MattM and Astro, that's what I wanted to confirm. Thanks to the experienced members of this forum, I have learnt a lot about AFPMG. I haven't started working on my project yet because I am still learning .
That is what it is all about, learning.
I tried to figure out a better way of coil to magnet numbers and what these guys will tell you is a 4 mag to 3 coil ratio is best. So an example is 3x4 for 12 coils (with 4 coils per phase) and since we took the coils times 4, we take the mags times 4 and get 4x4, for 16 mags.
As I said I spent a little time, proving that theory and from what I came up with, yeah it is correct. The thing I found interesting is when you start getting up there in coil and mag numbers, the difference becomes larger. For example, I thought about doing a 18 coil. 3 x 6 is 18 so 4 x 6 would be 24 mags. So 6 more mags then coils. But I went with a 24 coil stator. 3 x 8 is 24 and so 4 x 8 is 32 or 8 more mags then coils. On a 16 mag 12 coil, the difference is 4 more mags then coils obviously. It is simple math, but it plays a large part in what determines the needed rpm to get the desired voltage and current. It is my hope and by running many numbers several times over, that my 24 coil, 32 mag pma should perform really well for the turbine I am trying to build.. To be honest, it has not been cheap to build and I am glad from a complexity (building it) stand point, from a cost standpoint and from a shear size weight stand point, I am glad I did not try for anything larger. My plates weigh about 20 pounds each. My mags weigh almost 5 pounds. My stator which is a non spinning mass, but it weighs 13 pounds. So it starts adding up fast.
So....... that said I should have 50-60 pounds or so of spinning mass in the center, and that is going to play into how much I am allowed in weight for the wings or rotating mass further out from center. I think that is going to play a big part in obtaining and sustaining the desired rpm of this vawt build. Since a vawt is much like a old hit and miss engine, when you think about it, because not all wings have positive air pressure on them at the same time. Also because they are not like a hawt that has tapered blades and thus keeps the bulk of it's rotating mass towards the center. But I like you found myself reading a lot and thinking a lot about everything before I picked up a tool or bought one thing for the project.
It is by far the most complex project I have undertaken by myself. In a build like this I would normally just build the stator, figure out wire size from it to the building and play with the controls of it all to make it work properly (so the electrical part of it). Not have to worry about air foils, the physics of a flywheel, what bearings to use, or even make the mold to cast the stator in. All that was always left up to other people who specialize in those areas.