OT-Anybody ever heated water with a wind turbine ?

Ed pap · Dec 2, 2009

I have been thinking that the wind might heat my shop.I burn waste oil in a boiler and run hot water thru the pipes in the floor. it is the best heat I have ever worked on.
It wouldn't take too much to put a hot water heater inline. and run the heater off a wind turbine. I am in a "class 2" wind zone and on a hill.
I have alot of questions if anybody could help.
Thanks Ed

RayP(MI) · Dec 2, 2009

Take a lot of wind to run a water heater - also an expensive turbine. Look at the current requirements for even a small electric heater!

IA Leo · Dec 2, 2009

This guy is doing it. http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/92/92-4/using_wind_energy_for_direct_water_heating.html

Hugh Piggott's designs and OtherPower may give you some idea if you want to build your own windelectric generator. I would think storing energy in hot water would make a lot of sense instead of batteries, controllers, inverters and grid-tie greif. Leo

Hendrik · Dec 2, 2009

You do not necessarily have to go the route wind energy (from the wind) > electrical energy (from your wind turbine generator combo) > heat (from your electrical water heater).
You should drive a dyno with your wind turbine and feed the heated water through the pipes in the floor.
A dynamometer (at least the types I know) converts mechanical motion directly into heat.
RayP is right in saying that heating requires a lot of (electrical or other) power. A 10 kW (approx. 13 HP) wind turbine must run approx. 3 hours to deliver as much heat as burning 1 gallon of diesel or oil.
HTH, Hendrik

JDemaris · Dec 2, 2009

I find it hard to believe it would work as an "intentional" water heater power-source. A lot of the older wind-power units were hooked to electric hot-water heaters just to give excess power a place to go when the wind blew like crazy. Otherwise the unit could blow. Not necessary now with some modern improvements.
Old diesel-electric trains used to do the same thing.

I've got 7000 watts (max) of solar and wind powering my house and I know it does not provide enough consistent power to even think about electric water heating. Resistance heating is rarely practical unless you've got some sort of huge steady supply of electric generation.

Ed pap · Dec 2, 2009

hendric that is the kind of information I am looking for. I can burn 3-5 gal of oil on a real cold blowing day. I am looking at a 4KW VAWT so if your math is correct I could almost heat the place on real windy day.
Leo that was a great link I have been struggling with the same problems.
the turbine I am looking at is rated at 270 volt 3 phase, but it is "wild AC" rated wind speed is 26 mph. it has a wind control box that can give me 48 volts DC or 0 to 270 volts AC. so the question is what water heater element would work best. the wind usaly blows 13 mph.
I know that i could buy alot of fuel oil for what the turbine cost but I just get a kick out of making something out of wind.

Ed pap · Dec 2, 2009

I agree I think heating water with electric is tough. but right now the wind is a steady 18 mph so looking at the spec sheet i would be making 2000 watts of power. if I could add that energy to the cement floor thru the hot water it would make a difference. I just not too sure how much of a difference.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 2, 2009

My hat goes off to you for trying to make something out of the wind! Its there, might as well use it. Good Luck JinNY

BCnT · Dec 2, 2009

its pretty common for folks to run a line from their solar/windchargers to a water heater element to burn off excess juice when the volatage regulator kicks off.

buickanddeere · Dec 2, 2009

(quoted from post at 22:44:06 12/02/09) hendric that is the kind of information I am looking for. I can burn 3-5 gal of oil on a real cold blowing day. I am looking at a 4KW VAWT so if your math is correct I could almost heat the place on real windy day.
Leo that was a great link I have been struggling with the same problems.
the turbine I am looking at is rated at 270 volt 3 phase, but it is "wild AC" rated wind speed is 26 mph. it has a wind control box that can give me 48 volts DC or 0 to 270 volts AC. so the question is what water heater element would work best. the wind usaly blows 13 mph.
I know that i could buy alot of fuel oil for what the turbine cost but I just get a kick out of making something out of wind.

As a rule of thumb,actual real world capacity of a wind turbine averages 1/3 of it's nameplate rating.
Any way to plug leaks and drafts in the building instead?
Any access to coal? It's very cheap per btu and the Harman PC-45 stove is a multi-fuel stoker.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 2, 2009

When the wind machine output voltage is regulated, and the load is constant like a resistance heater, the load and the wind machine are mismatched. That variable voltage output may work on the heater, but the amount of heat will vary with the cube of the wind speed. Otherwise you need to change the size of the resistance load to accomodate the changing wind, every second or less.

Gerald J.

JDemaris · Dec 3, 2009

Most wind-chargers make three phase AC current that is rectified to DC inside the alternator housing. Output is usually 24 VDC or 48 VDC with the latter the most efficient. The controllers built for them require a battery bank. They use a "dump load" feature that sends out extra power once that battery bank if fully charged. That DC dump load would then have to go to an inverter to make AC current if you plan on using a conventional AC heating coil. So, to qualify for any warrantees, you'd need a 24 or 48 volt battery bank and a 24 or 48 volt inverter.

All of that is very pricey. Seems that for your purpose, you'd want a special built AC only wind-generator hooked to a heaing coil that is much bigger then any load that wind generator could ever produce.

If I was doing it (and I wouldn't use resistance heat for anything), I'd put in a system that qualifies for incentives and cut the price in half. Then make it big enough so the dump-load could run some of those electric heaters.

gorilla · Dec 3, 2009

Have you thought about getting solar water heaters to heat the water? I think they are much cheaper than a wind turbine and work pretty well from what I have read.

Ken Macfarlane · Dec 3, 2009

I have seen an air based one, the windmill was connected to a little turbine thing that pumped air but was very high friction so it heated the air at the same time like a tractor pto dyno does to the water.

I've thought of making one out of a car alterator to keep my 800 gal hotwater tank hot. The tank is for the wood boiler I have to store extra heat.

OT-Anybody ever heated water with a wind turbine ?

Ed pap

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RayP(MI)

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IA Leo

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Hendrik

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JDemaris

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Ed pap

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Ed pap

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Anonymous-0

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BCnT

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buickanddeere

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Anonymous-0

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gorilla

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Ken Macfarlane

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