Do you need Drawings, Models, Renderings, Images, or other Documentation?

So I spent the weekend modelling up my horizontal axis wind turbine.. Its an 8 foot diameter rotor. 1 foot tall blades. I used data from CumminsOnan for the generator, and Brevini for the gear set. I've used 2" shafting and 2" HSS structural members. The images with the segmented shrouds are supposed to represent 1/16" aluminum pieshaped pieces, rived together. The smooth shrouds are supposed to be rubberized fabric and inflatable.. but i haven't actually figured out how to do that and still allow access to the bearings and equipment for maintenance. The blades are splined on to the central rotor. The entire assembly pivots on the vertical axis as well.. hope everything is clear. I will now have to get into the math part to see if it will generate electricity. enjoy.

Hi Chris

Why such small blades? Is the housing of any function other than looking great? I mean, I would live in one if it were 10 times the size and the whoosh whoosh would not be louder than the sound of waves. Lets see what the others say. Great work but just over the weekend? You must really love what you are doing.

All the best, Ky.

Hi Ky,

The discussion for this really started here, where i posted the original concept renders.. but I didn't want to burden that thread with all these images. The basic idea is that tip speed is the important criteria for a wind generating device. Secondly, the body serves as a reverse venturi shape, which will have the effect if speeding up the air flow around it. (along with the two hills) I still have to do the math, but I thought that the speeding up would be greater than the extra drag induced by the larger body. also, regular bladed turbines are controversial due to a factor called blinking, if you are living in the shadow of a large one. (can't find the link right now) With only blades at the tips, you still get maximum torque (I think) as the central area of the rotor doesn't exert much force. I am diverting all the central air flow to the tips, and speeding it up, and I think that will give more torque.

I do enjoy the modelling.

Chris

Wow!

Don't discard the possibility of a diffuser ring to increase density, and therefore effort.

Good work!

Stu.

Chris,

I've been watching both threads to see if any one else picked it up, but not yet, anyway.

You have a 'noise' problem.

I don't know what rotational speeds you have designed into this device, and so the frequency of the blades passing the uprights. As the blades pass the uprights there will be an air density change resulting in an audible frequency, f/s. This phenomenon will be governed partly by the proximity of the blades to the stationary support members.

Cheers,

Stu.

Stu,

Yes I agree... especially on the trailing edge of the blades. I chose this configuration thinking that the payback would be in increased strength for the whole structure. I wanted to have pillow block bearings front and back, to support the rotor better. Its a design choice. I do believe that a better steamlining of the supports would help a bit, or moving them farther away from rotor blades.

One thought that comes to mind is to have almost the entire bulb shape rotate. (supported at extreme ends with pillow blocks), leaving just enough non-turning diameter at the rear (or front) to house the generating equipment.

Just for now, I will focus on just figuring out the basic power questions. I'm going to add the shroud.

Thank you,

Chris.

I"ve just dropped this in the general place.. haven't worked out any structurual mounting for it.

Hi Chris, I just looked over this drawings, but did not check when You made it...

IMHO, it is almost front side back what I described, so pointed end go into wind, gondola is supported in thickest part and there is conical >>collar<< like You have drawn but fixed to gondole. from back protrude axle for turbines whose blades are mounted just like Yours, but not centrally and at end of blade's axe of rotation comes thin walled tube, just like this what You have drawn but just straight, without profile.

There should be system of blades (could be like You have drawn, but severall in sucession so they would look like there is severall spiral stairways inside tube) much longer in lenght than on this draving so You can use more of wind available.

Centrifugal force should keep this tube straight (giroscopic effect) and in strongest wind blades should be turned edge on into wind so allmost no torque would be produced. This >>pipe<< would present itself as >>tail<< to wind and would seek point of least resistance, which would be when edge of colar and pipe faces wind directly. I shall send You picture of blade later...... Therefore colar and body (gondole) make Venturi chanel but circular in shape. On gondole and inside of collar can be spiral >>grooves<< that would guide wind around gondole in spiral (st least partly or just one turn) and spirall direction should be perpendicular to wings spiral, to make wind push blades strongest possible. This artificiall turbulency should speed up wind and make best use on blade sistems, cascading down (actualy towards back of pipe) from one wing to another, therefore using energy in best possible way.......

Pointed end of gondole should have stick at least meter long and also pointed to part the wind by punching hole in it with smallest posible surface, like some jet fighter airoplanes........

So this would be design I described You, improvement over existing elises, and I hope making no sound at all..........

Regards, Marijan Pollak

Hi Chris,

really great work!!!

Any possibility to let rotate the outer ring with the blades?

Any thoughts about non-equal spacing of the blades to distribute the noise over a wider frequency band?

What about tossing this behind an airplane at 8 to 12 Km high? Inside the jet-stream the turbine and the plane outside would generate some 100KW of power per m² of blade area. So indefinite cruising would be possible.

RHABE

If you turn the supports into flow straightening vanes, you can improve the efficiency of operation and virtually eliminate the noise.

If they are used as adjustable pre-swirl vanes you could widen the area of efficient operation and give the ability to "feather" the assembly in cyclonic type winds. Simply shut down the entry to the point where only enough enters to keep you spinning at an acceptable speed.

Practically all present wind generators shut down in extreme conditions. This would allow you to operate during them.

Nice! I'm diggin' all the pictures!

I am very intrigued on your design. I can see by having the front cone, you are focusing the wind to the outside towards the blades. Good idea! This will allow the device to work at lower speeds.

Not to be critical, but what about increasing the blade length? I'm not expert in laminar flows, but it would seem that the concentrated wind would go over the entire length of the blade...and then some. Would it make more sense to increase the blade length to increase total energy captured?

Props tho, I am very impressed. Has great potential for future wind capturing technology. Looks like it is relatively inexpensive, could work at low wind speeds, has a horizontal axis of rotation...what's not to like???

thank you,

the more I think about it, the more I like it too. I have been thinking about building a real model. It is also a design that could be incorporated into the roof edges of buildings that some designers have come up with. The torque is developed more by leverage than anything, and therefore, the longer the lever, the more torque. Speed would be adjustable by changing the AOA of the blades.

Chris

Chris, I wrote this before: turn the pointed end in front side instead backside, because more pointed it is, easier it would part air/wind, so there would be lesser >>Sail effect<<. That is why military jet planes have long pointed stick in front on their nose. Also, spiral grooves in front parts (on body and ring for air compression) can make productive turbulence if produced air streams would then hit the blades perpendicularly instead on slant. You can also get greater strength in blades if they end inside pipe segment/ring , just like one from which they protrude inside body. Central axe of each blade could give support between inner and outer ring, and blades could be rotated around it to change slant they present to wind stream, thus regulating speed of rotation...

Also, I think You should double or triple that part with blades, and position each so that second ring of blades cover last third of gap between first set of blades, and third do same for second ring of blades. Outer and inner ring could be just one, but 3 times wider. By doing so I am sure that wind can be used even more effectively.

Perhaps it would be good idea that each succeeding set of blades be little wider than previous, as part of wind speed would be transfered to first set of blades, so slower wind need greater surface to push on to give away same quantity of speed, and since all blades would turn at same time, second set would be moving because of torque produced.

I hope You have understood. That is only way to beat Law that states You cannot extract more than 49% by even ideal turbine, to reuse same air three times and extract part of kinetic energy every time :-))

Of course there should be some simulation done to find optimal distance from one set of blades to next, and how much difference there should be in width of blades......

Next, I think that one more Venturi ring should be used, little greater and toward the back, and it should guide air trough spiral grooves to mix with air exiting from behind, as this would blow away slowed down air by lending it fresh kinetic energy. That way slowed down air would not clog turbine, and it would be able to extract more energy from air stream that pass trough it. I could think of some more improvements, but than Your design would not be any more so esthetically pleasing :-) Just like nose of front cone should be as pointed as possible, so edge of Venturi ring should be as thin as possible, to cut air stream and not present surface to collide with unproductively.

I am sure Your design would work as similar patents exist already, but they also could be improved and be more effective.

Also, that outer ring I was talking about could be Venturi ring itself, so instead of being fixed to body of turbine that is static, it would rotate together with blades.

That would add rotational inertia to blades, so irregularities in wind speed would be smoothed and it would give strength to blades lengthwise so they could be longer. If they have thin edge and first look as pipe that turn conical to compress air, they can be strong and relatively thin themselves.

Just one thing is missing there, and it is tail plate, unless You like to spend electricity for turning thing with head into the wind.... That would make system react instantly to change of wind direction, and wind itself would do all work.....

But, with freely rotating gondola there is problem of connecting lines of power output from generator to the ground cables, but I am sure it could be solved also, as even I could do it :-))

Ah, one detail: spiral grooves inside outer Venturi ring should go in opposite direction from direction of rotation of blades, to actually grab the air and suck it in, and then collide with inner vortex of used air more sharply, promoting greater energy transfer and more effectively pushing out >>used<< or exhausted air.........

Sorry that it all would spoil elegance of Your design, but we want it to be efficient, right?

Regards, Marijan Pollak

P.S. That is just my opinion, and I would like to know what our colleagues think about it, maybe I am wrong? After all, I am not aeronautic nor mechanical Engineer....

The specific speed of your turbine would be best suited to an area of high to very high wind speeds rather than the more gentle breezes of most places.

It could still be useful in the right situation.

I keep having to hunt around for my links where i have put my favourite renderings, other than the ones already on this thread, so i am listing them all here. (so far) (Feb 23 2009)

Ideas for Specification and Compliance Software

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/342814/Re-Select-Your-Favourite-Invention

Ideas for Water Transport

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/346478/Re-Select-Your-Favourite-Invention (Water Train)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/346766/Re-Select-Your-Favourite-Invention (Star Destroyer)

Ideas for Offshore Hydroelectric Facilities.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/343841/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (thread)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/337479/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (arches)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/337521/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (housing)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/337863/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (large design)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/338004/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (transport rings)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/338482/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (solar stirling units)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/336953/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (interlock wall)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/343422/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (spiral facility)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/343841/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (underwater extruder)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/345190/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (lake sites)

Ideas for Wave Power Generation

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/340209/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (prelim wave device)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/340685/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (snake wave device)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/340164/Re-Alternative-Offshore-Hydroelectric-Plant (bad idea)

Ideas for Wind Power Generation

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/348590/Re-Select-Your-Favourite-Invention (VAWT)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/345714/Re-Wind-Turbines-Without-Teeth (HAWT)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/351459/Re-Wind-Turbines-Without-Teeth

Miscellaneous Renderings, Designs and Inventions

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/347414/Re-Select-Your-Favourite-Invention (Tweezers)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/347432/Re-Select-Your-Favourite-Invention (Adjustable Fencing)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/347875/Re-Select-Your-Favourite-Invention (Axial Tesla Turbine)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/298458/Re-Engineering-Project-Help-Please-Need-Creative-Minds (Student Project - Ice vehicle)

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/300343/Re-Engineering-Project-Help-Please-Need-Creative-Minds (v-belt construction)

Chris

Vehicle design

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/34050/Hurricane-Rescue-Vehicle-for-New-Orleans

Here is the water train articulation system.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/357816/Re-Select-Your-Favourite-Invention

A table hidden in the floor... and a simple solution to the request.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/370592/Re-Automatic-Table-Lifts

Here's another vehicle design for a roadable aircraft (and boat/hydrofoil)...

I like this drawing, so give your a support, so that it can emergence again.

Job is not easy to seek for now, I hve friends who living in NY, but were out of work for a long time. if they would have your skill, I think they would seek a job probabily.

you still get a pressure from our asia, because our salary is lower than america,

so I suggest, why not set up your own workshop?

Hi cnpower,

Thank you. I am open to contracting, but not every job can be done remotely. I don't have the resources to travel, and a lot of drafting jobs require the designer to work in house. Still, with modern communication tools, the internet, webcams, email, msn, and CR4 I am hoping it can be done. I have a job interview on monday, which looks promising.. and I had one last friday which was very interesting too. Regardless, I am still commited to providing my friends on CR4 with free rendering and drafting support, for non-commercial designs.

I appreciate your support.

Chris

Fantastic drawings, Chris !

Fantastic guy Kris, Ky.

Damn right ; I like Chris' views on enjoying work rather than chasing the big $, and his generosity in offering to help folk here is way cool.