 editorial)

Re: VAWT fiddling started... (3.00 / 0) (#4)
by DamonHD (d@hd.org) on Wed Oct 3rd, 2007 at 01:16:19 PM MST
(User Info) http://www.earth.org.uk/

I'm so far off attaching a generator to it you'd never guess.

No, at the moment I'm just trying to make something mechanically workable.

Then I'll probably cheat and try to buy a motor/gen...

My tweaking is coming along, and I may even have something that I can put in the garden to spin by itself tomorrow... What I believe TomW may call "yard art" but in this case becomes "educational toy"!

Rgds

Damon

[ Parent ]

Re: VAWT fiddling started... (3.00 / 0) (#9)
by ghurd on Wed Oct 3rd, 2007 at 03:38:10 PM MST
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Is this optimism, pessimism, or "Heading you off at the pass"? I don't know.

I won't put any more time or money into a small VAWT. A 40cm diameter HAWT is cheaper, easier, and I got at least measurable power.
I certainly wouldn't bother building it dual-rotor PMA!

It is probably best suited to an 8V stepper motor for LEDs or AA nicd/nimh.
Meaning TomW's 'yard art' or a useful "educational toy". Don't be offended. TomW is a realist looking from the perspective of powering a household instead of powering a digital camera.

It will be big fun. It could be usable, in a small sort of way. It won't cost much (with a stepper motor).
Build a similar HAWT, be it similar in cost or swept area or whatever.
It will show why nobody has a proven commercial 50+W VAWT.
Ed might do it, but that is a completely different animal.

To summarize, slap a stepper on it and be happy. :-)
G-

[ Parent ]

Re: VAWT fiddling started... (3.00 / 0) (#10)
by fcfcfc on Wed Oct 3rd, 2007 at 05:18:39 PM MST
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Hello All:
I am in the process of designing my own VAWT and was just looking at the posts searched by VAWT in the "wind" cat.. I ended up designing my own gen, PM disk type 3 phase. It is going to be a bear to build, but I wanted something that could be direct drive and produce good power at even 1 RPS. I was looking at Ed's stuff, interesting but tailored for higher RPS's, not efficient enough, but good to re-engineer from.
I live in a low wind spot... Don't see much over 10 MPH most of the time, so I need to take advantage of the 5 to 8 MPH market. Basically, the helix will be 4' in "diameter" and 16' tall, on top of my new barn roof starting 20' off the ground, top of helix at 40' from ground zero. I am going to use three baffles at 120 degrees to intensify the wind a bit, but the main "edge" I hope will be in the gen design..
I am just starting so I am going to build a small 32" high model first to experiment with the baffles, a "thin" airfoil design.

.....Bill

[ Parent ]

Re: VAWT fiddling started... (3.00 / 0) (#11)
by electrondady1 on Wed Oct 3rd, 2007 at 05:27:18 PM MST
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gurd have you forgotten about windside in finland ?
they have been in busness for a long time and i beleave they make a great deal more than 50 watts.

[ Parent ]

Re: VAWT fiddling started... (3.00 / 0) (#16)
by DamonHD (d@hd.org) on Thu Oct 4th, 2007 at 02:12:45 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.earth.org.uk/

Yes, they look actually plausible for me at the low end...

Rgds

Damon

[ Parent ]

Re: VAWT fiddling started... (3.00 / 0) (#19)
by finnsawyer on Thu Oct 4th, 2007 at 08:44:56 AM MST
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Can you give us a link for this company, Windside?
GeoM
[ Parent ]

Re: VAWT fiddling started... (3.00 / 0) (#20)
by DamonHD (d@hd.org) on Thu Oct 4th, 2007 at 08:48:58 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.earth.org.uk/

windside.com

Rgds

Damon

[ Parent ]

Re: VAWT fiddling started... (3.00 / 0) (#21)
by ghurd on Thu Oct 4th, 2007 at 09:29:31 AM MST
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Not sure I ever saw them. Interesting how the twisted blades have internal fins with bypass in the depths.
Can't figure out the charts format. 20W at 22.4 mph for the 100W version?
But "starting at $6500" for a 100W windmill head and blades sounds a bit... uh, much.
That makes solar panels look cheap!
G-

[ Parent ]

Re: VAWT fiddling started... (3.00 / 0) (#22)
by DamonHD (d@hd.org) on Thu Oct 4th, 2007 at 09:49:00 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.earth.org.uk/

Yes, most of the worldwide distributors were coy with pricing, which is usually a bad sign.

The 0.3m swept area one that I was looking at was ~$9k from the US distributor.

I'm waiting for pricing from the UK distributor.

Rgds

Damon

[ Parent ]

VAWT fiddling started... | 41 comments (41 topical, 0 editorial)

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