Hubmotors for Wind Power generation

I have 2 Crystalyte 1000w bicycle hub motors. Both need rewinding. (3540 frames) as I received them.

I have 1 for now, low speed (200-250 RPM max. Wind turbine that I need to get installed. It is a torque rather than speed type, so, gearing a little will be possible. I know what to expect for average wind conditions, if this will help. I can average 14 MPH winds on most days that I get wind.

I will have solar panels, eventually, and, have a stream to maybe get 2.4KWhr per day at the lowest flow rate of the stream. Dry season, will be the 2.4Kwhr per day. Rainy season (8 months) will raise the output to double or more, depending on amount of rain per day.

My battery system , so far, is 12V. I would probably raise that to 24V, once I start getting the system ironed out.

Distance from the Wind turbine to the battery will be less than 100' including elevation of the turbine.

I plan on belt drive, possibly with timing belt type system for efficiency.

I would appreciate some input on what to wind these motors at. They are both, presently, 12 X 5 winds. Wire gauge I will mic later today. I can't find the notes I had. I have larger gauge magnet wire to do the first motor. Will supply both sizes.

Presently waiting for a phone call to purchase a Chevy Volt battery, so, confined to the house for now.

Thanks for any input.

Harold

I haven't done this myself yet, and haven't done any extensive reading on it, but I would expect that winding them so that the highest rectified voltage they output with the fastest winds you expect to typically run the generator in (and not lock it down for protection, like gales and hurricanes/etc) is no higher than what your converter/charger system can take, and the typical voltage they would generate would be around the average voltage you need your converter/charger to receive for it's most efficient conversion to charge the batteries.

(presumably you'll be using a rectifier bridge of diodes to convert the 3-phase AC into single-voltage DC right at the generator, or at the battery end of the cabling run from the generator)

Remember that any gearing will lose you a small percentage of power in the belt or chain or gears, so if you can run it direct with the blades acually on the hub itself, with a mostly constant wind speed, it'd be more efficient. It should

If winds are highly variable you could setup some sort of autoshifter (like the old Landrider derailer system, or a belt CVT from a scooter), to help keep the motor in it's more optimum speed range even when the winds are a lot higher or lower than expected.



OTOH, if you are going to gear them anyway, you could just leave them with the winding they have and use gearing to make the RPM needed for the voltage you want. That would probably save you a whole lot of work.

Thanks AW. They both have burned windings, so, need rewinding. Yes, 3 phase to dc to a charge controller. Haven't gotten that far, yet, because of the variables of rewinding.

Harold in CR said:

I have 2 Crystalyte 1000w bicycle hub motors. Both need rewinding. (3540 frames) as I received them.

I have 1 for now, low speed (200-250 RPM max. Wind turbine that I need to get installed. It is a torque rather than speed type, so, gearing a little will be possible. I know what to expect for average wind conditions, if this will help. I can average 14 MPH winds on most days that I get wind.

I will have solar panels, eventually, and, have a stream to maybe get 2.4KWhr per day at the lowest flow rate of the stream. Dry season, will be the 2.4Kwhr per day. Rainy season (8 months) will raise the output to double or more, depending on amount of rain per day.

My battery system , so far, is 12V. I would probably raise that to 24V, once I start getting the system ironed out.

Distance from the Wind turbine to the battery will be less than 100' including elevation of the turbine.

I plan on belt drive, possibly with timing belt type system for efficiency.

I would appreciate some input on what to wind these motors at. They are both, presently, 12 X 5 winds. Wire gauge I will mic later today. I can't find the notes I had. I have larger gauge magnet wire to do the first motor. Will supply both sizes.

Presently waiting for a phone call to purchase a Chevy Volt battery, so, confined to the house for now.

Thanks for any input.

Harold

Click to expand...

I plan on belt drive, possibly with timing belt type system for efficiency.

Click to expand...

Rule of thumb is that chain drive such as that used on, you know, like, bicycles, will lose by friction between 1% and 10% of the input power for each case of one chain and two sprockets. How good is your workmanship?

Timing belt drive is somewhat more lossy.


You are welcome
GONZO

I have chain drive stuff from various bicycles and can get decent alignment with those. Loss is what it is. I can put up however many generators I want. No limit to that, so, can withstand some system losses, but, will try to minimize that. One recent thread provided some good motor data, so, I believe I have what I need.

Thanks for the input, guys.