Wind Mills 1

[BigH]

I know that this isn't the correct thread - but you all are the ones I know best; the geotechs!!!! So, I'll ask anyway for I prefer to stay with those that are good colleagues.

I've a friend in Laos - a very poor country - who has been hitting me up for a small wind-mill design. You know, the ones you see on all the mid-west farms for horse troughs. It needs to be one that the locals can build. The reason is that even though the temps are moderate, they have no way of pumping water from always flowing rivers and creeks up to the areas for irrigation as they have no electricity to speak of. They also don't have any money to buy a ready made one either. I thought that the old farm wind mills - simple ones - might be enough to put water up for irrigation of land.

If anyone knows, please advise: bohica@rediffmail.com

Forgive me for putting this on our threads. Many thanks to all.

 

[ishvaaag]

Well, it looks as if the books for children with such schemes should be enough.

Basically the axis that takes the helix must pass its horizontal rotation to a chain that elevates the vessels with water, to be dumped by some kind of stop at the proper point.

Making it able to follow the wind may be an inconvenient complication.

 

[Rjeffery]

Why a wind mill? why not a simple hydralic ram useing the 'always moving river' as mode of power? there are several articles in such publications like mother earth news and the like. the design is simple cheap and has very few moving parts. as for the wind mill, many have been built from transaxles, scrap lumber, old pipes and shoe leather valves.

good luck.

 

[IRstuff]

Perhaps a waterwheel with a positive displacement pump might do the job TTFN

 

[BigH]

Can you advise the articles - I'm currently in India and have little access to such here. Your idea is intriguing but want some articles to see. Advise - I can then let you know where to send, if you'd been so inclined.

 

[jheidt2543]

This is a close approximation for windmills:

The Homebuilt, Wind-Generated Electricity Handbook
by Michael Hackleman, Peace Press, 1975, ISBN 0-915238-05-5

I hope it is of some help!

 

[IRstuff]

I think you need to reconsider the amount of torque available from a small windmill and the amount of gearing down required to actually pump water any sizable distance. The Dutch used windmills to pump water and they were all sizable affairs, 3-4 stories tall with 10-20 ft radii. A waterwheel would use the torque generated by the river, which can be quite sizable.

I don't know what the wind conditions are like, but if there's one or more days of no wind, the windmill will do nothing. In the meantime, so long as there's water in the river, it will continue to pump. Then, there's the possibility of damage to the windmill from monsoons and other tropical storms. TTFN

 

[namdac]

One thing I noticed when reading the threads and responses is that the people have no money to spend on a Hydraulic Ram or other pre fab materials.
Being from the land of wind (Nebraska) I suggest that using the base materials available there would be of benefit.
Things I would like to ask are do they require electricity?
Is this Windmill being used just for irragation?
Is the farm or area of concern, in at least a class 3 wind site?
These are the base question I ask of anyone who wishes to built a windmill. Check out the area in Pipestone Minnesota. There are farmers that used a brace pole with a jacob turbine an ran thier farms from that and a battery bank.
Just some thoughts.

 

[BigH]

namdac - thanks for your response - and to all the others too. There is no electricity in the area; in the nearby town, they have 3 hours per day, maybe 4 days per week. In the villages, they run a little gas-powered shaft to get some. Being "from" Indiana, I always saw the farming ones and thought that it might be a way to go - if it is cheap; they cannot buy commercially available ones, even the lower end models. I'm not sure about Wind zones, but having been there for several years, it is windy quite often - in the dry season. In the rainy season, they don't need to irrigate. So it would be perfect. If you have any sketch plans, etc, that could be of help (I'm no mechanic), I would love to send them on to my friends there. Advise in thread and I'll give you my mum's address in IN. We will be going there in May for two weeks home leave (then 2 more weeks in Thailand).

Best regards and my great thanks to all who have helped in this.