Wind power for heat

[Kevortex]

Has anyone tried using a wind turbine to utilize friction to generate heat for their home/shop instead of using a generator to run an electric heater?

Which is more efficient ? Is friction heat practical in this application?

I'm thinking maybe a rotating disc or drum directly attached to the shaft of a VAWT or a bevel geared HAWT.

What are the best materials to use for the friction heat production, iron and copper?

I would think we would need to build the turbine with torque in mind (multiple wide blades).

A typical space heater uses 1500 watts to produce a little over 5000 BTUs. How much wind energy do we need to make 5000 BTUs from friction?

Kevortex

[jonas302]

there was a story on a friction heater last year maybe windstuff ed?

[dnix71]

You could use an old car disc brake rotor and spring load the shoes, but you have to have someway to move the heat from the outside to inside for space heating. Electrons are easier to move and store than random molecular motion "heat"

Actually just stirring water will heat it. In high school physics class we would put a thermometer in a beaker of water and stir it with a glass rod and watch the temp rise.

I suppose you could use a windmill to drive a plastic paint stirrer paddle in a water tank to heat it.

[TomW]

Search "cavitation heater" from Ed Lenz AKA "WindstuffNow"

Tom

[Flux]

Mechanical heat is the same no matter how you produce it, it is direct conversion of HP to heat with no intermediate losses ( except for any gearing)

The solid friction route is not a good one and brake discs etc will be a permanent menace and I couldn't imagine anyone trying.

Hydraulic schemes with a pump on the turbine will work but you may have nearly as much losses as the electrical route. Lagging pumps and pipes would be a challenge.

Some form of hydraulic churn or paddle or a hydraulic pump and nozzle at the end of your mechanical shaft would be the most practical.

Don't under estimate the size of prop you need to get any heat except in a gale and if you make it big enough to do something on the average day then don't underestimate the problems of controlling it in a storm. Not impossible on a good wind site but heat is the lowest grade of energy and it would take a very big machine to be worth the effort.

Hot water as a by product of electricity is a useful thing to have to wash in but enough hot water to do any real heating is a different issue.

"A typical space heater uses 1500 watts to produce a little over 5000 BTUs. How much wind energy do we need to make 5000 BTUs from friction? "

1500W mechanical input ( 2hp)

Flux

[Stonebrain]

The "paddlewheel heatgenerator" is probably one of the most easiest to realise

means to transfform movement in heat.

I did a small attempt to realise one http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2006/11/7/202828/758 but is was much to small.

Think of a +200 liters tank with big impellers to come higher than 1kw at low rpm.

The good thing is that in this case the generator is at the same time heatstorage,so there are no losses,you can come to 100% efficiency.

You have to match the size of the impellers to the vawt.

In most of the friction like generators you have to transport the heat from the generator to the storage,this is mostly difficult and will result in losses.

cheers,

stonebrain

[GeeMac]

What if you used the mill to generate electricity and used the electricity to:

1. run an electric motor to create the friction
   
2. use a large resistor to create heat
   
   

Above all, keep having fun.  )

[electrondady1]

make electricity for a resistance heater .

when it's warm outside you can use  the electricity for something else.

[tanner0441]

Hi

On the plus side.  If you measure the temperature gain you can calculate the output of the generator. The word Dynomometer springs to mind.

Brian

[Todd a]

Some sort of phase change like an A/C unit does.... but I guess in reverse would likely work the best.  Maybe even both.  When you compress the gas in an A/C unit it makes a lot of heat.  Instead of running it through an radiator, encase the radiator  (or whatever it is called) in a tank and use it to heat a liquid and circulate it to a register to heat a room or whatever.  Then you can run the coolant line to run a refrigerator.

[taget]

the "radiator" is technically called a condenser. HVAC tech glad i could finally contribute.