Something’s not right with the wind turbines on this megabin. The fact that they weren’t turning in a mild breeze made me worry. A close-up of one of the units is below:
(In both cases, clicking the thumbnail will get a full-sized image.)
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12 replies on “vawt der hey…?! wind-powered megabin”
So… don’t keep us in suspense! WHY are they not turning? Is it because the blades all go different ways? I thought that would have helped pick up a breeze regardless of the direction.
I don’t know why. The bearings felt really rough. They might be Potemkin turbines.
[…] Saw three little turbines just at Huntingwood and McCowan (from the pleasantly slow 169 Huntingwood bus). Couldn’t see where they were installed exactly, but they’re probably the nearest (working) wind turbines to my house. I’ve tagged this post with their approximate location, so you can see it on my geo mashup page. […]
Actually, in fairness, I should add that I’ve seen one of the turbines, turning very slowly, once.
Hi there,
This VAWT looks like mine! You can see it on youtube under ‘vawt star’. I figured out this geometry turns better when you open the top plate at the center. The higher pressure at the inside when turning, reduces the performance. Would like to know more about it. It looks great with transparent plexiglass.
WSBToulouse
i’ve done alot of work with vawt, mostly experimental and have a couple running. i’m not into the generating power stage yet since thats a whole different field that will come later.
from what i see, the plexiglass guides are not recommended, you will get some rotation but not as much as you would if the scoops were free from the disturbance caused by the plexi guides. since they are omnidirectional you shouldnt need any sort of means to channel wind into it. basically you are creating too much turbulance for the wind to flow freely into the unit.
how do i know all this, it’s been tried with similar results, very low rotation. put this hting in a wind tunnel and smoke it, you’ll see.
ps: the guides have a short length of plexi perpendicular to the main section of the guides – this is creating an aerodynamic nightmare
Nice looking VAWT!
To be honest we are not real fans of vawt’s since they require a lot of space and are difficult to erect above the ground where more wind is available.
We stick to horizontal axis wind turbines for their simplicity and practicalitym but your VAWT got us interested in trying to build our own!
It’s not *my* VAWT. I was giving it as an example of what not to do.
The blades are not catching any wind! It’s blowing right trough it.
If made out of real wingshaped blades it’s creating a vacuum on the outside which make it lighter. As a result it’s going to turn. Your blades don’t create a vacuum so it will not turn. Try to make a small upstanding ridge on the innerside of your blades. This will make some pressure on the inside of your vawt. It might work but i think a more aerodynamic design will do tha trick.
cheer
anyone who has to ask why this thing doesn’t work really ought to go find a different hobby; aerodynamically it’s horrible
Had the guides been formed in the shape of an airfoil, and the rotor’s vanes been cupped and even airfoil shaped, then these little VAWTs would have taken fuller advantage of the wind. Have you ever seen a cross-section of a gas turbine engine? It has alternately opposed airfoils to take fuller advantage of the power available from the combusting gasses. Ivo and Rick are correct… as is, this design is embarrassing.
Yes, Bryan – but that would mean it would be a lift machine, not a drag machine.