I am Working on a small Wind mill project (200-400w). The small windmill should drive a small generator/alternator and the resultant should be DC. I World like to be able to control the load/rpm. in my test setup. I have a PLC available for the task, but i have no knowledge What type of hardware to use or how to control the load.

 

Karsten Rasmussen,

I think it's going to be pretty difficult to control the speed of a wind mill unless you can control wind speed or the pitch of the blades. Neither is easy. You might be able to use some kind of "transmission" to control speed, but that's probably not very easy, either.

An alternator, like the one used on automobiles, can be used to produce a relatively constant DC output for varying speeds. (There is built-in electronic circuitry for this purpose--regulating voltage and current--on most automobile alternators.)

Controlling load is another issue altogether. What kind of loads do you want to be powered by the wind mill-driven generator (alternator)? Are they constant, or variable? Will the wind mill-driven generator (alternator) be powering (charging) a DC battery? Are the loads AC or DC? If the loads are AC, how will you convert the DC from the battery to AC for the loads?

As long as the total of the power drawn by the loads does not exceed the capacity of the battery to supply the load while being charged by the wind mill-driven generator you should be alright. But, what happens when the wind speed drops and the amount of current being produced by the generator (alternator) drops and the battery voltage drops as the current being drawn by the load remains constant?

Let us know how you fare!

 

Karsten Rasmussen... following are two ways to change speed:

o control blade-pitch.

o control direction into the wind.

If you need a major speed reduction then add blade(s).

Regards,
Phil Corso!