Urban Turbine Runs Quiet

The featured device, albeit very beautiful, brings to mind the good old Savonius rotor (S-rotor), made from an oil drum (usually rusty), with a few lengths of steel angle and a bit of welding. A dynamo (from e.g. an dead motorcar) can be used as a generator for charging batteries.

I don't suppose they'd be much good in an urban environment, but out on a farm in the middle of nowhere they can provide a cheap and reliable way of getting some power from nature.

Regarding the featured XC02 turbines, I think 'three triple-twisted blades' is a bit confusing - is each of the three blades thrice twisted?

It is an elegant-looking device, isn't it? Like a kinetic sculpture, but with a twist.

This thread's title would also be a cool name for a cosmopolitan rock band: Urban Turbine. Of course, if the band features a tabla and a sitar you might have a reasonable basis for calling it Urban Turban.

Life is good.

-e

The verticle turbine is like a propeller thet is all out radii. Propellers as wind turbines are more effective at the outermost sections and lass effetive oe efficient nearer the ceter of rotation. The verticle axis will yiled a much higher power per vane area that a propeller . It is also irrespective of wind direction where a propeller must accrutely face the wind. Wind will many times, be swirling, and all of the energy use to turn the gyro/propeller into the wind is lost.

So not only is this quiet it is also effctive. I dont car eabout the noise so I would use a cheaper wider straight verticle vane.

Hydrax

I lived on a farm once back in 1980 when vertical axis wind turbines were more thought about by back to the land and alternative energy types. What occurred to me then was the large number of unused and in disrepair silos, many with their roofs missing. These would be a good height and sturdy enough structure for vertical axis wind turbines. When designing such things for the use of average income people or below, Cheap and effective is the way to go. So: Three Sheets of plywood mounted vertically around the perifairy of a cylindrical rotating frame about 8 ft dia., each sheet mounted on an centered axle so that it can rotate relative to the frame, and a chain and sprocket affair connecting each axle. The chain and sprocket affair keep the plywood "sails" rotated into the wind such that the receeding sail is broadside to the wind while the other two are angled to the wind or parallel while moving into the wind. In other words the sails turn at 1/2 the rotation of the frame. It's a simple thing and always presents about 64 ft^2 to the wind. Generally enough old junk around a farm to put something together. Come too strong a wind the parts aren't scattered too far. Good day

I'd have thought there was an inherent problem in this design - balance. This isn't a problem in fixed-blade designs.

Has anyone made one of these? Did it work? If so, for how long?

got any output data on it??? thats the real test.....and the price of course...

I REMEMBER SEEING ADDs IN OLD YANKEE MAGAZINES ABOUT THE SAME DEVICE, THE POWER RATIO NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED TO GET A DESANT CHARGE OUT OF IT.

I GUESS IT'S BEEN 10 OR 20 YEARS NOW, MABY THEY DID IMPROVE IT! IT BEARS LOOKING IN TO! I HOPE IT'S QUITE? NOT LIKE THOSE TIN CANS RATTLING ALL THE TIME.

I DID SOME CONSIDERATION ON THIS DEVICE!

I AM looking for a device to power a home & this falls short, but if it is streached out & power is increased to say 10,000 kws per hour than it is a candidate for my back yard. the current device only produces 10,000 kwh per year not 10,000 kws per hour. it dose run quiet & that is important for surburban back yards. i don't have a R.V. & thats about all it will run, MABY! the vertical axis turbine needs further developement for the home owner that use more power in towns & cities.

its a good first step to the better goal for all, a low cost power source for most homes. THE XCO2 can & SHOULD BE IMPROVED for the majority of us home owners.

"say 10,000 kws per hour" - You must have some home!

HI JOHNDG !

I HAVE A 10 room ranch home & USE about 6 KWS Per Hour some of the time.

i would also need to recoop costs so i need to sell some power off to recoop the expenses of upkeep of the collectors & associated equipment.

Sorry to be picky - but I think you meant either 10 kWh or 10,000 Wh in your previous post.

Still sounds like a nice house !

Regards, John.

HI to all !

I DID some reasuch on your product! I Found that with the low power output they could be tripled and used on a 30 or more foot ship well maby 5 or 6 stacked on top of one another. they may give enough power to run the ship for long periods of time lessining the need for long term battery use, saving money & Fuel for that generator. With a tower on the front of the ship tied down to prevent fluxes they may generate enough power to run most items on the ship if they are made strong enough to hold up on real sea conditions. there are others look up turby windmills & others.

I hope this new configuration will help the builder to succeed with his invention.

AND JOHN the house is OK! an average ranch home that uses 6 to 10 killowatts a month, the cost is steep that's why i'me looking for something different to power it.

goldrushnugget999

HI ALL !

IT has been a little quiet on this blog lately isn't there any one out there that wants to talk about vertical wind generators ?

THANKS

goldrushnugget999

ok dudes i hear your pros/cons of the vawt.these comments are really spurring me on to design & build my own vawt.we have an abundance of wind here in hout bay Cape Town.I envisage that with the help of like minded dudes out there that i will complete this project by this time 2009.Will keep you posted

ROWBART