Planning to construct a wind generator? If so, you've got a lot of homework to do. The most significant bit of research to perform is in regards to choosing a motor for your DIY wind turbine. This is difficult because you won't be buying something from a retailer, where there are knowledgeable people around to help you. Instead, you'll be purchasing an used motor on the net, where you'll encounter many people selling motors that are wholly unacceptable for wind generator use. This article is going to tell you precisely what you need, and it is going to provide you with real-life examples that demonstrate how to pick an appropriate motor.
The main Fact Concerning Wind Turbine Motors
There's one important fact that you absolutely need to understand prior to purchasing a motor for your wind generator. The fact is this: wind turbines, and the motors attached to them, spin at around 500 RPM's. Compare this to the generator in your motor vehicle, which usually spins at thousands of RPM's. How come this so significant? Because if you take a motor that is built to produce 12-volts of electricity at 3000 RPM's and attach it to a wind generator that spins at 500 RPM's you're not going to generate any usable energy whatsoever, meaning that, right off the bat, you can exclude a huge number of the generators that you discover available on eBay, or other web-based shopping sites.
Exactly What You Need
The ideal motor for any do-it-yourself wind generator is one that produces the HIGHEST measure of voltage at the LOWEST possible RPM's. That's a little abstract, so I'll give you some statistics. A good motor will produce a minumum of one volt for every 25 RPM's. Where do these figures come from? They're based on the fact that you will in all likelihood be utilizing your turbine to charge up 12-volt batteries, and to do that, you'll need to be generating, on paper, between 16 and 20 volts.
Now take into account what I told you earlier--that a normal wind turbine spins at around 500 RPM's. The math is straightforward. You get 1 volt for every 25 RPM's. A wind turbine spins at 500 RPM's. Divide 500 by 25 and you get 20; therefore, you get 20 volts at 500 RPM's.
Good examples With Actual Motors I Found On eBay
How exactly does one check to see if a motor is suitable for your windmill? The first thing you have to do is determine the motor's maximum operating RPM's and its rated VDC. After that, divide the maximum RPM's by the rated VDC. Here are a couple real-world cases.
The Ametec 37
Ametec, undoubtedly, manufactures the most popular motors for DO-IT-YOURSELF wind generators. Never assume all, however, work well. Is the Ametec 37 any good? Let's find out. It's got a maximum speed of 2100 RPM's, and it's rated, as suggested by its name, at 37 VDC. To discover if this is a good motor, we divide the maximum RPM's--2100--by the VDC--37--and we see that this particular motor delivers 1 volt for every 56.8 revolutions. Is this a good electric motor for your wind turbine? No, a suitable motor, as I mentioned previously, has to make 1 volt for every 25 revolutions.
The Ametec 99
The Ametec 99 has a maximum speed of 535 RPM's, and it's rated at 99 VDC. Is it acceptable for our project? 535 divided by 99 equals 5.4, which means this powerplant makes 1 volt for every 5.4 revolutios. Oh, yes, it is a terrific motor for a DIY wind generator. Unfortunately, with this sort of terrific productivity, these motors are actually very hard to get, as most have already been snatched up by windmill enthusiasts.
Summary
You'll find a huge number of motors out there being sold to individuals looking to make wind generators. Unfortunately, the majority of them are not appropriate for the project. Neglect to research before you buy, and you'll become one of the many who have been misled into buying a motor that is worthless for your purposes. Make use of the figures and calculations previously mentioned to research your motors, on the contrary, and you'll acquire a motor that's perfect for your project.