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Forum Index : Windmills : stacking VAWTs laterally

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wllewellin
Newbie

Joined: 16/01/2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 4

Posted: 02:18am 04 Feb 2008

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I am thinking of linking 3 or more Savonius VAWTs laterally by means of pulleys, anyone tried this?

Dimensions would be 1.5 m high and about 70cm wide for each rotor.

Gill

Senior Member

Joined: 11/11/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 669

Posted: 11:20am 04 Feb 2008

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G'day wllewellin,
It's good to consider options outside the square at times, though in this case I suspect you'll have no takers.
The first problem with this idea is the losses due to the transmission driving the three at the same rpm. And they will be driving rather than just synchronizing as the air flows will differ between the three in that configuration.
In addition to this comes power losses when the wind comes from an angle and shadows those behind, unless you intend to do away with one of the sav's key advantages of not requiring a wind seeking mechanism?

You offer no sound reason as motivation for using such a configuration as a benefit to offset the losses. Regardless of the dimensions, in my opinion, this system is a non starter.
But perhaps you can convince me otherwise?

was working fine... til the smoke got out.
Cheers Gill _Cairns, FNQ

Tinker

Guru

Joined: 07/11/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 1904

Posted: 02:08pm 04 Feb 2008

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Funny you should post that question, I was thinking about the very same subject but with a slight twist to it.
What I dreamed up is two of these turbines geared via a large cog to a central shaft in between. The generator is on the central shaft. The two turbines would turn their way round the central shaft cog if that shaft was locked, to explain the mechanical action.
What I am assuming is (all theory here) that the two savonius turbines would come to some equilibrium with the present wind direction and start driving the central shaft.
No problem for wind direction seeking here.
No problem with the big mechanical guying of vertically stacked savonius.
Less visual impact, it might be interesting to watch the counter rotating turbines.

But, is my theory right??

One day I am going to build a model to see what happens, I got some plastic cogs out of an old laser copier and a tiny PM motor to check if two make more power than one

.
Klaus

Klaus

TugHill

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Joined: 09/11/2007
Location: United States
Posts: 2

Posted: 07:33pm 04 Feb 2008

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Hey Every one.

Why not make just wider (more torque) and it will drive a bigger genset?
I am currently considering a similar setup,I have lots of gusty wind and lots of shade trees.

Larry

KiwiJohn
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Joined: 01/12/2005
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 691

Posted: 02:30am 05 Feb 2008

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If one really wanted to build such a thing I would suggest not belts but bicycle chains and incorporate the rear wheel coaster hubs so that if any are so sheltered as to not be contributing power they will not be loading down the others either.

An easier way to obtain the same thing, that is the coupling together a number of small VAWTs, might be to put a generator on each one and combine their outputs.

solarwind

Regular Member

Joined: 03/02/2008
Location: South Africa
Posts: 51

Posted: 01:04pm 05 Feb 2008

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An easier way to obtain the same thing, that is the coupling together a number of small VAWTs, might be to put a generator on each one and combine their outputs.

I have to agree with you on this method because in this configuration, there will be no mechanical interference between the turbines and with proper diode steering, each alternator will be effectively "isolated" from the other so as to not act as a load for the other.

You don't have success until you've tried it!

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