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Forum Index : Windmills : Induction In Lieu of Slip Rings
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MacGyver Guru  Joined: 12/05/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 1329 |
Crew Slip rings are what keep me from getting excited about HAWTs. I normally brew VAWTs but recognizing HAWTs are a more-efficient use of wind, I'm wondering if anyone has tried using induction through two flat-wound coils, one on the yaw plate and the other on the tower, instead of brushes, which chatter, break, get hung up, crack, arc, etc. I'd also be interested in if anyone has considered or tried using a high-voltage spark to make the transition from the yaw plane to the vertical tower and ground below. Just curious. . . . . . Mac Nothing difficult is ever easy! Perhaps better stated in the words of Morgan Freeman, "Where there is no struggle, there is no progress!" Copeville, Texas |
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Greenbelt Guru Joined: 11/01/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 566 |
Hi Mac, If you are expecting some rain on your Parade, here is a small shower though I doubt that Texas Needs more rain at this time. A spark, High voltage, Generates a radio wave that will interfere with the Neighbors TV, and your own. The FCC will remove your Transmitter swiftly-- Ouch!. The induction method will work but be prepared to loose 30% or more of generated energy through Transformer Losses.otherwise that would Fix the Slip Ring problem. ('  ')
see my post in solar. Cheers------------------Roe Time has proven that I am blind to the Obvious, some of the above may be True? |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Dont fear slip rings. I've used commercial units, and home made units, both performed well and were reliable. The home made slip rings were not much more than cut lengths of stainless steel exhaust pipe to act as the ring, flattened copper pipe as the brush and sprint steel as the tensioner. Lasted years. Induction transfer of power needs BIG coils and lots of iron for low frequency. It works ok for high frequency, like over 10kHz. Ever pulled apart a old video tape recorder? The signals from the rotating head are transferred via induction, it works there because its high frequency and low power. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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Tinker Guru Joined: 07/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1904 |
OK Mac, put on your thinking outside the square hat. Is it *really* necessary that HAWT must be able to rotate round and round on a vertical axis to follow the wind direction? I'm sure that even in windy Texas there is a direction where the wind least likely blows from. So, why not limit the wind tracking to 359 degrees with a stop at the least likely direction? This way the cable just does a full twist and then untwists when the tail swivels the turbine around to wind from the other side. I believe you are a fan of making small scale models to prove a point so go ahead and make one with 359 degree wind tracking. You might come up with some novel way to kick the tail off the stop in a lull in case the wind turned around. Have fun... Klaus |
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| MacGyver Guru Joined: 12/05/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 1329 |
Hey, Tink. Ya, I've tried that already; not impressed. I guess I just like VAWTs. It's an unpopular stance, but somebody's got to take it; may as well be me. I know it seems like I'm never going to get my new design built, but it will happen. I have already roll-formed the upper and lower body rings. All I really have to do is about 4 hours of welding, but I've still got fences to build and gates to fix and so on -- it never ends. I'm thinking of hooking my VAWT generator to a Tesla coil, which will auto-discharge every now and then and exhibit a giant arcing spark in my yard up by the road at night. Hey, gotta keep one step ahead of the rest of the crew out here in the boondocks. That should keep them guessing for a while! They are already convinced I'm not from this planet. . . . . . Mac Nothing difficult is ever easy! Perhaps better stated in the words of Morgan Freeman, "Where there is no struggle, there is no progress!" Copeville, Texas |
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| flc1 Senior Member  Joined: 20/11/2011 Location: New ZealandPosts: 242 |
you could try a 2 ton stub axile from a car or ute, drill the center of the shaft out with about a 13mm hole all the way through, run your cables through that, sure you have to unplug the cables at the bottom 2 or 3 times a year to make sure cables not winding up, depending on where you are and what the wind is like etc, the taller the tower the less you have to unpug to unwind. This is all I have used on my turbines for the last 4 or 5 years, never had a problem, no electrical loss there through extra connections,you can see my stub axile setup in a photo on f n p gridtie page |
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