Forum Archive Index - February 2003

["Harry Jones" <h.jones@ecu.edu.au>]

I found the discussion of wind powered electricity generation very
interesting because some 30 years ago I was concerned with the
maintenance of an Antarctic station at Vanda in the Dry Valleys. A wind
powered generator had been erected at the station a few years earlier
but the winds at the station had proved to be so strong that the
windmill failed. I think it blew apart. A fresh attempt with a more
robust device was made in 1973. I was concerned that the comfort, if not
safety, of the station people should depend upon untried technology but
was somewhat reassured by the fact that propane gas was stored there as
back-up. I also took advantage of a generous offer by the Americans at
McMurdo to fly in some contaminated diesel as further back-up. In the
event there was much less wind during the 1974 winter than had been
predicted and the station would have been in trouble without the
alternatives. Sharechatters may be interested to hear that the propane
also gave problems. From memory I think that the winter temperatures at
Vanda average about minus 30 centigrade. Propane liquifies at (again
from memory) about minus 50 centigrade, but at minus 30 did not have
enough vapour pressure to exit the storage cylinders. Thank God for good
old reliable diesel. 

Harry Jones
Email h.jones@ecu.edu.au

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