16' Hybrid Wincharger - Output graph - Nice photo

[Dave B]

  For now I have settled on (3) 240 V 4500 watt hot water heating elements wired delta. After 1 week of plotting wind speed vs. watts output the following graph is taking shape. It needs a 10 MPH + wind for several seconds to break stall but then runs quite effeciently between 10-15 MPH. Without a controller it's a compromise between start up and higher wind output and as you can see from 15 MPH + the power curve flattens out all way to furling with near 3 KW max. output at approx. 25 MPH. RPM is approx. 350 - 360 at max output.

  The machine is well behaved in this range and I plan to let it run with this arrangement pre-heating water for a good period of time to log more data in hopefully many different weather conditions. Peak gusts seen so far have been 35 MPH. Updates and more info. to follow.  Dave B.

[Flux]

Looking good Dave.

I wonder if you could improve the compromise without much complexity by adding a thyristor back to back with a diode in one line.  Gate the thyristor from its anode via a zener diode. At low volts the thyristor will hold off and you will start with reduced load, as the volts pick up the thyristor will come in and at full load there will be little difference in the total load power although the thyristor will chop a bit out the effect on rms will be very small.

Probably something using two thyristors back to back with a bit more clever control circuitry would get you close to the ideal. Something like a motor soft starter in effect.

Flux

[jmk]

 I wonder what the wind speed will be when the red line starts to climb again. Maybe it won't climb? You could then keep your tail from folding up as far. It looks nice and safe right now. Mine drops from 50 amps to ten amps when mine furls. Mine doesn't stay fureled long so I am happy with it spinning slower in the high gust.

[electrondady1]

"The thyristor is a solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating N and P-type material. They act as a switch, conducting when their gate receives a current pulse, and continue to conduct for as long as they are forward biased (that is, as long as the voltage across the device has not reversed)."

just trying to keep up.

dave, does the mill rotated at all below 10mph?

[electrondady1]

sorry, i meant below 5 mph

i can see you are getting something like 250 watts at 10mph.

[Dave B]

  Thanks for the comments and suggestions. While testing with different loads I have run the alternator to approx. 4 KW by switching the load more on the power curve in the higher winds. It just confirms the potential with some type of controller.

  As is it is very simple and I am happy with the overall output and especially in the average speeds of 10-15 MPH which over time does heat water. Better to set it to run in average winds more often than to shoot for more efficient in the less frequent higher winds. The main thing is that this time the furling is doing it's job and I have a much better matched system.

  I think now I'll kick back and watch it run, it sure is satisfying looking back at what it took to get this far. Any other ideas on a simple controller are welcome. I can do the bang bang switching routine now if I wanted. Thanks,  Dave B.

[dlenox]

Dave,

Are you located in Erie, PA?

I drove up that way last weekend and swore that I saw your wind turbine off the side of highway.

Dan Lenox

[Dave B]

No, I'm further East. If you were on I-90 heading East of Erie you may have seen a Jacobs off to the left. I have often promised myself to get off the exit and get a closer look, it always seems to be running but that's not unusual for a Jacobs and especially just inland from the lake. Thanks for asking, Dave B.