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Forum Index : Windmills : Hughs six foot 24 volt
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| radman Newbie  Joined: 29/11/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 12 |
Hey folks, I hope you guys can give me some idea's about what I am doing wrong with this turbine. The rotor spins free but this bird won't fly. I live in a area that has only mild wind and there are to many tree's but I can't clearcut the place for this little mil. I hope the pictures will be enough to let you guy's see an issue I am missing. The blades have a 15 degree angle, is that to much? Looking for an answer. Thanks in advance, Radman 
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Hi Radman Does it spin up if you disconnect any load? Whats it wired for, voltage? Also any info you can give us on the coils, turns, magnet size, and the turbine diameter. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| radman Newbie Joined: 29/11/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 12 |
Hey Glen, first thanks for the reply,I just went out and disconnected the mil from the battery bank so we do get a good breeze here in the late afternoon so I may be able to answer that before I send this. I used Hughes recipe to build this mil. I used 16 awg one in hand 130 turns for a 24 volt. Six coils and nine 1x2x1/2 magnets on a 10 inch rotor, this model has only one disk with magnets. Long story short, I had carved the blades to Hughs spec. Last winter when the ground was really gooey here I attempted to rise it and one of the fence posts I had driven three foot deep just popped right out of the goo. The mil came down and I lost the new blades and the tail. I had made a set of blades out aluminum that some folks warned me would not perform, they did not so I made these blades, they look nice but they are not up there to be pretty but to turn this mil. I have not really found a source that says what blade pitch a blade for this mil should be. I measured the pitch of the those Hughes blades and they were more like 20 degrees at the root. The wind has went south for the night but I can say I have seen it do 5 volts once or twice with the blades turning maybe 75rpm. |
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Madness Guru  Joined: 08/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2498 |
With no load and a good breeze it should do a lot more than 75 rpm, have you tried spinning it by hand as it is at present or is it possible? Should spin freely. There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. |
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| brucedownunder2 Guru Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
Hi Radman.. I think we should go back to the event where you say "you dropped it" . OK , blades replaced , what else was damaged -you got 3 phase ac coming down the tower or 2 wire dc ?. 75 RPM -- I have got that rpm when I short out the 3 phases (sort of in a storm to control the thing). Think we should wait til you tell us about the "other-damage" stuff.. It's got me thinking and that hurts, but I'm sure you'll get the monster going soon Bruce Bushboy |
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| radman Newbie Joined: 29/11/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 12 |
Hey Bruce, it is three phase AC down the pole to the rectifier's. No I can't spin it now, it's 20 feet in the air. The blades and the tail did a good job of breaking the fall and there was no damage to mil. When I mounted the blades just before I raised it, I spun them and I think they turned one revolution. I even backed off the bearing one notch to make sure it was not to tight, the clearance between the rotor and the stator is on the money. I think I have a issue with the blades, the tips finished out at 2" they are 38" long and the pitch is 15 degrees. Is this pitch two much? Can I go longer, say 48"? Mike |
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| Madness Guru Joined: 08/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2498 |
It could be an electrical short, would be worth putting a meter across all combinations of the 3 wires. If you get some wind and starts spinning you could measure voltage to see if all is equal too. But by the sound of it you are going to have to pull it down anyway. There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. |
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mac46 Guru Joined: 07/02/2008 Location: United StatesPosts: 412 |
Hello Radman, Welcom to the forum. #1 question...has this machine (EVER) produced anypower??? and / or is this a new instillation? Pull that thing down and preform some quality checks...it should be putting out power. The crash to the ground may have broke a few things internally. By the looks of the trees close by it appears as if it might be a good idea to lengthen the tower and get the turbin up into some good wind...after you get it checked out. That prop should be big enough...depending on you'r wind average. If yor average wind is below 10 mph then you may want a bigger prop. Some have had better preformance in lower average winds with the GEOs222 wing profile. Mac46 I'm just a farmer |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Yeah I'm starting to think there is a short too, the comment "When I mounted the blades just before I raised it, I spun them and I think they turned one revolution." has me worried, it should have spun freely, like a bicycle wheel. At low RPM, like under 100rpm, there should be no electrical load, so your should only feel bearing resistance and some wind resistance. I tend to agree it has to come back down for a closer look, sorry to say. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| radman Newbie Joined: 29/11/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 12 |
Hey folks here's an update on my 24 volt turbine, I moved it to a better location as for catching wind. It's a lot less convenient as far as wiring goes. But here it has a better chance of catching a breeze. When I took it down for the move, I found my problem, the three wire's going down the pipe had somehow got hung up and were cut up pretty bad, hence the short. The blades spin up with no problem now. It makes 10-11 volts in a lite breeze but I have not seen it go up to the 28 volts I need to charge the battery's. In a afternoon wind, I see 14 to 19 volts so the question is can I run the battery's is series for 12 volts without screwing anything up? The blades are 38". If I ran longer blades could I get more RPM at these lower wind speeds? The pitch of these blades is 15 degrees, would more pitch give me more speed? I think I have worked out a slick way to build these blades which I will share in another post. I didn't take the time to make pictures of the process, but I will work on that in the near future. Radman |
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| Madness Guru Joined: 08/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2498 |
More pitch will mean less speed, decreasing pitch will increase speed (less angle means more revolutions at a given wind speed. Unless they are stalling due to being overloaded as would have been the case with the shorted wires. There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. |
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| radman Newbie Joined: 29/11/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 12 |
Hey Madness, do you know what an ideal pitch would be for this Hughes 24 volt, the stator 16awg with 80 turns, with six foot blades? Once the short had been addressed, the machine had no sign of stalling, it spins up nice and smooth and I am not seeing any wobble in the tail. Radman |
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| Madness Guru Joined: 08/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2498 |
Sorry I don't know, did you build it to the Piggot design? If so probably best to stick to what they specify. There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. |
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