|
Ampere |
Unit of measurement of
current. |
|
Alternator |
An electric generator
for producing alternating current. |
|
Alternating current
AC |
Current flowing in one
direction and then in the other.
|
|
Anemometer |
An instrument for
measuring and indicating the force or speed of the wind. |
|
Arbor or Arbor
Shaft |
An adaptor which
converts your motor shaft to a useable threaded bolt. |
|
Awesome Rotor ;) |
A set of generator
blades that you buy from TLG. ;)
Sorry, I couldn't resist doing that. |
|
Battery |
A device which
converts a chemical action between two electrodes and the
electrolyte in which they are immersed. |
|
Battery bank |
A group of batteries
which stores excess electrical energy for later use. |
|
Blocking Diode |
A diode installed
inline on the positive wire coming from the generator which
only allows current to flow in one direction. This stops
your DCPM motor from running off of the battery when the wind
is not blowing. Think of it as a one way check
valve for electricity. |
|
Diodes |
A rectifier that
consists of a semi conducting crystal with two terminals and
that is analogous in use to an electron tube diode. |
|
Direct current |
Current which flows in
one direction only. |
|
Downwind |
A wind generator which
has it's rotor behind the generator from the prevailing
wind. (no vane) |
|
Dump Load |
A device to which the
wind generators power flows when the batteries are too full to
accept more charge, sometimes an electric heating element is
used. |
|
Dynamic/Shunt Braking |
Dissipating the
kinetic energy of rotation either as heat in a braking
resistor or bulb, or in a direct short circuit. |
|
Electricity |
The flow of electrons
through a conductor such as a wire. |
|
Electromagnet |
A magnet created from
wire coils that produces a magnetic field when electricity
flows through the coils |
|
Furling |
The wind generator
Yawing out of the wind either horizontally or vertically to
protect itself from high wind speeds by changing the angle in
which the blades are facing. |
|
Generator |
A device that produces
DC voltage by rotating a shaft around a field or Permanent
Magnets. |
|
Governor |
A device that assists
in the control of the speed of the blade rotation. It
can be built into the blades ;) |
|
Hub |
The center mount for
the blades. Laser cut like mine are hard to
beat. |
|
Induction Generator |
A generator that
produces energy by the production of a magnetic field by the
proximity of a electric charge.
Commonly made from old induction motors. |
|
Induction Motor |
An AC motor in which
the rotating armature has no electrical connections to it and
consists of alternating plates. Can be used as a
generator if rotated at least 5% faster than its rated rpm. |
|
Inverter |
A devise that converts
DC to AC wall type current |
|
Kilowatt |
1000 Watts = 1Kw or 1
Kilowatt |
|
Kilowatt hours |
A unit of energy equal
to that expended by one kilowatt in one hour. |
|
Leading Edge |
The blade edge that
faces toward the direction of rotation. |
|
Load |
Something that absorbs
energy. battery, lights, etc. |
|
Magnet |
A substance that
attracts ferromagnetic materials. Either a permanent magnet,
temporary magnet, or an electromagnet. |
|
Multi-bladed |
More than two blades. |
|
Nacelle |
The protective cover
over a generator or motor. |
|
Ohm |
A unit of resistance. |
|
Over-speed |
When the wind forces
the blades to go faster than what your generator can
handle. My blades slow down in higher winds so if the
rotor is matched you have at least some over-speed protection
there. |
|
PM |
Permanent Magnet, a
magnet that retains its magnetism after the removal of the
magnetizing force. |
|
PMA |
Permanent Magnet
Alternator. |
|
Propeller |
A blade that propels
or acts as an airscrew turning by the oncoming wind.
Also known as Prop which is a slang term for the rotor which
is commonly used by people that do not really understand wind
generators. So never call the rotor on a wind generator a
propeller. |
|
Rotational Start |
The point at which the
wind is strong enough to begin turning the rotor. |
|
Rotor |
A blade system which
supplies all the driving force for a wind generator. |
|
RPM |
Revolutions per
minute, the number of times a shaft passes the same location
per minute. |
|
Shunt Regulator |
A device to transfer
power when batteries are fully charged, the regulator shunts
all or part of the excess power to a Dump Load to protect the
batteries from overcharging. |
|
Sigh-gone ;) |
That sudden breath of air from your lungs
when you step back and look at your generator on the pole, also
known as a “sigh of relief”. The airflow from your lungs causes
a sudden atmospheric change around your property that will leave
you without any wind for several days.
I
made this up as the only logical conclusion for why we never
have any wind for a couple of days after completion. If you
have a better theory let me know! ;) |
|
Slip Ring |
Used to transfer
electricity to or from rotating parts in motors and yaw mechanisms. |
|
Start-Up |
When the generator has
enough rotation to begin producing power. |
|
Tail |
The slang word for the
vane. (the big fin on the back) |
|
Tail Boom or Vane
Boom |
The strut that holds
the (vane) to the generator frame. |
|
Tail/Vane
Deflection |
A spring loaded vane
that folds in a horizontal plane to turn the machine out of
the wind as it increases velocity. |
|
Thrust Bearing |
A bearing to handle
the lateral pressure applied to a shaft, or a bearing used
under your generator mount to support the weight so that the
assembly can Yaw easier to track the wind. |
|
Trailing Edge |
The blade edge that
faces away from the direction of rotation. |
|
TSR |
Tip Speed Ratio. The
ratio of how much faster the blade tips are moving compared to
the speed of the wind. |
|
Upwind Generator |
A wind generator which
its propellers faces into the wind (vane behind) |
|
Vane |
A large piece of material
used behind the generator to hold the blades in the direction
of the wind. |
|
Voltage regulator |
An electrical device
to regulate the voltage and current from the generator. |
|
Watt |
Rate of electrical
flow. A unit of power. One of the 1000 needed for a
kilowatt. |
|
Watt Hours |
A unit of energy
equivalent to the power of one watt operating for one hour. |
|
Wind Generator |
A system that captures
the force of the wind to provide rotational motion and
transfers that power to an alternator or generator. |
|
Yaw |
Rotation parallel to
the ground. Generators Yaw to face the wind as the wind
changes direction. |
|
Yaw Axis |
Vertical axis through
the center of the generators gravity. |
|
Yaw Bearing |
The bearing that sits
under the generator to allow the generator to rotate and
follow the wind direction. |
