Savonius Wind Turbines

Savonius Wind Turbines are Vertical Axis Wind Turbines, or VAWT, and are used for wind force conversion into torque through the rotation of the main shaft. Savonius Wind Turbines mainly operate on the drag of the aerofoils by their opposing directions, and their interaction with the wind movement.

The Savonius wind turbine was invented by Engineer Sigurd Johannes Savonius in the year of 1922.

A Savonius Wind Turbine in action.

The two or three aerofoils of the Savonius wind turbine create the shape of an S if observed from an aerial perspective, and possess one of the simplest wind turbine designs ever designed. Basically they take advantage of their curvaceous shape in order to suffer less friction in movement and thus increase rotating speed with the powering force of the wind.

The blade design also leads to a curious conservation of wind power, due to their major usage of drag powered movement. This is caused by the curving shape of the shaft design which is built to absorb a minimal amount of wind power in order to function; although, this conservation of wind power happens at the cost of losing speed.

The traditional lower setting positioning of the shaft of Savonius wind turbines causes them to be significantly less effective than wind turbines set up on higher posts. The higher mounting allows them to take advantage of the increase in wind speed with height.
The turbines are self starting and have been widely used as deep-water buoys in order to generate electric power, due to their low speed, simple design, and requiring minimal maintenance. In addition they move independently and change direction in order to adapt that of the speed and direction of the water.

Savonius wind turbines have also been used as anemometers in order to evaluate and measure the speed and the direction of the wind.

In addition, Savonius wind turbines also make up the foundation design for the Flettner Ventilator, most often used in car and van ceilings to ensure air circulation and refreshment. This particular form of using the Savonius wind turbine as ventilators was first thought of by Anton Flettner, a German aircraft engineer, in the 1920’s.

The Flettner Ventilator is most often used as an internal vehicle cooling device. The ventilator is still presently manufactured and marketed, especially in the U.K., where Flettner Ventilator Limited has its base.

Another inventive use of Savonius wind turbines have been as advertisements signs. They are meant to help bring attention to the marketed product via pointing or rotating in its direction. Naturally, the wind turbines used of advertising purposes are often quite small and charming.

Savonius wind turbines can also function or rotate in both a vertical direction and a horizontal one. When the rotation of the wind turbines is horizontal, the turbine has the ability to use the extracted energy in order to create noise, heat or electricity.

This particular version of the Savonius wind turbine has been inserted and put to into effect by a large number of products and companies. Basically, in order for the horizontal rotation of the Savonius wind turbine to function at its fullest potential, it needs to be tethered in order to produce kiting results. The energy that is created through kiting refers to a general net lift and a horizontal rotation combination of the wind’s power.

The Savonius wind turbine is here to stay as it appeals to those who want to create energy, those who want to create attention (advertisers), those who want to cool your car and those who just plane like their fanciful designs.