Can a Turbine Effectively Charge Batteries?

[D_Dean]

Hello,

I am currently working on a project which involves using a turbine to charge some rechargable batteries. I am currently in the beginning stages of the research and have some questions right off the bat.

1. Does anybody know what is needed to go from a turbine output to the batteries. Can I assume that the output from a turbine moving at a constant angular velocity will be a constant DC current? Is a voltage regulator required, or diode and capacitor combination in order to maintain a constant voltage/current for constant and/or nonconstant angular velocities? If anyone knows of a website that does a good job of teaching the fundamentals of turbines that would be great.

2. Does anybody know of any sites where I can get some good information about some of the turbines currently on the market? Would it be better to buy a prepackaged all in one deal, if so does anyone know where I might find one?

3. Somewhat unrelated, does anyone have any good electrical engineering fundamentals websites? I find that most sites simply give a schematic and don't really address the theory.

I appreciate any information.

 

[chroot]

Well, a turbine doesn't generate electricity. A turbine just rotates. Your question depends entirely on the kind of generator you choose to connect to your turbine.

- Warren

 

[Averagesupernova]

www.otherpower.com

 

[Danger]

D, aside from the generator question, you didn't specify what kind of turbine you want. There are a lot of different ones... wind, water, gas, whatever. You could saw an old turbocharger in half to run from an engine exhaust, or mount a multi-vane unit horizontally under a waterfall, or just about anything else that you can think of.

 

[FredGarvin]

http://www.web-ee.com/primers/Tutorials.htm
http://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/FreeEdMain01.asp

http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/electricCircuits/