how do windmills work?
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Very simply, blowing wind spins the blades on a wind turbine -- just like a large toy pinwheel. The spinning blades turn a generator that makes electricity. \nwind Mills use blades to collect the wind’s kinetic energy. Windmills work because they slow down the speed of the wind. The wind flows over the airfoil shaped blades causing lift, like the effect on airplane wings, causing them to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity. \n\n\n"Basically, a wheel turns and it has a set of gears inside of it," he describes. "It has a stroke mechanism and the motor that goes up and down. There is a rod attached down to the top of the well and you have pipe and another sucker rod that goes all the way down to a solder down in the water in the well." \n\n\nThe biggest benefit of windmills is that they use a free source of energy to make more energy. As the wind blows, it turns the blades on the windmill, forcing the gears down below to react. Depending on what the windmill's specific purpose is, a windy day can provide a significant amount of energy for free. \n\n\n"Windmills get their power from the wind," Russ says. "The wind basically just turns a wheel. It has a couple of check valves and a few cup leathers down there so that it just lifts the water."
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Just as with any other generator, electrical power is proportional to shaft torque and speed.  A wind turbine generator is designed to operate in a certain speed and torque range.  The design of the turbine and pitching of the blade angle keep it operating in this range.  It's actually wind speed that forces the control of torque/speed up to a certain maximum level, so yes, electrical output is directly coupled to wind speed and energy capture of the wind.  \n\nThe generators in wind turbines do generaly require some amount of excitation current to regulate power output.  This is really what allows wind turbines to operate at different power outputs and not a single fixed rating.
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AMERICAN WINDMILLS \nFARM STYLE WINDMILLS for pumping water, aerating or just for fun as a garden toy. \n\n\nAmerican Windmills is dedicated to the preservation, restoration and sale of the Old Farm Style Water Pumping Windmill and Hand Pump systems.  We specialize in the AERMOTOR Windmills with a rebuilt motor that has oil seals and roller bearings.  THIS Aermotor windmill is the BEST motor you will find on the market.  My Aermotor won't leak and will start up in the slightest PUFF of wind.   From the outside, the Windmill blades and tail will look like it's been up at your place for years, but the motor guts and the internal spinning parts will be brand new.  Since you can't see these parts, it will LOOK old with a beautiful patina.   Most of these Windmills come from California where there isn't ANY rust.  We put a FULL 10 year warranty on these windmills.   Here's my e-mail if you need to get a hold of me. \n\nEllen Sattler\n\n\n\n***If you don't get a response from an e-mail you've sent, it doesn't hurt to follow up with a phone call.  My e-mails have been sketchy, at best.  My Spam filter is WAY too unkind! \n\n530-644-3008...after 8 AM pacific time please\n\n\n\nMy mantra is: "Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work."\n-Aristotle (384 - 322 BC)\n\nWe have new AERMOTOR windmills and towers.  Give me a shot at pricing the new one.  My prices are cheaper than purchasing from the factory.  I guarantee it.\n\n\n\nWe carry Handpumps, which are now on sale, towers, pump cylinders, pump rod, adapters, replacement parts and manuals with parts diagrams for Baker Monitor Windmills, Dempster Windmills, and AERMOTOR Windmills.  \n\nDo you need a manual for a windmill you have?  Give me an e-mail with the make and model number on the gear box.\n\nWe now carry the aerator windmills called the Koenders which are now on sale too!. \n\n Do you need wood tower plans?  I have them for a 25' tower up to 47' for $100.  This will include the informational packet, a $35 value.   . Give me an e-mail and ask.\n\n\n\nI'm chock full of knowledge about the water pumping system.   This IS your ONE STOP Windmill Store!  We also have a machine shop dedicated to making hard to find Windmill and hand pump parts!   Please take a minute to Bookmark this site.\n\n\n\nIn my travels, both throughout the country and on the net, I've found others that claim to be in the Windmill business.  They say that they're selling a Windmill that is "rebuilt" but it might not even be rebuilt at all, just painted or a few parts exchanged.  My advice to you is the old adage; "you get what you pay for!"  My dad always said "You're never sorry if you buy quality".  At AMERICAN WINDMILLS you will ALWAYS buy quality AND all of my rebuilt products are backed with a FULL 10 year guarantee!  If you like this web page and it helps you, then you'll love my customer service and product.    I answer the phone 7 days a week, 24 hours a day (almost)!   Be nice; PLEASE don't call before 8:00 AM pacific time in California!   530-644-3008 and ask for Ellen\n\n\n\nClick on this picture for a larger view of Paul and Ellen!\n\n\n\n\n\nI have a number of Windmills to choose from...depending on your budget and what would fit on your property.  My windmills start at $50 including the freight.  Check out these links:\n\n"Garden toy" miniature windmills and pumps from $50 to $205 including the shipping to your door.\n\nBeautiful Rebuilt Original Chicago AERMOTOR Windmills from $2950 including a 10 year warranty.  These windmills have the top of the line gear boxes.  Paul and Ron have come up with an oil seal, roller bearing model that not only will turn on the slightest puff of wind (3 MPH), AND they are guaranteed NOT to leak for 10 years. I even have a gearbox that doesn't require oil if you're not going to pump.  If you're tired of maintenance or oil on the tower
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okay now you got me going on mechanics. when you spin the armature with mechanical energy, it spins a magnet inside a, most commonly, copper coil, producing a magnetic field. an inventor   (forgot his name =&#92;) thought "hey if magnets can turn with electricity, why not vice versa", and thus he created the first crude generator. the direction of the spinning magnet detirmines the polarity of the different ends of the coil, so make sure you get some more information because I do not know which rotation (clockwise or counter-clockwise) makes which polarity on which end.
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Windmill are great for educational toys and art and craft stuff.  They can send you a catalogue too.
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I like this question. All the talk about alternative energy, and people have not considered that they all have negative environmental impact. SOlar, wind, hydro, tidal all will have some negative impact. \n\nI am convinced that windmills have negative environmetal efects but the true effect will no be know unless there are a bigger number of windmilss out there. What I can say right now is that they kill a large number of birds.
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That's an urban legend.  Windmills are generally set up to rotate in a way that makes the most out of the prevailing local wind.  If you look at windmills you will find that they do not all rotate the same way.
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Generator generates electricity. It has a wire armeture mounted in an electic field. When the wire armeture is rotated, electric current is induced in the armeture du to change in magnetic flux.
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A generator is basically a motor that works backwards.  \n\nIn a motor, a wire coil is wound around a magnetic core but not attached to it. The magnetic shaft has bearings either end to allow it to rotate. When current goes through the coil it makes the magnet rotate (electromagnetic induction).\n\nIn a generator, the magnet shaft is rotated by a small diesel engine with a pulley and belt.  The movement of the magnet shaft inside the coil induces electrical current in the wire coil.\n\nCheck www.howstuffworks.com for a decent write up with diagrams.
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they built windmills because they had many many rivers and they wanted to use the water energy for things like grinding grains etc. it was also a method to limit the water flow and thus prevent flooding, as 70% of the country is at or below sea level
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The blades of wind turbines kill birds and bats and tons of insects.\n\nThere is some evidence that the air turbulence disturbs weather patterns locally.\n\nThere are also problems related to making them in the first place, and when disposing of them when they are worn out.\n\nhttp://www.awea.org/faq/tutorial/wwt_environment.html
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At its simplest, a generator involves a spinning object inside a coil, and produces electricity.  It's tempting to think that if there were no friction, that the spinning object would turn forever always generating electricity, but that's not the case.\n\nWhen energy is extracted from the generator, it is because the generator is producing a current in its coil.  This current in the coil creates a magnetic field that actually slows down the spinning object.  Friction isn't the only force slowing down the system, it's not even an important force.  The important force is this electromagnetic braking force which arises as a direct and unavoidable consequence of the extraction of energy from the generator.
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i have no clue, not sure what this competition would be anyways, might want to include the goal of what the windmil will do, what size is it going to be...\n\ni'd say research with like those windmill powerplants, they are shaped like HUGE propellers i think, i'm sure that would provide alot of torque and be efficent.\n\nthe companies making those windmill powerplants put LOTS of money into research to figure out how they can have their designs make the most electricy, so researching what they have found would probably help your project
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http://www.howstuffworks.com\nThey may have a link.\nThey did for building a wind powered generator.
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A Lot of factors to consider here.\nSize of the Windmill?\nWeight of the car?\nWeght of the cargo?\nWind speed?\nFor discussion's sake, let's figure the the windmill is 6' high.\nMounted to the top of the vehicle going 'with the wind'. and you're using a generator capable of producing 5 hp..\nA 15 mph wind should do it...\nThat's, of course, taking advantage of the push from the wind as well.
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The wave generation systems ive seen recently dont use a turbine. These contraptions are shaped like a snake and bob up and down with the waves. The pitching motion move pistons that turn generators.
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"Wind-Powered Water Pumping Systems ..."\nhttp://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/water/wind_e.htm\n\n"HOW DOES A WINDMILL WORK?"\nhttp://www.internationalwindmill.com/how_does_it_work.htm\n\nHere is a good reference document that contains several further references.  Granted, it addresses handpumps, but that is good place to start.\nhttp://www.cee.mtu.edu/peacecorps/documents_july03/Human_Powered_Pumps_FINAL.pdf\n\n"How to Select the Proper Human-Powered Pump for Potable Water"