Interesting portable wind turbine -- looks like a barrel!
The article mentions use of this item by RVers: Portable wind turbine I have no idea if this is really worthwhile for the RV market.
Forum Discussion
If we assume it is the size of a barrel of oil, then the swept area would be limited to that dimension.
I believe jet engines use a constriction to increase the speed of the air, before mixing it with fuel and igniting it.
The constriction might allow a lower start up wind speed, but the opposite side of the coin is a reduction in swept area.
For example, an oil-barrel sized Savonius rotor with h=1 m and r=0.5 m under a wind of v=10 m/s, will generate a maximum power of 180 W and an angular speed of 20 rad/s (190 revolutions per minute). (from Wikepedia)
That's a wind speed of 20 mph.
I can't imagine having an oil barrel on the roof at highway speeds.
I believe jet engines use a constriction to increase the speed of the air, before mixing it with fuel and igniting it.
The constriction might allow a lower start up wind speed, but the opposite side of the coin is a reduction in swept area.
For example, an oil-barrel sized Savonius rotor with h=1 m and r=0.5 m under a wind of v=10 m/s, will generate a maximum power of 180 W and an angular speed of 20 rad/s (190 revolutions per minute). (from Wikepedia)
That's a wind speed of 20 mph.
I can't imagine having an oil barrel on the roof at highway speeds.
