Development and demonstration of a vertical axis wind turbine POWERHOUSE. Final report

Technical Report · Fri Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6761644

Vosburgh, P N

VAWTPOWER, Inc. (formerly FORECAST INDUSTRIES, Inc.) worked with Sandia National Laboratories, Aluminum Company of America, and the University of New Mexico's Engineering Research Institute to develop and demonstrate a performance reliable lower cost POWERHOUSE for a VAWTPOWER 185 Wind Turbine. POWERHOUSE is defined as the base assembly and controls for the electricity generating Wind Energy Conversion System. The base assembly includes low speed shaft and couplings, disc or drum brake, hydraulic or pneumatic brake control systems, speed increasing gear box, high speed shaft and couplings, induction motor/generator, bottom Rotor bearings, lightning and ground fault protection, support structure, and environmental protection. VAWTPOWER 185 is a 200 kW capacity Vertical Axis Wind Turbine rated 185 kW at 37 mph. After system analysis, subsystem definition, detailed design and engineering, and development of a test plan, two versions of the POWERHOUSE were fabricated and tested. The disc brake option was installed as part of a total VAWTPOWER 185 Wind Turbine prototype behind the VAWTPOWER, Inc. production facility in Albuquerque and, after full research instrumentation, is being tested as part of a wind driven electricity generating system. The drum brake option was shipped to California to be part of a second prototype VAWTPOWER 185 Wind Turbine being installed near Palm Springs in the windswept San Gorgonio Pass. Both POWERHOUSES are lower in cost than prior designs. Both appear ready for commercial production.

• Research Organization: Vawtpower, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6761644
• Report Number(s): NMERDI-2-71-4622; ON: DE84901449
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

17 WIND ENERGY
170602* -- Wind Energy Engineering-- Turbine Design & Operation
CONTROL SYSTEMS
COST
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS
DESIGN
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
LIGHTNING ARRESTERS
MACHINERY
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
TESTING
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
VERTICAL AXIS TURBINES
WIND TURBINES