A Self Starting High Speed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine with Distributed Blade Sections

Abstract

A self starting and high speed vertical axis wind turbine consisting of sets of drag type and lift type blades rotatable with respect to a pair of vertical shafts, has been described. The drag type blades with much smaller wind catching area have been utilized to impart the turbine a self starting feature, while the lift type blades with three to five times more wind catching area generate most of the useful power. This arrangement enables the wind turbine to rotate at a speed three to five times faster than the wind speed. The lift type blades have been mounted in distributed sections on circular rings enabling ease in their manufacture, handling and rotor balancing. An indigenous method has been developed to provide support to the turbine from the top. Description contains example for making a 400 watt vertical axis wind turbine at 8 meters per second wind speed.