WindJet Turbines

jayjay
jayjay Registered Users Posts: 9
Does anyone know anything about some company in California that is producing a new turbine called the WindJet Turbine that is allegedly 40% more efficient than bladed turbines and only requires a 4mph wind to generate electricity? The WJ-20 is claiming to deliver 20kW from it's 94 inch diameter Slipstream turbine, can be mounted on a commercial building or standalone 32 foot tower, and has a weight of only 300 pounds.

There is a company in Mildord, MI distributing this product ... company name is Green EnerG

From what the sales droid stated, it sounds too good to be true -- he claims on average that one of these units will generate enough electricity to run an entire small business 95% of the time here in Wisconsin (this is a grid tie, batteryless system).

Any information on the product, the manufacturer, or the distributor would be helpful.


Thank you.

Comments

  • russ
    russ Solar Expert Posts: 593 ✭✭
    Re: WindJet Turbines

    Absolute and total BS!

    At typical wind speeds of 5 meters/second (10 mph) the output is very low even by their power curve which is probably the figment of someone's imagination.

    Placing that monster on top of a pole? From their site I doubt there is an engineer within 50 miles of their works.

    Anyone buying this thing at this time is a pure fool.

    Anyone that says they can extract more power out of the wind than there is in it has no idea.
  • dwh
    dwh Solar Expert Posts: 1,341 ✭✭✭
    Re: WindJet Turbines

    Not so fast...

    This is the first I've heard of this, but a quick Google gets me this:

    http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/21737/

    Which says a couple of interesting things:

    "Typically, as wind approaches a turbine, almost half of the air is forced around the blades rather than through them, and the energy in that deflected wind is lost. At best, traditional wind turbines capture only 59.3 percent of the energy in wind, a value called the Betz limit."

    And:

    ""It's plausible that such a design could double or triple a turbine's power output", says Paul Sclavounos, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT."
  • dwh
    dwh Solar Expert Posts: 1,341 ✭✭✭
    Re: WindJet Turbines

    I'm guessing we're talking about the AES / VQ Wind gimzo:

    http://www.aeswind.com/

    There is apparently only one of these installed in the U.S. so far:

    http://alhuber.com/rediNow/default.aspx

    It was apparently installed summer 2009. I'd like to see some numbers from a year's production.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: WindJet Turbines

    concentrating the wind is not a new development, but the trouble is the size this concentrator would need to be and then being able to turn this much mass into the wind meaning larger tails. next question would be the quality as this is the basic question for all turbines that has been somewhat lacking.
  • dwh
    dwh Solar Expert Posts: 1,341 ✭✭✭
    Re: WindJet Turbines

    Yea it's not small. It looks like a 1kw unit is the smallest they make, and it weighs about 600 kg. They stuck that 5kw 30m up in the air so it's got a pretty serious pole.

    The Huber site has some interesting factoids:

    Avg wind speed at site (anemometer recorded):
    Night: 5.25 mph
    Day: 12 mph

    Speed to make 5 kw rated output:
    11m/sec (25mph)

    Each 2.5kw turbine section:
    7500 lbs.

    Foundation:
    16' square
    42" deep
  • russ
    russ Solar Expert Posts: 593 ✭✭
    Re: WindJet Turbines

    Shrouding has turned out to be a complete failure. No one has made it work yet to the point it was actually worthwhile - many have tried.

    They have patents - wow! golly! gee whiz! I do too - does that mean anything? Nothing at all - it only means they were able to convince the patent examiner that the thing is unique and pay the money.

    The Wind Jet 5kW model they claim about 6000 kWh/year energy production - by their power curve this model will put out maybe 400 watts in a 5 m/s wind speed so

    400 watts/hour*8760*.35 capacity factor (very*very optimistic)/1000 = 1226 kW/year

    Without third part testing by a trusted party their power curve probably has more to do with management meetings and marketing than with engineering and the real world.

    That mass on the top of the pole is a bit silly in itself
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: WindJet Turbines
    russ wrote: »
    Shrouding has turned out to be a complete failure. No one has made it work yet to the point it was actually worthwhile - many have tried.

    It works in a plane, because the shroud is fixed , and the prop's axle is fixed, no wind seeking rotation.

    I wonder if a pair of small winglets at the blade tips gains anything, they stick them on even small airliners now.
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