Wind Turbine Blades
Author: Nick Molinar
When making wind turbine blades you can use metal wood or fiberglass. Sometimes, turbine blades are also cut from pieces of PVC pipe. Fiberglass is very light and long lasting. It is not subject to stress fatigue like other materials. This is why it is most commonly used as blade material in the giant commercial wind turbines in production today.
All horizontal axis wind turbines share basically the same design style. Much like the wings on an airplane, wind turbine blades are airfoil shaped to create lift and help maximize efficiency. Since the blades move faster at the outer ends and slower in the middle, they usually have a twist to their shape. This twist optimizes angle of attack along the blade. To further improve aerodynamic performance, the blades are also tapered.
Regardless of the consistencies in blade design, their dimensions must be compatible with the overall machine design and location. Control over speed and torque is required to optimize aerodynamic efficiency in light winds. Once the turbine's maximum speed for energy creation is reached, it must be slowed down.
So the turbine must be prevented from spinning faster than its maximum capacity can handle. Diameter, blade size and weight all contribute. If the blades are too big or too small for the alternator the turbine won’t work properly, if at all. The turbine will not be able to turn into the wind or furl to a slower speed when required if the tail assembly isn't the correct size and weight and size.
As you can see, the blade specifics must be relative to the turbine’s other components. There are many do-it-yourself project guides available for building a complete home wind turbine system, but only a few include the details required to build a fully balanced and efficient system. Readers can learn more about wind turbine blade construction here.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/wind-turbine-blades-986626.html
About the Author
Nick Molinar runs DIYHomePowerGrid, where he discusses home grown power generation systems including solar, wind and automotive alternatives.
How long does it take to recharge a car battery with a wind turbine?
I’m planning to build a catamaran from two surfboards, attach a DC pump motor, put a seat on it and a wind turbine (500W) and make this thing my commuter boat. It needs to cover 8 miles in under an hour and back, and I hope to recharge it over night using the wind turbine only (the thing will be moored in Otago Harbour, southern New Zealand, and I’m planning to swim out to it in the mornings using a wetsuit).
How many batteries do you reckon I need, how big an engine do I need to get up to about 10 knots, and how many wind turbines are necessary to recharge this thing over night?
As you can see, I’m a determined fool.
Would a wind turbine on an electric car use more energy than it would produce?
Me and a friend have been having an argument about whether or not this would work. we are both building electric cars, and I proposed this. He said it wouldn’t work, I say it would. Just trying to get to the bottom of it once and for all.
It wouldn’t be the sole power source, only a way to extend the range by charging the batteries.
Is it feasible to stick a wind turbine on a hybrid car and use the energy from it?
would the increased air drag take away from gained energy?
I’m thinking about putting a wind turbine on my car to generate electricity. What do you think?
Do you think wind turbine fitted on a car could work?
Can it produce enough energy to power the radio, charge your laptop etc.?
Is it practical and worth it?
Do you want to install it on your car? Please state your reason.
Unless you are leaving your car parked, you will be generating electricity by burning fuel to move and increasing the drag to do it. The efficiency is not there. Stick with hybrids.
it would produce considerably less power than the drag it caused, which would increase fuel use.
so no, i wouldn’t like it.
(It is cool to think about however.
and, as warren said, it’s effectiveness would be very wind dependent.
freeway might be okay.
around town — not so much.
but still, in total, an energy waster.
Excellent idea!
Let me contribute a bit, if you don’t mind. Why don’t you just skip the turbine and the motor and build a sailing catamaran instead, based on two windsurfing boards?
This thing will be as agile as a roadrunner; however, it will require good sailing skills. The wetsuit you planned for swimming to your vehicle in the morning will come in handy, you will need it during the trip.
But I’d not be surprised if that thing could do 16 miles per hour with ease.
Based solely on the 2nd law of thermodynamics the car would have to put more energy in than the windmill would produce.
In practical terms the windmill will produce drag forces on the car that need to be overcome. Also the windmill will only convert part of the wind velocity to energy. What you end up with is a net loss.
It would only give you a gain in overall energy if it was used only when decelerating – other wise, the energy needed to push it through the air would negate any energy that it created.