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Forum Index : Windmills : 30th Sept 07. New PVC blades.
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Hi All For some time I've wanted to make a slow running high torque windmill. After reading the work of Dennis with his 5 blade 100 series stator windmill, I felt a slow running windmill would work better for my low wind location. Part 1. A 6 blade turbine. The blades were cut from 250mm PVC pipe. Each blade is about 1100mm long and has the leading and trailing edges shaped like a airfoil. Tip angle is about 5 degrees. Making PVC blades is fun, well not really, its dusty and the PVC dust has a static charge so sticks to everything, I looked like a snowman and had to vacuum myself! 
I dropped the tower today and took off the 3 blade turbine based on those reshaped Chinese blades. They did work well, but I wanted more low wind power. 
Up in the air and running. They work great, quiet ( I was worried about the noise, but this set is very quiet ), and start up in virtually no wind. 
This is the mounting hub, all lasercut steel. Maybe a bit of overkill, but its strong, not that heavy, and I will never have to worry about it breaking. 
Big improvement over the 3 blade turbine, same winds saw 4 to 6 amps, where I was getting 2 amps with the Chinese blades. The stator is a 80 series 7 phase 3 pole, startup is about 90RPM for 12 volts. Diameter is 2.66 meters, thats as big as my tower will take before the blades start clipping the guy wires. Part 2. Dual stator. Well this will be finished next weekend, so stay tuned. But here are a couple of photos. The nacelle is again laser cut steel, so it all fits together nicey. Uses one of Trevs re-splined shafts. 
Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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sPuDd Senior Member  Joined: 10/07/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 251 |
Glenn, I like the look of that dual F&P. Any chance you will be selling a kit of laser cut parts for it? One of those 6 blade hubs would be sweet too 
sPuDd.. It should work ...in theory |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Yeah I am thinking of making up a little kit of laser cut parts. I used to have a "Kit" windmill I sold a couple of years ago, but they ended up costing me more to make than I was selling them for. The PVC blade hub worked good. The only problem is the laser cuting of the spline to suit the F&P shaft. While the laser cut spline works fine, its not pretty, and I was always embarrased to sell them. Trev's cast aluminum hubs are a much nicer looking adapter. Maybe I can get Trev to supply a cast aluminium boss to suit the F&P spline, with a flat surface and bolt holes to suit my laser cut adapters for PVC blades ( or timber blades ). Will look into it. Tonight I'll draw up and post a diagram of how I cut and shaped the PVC blades. Its nothing new, but they are working good and others may find the info handy. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| brucedownunder2 Guru  Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
Hi Glenn, as usual, nice work ,thanks for sharing it with us. Have you used the "new" 3 phase stator and rotor ,recently ? ,and what are your thoughts - mind were that the output is a bit lower than the original F&P stator/rotor combination. I've got a set of ABS plastic blades up and I was surprised at the early start-up in hardly no wind ,, without the rotor they would turn 24/7 , no doubt. But connecting the rotor and batteries holds the mill back considerably. Visited Phil M yesterday and he is completing his dual stator rig using 4 halves of the 2 stators in star configuration running into a 48 v battery bank . I was surprised how easy we got the test rig spinning by hand and easily running up to 50+volts without very much "drag". His abs blades are 1500 and mine are 1750mm .(radius). all the best, Bruce Bushboy |
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| domwild Guru Joined: 16/12/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 873 |
Glenn, Thanks for that. Nicely cut with the laser! How is the new business going? Regards, Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up. Winston Churchill |
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vasi Guru Joined: 23/03/2007 Location: RomaniaPosts: 1697 |
Yes, this is The Way for low wind areas. Thank you Glenn! The detals are great. This is better than Lenz turbine? I think is equal with Lenz in low winds but, better in higher winds? Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton Elvish name: Mablung Miriel Beyound Arduino Lang |
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| dazz Regular Member  Joined: 15/04/2008 Location: Posts: 78 |
Glenn, as a matter of interest. with those blades of yours, what would be the maximum RPM that you would be comfortable in them not falling apart, or doing other unfortunate things like folding? Cheers, Daryl |
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robbo Regular Member Joined: 25/03/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 71 |
Glenn, Are you still considering making the kit for the dual stators ? Havent seen any on your site.  "the Earth was not given to us, by our fathers, rather, it is lent to us by our children". |
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feix62k Newbie  Joined: 30/07/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 36 |
Hi I like the look of the six hub any chance of a drawing, how is the hub mounted on the shaft eg splined or welded back plate would ,love some dimentions hub diameter blade strenghtining brackets ect Ihave sucseesfully built my f and p moter know for the fun stuff I want to put it all together. I have 3 wires on moter can any one tell me were they go I used this config  thanks Shane ps thanks all for a great site
dont the days seem lank and long when nothing gos right and everthing gos wrong |
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grolly Regular Member Joined: 19/05/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 62 |
"Tonight I'll draw up and post a diagram of how I cut and shaped the PVC blades. Its nothing new, but they are working good and others may find the info handy." Hi Glenn, did you get around to drawing how you cut and shaped the blades? if so where did you post it? Grolly I have bought the farm...now I AM powering it... |
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kgoering Newbie Joined: 27/11/2008 Location: United StatesPosts: 1 |
Glen Very impressed with the design you came up with. Have been looking for a design for over a year and finally found yours. Most interested in the lasercut pieces that attach the blades to the hub. I have a solid hub that I would be able to attach these pieces to. Do you have drawings for these parts? Would you sell the dwg, or dfx files for them? Thank you Keith Keith |
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wallablack Senior Member Joined: 10/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 164 |
Good Morning, Does this Trev bloke sell/modify the original shafts? How can I contact him? It is just what im looking for..
Kev. Foolproof systems do not take into account the ingenuity of fools. |
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BobMann Senior Member Joined: 30/06/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 134 |
Hello I like the blades and hub good job. Bob Mann |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Trev's stuff is at http://www.thebackshed.com/BasiclyNatural/ViewCat.asp?CL1=20 &CL2=56&CL3=NA Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| itsandbits1 Regular Member Joined: 13/08/2010 Location: CanadaPosts: 81 |
I've found the flexiness of the pvc to be an issue in gusts and with those two stators on one shaft, doubt you can lean the head back to give the blades some clearance. On a single side i've been able to keep them from whacking the pole and breaking by tipping the head back, same as any other . |
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