The wind generator is an incredibly important, and often the only source of electricity for people living far from civilization, in nature or in places where, for one reason or another, there are no electrical and network communications.
Usually, such people either order special equipment from companies that produce such units, or make electric generators themselves, making both the engine itself and the blades for the electric generator with their own hands.
There is nothing difficult in creating such an energy source, but the value of the practical benefits of such a device can hardly be overestimated.
Wind Farms
Wind power plants are special devices that convert wind energy into electrical energy. This happens due to the rotation of the rotor. Wind currents fall on the propeller blades and make the rotor spin, the mechanical energy from the rotation of which is converted into electrical energy. The size of the blade of a wind turbine can usually be considered an indicator of the power of the device, and you can also find out from itapproximate generator performance.
Wind farms usually consist of several installations and in total produce a large amount of electricity, especially during periods of hurricanes and strong continuous winds.
Such devices are used where there is a shortage of electrical energy or there is no way to carry it out by traditional methods.
The significant advantage of a wind farm is that it does not consume any valuable resource other than wind energy. Unlike electric generators that run on gasoline or other fuels, the wind turbine does not need to be recharged.
Home Wind Turbine
A home wind generator can be made both for the purpose of actually providing housing with electricity, and for acquiring cognitive and practical experience. In any case, it will be a useful craft that can be used, for example, to recharge an electronic gadget or household appliance.
Home wind turbines differ from industrial wind turbines by their significantly smaller size and the ability to produce a relatively small amount of electrical energy.
Usually, these units are installed in the backyard and connected to the residential power supply system. This method of obtaining electrical energy absolutely does not require financial costs, and even more so, it easily pays for the funds spent on its production.
Destination
The main task of the wind turbine iselectricity production and provision of residential premises with it. Typically, such machines are installed in summer cottages, garden plots and connected to water heating systems or small household appliances. Wind turbines are often used to power construction power tools such as power saws, sandpaper, or circular saws.
Purchase
Of course, the easiest solution would be to buy a ready-made wind turbine. Now there are a huge number of companies involved in the manufacture and assembly of wind turbines, both according to their sketches and according to individual customer requests. You can easily choose and order a generator of any type, size and purpose. However, making such a device with your own hands will still be a profitable solution for any owner, since not in all areas where people need electricity, it is possible to manufacture or even deliver a wind generator. In such conditions, you have to rely only on your personal skills and abilities.
Homemade wind turbine
A DIY wind turbine has a number of advantages. Unlike the purchased device, there is no doubt as a self-created machine. Also, a home wind generator is always made to the needs and requirements of a particular home.
It is very simple to make a wind generator for a summer cottage with your own hands, especially since a finished engine can be easily purchased at almost any technical store or ordered on the Internet. Most of the time will be spent onmanufacture of wind turbine blades.
Blade
The blades are the most important part of the wind turbine system. The amount of energy produced by the device depends on their size and shape. It is very easy to make blades for a wind turbine with your own hands. There are many ways to manufacture various types of such rotating elements. Even the most inexperienced master can easily follow step-by-step instructions and tips.
Creating with your own hands
To create the blades for a wind turbine with your own hands, you should follow a certain plan. Such a manufacturing technology will not only avoid errors in operation, but also guarantee the creation of blades that are proportionately suitable for the engine.
First, you need to decide on the size of the wind turbine blades. Usually the length of the rotating surface is directly proportional to the power of the engine. The longer the blade, the more energy is required to rotate it. It is necessary to carry out all the necessary mathematical calculations in advance, determining the length of the wind turbine blade, its width and thickness. Next, you need to decide on the form. The ease of its rotation depends on this criterion. The most advantageous shape for such a surface would be a thin and wide blade in the shape of a curved triangle.
Secondly, you should draw a diagram or drawing of the blade on graph paper, and then transfer it to the material using a paper pattern. Care must be taken to avoid inaccuracies or deviations from the drawing, otherwise start-up difficulties may occurwind turbine, as well as malfunctions in the process of its operation.
Thirdly, you need to carefully cut or cut the blades from the prepared material, cutting strictly along the pattern line. After separating the blades from the rest of the material used, the products should be carefully processed with a file and then with soft sandpaper. This will smooth the working surface, help to avoid unnecessary friction, and also relieve the process of moving the blades from various kinds of difficulties and obstacles.
Fourthly, it is necessary to fix the blades on the element connecting them. This can be done with bolts and epoxy. The fasteners must be strong and prevent the blades from moving freely. The performance and wear resistance of the future wind generator directly depend on the strength of the system.
You can make blades for a wind turbine with your own hands from several types of materials. Plywood, PVC tube, or aluminum sheet work well for this.
PVC pipe blades
The blades made of PVC pipe are of two types. The first type includes long and narrow rotating elements, while the second type includes wide and much shorter ones.
The blades of the first type are used in generators that produce a small amount of electrical energy, and the propellers of the second type are actively installed in industrial wind farm installations.
Both types of wind turbine blades can be made from PVC pipe.
ForTo do this, take a pipe segment that matches the length of the blade dimensions and cut it longitudinally. Then it is necessary to straighten the pipe, turning it into a PVC sheet and leave it under pressure for several days. After the pipe takes the form of a perfectly flat sheet, you can apply the contours of the future blade on it using a pre-made pattern.
Next, process the received parts and fasten them together with epoxy, turning them into a finished screw for the power generator.
Aluminum blades
The manufacture of a wind turbine blade from an aluminum sheet is carried out according to the same scheme that is used to work with a PVC pipe. However, a significant difference between the two systems is the method of attaching the blades to the connecting element. When working with aluminum, it is better not to use bolts and epoxy, but to connect the parts with rivets.
Also, aluminum elements require more careful processing with a file, sandpaper and two types of sandpaper. The sharp edge of the blade should first be processed with a file and coarse sandpaper, and only then sanded with a soft one. If necessary, you can remove large excess material with sandpaper. They can also smooth out serious irregularities in the blades.
Fiberglass blades
The most painstaking and patience-requiring method of manufacturing wind turbine blades using fiberglass. Any product from this material is created in three stages.
At the first stage, you should decide on the shape and size of the blade, i.e., calculate the blades of the wind turbine. Based on these data, you can start making a mold for a future product. Usually the form is cut out of soft wood, carefully processed with sandpaper. The shape must be smooth, without scratches, bulges and bumps, as all of these can inevitably be reflected on the surface of the blade.
The second stage is directly making a blade for a wind turbine with your own hands, that is, sequentially laying fiberglass strips into a mold. Each layer should be carefully ironed, avoiding air bubbles or various debris from getting inside. After the form is completely filled, it is closed with a pre-made lid, and the paddle is left in a warm place until completely dry.
At the third stage, homemade wind turbine blades should be carefully checked for distortion and deformation, and then treated with sandpaper. For greater strength, the blades can be painted or coated with colored varnish. This will give the product the most aesthetic appearance.
Further, by analogy with other methods, you need to fix the manufactured parts on the rotating connecting element with bolts. Due to the special structure of the fiberglass, it is not recommended to use rivets or other types of fasteners that are not removable.
Blade drawings
A drawing of a wind turbine blade can be easily found on various forums oninterest. One of the options is presented to your attention in the photo above. Of course, you should use it only as an example, substituting the necessary values for the length and width of the rotating elements of the generator system.
There are a large number of different drawings and diagrams that you can use as a model when designing blades for your own wind machine.
However, no matter what pattern the resourceful owner of the house uses, the main criterion is the length of the wind turbine blade, since the performance and efficiency of the future device depends on it.
Blade examples
There are many different shapes of wind turbine blades. Each of them is used in its specific area. In places where a windy climate prevails, long and thin blades are usually installed. But on the territory where there is a shortage of wind, wide and short ones are mounted, which, due to their surface, more actively capture wind currents.
Balance
After making the blades for the wind turbine with your own hands, you should balance and adjust them. The first is done by hanging the blades on a rope from the ceiling. It is necessary to monitor the behavior of the blade in the air, and immediately identify the disproportion of its parts, if any. You also need to pay attention to the relationship of the blade to the air flow, find out if there are any obstacles for cutting the air with the edge of the blade. The wind generator is adjusted using an anemometer, according to the values of which it is calibrateddevice.
It must be remembered that the process of bringing the device to work with maximum efficiency will take more than one week and will require a lot of patience and perseverance from the creator.
A wind generator usually requires one to three weeks of adjustment and adaptation to the climate and wind patterns of a particular area. Fine tuning will allow you to achieve maximum efficiency of the device.
