Wind Powered Aeration and Pumping

[Chi Ma]

Was poking around the web and found some windmills. May be a good alternative for the larger grow people.

 

Windmills

[TCLynx]

I think a combo wind/solar aeration system would be the best idea, at least here in FL we rarely have enough wind to really keep the aeration going when it's needed most (face it, when it's breezy large ponds are getting extra aeration from the rippling water.)

 

There are definitely locations in the midwest and southwest that get good winds for aeration through.

[Paul Ellinghuysen]

I certainly agree TC.we just dont have the elevation for wind. I was toying with the idea today about a solar array for a 12 volt battery bank to run the air pump and water pump.and construct a wood frame to hold both solar panels and black poly pipe to cycle hot water back to the grow bed also warming the fish tank . Getting recyled materials wouldnt be that diffucult. Solar activated road signs are always being replaced and old wood can be gotten on the cheap.I have a small PVsolar array on the house going on its twelve year without failure. This could be done easily. Paul

[Mike Creuzer]

Just thinking about this... I stumbled across a guy who makes windmill based pond aerators as well as well pumps. He calls them "Aeration Windmills". So it is doable. He is actually running the compressor in the windmill head.

 

This gave me an idea for a purely mechanical air pump. I could build a small windmill (that would be easy to hide from the street so it doesn't upset the neighbors) that will pump air. The easiest way would be to just tear open an aquarium air pump and re-configure the bellows and valving so the windmill can run it instead of the electromagnets. Not much moving mass so a gentle breeze on a small mill would make it work just fine. The electric pump is designed to run at 60 hz, so if I make a windmill that can be geared up/down to 60 rpm I would match the output of the electric pump.

 

I am also dreaming up some sort of air tank using a 5 gallon bucket, a flexible lid (plastic bag), and a weight. This would even out any wind variations.

 

When I come across a burnt-out water pump, I may try to retrofit the pump head to a small windmill.

 

I kinda like a bit of redundancy in my gear, so I can totally see using a pair of small windmills to do both aeration and water pumping. These would be in addition to my normal 'electric' gear. It wouldn't be big enough for 100%, but it would be big enough to keep things flowing and alive. They would run all the time. Sometimes things just need to be good enough.

 

I can totally see a half a dozen micro-mills in the back yard all spinning away merrily!

 

My notes I took at lunch on the idea.

[Homefire]

Mike Creuzer said:

"The electric pump is designed to run at 60 hz, so if I make a windmillthat can be geared up/down to 60 rpm I would match the output of theelectric pump."

60 hz is 60 cycles per second.  60 rpm is 1 cycle per second or 1hz. 

Homefire

[Mike Creuzer]

Homefire, your exactly right. Please listen to what I mean, not what I say. **grin**

 

I should say 60 rps or 3600 RPM.

Homefire said:

Mike Creuzer said:

"The electric pump is designed to run at 60 hz, so if I make a windmillthat can be geared up/down to 60 rpm I would match the output of theelectric pump."

60 hz is 60 cycles per second.  60 rpm is 1 cycle per second or 1hz. 

Homefire

[TCLynx]

You guys might be interested to look up the sail windmill aerators that can float on the pond.

Or a rope pump that can be operated by a windmill working under low wind conditions.

[Mike Creuzer]

I tried making a prototype unit today. It doesn't actually work, but it shows that I should be able to make it work.

 

[Johann]

You would need twice the RPS for your wind turbine.

If you look at the sinus wave and follow it:you would start with 0 volts and gradually increase the voltage in one direction and then the voltage drops back to 0 volts....now you would start increasing the voltage again but in the opposite direction until the voltage peaks then the voltage will drop back to 0 volts.

This would be 1 cycle/ Hz in an ac( alternating  current)

But since you you peak the voltage twice in 1 Hz ( in one direction and then in the opposite direction), your plunger in your air-pump will be activated twice also. Your electric magnet in your air-pump does not care in which direction your current/voltage flows, either way it will be activated.

Mike Creuzer said:

Homefire, your exactly right. Please listen to what I mean, not what I say. **grin**

 

I should say 60 rps or 3600 RPM.

Homefire said:

Mike Creuzer said:

"The electric pump is designed to run at 60 hz, so if I make a windmillthat can be geared up/down to 60 rpm I would match the output of theelectric pump."

60 hz is 60 cycles per second.  60 rpm is 1 cycle per second or 1hz. 

Homefire

[Cory Cramer]

Where I live, a windmill pump would be the way to go for a large system, provided it's not located in town.