AlanHo Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 With the forum running slowly from time to time I have been investigating the merits of increasing its power by using wind energy.With all the hot air that blows through the forum from time to time - we really should harness it and do our bit for energy conservation. As will be shown later - this is only practical when there is a very strong wind - ideally the gales that blow across the Atlantic between BW and andsome, or the domestic storms between andsome and Thos especially when fanned by myself, catgate and others.For a typical wind turbine, the power generated in watts is roughly equal to its rotor diameter (in metres) squared - multiplied by the wind speed (in metres per second) cubed - divided by 7. A typical gale force wind across open sea blows at about 9 metres per second with gusts up to 12.5 metres per second. Assuming that the forum rotor diameter is restricted to the average monitor size of 15" (0.38 metres) this means at best we could generate during gusts 56 watts. However, if the argument wanes and the wind speed is reduced to 7 metres per second, then the power generated will fall to a measly 7 watts - hardly enough to be worth arguing about. The average maximum wind speed in the UK at exposed positions is 4 metres per second - hence the forum would in reality be lucky to generate 1.3 watts even with our venerable members at full volume.If you now expand this theory and examine the wind generators being sold for mounting on your house - as recently done by David Cameron - we can fairly easily establish it is a complete waste of money and resources. In the UK - even at exposed positions, you would be lucky to get average maximum wind speeds above 4 metres per second. The B&Q model he bought has a 1.75 metre diameter rotor - hence the average power generation is approx 28 watts on those days when there is a good breeze. Even when it is blowing a force 10 gale - the maximum power generated during the gusts will be only 850 watts. If you get out your magnifying glass and read the small print from turbine manufacturers you will find that they claim an output of between 1500 and 2500 kWh per year - a possible saving of £120 to £200 per year.Hardly worth investing £1500 in a wind generator when you are a pensioner is it........... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rong Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 How is this going to speed up the Forum? you forgot to explain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 There is a lot of merit in this argument and it should be taken into account when formulating future policy, in line with the European Charter (Annexe lll para i )I was talking to Murial Pladstow, the local representative on the 2008 steering committee, about this only yesterday.Her view was that if the rotor diameter could be enlarged a little it would make it bigger, and that could only be a good thing, unless it caused too much drag. At which point her uncle Doris appeared, and the conversation had to be curtailed, since he thinks he's a ham sandwich. That in itself is bad enough, but he always carries a pot of mustard with him, and will insist to everyone he meets that he want his top slice lifting and "will you put a bit more of this on, please." It does become a bit of a nuisance late in the afternoon, because one can seldom lift his top slice without getting ones hands covered in mustard.Uncle Doris' wife, Aunt Elsie, works part time at the potted meat foundry as a gravy treader, and she is fully conversant with the problem. Her suggestion was not to have square roots, but instead have them more of a tapered oval shape ("..like parsnips" as she said), and there are many who agree.One of these is Guinivere de Monpassant, the vicars wife, who, for the fifth year running has won the Women's Institute Long Distance Solo Slandering Competition with a distance of 5 miles and 375 yards (they have for years resisted all blandishments to use the EEC standard system of measuring in wind corrected metres). Just out of interest she won it with an overhand Pottinger's Quarm (slow delivery method). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r4may Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 The Turbine Just Stopped :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rong Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 I think the wind method would be better replaced with a steam turbine placed over a certain Computer station and then regular posts mentioning the merits of Mr Blair, how bad Maggie was, or how much better Firefox is than IE and we could all run our computers for free, if we needed a boost every now and then just get Thos to disagree with this person and we could dispense with a power station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankus Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 More windmill tokenism Ill be able to see , and quite probably hear this from my house ......If they were really serious they would build it far out in the estuary , but then Ken would loose visible bragging rights ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 More windmill tokenismI know exactly where it should be put. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted December 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 I'm a bit upset at the responses to my thread. I have made a scientifically backed proposal which illustrates that wind power - even generated by the worst wind bags on the forum - will not provide enough power to sustain us when the forum is flagging - and you mock it. Thankfully, catgate made an honest effort at supporting the theory but got mustard gassed in the process. How rong can you get.I realise that engineering theory is not what people here want to listen to - they prefer the more esoteric political drivel that passes for fact or the religious dogma that the gullible succumb to. However - the law of the universe will prevail in the end and you will all conclude that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Here I rest my case - having clarified matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joysness Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Thank you all. I understand perfectly now. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 However - the law of the universe will prevail in the end and you will all conclude that energy cannot be created or destroyed.Strangely enough management and I were discussing this very thing only a couple of days ago, and although I could quote it and explain it to her I could not remember who's "law" it was. I could remember Avagadro, and his hypothysis, Fleming and his Left Hand and Right Hand rules, and good old Newton and his Laws of Motion but this one got away on me. Who was it? Surely it was not just another faceless committee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 Not so new - there's always been a lot of hot air blowing around here!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 Not so new - there's always been a lot of hot air blowing around here!! :DDoes the temperature of the wind/air make any difference?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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