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Highly Efficient Wind Power Generator

Help us make our lightweight, compact ring-type wind power generator prototype even lighter by using resin instead of die-cast metal.

Highly Efficient Wind Power Generator

Help us make our lightweight, compact ring-type wind power generator prototype even lighter by using resin instead of die-cast metal.

2 Campaigns |

Tokyo, Japan

$45 USD 2 backers

0% of $300,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Story

FAQ

Updates 1

Comments 3

Highlights

2 Projects 2 Projects

The samurai.jp Project

Hello. I am Kiyomi Tagawa from the samurai.jp Association.

Japan is brimming with amazing artisans, artists, engineers, and researchers busying themselves day after day in a great diversity of pursuits including traditional culture, the arts, technology, and subculture. We need the support of the international community to bring their creative works and goods to life and to realize the fruits of their research. samurai.jp has just started the samurai.jp Project to rally widespread support in communicating Japan’s traditional values of hospitality and entertainment and the samurai spirit to the world.

For centuries, Japan has cultivated its own unique culture in such diverse areas as traditional dress, cuisine and architecture through to craftsmanship, the arts and performance. This culture continues to live and breathe within us. Yet in recent times, such values, and indeed recognition of the true value of this culture, are gradually being lost amid the inexorable tide of globalization.

By widely communicating the true value of Japan’s culture to people worldwide, we hope to facilitate more intense cultural, economic and international exchange through Japanese culture. We also hope to spark a rediscovery of Japan’s traditional cultural values among us, the people of Japan, as individuals.

The samurai.jp Project kicks off by profiling the completed prototype of a small-scale ring-shaped wind turbine built by Peace Frontier, a new company set to launch in October. We are seeking support via this Indiegogo campaign to enable conversion of the die-cast rotors used in the prototype into plastic, as a step toward commercializing the turbine. Through this installment of the project, in particular, we hope to use the development of this new product to help create employment and develop related businesses in the Tohoku region, which has suffered great hardship since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

We humbly ask for your support to help turn this revolutionary wind turbine into the future global standard in new natural energy technology.

samurai.jp Association, Representative, Kiyomi Tagawa

Interview with Developer Tsuneo Fukui

Developer Greetings

My name is Tokio Fukui, and I’m a representative from Peace Frontier. For some time, I was concerned about the drawbacks of conventional large propeller generators, so I considered the development of a new type of wind power generator that is environmentally friendly and can be installed with relative ease even in urban areas.

The prototype machines currently use die-cast rotors, but the current request for assistance is to develop plastic rotors. To make the rotors lighter and increase their power output, the wind power generators will use plastic rotors when they are released as commercial products. This will make their transport simpler and enable many people to use easy to operate wind power generators in various environments. We hope you will support our efforts to spread wind power generators that fully utilize the gifts of nature.

Wind, an inexhaustible source of energy that comes with no worries about depletion

There is significant potential for the effective use of wind power, but there are also many problems. With horizontal shaft (propeller) power generation, as the surface area that receives wind power is enlarged, concerns arise from the perspective of strength, and when the rotational speed is increased, accidents with birds become a problem. On the other hand, if the speed is decreased, the problem of low frequency noise also occurs. With vertical shaft (gyromill) power generation, there are problems with safety and countermeasures to deal with strong winds, and compared to the scale, the power generation efficiency is low. In addition, power is not generated when the wind speed is slow, and the rated wind speed of small and medium size wind power generators is around 12m/second.

Features of Ring Type Wind Turbine Generators

Ring type wind turbines are a type of wind power generator that narrows the path through which the wind passes to thereby increase the wind speed and improve power generation efficiency. Basically, this technology takes technology that is used in areas such as pumped-storage dams and applies it to wind. The most impressive feature is that power can be generated from a weak wind. In fact, ample power can be generated with a wind speed of 3-5m/second in urban areas. In addition, the equipment outputs almost no sound. Lastly, the structure is such that the blades are not exposed on the outside, so the equipment poses no danger to birds or humans.

Ring Wind Turbine Development Concept

* With a weak wind force, the ring wind turbine can generate 5-10 times as much power compared to a wind turbine with the same bore diameter.

* The generator has no shafts or exterior parts, and it is lightweight.

* The dimensions allow installation in a 2-square-meter area, and therefore all the components can fit in an elevator.

* The vanes do not stick out, so it is safe for wildlife and humans.

* The battery is housed in a stand, so the equipment can function as an uninterruptable power supply as well.

* Rated output of 3kW (wind speed of 8m/second)

* The goal is to generate 10MW/h yearly (when 1.2kW/h is generated with an average wind speed of 6m/second).

Betz’s Law: The amount of power that can be generated from the wind is proportional to the square of the rotor diameter and to the third power of the wind speed.

* Wind speed can be accelerated by reducing the cross-sectional area of the wind turbine so that it is smaller than the wind inlet port, and as a result, power can be generated even with a weak wind.

* Structural strength is increased by adopting a ring format for the wind turbine, and the entire unit is made more lightweight including the drive area.

* Springs are attached to the blades of the wind turbine to improve wind gust countermeasures and wind power recovery efficiency.

* Exhaust promoting blades are installed on the exhaust port side to improve exhaust efficiency.

* Rectifying blades are attached in the wind collecting port to draw in the wind.

* The rectifying blades serve as a guard to keep out wildlife.

* The newest life extending device is attached to the battery so that battery does not need to be replaced.

Comparison with Other Types

Technical Elements

* Betz’s Law and the Law of Continuity are applied.

* When the cross sectional area is reduced to 1/5, the fluid speed is increased 5 times, and the amount of power that is generated is increased 25 times. Wind is accelerated 5 times by adopting a cross sectional area of 0.15-square-meter for the ring wind turbine relative to the 0.78-square-meter cross sectional area of the outer circumferential dome.

* The energy when wind blows at a speed of 10m/second over an area of 1 square meter is approximately 1kW/h. According to the Betz limit, a maximum of 600W of energy can be converted, but when the mechanical efficiency is 50%, the energy becomes 300W.

* With the prototype this time, an output of 47W is expected with a wind speed of 2m/second. With a wind speed of 4m/second, the expected output increases to 376W, at 6m/second, it increases to 1,269W, at 8m/second, it increases to 3,008W, and at a wind speed of 10m/second, the expected output is 5,875W.

* Lift:

Lift is generated by counteraction for which the wind direction changes due to the blades. The change in direction of the wind between the top and bottom of the blades results in a powerful counteraction. When the upper wind diverges due to the angle, lift is lost. The ideal shape is called a Zhukovsky blade, and dimples like those on golf balls are believed to be effective at preventing divergence.

* Wind Resistance:

The pressure decreases at the location where wind accelerates, and increases at the location where wind decelerates.

* Trailing Vortex

* Ring Rectifying Blades

Lift is obtained from counteraction that changes the wind direction. In other words, the direction of the wind changes behind the blades. According to the Law of Continuity, if the amount of exhaust does not change in the same cross-sectional area but the direction changes, the wind speed increases in a triangular area direction. The wind speed is increased by further changing this direction using the rectifying blades, and a trailing vortex is thereby created.

Ring Wind Power Generator Performance

Calculation Method:

Let the energy when the wind blows at 10m/second over an area of 1 square meter be 1kW/h, the Betz limit be 60%, and the machine efficiency be 50%. (Ordinarily, machine efficiency is 60~80%.) A 2m/second wind will accelerate 5 times inside the dome, and the blade speed will become 10m/second.

* Blade cross-sectional area x 1,000W x 0.6 x 0.5 = power generation capacity with wind speed of 2m/second

According to Betz’s Law, the amount of power generated is proportional to the third power of the wind speed.

* The third power of the quotient of wind speed divided by two x 2m power generation capacity = power generation capacity

* Preliminary performance calculation of 5 times the cross-sectional area ratio with a diameter of 1m (blade cross-sectional area of 0.157 square meter)

Wind Speed (per second)	Power Generation Capacity (W)	Power Generation Capacity (kWh/month)
2m	47	33.84
4m	376	270.72
6m	1,269	913.68
8m	3,008	2,165.76
10m	5,875	4,230.00

PERKS:

Soap

“Miyabi” is a soap containing a traditional Japanese design that remains visible even after many uses. It is a vegetable-based soap that is safe and environmentally friendly.

Japanese Folding fan

One folding fan with your first name imprinted by laser will be presented as a gift.

Please select the desired folding fan using the number from the photos below.

For Men

No. 1: Gourd

No. 2: Year of the Horse

No. 3: Deep Blue

For Women

No. 4: Playing Rabbits

No. 5: Butterflies and Cherry Blossoms

No. 6: Silky Cherry Blossoms

Laser-imprinted Name

Yukata (light kimono)

These are high-quality yukatas from the yukata specialty shop Chikusen, which was founded in 1842. Although yukatas are now often dyed by machine, yukatas made by Chikusen are all hand-dyed by experienced artisans.

The photos above are all illustrative only.

Please select the desired yukata material using the number from the photos below.

For Women

No. 1

No. 2

No. 3

For Men

No. 4

No. 5

No. 6

The required measurements are as follows:

1. Height (Dimensions of cloth material are predetermined, so orders cannot be accepted for individuals taller than 195 cm.)

2. Chest (Dimensions of cloth material are predetermined, so orders cannot be accepted for individuals with hips larger than 115 cm.)

3. Hips (Dimensions of cloth material are predetermined, so orders cannot be accepted for individuals with hips larger than 115 cm.)

4. Waist (Dimensions of cloth material are predetermined, so orders cannot be accepted for individuals with a waist larger than 115 cm.)

5. Sleeve

With the arms spread out to the side, measure the distance from the 7^th cervical vertebra or C7 (located at the rear of the neck base along the back midline) to the wrist (styloid process of the ulna). If measuring by yourself, measure from below the Adam’s apple to the wrist.

6. Men must provide the measurement from C7 to below the ankle. Women’s yukatas will be made according to height.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Photo: A single pine tree of hope. March 11, 2014, will mark exactly 3 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Trip Description

The developers will speak directly about the development concept and product features. The group will then travel together with the developers to northeast Japan to visit areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and to observe locations with prototype equipment installed.

Trip schedule:

March 9

3 PM—Group meet-up

5 PM—Informal gathering with developers

6:30 PM—Dinner (overnight stay in Tokyo)

March 10

7 AM—Breakfast

9 AM—Hotel check-out

12 PM—Arrive in Sendai

12 PM—Lunch

2 PM—Hotel check-in (hotel with Japanese garden is planned)

3 PM—Lecture by developers, informal gathering

6 PM—Dinner (overnight stay in Sendai)

March 11

7 AM—Breakfast

Morning—Travel to disaster-affected areas; view these areas, observe locations with prototype equipment installed

12 PM—Lunch

1 PM—Participate in March 11 related ceremony

2:46 PM—Silent prayer to mark the onset of the Great East Japan Earthquake

4 PM—Travel to hot springs area in northeast Japan

6 PM—Check-in at hot springs inn

7 PM—Dinner (overnight stay at hot springs inn)

March 12

7 AM—Breakfast

All day—Free time (optional tour available)

6 PM—Dinner (overnight stay at hot springs inn)

March 13

7 AM—Breakfast

9 AM—Hotel check-out

10 AM—Travel to Tokyo

1 PM—Lunch

2 PM—Hotel check-in (hotel with Japanese garden is planned)

Afternoon—Free time

6 PM—Dinner (overnight stay in Tokyo)

March 14

7 AM—Breakfast

All day—Free time (optional tour available)

6 PM—Dinner with developers (overnight stay in Tokyo)

March 15

7 AM—Breakfast

9 AM—Hotel check-out, end of trip

Please be aware that there may be changes to the itinerary.

Please purchase insurance for this trip including the package tour at your own discretion.

Bronze Package: Wind Power Generator

One wind power generator will be presented as a gift and will be adorned with a custom-ordered plaque engraved with your name. A shipping charge will apply.

* A life expectancy of 20 years (the developer's estimate)

* The unit you will receive will come with a plastic rotor.

Silver Package: Wind Power Generator with Sales Rights

0 claimed

Gold package

$200,000 USD

Ten wind power generators including sales rights will be presented as a gift. The power generators will be adorned with a custom-ordered plaque engraved with your name. This package includes everything in the Trip to Japan package. Feel free to discuss your trip schedule with us.

Estimated Shipping

October 2014

0 out of 1 of claimed

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