This windmill was developed by NASA and the Department of Energy in the 1970's in response to the energy crisis.
It is 162 feet high to the tip of the blades.
It produces 200 kilowatts of electricity at 440 volts.


The moving wind turns the rotor blades, which in turn move the hub.
The pitch actuator periodically adjusts the pitch angle of the
rotor blades so that their rotation does not exceed 40 rpm.
The cone angle is something different. This is so the blades do
not hit the tower as they pass. It also promotes yaw stability.
The turning of the hub is transferred to a speed increaser via a shaft.
The speed increaser is a gearbox which increases the speed of rotation
by 48-to-1 to 1800 rpm. A high speed shaft exits the gear box into a
fluid coupling which acts to smooth out any fluctuations in the
rotational speed. Rotation is transferred via v-belts to
a 200 kilowatt generator. From this electricity is produced.
All this is mounted on the bedplate.
The wind direction is sensed by the anemometer/windvane.
The yaw drive acts to position the nose cone of the nacelle
into the wind. This is because this windmill is a down-wind machine.
When the anemometer/windvane indicates the windmill is oriented properly,
the yaw brake locks the windmill into position.
When the wind changes direction, it releases and repeats the process.




Return to: www.mathematical.com