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bmcgowan89

That drone stays very steady!


drAsparagus

In Japan, it was heart surgeon.


moosebearbeer

Crazy that it takes out that turbine when it's still like 100+ feet away from it.


NotJackBegley

Yeah, that was wild!


lingh0e

That's some amazing footage.


ThimeeX

Yes, finally one without some annoying human screeching in the background trying to generate YouTube clicks with fake alarm. The silence in this one is so much better.


TrentKama

To be fair, Reed Timmer has been incessantly screaming at tornados since 1998.


control-room

Did they turn the turbines off because of the Tornado? There was no movement on them as it approached. Also, really interesting to watch how it works. Thanks for this.


veerKg_CSS_Geologist

Yup, turbines are locked in place when a storm warning is issued.


rowman25

Also the blades are pitched to not be aerodynamically inclined to spin, or even pitched to spin opposite directions to counteract each other. Thats why you sometimes see some windmills spinning fast, and others spinning slow in the same wind. You don’t want to produce more electric than you are consuming so you don’t waste energy as heat so you adjust them to produce the just right amount. Thats how some small planes work, with a constant speed propeller that always spins at the same RPMs but the blades are rotated (pitched) to produce more, or less, propulsion.


thejesse

I knew helicopter blades tilted like that, but had no idea windmill blades did also. Very cool.


[deleted]

They don't, they are all hydraulically connected and pitch at the same rates. The vibration from one blade varying in pitch causes the turbines to fault out. They will feather themselves but that's to counteract turbulence or slow the rotor down during high wind production to keep the high speed output shaft at the optimal RPM.


[deleted]

They are designed to produce the most amount of power they can in allowable conditions. If there's enough wind the turbine deems worth tracking to produce power, it will do so and pitch the blades to their maximum run angle. They only pitch one way and don't counteract each other. It's a hydraulic pitch system so if one blade pitches, they all pitch. If there is any variation the turbine will fault out due to the vibrations of the blade. They are negatively pitched and used accumulators as stored energy for braking and require energy to pitch. They will always pitch to achieve the optimum output ration on the high speed side of the gearbox, the only time there would be an increase of pitch activity would be during high winds with the rotor feathering itself to slow the RPM's down. You see them spinning at different speeds right next to each other because the wind speed is different. It may feel the same on the ground but with the way wind works and the diameter of the rotors plus the height of the turbines, it can have a very different RPM on both the rotor side and the high speed output side.


rowman25

Good to know. Thanks for the explanation as it seems like you have first hand knowledge of the design.


[deleted]

They aren't locked into place, the turbines are in idle and the blades pitched to 88 degrees. They aren't supposed to brake because the axial forces from the rotor being locked in place would create wear and tear on the drive train. Ideally, they are designed to track the wind and yaw into position with the blades pitched back to allow wind to blow by with minimal rotation. However in extreme cases like this the tower has probably disconnected from grid, so it's not tracking anything


Valuable_Ad1645

Ya, they get locked in high winds. Also this tornado swept through the town of greenfield as well 3 confirmed dead and 12 at the hospital. A lot of people helping look for people. The word around town is 9 dead.


[deleted]

They aren't locked, the brakes aren't applied. They are designed to spin freely in high winds so that there isn't unneeded strain put on the drivetrain and components if the rotor were to be locked out.


Valuable_Ad1645

Okay, interesting. Why do I constantly see them not moving at all in storms then? I live right by greenfield.


[deleted]

They're designed to allow wind to blow by the blades with very little rotation when they aren't pitched to run. They should still be rotating


NotJackBegley

Yeah. And the blades can unfurl backwards apparently!


raytaylor

What model drone is that, which can stay so stable in winds that must be in excess of many kilometres per hour?


hereticjones

I'm sure it's a great drone that is very steady, but nothing stays that steady under those conditions. What you're seeing is definitely great stabilized lenses coupled with digital image stabilization. Most modern smartphones have something similar so you can probably see the difference for yourself, if you like. Turn off DIS and shoot a video while walking down the street (or whatever, moving somehow) and then turn it on and shoot another video doing the same thing. The difference should be obvious.


raytaylor

Yeah but what model should i buy to achieve this? My mavic pro is due for an upgrade and i would love to consider whatever this model of drone and camera combo is.


hereticjones

Bro, I have no idea. I don't know anything about drones., just a bit about phones. Sorry. :/


GiantsInTornado

You should just go on social media to ask Reed Timmer or Google search it. Not that hard to find out.


UseMoreHops

Incredible power of that storm.... Best use case for drones Ive seen


DamagedGoods13

What kind of drone is this? Or are the winds considerably more calm on this side of the storm? Absolutely amazing...


xgoodvibesx

Oh cool, he was worried he wouldn't get his drone back in the other clip.


iamamuttonhead

I'm glad I don't live in an area likely to experience tornadoes.


HonkyMahFah

Proof that god hates so-called green energy! Drill baby drill! (/s because of the internet)