Boulder Wind Power: Axial gap, air core, permanent magnet direct drive "tease"

[DanG]

http://www.boulderwindpower.com/the-bwp-generator/overview/

A private company just aligned with the lone rare-earths mine in the US.

Lower grade magnets and a PCB style fabricated stator depending on stacking to make big power...

A little fluffy on their explanations, an artsy take on air-core versus anything else, even called it a generator vs. alternator...

Nice spider cage supports on the pictures they give - anyone seen or know anything more on this?

EDIT: Misspelled Wind! first 40°F morning here, cold fingers...

[TomW]

I just don't see any actual product there?

[rossw]

Looks very very similar to the pancake motors I used to use 25+ years ago.
They also used PCB stators, were very thin, stackable, ran on amazingly low power but could develop substantial power if required. (they would actually turn slowly just with an ohm-meter across their terminals) - but would easily pull 10A under load.

These ones look much bigger and more modern, but same idea.

[mab]

Our first generator design is a 3.0MW direct drive generator optimized for the high torque requirements of low and medium wind speed environments (IEC Class II and III).  This generator will be available for delivery and testing in prototype turbines in 2013.  We expect commercial availability of the 3.0MW generators in the 2013-2014 timeframe.

Looks like a commercially sized axial flux alternator

Well I'm not going to hold my breath - I was looking for something smaller than 3MW anyway 

[zvizdic]

Or like kollmorgen servo motor I have.
Not a PCB but similar.

[fabricator]

It really smells like a start up looking for some big investors to scam out of a lot of money then disappear.

[jonpowers]

Sandy Butterfield is the principal of boulder wind power and is a long term wind person.  ESI turbine, NREL scientist, now boulder. 

Jon

[oneirondreamer]

I like the idea of a PCB printed stator, and modular seems slick.   What's the downside too it? 

[taylorp035]

I like it.  It would make for a perfect generator for a series hybrid SMV car   Is there anything else like it in a smaller form on the market today?

[XXLRay]

We had a discussion about generators from PCB on our German board. Here ist the automatic translation if you are interested:

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kleinwindanlagen.de%2FForum%2Fcf3%2Ftopic.php%3Ft%3D3374%26page