Build a Savonius Wind Turbine
Build A Savonius Wind Turbine
Find out how to build a simple DIY Savonius type VAWT
windIn our article
Savonius Wind Turbines we looked at this particular type of
vertical axis wind turbine generator. In this article we will show you how
Sam Dekok in Australia has put together a DIY
VAWT using 4 bearings, 2 buckets, a broom handle, and some PVC pipe. With this assembly connected up to a suitable
generator,
stepper motor, or
DC motor will generate electricity from the wind.
Building a Savonius Turbine
A
Savonius wind turbine works in much the same way as an
anemometer with
cups being pushed around at the same speed as the wind which hits them. In this design, the buckets are cut in half length-wise to produce four cups/blades.
Two
bearings are then tapped into position at the centre of a length of wooden broom handle, and two further bearings are positioned near the ends of the handle. A piece of standard (47mm)
PVC pipe is cut to a couple of inches shorter than the broomstick handle, and then cut in half. Each half is slid over the bearings and handle assembly so that they meet in the centre with one bearing at each end of the each piece of PVC pipe.
If you now hold the exposed end of the broom handle, the PVC pipe can be rotated freely around it thanks to the bearings fitted to it. It is to this PVC
shaft that the wind turbine blades are fitted.
Each bucket is cut in half, and a
holesaw used to cut out a hole for the broom handle to stick out of at the top of the shaft as pictured above and below.
The blade can then be screwed permanently into place. The second blade is fitted in much the same way as pictured below.
The remaining two blades should be fitted below the first two and rotated by
90 degrees so that the finished turbine will be balanced and rotate smoothly. This also doubles the likelihood that a blade will be facing into the
wind. This time holes equal in diameter to the outer dimension of the PVC pipe have to be cut out of the base of each half of the bucket so that they fit over the
centre shaft.
Note in the image above how the blades have been tied together to stiffen the whole assembly. All that is the left is to connect the
turbine to a suitably matched
generator.
More Information
Click here to view full details of the
Build Your Own Savonius VAWT on the
instructables website.
Article Last Modified: 12:31, 23rd Jul 2008
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