How can i make a small Wind Turbine?

2 Comments

1. Steve C says:

   August 26, 2009 at 2:39 am

   Most wind turbines need complex aerodynamic wings to turn them, but here’s one that quite similar to the wind driven spinning signs you often see by the side of the road.

   Similar to
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemometer

   Some kind of generator (perhaps a bike dynamo, or car alternator would suffice)

   Some kind of hollow cylinder (a can, or oil drum depending on size requirement)
   An axle to mount the turbine on. Good bearings are essential if you want the turbine to spin, in low wind speeds

   Some kind of pulley/chain/gears to help match turbine speed to that which the Generator likes)

   Slit the cylinder in half, forming two half barrels. Mount the cylinders on the axle, so that when looking along the axle it looks like two interlocked Cs

   Connect the axle/gears/alternator, and mount the turbine, with it’s axle vertically up in the air.

   —
   You can’t turn the turbine out of the wind, and you don’t have any means of shutting down the turbine

   You’ll probably be wanting some kind of box around the turbine (to prevent fingers/arms being broken when it’s rotating fast) perhaps screen it with chicken wire

   Perhaps on each of the 4 sides of the box, use a vertically sliding tambour slat (They look like a roller shutter) When you want the turbine to spin faster open the slats on (ALL sides) and when you want to slow it down/stop it, close the slats.

   Shouldn’t be too difficult to improvise a governor using a rope, two moving buckets of water, and a small electrical water pump (to move water between buckets) just arrange it so that if the turbines is too slow that the slats open, too fast and the slats shut
2. MasterPython says:

   August 26, 2009 at 2:39 am

   http://www.instructables.com/tag/?q=wind+turbine&limit%3Atype%3Aid=on&type%3Aid=on&type%3Auser=on&type%3Acomment=on&type%3Agroup=on&type%3AforumTopic=on&sort=none

   There are a few different set of plans.