Storing the wind

Seamus Garvey explains his ideas for storing wind energy. Learn about Test Tube at http://www.test-tube.org.uk/

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People & Blogs

Tags:

• wind
• energy
• seamus
• garvey
• test
• tube

[Baronvonbadguy3]

I like this guy, he really held my attention.

[dcsproject5]

Very clever idea, well explained for the slower among us (me hehe). Good work professor, this could be an excellent prospect for the environment.

[pntrend]

What are the holes for along the side of the tube?

[mikerjuk]

Typically the lower the number of moving parts the more reliable a mechanism becomes.  Here we have three main parts, two pistons and the turbine blade itself.

[soberek]

@mikerjuk U still don't get it. I'm asking, just how technology with these enormous, hundreds of feet long piston tubes is supposed to be better from the economical point of view? I'll bet a million that a few cogs for a gearbox will be way cheaper and simpler to maintain than these humongous cylinders in the rotor. And speaking of wear, what about axial (turbine) or rotary screw (like a supercharger)? Are they also worse? Remember, we are talking about cost here, how many watts per dollar.

[mikerjuk]

@rocketplumber Rotor speeds high enough to do this wouldn't be "useful".

[mikerjuk]

@soberek He did explain this, the case against driving a conventional compressor is the same as a generator. A very large wind turbine produces a massive amount of torque at low RPM. To drive a standard piston compressor you'd have to gear this up using a huge expensive gearbox, and you then have a short stroke compressor running at high speed which is less efficient and will wear quickly. The issue I wonder about is dynamic balance with heavy pistons at opposite ends of the blades.

[rpdigital17]

Isn't it better concept to use electrolysis to generate hydrogen, and store and use hydrogen as the universal fuel for cars and home heating etc. How will you convert compressed air back to energy that is needed? It has been proved, that cars using electric engines and batteries run longer distance than cars using compressed air and when the pressure is on the lower side, then you don't reach the speed needed to follow normal traffic.

[soberek]

OK, but the video lacks explanation for the most important question? What are the principle advantages of this design over a large turbine powering a standard piston or axial compressor? In my view It definitely isn't cheaper to build, with all that tubes and pistons hundreds of feet long working well when the thing flexes and stresses under the force of the wind? Is it that much more efficient? Or is it something else? Please give us some explanation.

[oasiac]

whats the difference between this and a normal wind turbine with a crankshaft on its axle powering a piston.

[AngelLestat2]

Thanks for the explanation Seamus, i am agree with all your concepts and why they have to be like that.

One question: If this turbine is soo big and it has 8 blades, four big and four smalls. What is its wind velosity estimated ranges?

The small blades it does not have piston inside dont you?

I guess that one concern with this wind turbine its their location, it has to be in low deep water for its fundation and close to very deep waters for the energy bags

Sorry my english..

[rocketplumber]

It won't scale up. At useful rotor revolution rates, the centrifugal force is far far greater than one gee, and Garvey's weights will simply rest at the outer ends of the tracks. It simply will, not. work.