Wind Turbine Design and Implementation

Team Members Members: Luke Donney Lindsay Short Nick Ries Dario Vazquez Chris Loots Advisor: Dr. Venkataramana Ajjarapu Client: Dr. Dionysios Aliprantis

Overview Project Scope Problem Statement & Proposed Solution Requirements & Considerations Components Design Implementation Testing Conclusion Lessons Learned Project Cost & Effort

Problem Statement Our goal was to design, implement, and then install a small-scale 500 to 2000 Watts wind turbine generator on the roof of Coover Hall. The turbine is an upwind, fixed-speed turbine that will provide 3- phase AC power to Coover Hall. We collaborated with mechanical engineering students to complete the project. Team members gained experience in wind energy and power system design, as well as learned how to design and build a control systems and gained experience in safe engineering.

Proposed Solution Fixed speed, upwind, AC turbine 3 blade design, each 4.6ft long Rotor shaft transfers rotational energy to gearbox Gearbox has a 10:1 ratio to rotate motor at 1800RPM.

Concept Sketch & Block Diagram

Functional Requirements Generate an AC current Supply an output of 500 to 2000 Watts Supply power to the Coover Hall grid Turn off in high wind speeds Protect internal components from power surge Controls connect to a display to display data

Non-Functional Requirements Enough space below the blades for a person to stand under them safely Comply with building code weight and height limits Components comply with federal and state electrical regulations Turbine type is fixed speed and upwind

Deliverables Wind Turbine and Mounting Tower Power Protection and Control Systems User’s Manual

Risks & Considerations The wind turbine was designed and built to withstand the outdoors (temperature and precipitation). The tower was built to withstand wind speeds up to 120 MPH. The wind turbine was designed to be safe by having multiple ways of controlling speed in order to prevent damage and harm to humans.

Design (Methodology) Our main objective in designing the turbine was for it to be safe. Tower height Furling tail Brake Protection circuit Our second objective was to provide 500 to 2000 Watts of power. We chose 9.2 foot diameter blades.

Implementation (Methodology) Outdoor environment exposed to the elements Nacelle housing provide shielding and ventilation ¼ inch steel construction Tower designed to support weight and torque applied from the nacelle

Testing (Methodology) To help with testing the entire system and to ensure it worked properly we first tested everything individually. Brake Motor Gearbox Couplings Controls Electrical Protection After we had proven these worked correctly we assembled the nacelle and blades to make sure all the parts fit and worked together correctly.

Nacelle Design

Nacelle Implementation

Nacelle Testing In testing the nacelle, it is important to test it’s components. Therefore, before testing the nacelle as a whole, the following had to be tested Brake Blades Gearbox Motor

Motor Testing (Part 1)

Motor Testing (Part 2)

Controls Design

Controls Implementation (HW) Controller Circuit Prototype Hall Effect Switch Disc with Magnets

Controls Implementation (SW)

Controls Testing

Protection Circuit Design

Tower Design

Furling Tail Design Rotate the nacelle out of wind at desired wind speed.

Work Breakdown Luke Donney - nacelle, brake Lindsay Short - protection circuit Nick Ries - testing and documentation Dario Vazquez – microcontroller Chris Loots – nacelle Dustin Dalluge – tower, nacelle

Project Cost and Effort

Lessons Learned To avoid confusion and unnecessary work, agree on one design early on. Create a structured work plan, assign tasks to group members. Break group into subgroups to get more work done faster. Never assume you will get funding. Create a plan for the resources you already have.

Conclusion Implemented and tested the nacelle and control systems. Designed the tower, furling tail, and protection system for a future team to implement. Left power measurement capability for a future team to implement.