Wind Generators- pros & cons

tcmtech · Nov 25, 2016

Not so much a wind power update but the mini boiler is built and in place!

Still more work to do yet but at least the heavy lifting part is done.

GromTag · Nov 25, 2016

Very nicely done on that Boiler. Those welds are no joke on strength nor is the plate thickness either. Worst case metal thickness I've to deal with yet was cutting 1/4th an inch thick, 1 and 1/2" outer diam, high carbon square tube for a door frame. went through a lot of wolf titanium plate edge riciprocating saw blades on that. learnt a lesson, should have used a disc cutter or torch, my arms were like rubber bands afterward. Props for the metal work none the less.

tcmtech · Nov 26, 2016

Every seam but the flue tubes and top cover plate is welded from both sides.

I have a old Stak-Pak plasma cutter system that's set up for 105 amps so I can cut anything up to 1.5" in a single pass so doing metal cutting for this sort of fabrication is pretty easy. All I need to do is hold a dimensional tolerance that is less than the thickness of the metal and its good enough!

I do need to invest in making or finding a good press brake though. Being able to bend the stuff instead of weld everything at every corner would save me so much time.

spec · Nov 26, 2016

tcmtech said:
Not so much a wind power update but the mini boiler is built and in place!
...

Still more work to do yet but at least the heavy lifting part is done.

That is amazing. Is the boiler a clone of a commercial design or is it your own design?

spec

tcmtech · Nov 26, 2016

My own based on what I learned from my first one.

Contrary to what many outdoor wood burning boiler companies tell everyone making a steel box that turns fuel of some kind into hot water with any degree of efficiency is not that hard or expensive and can be done with common easily sourced material and components. I mean the tech has been around and pretty well understood for over 200 years now.

Afterall, you are working with what can usually be a near free fuel source if you have any brains and ambition to look for and got get it.

spec · Nov 26, 2016

tcmtech said:
... if you have any brains and ambition to look for and got get it.

Those two qualities are not as common as you may think.

spec

tcmtech · Nov 26, 2016

Somehow I don't find that to be MY problem.

tcmtech · Nov 28, 2016

For another mini boiler update. Yesterday I got the new chimney stack roughed in to where it is usable and did my first in place heat run test with the shed floor heat plumbed in and the boiler loaded up with ~75 gallons of ~ 35% antifreeze and water mix. It did well! I heated it with my big berth torch to ~170F water temp and let it sit all night and this morning the old shed was at ~45F!

Just in time for our big storm to move in overnight so now I can do my remaining work indoors with heat!

BTW, roughly 10" of snow so far and we have another day or two to go!

spec · Nov 29, 2016

tcmtech said:
BTW, roughly 10" of snow so far and we have another day or two to go!

Hell, you had better start building a sled. Last night, here, the temperature dropped to zero Deg C.

spec

tcmtech · Nov 29, 2016

I may have to consider getting the old 1978 SKi doo out and running! It's been about 7 - 8 years since we have had enough snow at any one time to ever bother with trying to get it running.

large_ghostman · Dec 2, 2016

Spec do a search for QR5 turbines (hold on will find a link), I was looking after 3 of them at a school. They are going to be decommissioned (long story). One has no blades but everything else including cabenates and control systems. They are going begging, i think they are due to be taken down early jan. The masts are huge, but in sections so you can have any height. I think they are 5 ish KW each.

They are currently connected and 2 working and on tariff. The design is very quiet and unique. Shout if your interested in them. School politics means they are to be taken down and we need to get shot of them. I dont want them as i dont have room to store 3 30 meter towers and all the control stuff.

Shame they are going, but a new head teacher dosnt want them on the school ground. The school is glenluce.

Actually i found a video online of the school turbines, these are the actual ones in the vid.

https://www.itv.com/news/border/story/2013-03-19/dumfries-and-galloway-council-wind-turbine-meeting/

spec · Dec 2, 2016

Little Ghostman said:
Spec do a search for QR5 turbines (hold on will find a link), I was looking after 3 of them at a school. They are going to be decommissioned (long story). One has no blades but everything else including cabenates and control systems. They are going begging, i think they are due to be taken down early jan. The masts are huge, but in sections so you can have any height. I think they are 5 ish KW each.

They are currently connected and 2 working and on tariff. The design is very quiet and unique. Shout if your interested in them. School politics means they are to be taken down and we need to get shot of them. I dont want them as i dont have room to store 3 30 meter towers and all the control stuff.

Shame they are going, but a new head teacher dosnt want them on the school ground. The school is glenluce.

Actually i found a video online of the school turbines, these are the actual ones in the vid.

https://www.itv.com/news/border/story/2013-03-19/dumfries-and-galloway-council-wind-turbine-meeting/

Well, well- nice to see you back on ETO LG, and thanks for info- useful as usual.

spec

large_ghostman · Dec 3, 2016

Thinking about it, the generators are pretty small units, as far as i know the inverters are 440V 3 phase, so you could just take the generator and inverters and make a turbine from that, there is also a good control system made by ABB. So if you didnt want the complete thing i could take the parts off you want when we take them down.

Might be better if i get some close up pics for you, inside the cabs etc and of the gen units. The gens sit on top of the mast just below the blades. Solid state wind speed indicators etc. The three turbines cost around £55k back in 2011 or 2012 i think. The money came from a community grant from a large wind farm.

Not sure of all the politics, but i am aware there dont want money from then, at the moment i have the rights to the turbines once they come down, that is a very long story! But i dont want them, i dont have room and apart from them knocking out 3phase they are no use to me.

I am keeping the main cable to the panel in the school, well its armored and 300 meters long , and alot of copper in it lol. The guy in the vid is James, he is no longer head there hence why they are going.

spec · Dec 3, 2016

Little Ghostman said:
Thinking about it, the generators are pretty small units, as far as i know the inverters are 440V 3 phase, so you could just take the generator and inverters and make a turbine from that, there is also a good control system made by ABB. So if you didnt want the complete thing i could take the parts off you want when we take them down.

Might be better if i get some close up pics for you, inside the cabs etc and of the gen units. The gens sit on top of the mast just below the blades. Solid state wind speed indicators etc. The three turbines cost around £55k back in 2011 or 2012 i think. The money came from a community grant from a large wind farm.

Not sure of all the politics, but i am aware there dont want money from then, at the moment i have the rights to the turbines once they come down, that is a very long story! But i dont want them, i dont have room and apart from them knocking out 3phase they are no use to me.

I am keeping the main cable to the panel in the school, well its armored and 300 meters long , and alot of copper in it lol. The guy in the vid is James, he is no longer head there hence why they are going.

Thanks for the thought LG, but wind generator are theory/interest for me. I live in town and wind generators are not allowed.

Surely, ideal for your estate though. I expect the wind is good in Scotland too.

spec

large_ghostman · Dec 3, 2016

spec said:
Thanks for the thought LG, but wind generator are theory/interest for me. I live in town and wind generators are not allowed.

Surely, ideal for your estate though. I expect the wind is good in Scotland too.

spec

We are on a hill so yes ideal for wind, but we have a wood and alot of trees, its a double edged sword. The only sensible place would be in view and since we hope to do holidays i am reluctant to put up turbines. They are marmite to alot of people and the local area is covered in them, plus having worked on these ones for 18 months i dont ever want to mess with them again! lol .

You have seen the pics where i live, i cant see anywhere i could put them and get to the main electric board without have tree issues.

large_ghostman · Dec 3, 2016

My own preference would be too use the 1/4 mile slope down to the bottom pond, use the generators to do hydro. but time and money dosnt make it practical, i am concentrating on getting the holiday thing going. I have worked so hard on it this year.

I dug that pond out by hand in the end!! even cut the trees out with a hand saw . I nearly got muscles now..nearly

spec · Dec 3, 2016

Little Ghostman said:
We are on a hill so yes ideal for wind, but we have a wood and alot of trees, its a double edged sword. The only sensible place would be in view and since we hope to do holidays i am reluctant to put up turbines. They are marmite to alot of people and the local area is covered in them, plus having worked on these ones for 18 months i dont ever want to mess with them again! lol .

You have seen the pics where i live, i cant see anywhere i could put them and get to the main electric board without have tree issues.

Yes, take your point- not quite the same as TCMs place.

It seems that wind turbines are high maintenance- apart from the huge commercial wind turbines, most wind turbines seem to be out of action for one reason of another. The closest small turbine to me (6 feet blades, 25 feet tower, and about 5KW) has never been operational, as far as I know, since 1962.

spec

spec · Dec 3, 2016

Little Ghostman said:
My own preference would be too use the 1/4 mile slope down to the bottom pond, use the generators to do hydro. but time and money dosnt make it practical, i am concentrating on getting the holiday thing going. I have worked so hard on it this year.

I dug that pond out by hand in the end!! even cut the trees out with a hand saw . I nearly got muscles now..nearly

Wow- still all your hard work will pay dividends in the future, when you get the holiday business going.

I like the idea of hydro- seems to be more reliable than wind. A lot of ancient water mills are still operational- they have a great water mill at Dunster, where we visit at least three times a year.

spec

large_ghostman · Dec 4, 2016

No idea why Scotland went with wind, hydro makes more sense up here for on demand power. I like hydro and the slope we have is at the right incline for it. BUT..........still got alot more work to do yet. Everything is dying back so winter is clearing time .

spec · Dec 4, 2016

Little Ghostman said:
No idea why Scotland went with wind, hydro makes more sense up here for on demand power. I like hydro and the slope we have is at the right incline for it. BUT..........still got alot more work to do yet. Everything is dying back so winter is clearing time .

Yea, you are right- most important to get your priorities right.

You could pretty much dam up the whole of Scotland and them make a fortune by supplying the UK with power.

spec

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