Renewable Energy Questions/Discussion > Wind and Hydro
Towers and silos
DLoefffler:
I have an abandoned, in good condition stave silo approximately 80 feet tall and perhaps 14-16 feet in diameter with what appears to be a very solid concrete base which probably sets on bedrock or limestone in our area. My site in SW Minnesota has no shortage of wind. Has anyone used this as a work platform with a tower in the center that allowed the raising and lowering of the turbine? I am following Chris' work, Powermax appears to have a platform, but working on 4-8 sq feet at altitude seems like more of a thrill than I am interested at this age. The mass of these geared turbines is considerable and a nice "floor" on which to assemble and maintain the machine would seem to be a good idea.
Additionally, somewhere I recall that using the silo structurally as a tower for the turbine is not a good idea.
Comments?
Dennis
ChrisOlson:
If the old unloader tripod is still on the top of the silo I suppose you could build a tower mast and a jib crane on a work platform inside the silo, and raise it to the top with a winch off the old tripod and hang it on the top of the staves. Then throw the old tripod to the ground once you got your work platform in place.
But frankly, the amount of iron you'd have to put in the work platform, crane and tower mast would probably rival what it would take to just build a decent tilting tower. With the tilting tower you can work on the machine on the ground. Climbing silos is no fun either - especially if the doors are rotted out and not there anymore so you have nothing to hang on to climbing up the chute. Using the outside ladder wouldn't be any fun either because you'd have to climb over the top of the staves all the time.
When I was a kid I used to climb up the silo, swing out on to the tripod like a monkey to get to the pigeon nests, and hanging by one arm 70 feet in the air, fill up my shirt pockets with pigeon eggs. They made good ammo to bomb my brother with ;D
But anymore, I think I'd prefer a decent tilting tower.
--
Chris
DLoefffler:
Yes, a tilt up has merit; but, farm land is do darn expensive and the corn grows well around here, the silo is on land that can't be planted and thus the forgone income from the land used for guying is a consideration. Never enough land it seems. :-[
Dennis
tomw:
Maybe you could use the silo as an tilt up anchor / fixing point for the tilt up?
Not sure if the lateral loading ability of a stave silo is but it might work?
Might eliminate guy cables?
Just off the top of my head it makes sense. Figuring out a latch to hold it without climbing might be interesting.
Or not.
Tom
ChrisOlson:
--- Quote from: DLoefffler on January 25, 2012, 01:09:40 pm ---Yes, a tilt up has merit; but, farm land is do darn expensive and the corn grows well around here, the silo is on land that can't be planted and thus the forgone income from the land used for guying is a consideration. Never enough land it seems. :-[
--- End quote ---
Them frickin' Southern Minnesota farmers keep getting more desperate all the time. So put up a free-standing Rohn SSV. Or find an old four post Jake tower - I know where there's at least one down there - with a 23-10 on it with the blades blown off it. I've tried to buy it for over a year and the guy won't sell it because he thinks it's like gold. I explained to him that he's going to have $10 Grand in that 23-10 to get it running again because the prop governor is bent, and he still thinks it's a gem.
Anyway, a free-standing takes up 10 feet square. If 100 square feet is an issue, plant a few corn stalks in there. Or if your FSA Conservation Plan requires a rotation, then plant 8-10 stalks of Dekalb 57-50 on 50 square feet of it, and throw some Asgrow soybeans on the other 50 square feet.
You might have to tilt the tower down to get at your 100 square feet of corn and beans with the combine, though.
--
Chris
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