Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

The absurdity of the title is not lost on me.

But ...

I've been thinking of making a blue barrel vertical axis wind turbine, but then lying it down mounted sideways across the front of my epic Murray River adventure boat in the hope that when I'm fighting a headwind in overcast (solar unfriendly) weather I might gain some advantage.

I was thinking about catching air at the bottom, so the scoop side faces front and catches the air passing between the hulls, and diverting the air at the top so it entered from the front, then was directed down to also pass under the boat, and also help turn the turbine. So all of the top would be shielded, and all the air diverted down onto the front edge of the turbine.

My questions are...

1. Does anyone have any experence with VAWTs?

2. Has anyone ever tried laying one down on the front of a vehicle?*

3. does anyone know enough about fluid dynamics to comment on what might happen to the wind turbine when the air from the top hits the collector? Will I run into trouble with back pressure or something? Or will the thing just run faster with zero air pushing in the wrong direction, and extra pushing in the correct direction?

Running it vertical is also an option, but the two hulls make for very strong mount points without having any additional frame work (weight).

This is all very much from the half baked ideas department, but I'd be keen to talk to anyone that knows this stuff, oven if it's just to have them talk me out of it.

I'm planning on parking the boat with solar panels, and perhaps some wind power so that I can heat my silver's tank over winter, so even if I mount it horizontally, I'd need to be able to switch it to vertical when it's at home.



*I'm familiar with the conservation of energies bit

BW,

Good luck with that. There are some systems being trialled on roof tops over this way. A lot more eye appeal than a huge mast way up in the air, and a shit load easier to mount.

"WindPod" was a design being progressed circa 2007, but not sure of advances since.

I have a vague design brain thing at the fringe of my head that describes on of those, bat heading into the wind at 45 degree angle. Lift headwind something something...

VAWTs, no matter which way you mount them, are horribly inefficient, operating as they do, on drag rather than lift. You will get far more energy for your dollar spent from a solar panel. Mount a few as a spoiler to smooth the flow of the headwind over the boat.
I think all you will end up with, if you do as described above, is an annmoying vibrating blue thing on the front of your boat, which will generate nothing 99% of the time. A solar panel or 2 would be a far better investment.

Sees like a bad mounting point. Doesn't seem like there would be much wind so close to the water, sheltered by the hull.

Point taken

I have as much solar as my charge controller can take already.

My main aim was to have an alternative when all I had was a head wind and clouds. If I have a tail or side wind I can do some sail, but a direct head wind is a killer.

I also like the idea of a 4.3 meter live aboard river boat with crazy crap hanging off all sides doing interesting things that I can experiment with

But as I said at the start...

point taken

True (and good observation), but there is a secret plan on making it a paddle wheel as well by dropping it down a few inches.

The early ones of those were invented by sovonius and the reason they were vertical is they could catch the wind from any direction they work exactly the same laying dowm [provided they are in perfect balance ] with the wind coming directly from the front saying that the ones made from blue drums are not very efficient [the amount of dray doesent anywere match the power produced ]
you are pushing the turbine into the wind not the wind finding it and spinning it

If you make it a paddle wheel, it will steal energy from your sail unless you're anchored in a current.

I was hoping there might be a way to divert the air flow that would normally flow against the generator, so that it might be re-directed down, and added to the net recovered force instead of opposing it.

I sometimes have a lot of hope

Yes at one time I had a wheely good idea it was get this big round thing put a hole in the centre the only trouble I wheely had was thinking of a name for it and a use
Guess I wheely will have to try hard

You sound like someone I could argue with.

If ever I find myself driving a thousand kilometres out of my way for no reason, would it be ok if I dropped in to visit?

VAWT.... Vertical Axis Waste of Time..

I know a turbine designer .. and he has nothing practical to say about Vertical..
The issue is the power output for the physical size.. they just can't be efficient... ie. Make full use of the available wind power ..
The benefits are obvious, but power is not one of them.

You would likely be better asking on Whirlpool or Energy Matters..

As for mounting on a "vehicle".... any vehicle... by definition, to make power, will remove power from the vehicle..
..
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True that, unless you have an existing, unavoidable wind resistant footprint that you stick a turbine in front of.

I think.

I'm happy to be wrong, but I don't know it yet. If I am, can you please let me know.

I think I should make that my tag line.

You mean like a bumper-bar..

I suspect that it will never really work, as it will just change the "Vehicle" profile, and most of the airflow would just go over it.
Naturally, if you placed in on top of the bonnet, then it would be in the airflow and would create drag and hence increase fuel consumption.. Given that most vehicles are engine powered, generating electricity is not a problem..

Now if you had a yatchet, then power generation could be good for powering instruments etc., but the simple fact is that a VAWT is no where near as efficient as a HAWT, and so for the imposed "DRAG" Vs power generated, the HAWT is far better..
A VAWT in front of the sails would alter the airflow.. one catching the wind off the sails would only be a drag.

If you are talking about a road vehicle, then firstly it would be most illegal, and I doubt that you could design it for typical wind speeds, the equivalent of near hurricane force.

and, if you are seriously keen, then do build it and report on it's relative value.. and if one's intuition is correct..
..
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That all sounds sound.

Thanks BuiDoi.