DIY Savonius VAWT ( Vertical Axis Wind Generator)

[778 neighbour of some guy]

778s disclaimer ( don't know if this works, but if it generates power it can be stored to use for whatever if I am correct, perhaps someone who wants to go of grid finds this useful?) rest of text is from video and wiki.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harness the wind for less than $100.

DIY vertical wind turbine of the Savonius style.

Notable is that this cost less than $100 in materials so far and that the largest part of this turbine is recycled materials (the PVC drums previously held Balsamic Vinegar from Italy).

Also, this turns well in a very light wind.

Axle: 3 inch PVC piping from Home Depot
Bearings: 5 inch lazy suzan from Lowes.

Part 2 will cover power generation and connection to the battery bank.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=9UPe6A_UVPc

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=24LSnATIZhw

From wiki.

The Savonius wind turbine was invented by the Finnish engineer Sigurd Johannes Savonius in 1922. However, Europeans had been experimenting with curved blades on vertical wind turbines for many decades before this. The earliest mention is by the Italian Bishop of Czanad, who was also an engineer. He wrote in his 1616 book Machinae novae about several vertical axis wind turbines with curved or V-shaped blades. None of his or any other earlier examples reached the state of development made by Savonius. In his Finnish biography there is mention of his intention to develop a turbine-type similar to the Flettner-type, but autorotationary. He experimented with his rotor on small rowing vessels on lakes in his country. There are no results of his particular investigation known, but Magnus-Effect is confirmed by König.[1]

The Savonius turbine is one of the simplest turbines. Aerodynamically, it is a drag-type device, consisting of two or three scoops. Looking down on the rotor from above, a two-scoop machine would look like an "S" shape in cross section. Because of the curvature, the scoops experience less drag when moving against the wind than when moving with the wind. The differential drag causes the Savonius turbine to spin. Because they are drag-type devices, Savonius turbines extract much less of the wind's power than other similarly-sized lift-type turbines. Much of the swept area of a Savonius rotor may be near the ground, if it has a small mount without an extended post, making the overall energy extraction less effective due to the lower wind speeds found at lower heights.

Savonius turbines are used whenever cost or reliability is much more important than efficiency.

Most anemometers are Savonius turbines for this reason, as efficiency is irrelevant to the application of measuring wind speed. Much larger Savonius turbines have been used to generate electric power on deep-water buoys, which need small amounts of power and get very little maintenance. Design is simplified because, unlike with horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs), no pointing mechanism is required to allow for shifting wind direction and the turbine is self-starting. Savonius and other vertical-axis machines are good at pumping water and other high torque, low rpm applications and are not usually connected to electric power grids. They can sometimes have long helical scoops, to give smooth torque.

The most ubiquitous application of the Savonius wind turbine is the Flettner Ventilator, which is commonly seen on the roofs of vans and buses and is used as a cooling device. The ventilator was developed by the German aircraft engineer Anton Flettner in the 1920s. It uses the Savonius wind turbine to drive an extractor fan. The vents are still manufactured in the UK by Flettner Ventilator Limited

[TargeT]

https://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...ine#post541440

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4c03VRKm-oE

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=C3a6LAzNsds

I'm a fan of this Vertical Axis articulating rotor design, though I'm sure it will cost a lot more than what you posted.

[778 neighbour of some guy]

I'm a fan of this Vertical Axis articulating rotor design, though I'm sure it will cost a lot more than what you posted.

Yeah, it will cost a lot more, a whole lot more, but being a fan of it is cool though, looked pretty high tech, what I was aiming for was extremely low budget, reproducible by a retard blind monkey in a barn or on a kitchen countertop with basic tools and still produce juice to charge up a couple of batteries for perhaps some 12 volt appliances ( if it works on a boat or a camper, it will work in a house as well I assume).

[Daozen]

Been following this for years. Exciting.

To move this forward, ppl need a bullet pointed how to guide. Do they exist?

I also heard the battery bank would cost a few hundred.

Could you make a mini VAWT that could charge a couple of lights and a smartphone?

Charge two lights and a mobile and you help 3 billion ppl. Kerosene use is still rampant.

Everything needs to get smaller, simpler, cheaper.

[Joe Sustaire]

Posted by 778 neighbour of some guy (here)

I'm a fan of this Vertical Axis articulating rotor design, though I'm sure it will cost a lot more than what you posted.

Yeah, it will cost a lot more, a whole lot more, but being a fan of it is cool though, looked pretty high tech, what I was aiming for was extremely low budget, reproducible by a retard blind monkey in a barn or on a kitchen countertop with basic tools and still produce juice to charge up a couple of batteries for perhaps some 12 volt appliances ( if it works on a boat or a camper, it will work in a house as well I assume).

I happen to be just the off-grid, retarded blind monkey you were aiming this at. I'll be giving this some study, if I give it a try I'll post my results. Thanks for the thread!

[Daozen]

BTW, I read an article that said the benefits of VAWTS are overstated.

I'm really focused on microgeneration, HAWT or VAWT.

This blew my mind. Unbearably cute in the developed world, amazingly useful in the developing world. Ten pounds.

Ummm... lost the link, on a smartphone. It was a tiny luminous HAWT that charged a mobilen

[Joe Sustaire]

Whoops!

Wonderfully low tech, until you come to the second video hooking up the turbine to the generator. Then it jumps to CAD designed gears and CNC routing to create the gearing.

I would guess the low-tech solution would be the old v-belt and pulleys, with maybe a tension pulley to tighten the belt. Gets it back down to shade tree level technology.

Not sure I have enough wind to make it worthwhile....

[Daozen]

Posted by Joe Sustaire (here)
Wonderfully low tech, until you come to the second video hooking up the turbine to the generator. Then it jumps to CAD designed gears and CNC routing to create the gearing.

I would guess the low-tech solution would be the old v-belt and pulleys, with maybe a tension pulley to tighten the belt. Gets it back down to shade tree level technology.

I've noticed the VAWT crowd pulling bait and switches like that for a while. It just breeds mistrust in the technology. Well spotted. I don't have the time to see flaws like this right now.

Not sure I have enough wind to make it worthwhile....

You could mount it outside Congress.

[778 neighbour of some guy]

Charge two lights and a mobile and you help 3 billion ppl. Kerosene use is still rampant.

Everything needs to get smaller, simpler, cheaper.

Waka Waka Power, solar charger, battery bank and light all in one( not a VAWT), I have one of these, comes in very handy, also charges my other USB devices like my E book, Steripen, Mp3 player ( I don't charge my tablet with it btw, theres not enough juice in the Waka to do that, hence an e reader). You can charge the Waka Waka Power, from a wall outlet, or by sunlight.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=IeCfWcR9HPk

[Daozen]

These are the sorts of things I'm looking at. They'll be sourced from China at a huge markup. I've no idea which brands are reliable or not... Maybe we could all crowdwrite a short article.

Where to start?

[778 neighbour of some guy]

Posted by Daozen (here)
These are the sorts of things I'm looking at. They'll be sourced from China at a huge markup. I've no idea which brands are reliable or not... Maybe we could all crowdwrite a short article.

Where to start?

Well, there are a couple of threads here about rocket stoves and wood gas stoves, a good example would be the Biolite ( produces electricity while functioning as a wood gas stove that cuts about 90% of emissions from smoke and soot) they make stoves for camping and larger versions for 3th world countries, to charge usb devices like LED lights, phones, tablets and what have you, so there are plenty products/solutions out there to help, a lot of these products are readily available at outdoor stores, plenty of reviews of those products on Youtube, maybe you should check them out for a bit to see whats already out there, ready to go and waiting for you to order them.

[Daozen]

That's the big joke, the technology is ready to go... I'm just a volunteer and it'll take ages to sift through reviews. Anyway, no rush....

I'll bookmark this thread and focus over the autumn.

The title might be:

5 Awesome Technologies for a Kerosene World....

[TargeT]

Posted by Joe Sustaire (here)
Whoops!

Wonderfully low tech, until you come to the second video hooking up the turbine to the generator. Then it jumps to CAD designed gears and CNC routing to create the gearing.

I would guess the low-tech solution would be the old v-belt and pulleys, with maybe a tension pulley to tighten the belt. Gets it back down to shade tree level technology.

Not sure I have enough wind to make it worthwhile....

3d printing is the solution

I don't know all the stores out there, but here's one : http://www.amazon.com/b?node=8323871011


I'd be interested to hear your take on this, to me it seems nearly useless in its capacity to produce power.