Wind Turbine Set

A set of Savonius type wind turbine designs. Included are 2 and 3 vane variations with both an open and closed center. I created the set to try different variations in wind turbine design. They are designed to fit an 8mm rod with no bearings and spin freely with no load besides friction. I also attempted a variation to create a hybrid design by adding a wing profile to the outer edge for lift, but was unable to get it to improve energy transfer from the wind to the turbine.

Based on experimentation, I found the 2-vane open design to work the best. It will self-start from most angles, but not all. The 3-vane open design did not work quite as well as the 2-vane one, but self-starts from any angle. In my experience, neither closed design worked as well as the open ones in any aspects. I included all the designs, so feel free to experiment yourself.

To compare different designs I placed them at a a constant distance from a box fan and used a laser tachometer to find how fast they