Hey guys,
I've got some more pics of the Ventera to share.
We'll start with the blades:
The rotor is 22 feet in diameter and the blades are injection molded reinforced plastic. This is the same material used on the Whisper 100, 200, AIR, etc. At the time I got the machine, they were the largest injection molded blades known to exist from any manufacturer.
The outer half or tip portion of the blade changes pitch via a pitch rod that internally runs the length of the blade. This rod is attached to the blade tip and extends out the mounting tube at the root.
Next well take a look at the governor:
The black arms are actually flyweights and are held in their "home" position via a spring. All 3 flyweights are synchronized via the triangular synchronizer plate in the center. This plate is mounted on a bearing and is free to rotate independent of the rotor shaft. All 3 weights are forced to move the same distance at the same time because of the synchronizer plate. Also attached to each flyweight is a second swivel link. This second swivel link has a stud protruding from it which threads into the pitch rod that extends from the mounting end of each blade and is what is used to vary the pitch of the outer half of each blade. This governor is strictly based on speed for it's operation. The faster the rotor turns, the farther the flyweights extend, and the more the blade tips change pitch slowing the rotor down. As the rotor slows down, the weights retract and the tips return to their normal position. This governor has proven itself to be very effective and smooth in limiting power as well as speed. Even when unloaded, this machine will not overspeed. Awesome.
Last, but not least, is the synchronous inverter.
The inverter takes the wild 3 phase output from the turbine and converts it to standard 240 VAC for grid tie. I love this inverter due to the fact that it also has a seperate 2 kW solar input. If I get all of my PV on track sometime soon, I can tie it in to this inverter as well. The inverter takes full advantage of the wind if needed and will reduce the amount of PV it will accept if the turbine is delivering more than 10kW. As the wind turbine nears closer and closer to the inverter's 12 kW max rating, it will decrease the PV circuit as needed to take advantage of the wind when it's available. Really cool!
Both the wind and solar inputs are MPPT.
That's all I have for now. I'm hoping to get the machine mounted back on the tower in the next week or two and will update when I get that completed.
Corey