Need advice on 2nd windmill project
mkhphillips
Solar Expert Posts: 28 ✭
Hey Everyone, I came to this forum a few years ago for some good advice on my first windmill project. I am now working on my second windmill. I took a motor from a treadmill that we have not used in years. The motor is 8 pounds without the 2 pound flywheel. I'm hoping this will make a good windmill motor. Not sure if I should leave the flywheel on or not. I thought it might make it harder to start up in low winds. I'm also thinking of 2.5 feet long, 6" PVC pipe blades (3 of them). I would appreciate any advice & welcome you along the journey of my 2nd project.
Here is the motor:
Here is the motor:
Comments
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Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
In general,
I would probably try these websites for DIY wind (of course, any readers here are welcome to help too):
www.otherpower.com
www.fieldlines.com/board/ (discussion board for above website)
www.builditsolar.com
www.greenpowertalk.org (like here, but more wind oriented--From "Russ")
Hugh Piggott - Scoraig Wind Electric site for tons of info (from mike90045)
Wind Power Links
-BillNear San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
Sounds good mkhphilips; however, would recommend some kind of "clutching fan" attachment like on your cars radiator to cool the motor while spinning. Those motors have trouble when hot. Much like a stand up fan motor, without air flow, they overheat easily. A small shaft mounted shroud fan would work nicely to draw the heat away. Other than that, your project looks good.Nature's Design & Green Energy on FaceBook : Stop by and "Like" us anytime.. Many up-to-date articles about Renewables every day.
WWW.GreenAnything.Net Ad free website.
Lots of DIY Renewable Energy Projects on ETSY : Solar Panel builds, Wind Turbine builds, Rain Barrel build,etc. -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
You may need to spin that motor on a drill to get some idea of the RPM's needed to produce power. -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
There is actually a fan on the back side of the motor, that draws the air through (the black thing). It spins when the blades spin. I hooked a meter up & get about 22 volts & 13 amps. My drill slowed down when measuring the amps. I plan on working on it this weekend, so I will have more pics for you on Sunday. -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
I accomplished some more this weekend. But I think the design will need to be changed. When I tested it in the wind, I was only getting about 7 volts. Therefore, something will need to change. I may need to gear the motor or have a different design for the blades. I had a basic idea of the design when I started, but I created things on the fly. If I do go the route of gearing the motor, I will use the small belt from the treadmill. If I go the route of changing the blade design, I was looking into some blades called Raptor. Please let me know if you guys have any ideas. -
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Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
Here are the final 2 pictures.
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Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
i'm no wind expert, but i question the use of pvc blades as they will deteriorate when exposed to uv rays from the sun.
another point on the blades would be the length is a bit short for another well known turbine with a similar generator has an 8.2ft span.
i see no mention of over speed protection. -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
Hey Niel, thanks for the advice. I did build in a furling system for speed protection. I estimated on all the weight, size, length, and angles of the tail. Once I figure how to speed the motor up, I will tweak the furling system. -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
From what I have been reading, blades made of split tubing have a tip speed ratio near 1:1 while true quality air foils have a ratio of ~ 6:1. This will make a huge difference in performance. -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
Well, I have an update. I think I have an average RPM speed of the motor. There is a label on my cordless that shows 1500 RPM. With a fully charged battery, the motor gives 24.5 volts (no blades attached). I then removed 1 blade from the hub & the motor displayed 9.2 volts with 2 blades (using drill). Since I don't think this will work, I think my next step is to ratio the motor using the belt from the treadmill. I will work on it this weekend, so I will let you know how things go on Monday. -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
I think I finally got it. I used the belt to make the motor spin faster. I tested it and received about 20 volts in the wind. I think I managed to almost triple the output. With the drill (no blades), I was able to get 60 volts. Until I think of a different cover, I will use a plastic bucket to keep it out of the rain & sun. Next thing will be a tower. Here are some pics from the weekend.Attachment not found.Attachment not found.Attachment not found.Attachment not found.Attachment not found.Attachment not found. -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
More pics
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Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
I am currently making the base for the 30 foot tower. Hopefully, the town does not get after me about the windmill & the height. Here is the progress so far. I managed to test the 5 foot windmill on a 14 foot tower (for my other windmill) and noticed a furling problem right away. The tail seems to be too light for the job. I added an old window weight (clipped on) and that seemed to keep it towards the wind better.
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Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
explain what you mean by too light. from what i see it could benefit from having the tail extended farther back as a longer length on the tail allows it to be levered better by the passing wind and thus keeping it toward the wind better. -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
Thanks for the advice Niel. I guess there are a few ways of doing it. By adding weight to a short tail or making the tail longer (using leverage). I did have the tail longer, but ended up cutting it down some, to balance the front & back. I may break the welder back out and add the cut piece back on. -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
I got the tower base all welded up. As far as the guy wires, I welded strap buckles (to hold plywood together) onto the poles. Since the tower will be 30 feet, I welded the first set of four 27 feet high and the second set of four at 13.5 feet high. Also, I created some strange looking anchors (4 stakes screwed together). They worked on my other tower, so I decided to try it again.
Throughout this windmill building process, I was also working on a dump controller. After scouring the web and not wanting to spend a few hundred dollars, I ended up buying a kit from ghurd in 2010. I did not have the ability to use it until now (built our house in 2010). When I tried to put the kit to use, I noticed immediately it was not behaving correctly. Instead of buying another unit, I decided to contact ghurd to see if he had any ideas. Let me tell you, I felt very confident when I received a kind/positive email back from ghurd. Even though I bought it 2 years ago, he guaranteed that we would get it up and running. After trying a few suggestions from him, the problem (2 bad mosfets) was discovered and I was back in business. He went above and beyond by sending me 3 new mosfets free of charge. Bottom-line, if you need an inexpensive/reliable dump controller, get it from ghurd. I was very impressed with his customer relations. Here are some pics from the progress so far.
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Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
It is up & running, on its final resting point. I made the tail a little bigger & longer. I also did a test run of the tower, before I put the windmill on. I will let it fly a few weeks, to see how it behaves.
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Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
Here are some more pics.
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Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
This is not right. Shouldn’t that be spinning, instead of being a perching post? I also added a pic of both windmills together.
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Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
good deal on finally getting things together and up. is it working? -
Re: Need advice on 2nd windmill project
Things are running great. In the coming weeks, I will drop both systems & cover them with paint.
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