3.2 meter ferrite magnet MPPT wind turbine

[Bio Diesel Man]

Hi Chris,    I have been reading your post lately and am very interested in your wind turbines design. Was wondering why you use stainless steel roller chain,,,,Is it for wear and chain stretch,or for some other reasons?Also was wondering what kind of oil you recommend in the gear case and the viscosity of it?? I am new to this forum, and am very interested in building a ferrite magnet wind turbine using C8 ceramics,1 1/2 inches wide by 4 inches long and 1 inch thick. I am thinking about a 3 phase machine with 16 pole pairs and 12 coils. Was also thinking about making wood blades like they do at Otherpower.com..Are blades like that OK for a ferrite magnet wind turbine. I also am a welder fabricator by trade,and have 2 lathes, a bridgeport. large drill press, ect. Also was wondering if a chain tightener with spring tension might be good  for keeping the drive chain tight??  Lots of questions!!!! I really enjoy your posts and your videos too.. Thanks,,  Duff Streeter,,Bio Diesel Man

[ChrisOlson]

The stainless chain wears less than regular steel chain.  Where the chain wears in in the link side plates and pins.

I just dump in whatever oil I find in the shop.  Anything that keeps the chain wet works.  I've used gear oil, 15W-40 diesel oil, hydraulic oil, and I even dumped diesel fuel in one.  The one with diesel fuel in it has been running for over two years.

Yes, wood blades work fine with ferrite generators.
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Chris

[Bio Diesel Man]

Hey Chris Thanks for your reply. I really appreciate you and all your work..  I was wondering if the C8 ceramic magnets that I want to use are a little stronger than the ferrite blocks you are using?? Are your blocks C5 or C8??  Also I am thinking about covering the wood blades with fiberglass,then paint them .Would you recommend doing something like that to protect the blades from the harsh weather we have here in northeastern Michigan??  I to am an old farm boy and have lots of experiance with equipment and chain driven devices..How long do you think a chain driven unit will last as far as gear wear, chain wear or stretch?? And was wondering about putting a chain tightener inside the chaincase,that is spring loaded to keep the drivechain tight?? Do you think that is necessary and could you use a sprocket with a bearing assy. that you could get from McMaster/Carr or Graingers or MSC ind. supply??Lots of questions,, but just trying to think everything through before I start cutting and welging things together..Thanks so much!!  Duff Streeter

[ChrisOlson]

Wood core blades, with fiberglass overlay?  I don't know much about that, really.

A tensioner is not necessary.  An oil bath chain drive is much like that in the Detroit built V-8 camshaft drives used for better than 6 decades.  The shaft spacing is so close that there is no "stretch" in the chain.  What ultimately wears is the link side plates and pins and when the backlash becomes excessive, simply replace the chain, which is a half hour job once you have the tower laid down.  I have over 80,000 hours of combined tower time on several turbines using this drive and I have yet to have to replace one, or even see the backlash increase from what it is set at during assembly.

To put it in perspective, look at how long the timing chain lasts in an engine at the extremely high speeds it runs at.  A wind turbine, at full power, barely runs at cranking speed of a V-8 engine.  And the main point of failure in the timing chains used in V-8's for years and years is not usually the chain - it's the plastic teeth on the cam sprocket (that they use to make them run quieter).

You never want to try to "fix" something that has proven itself over decades, and millions and millions of hours in many different applications, to "just work".
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Chris

[Bio Diesel Man]

Hi Chris,  Thank you for your information..I am glad there are people like you out there that are not afraid to try new things.. That is kind of the way I look at things too.As I go along with this project I will let you all  know how I make out.I do have a 100 foot ss100d90 Rohn tower I am working on getting it ready to put up. I am going to hinge the tower 40 foot up off the ground and lower the top 60 foot to ground level for working on my wind turbines.. I have a large pad of reinforced concrete poured with a large winch mounted to it that  I will use to raise and lower my tower.. If you are interested in it let me know and I will go into it further..  Thanks for your help.. Duff streeter,  Bio Diesel Man

[Bio Diesel Man]

Hey Chris,    Just was wondering what you use to glue your magnets to the rotors.Do you use a special glue like you can get from Adams Magnets,or do you have something else you use.  Thanks, Duff        Bio Diesel Man

[birdhouse]

duff-
i fiberglassed my wooden blades.  first i stated with blanks made from eight pieces of clear fir glued up with gorilla glue.  carved the chainsaw style, then glasssed them with 6oz and west systems.  then, coated with two part epoxy paint.  they turned out beautifully, and i believe they will last a very long time.  when most folks see them up close they don't even think they're made mostly of wood. 

adam

[Bio Diesel Man]

Adam,   That is awsome,, I am glad to hear you have done it and they are working out for you,as I was thinking alone those lines to.It seems like the fiberglass covering would be the cats meow!!!!  That way you get real nice blades at a reasonable cost..  Thanks, Duff  Bio Diesel Man

[Bio Diesel Man]

Just wondering if anyone out there building axial flux turbines is using a special glue to fasten the magnets to the magnet rotors?/ Has anyone used JB Weld, and does it work, or should I use something else?/   Thanks for this great forum..  Duff   Bio Diesel Man

[ChrisOlson]

I use JB Weld and have never had a problem with it.  But I also pin the neo gen mags and use "claws" on the rotors on the ferrite ones to hold the mags against excessive centrifugal forces.
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Chris

[Wolvenar]

I would be a bit leery of JB weld on Neos. its a friggen MESS, and tough to keep where you need it.

JB weld has metals that the mags will pull around a bit like very thick ferrofluid.
I am not sure if this has any measurable effect on the flux, but either way it can just be a pita.

[Bio Diesel Man]

 :)Hey Chris, Thanks for the info. on the JB Weld,as I am laying out a chain driven oil bath unit, similar to   yours,, using ceramic C8 magnets.. I am going with magnet rotors  of 20 1/2 " in dia. and may use a third   bearing assy. out back behind the magnet rotors because of the weight of the disc.They are 1/2 " thick,so the generator assy. will be pretty heavy..Also plan on extending the shaft and bearing assy. out front where the blades connect to the turbine to allow for tower clearances.I am using a Rohn 100 foot tower and the top section of the tower is aprox. 21 " across from each leg..So I am concerned with blade to tower clearances..Any other feed back is always great too...    Duff,  Bio Diesel Man

[ChrisOlson]

Duff, tip the rotor back about 8 degrees.  That's what I've been building into my heads and it provides about 2 feet of clearance on a Rohn SSV tower.
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Chris

[rossw]

I would be a bit leery of JB weld on Neos. its a friggen MESS, and tough to keep where you need it.

JB weld has metals that the mags will pull around a bit like very thick ferrofluid.
I am not sure if this has any measurable effect on the flux, but either way it can just be a pita.

I had an oopsee moment with jbweld. I had a bunch of magnets (1/4" round 1/2" long N42) that I needed to attach to the tops of aluminium frame doors.

I mixed up JB weld, put a nice big dob in the require spot, nestled the magnet in it and moved on to the next.

It was a miserable failure. The magnet pulled most of the JB-weld up and around the magnet. Very little actually stuck to the aluminium. I worked - sorta. But nowhere near as well as I had expected!

[Bio Diesel Man]

 8)Hi Chris,  That is what I was thinking about .But wasn"t sure if just tilting the rotor back on a tower like mine would give me enough blade clearance..Do you think I should use another bearing assy. behind my generator head as it will be made from 1/2 " plate for the magnet rotors and they are 20 1/2 " in diameter,to allow for 16,,,  1 1/2 " wide by 4" long by 1" thick ceramics on each disk..  I will be using either 1 1/4" or 1 1/2 ' dia. shaft stock for the gear driven unit. Hope this is heavy enough.. Just wanting your input if you get time.. Duff   Bio Diesel Man