1. Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
Brandon Guerra
Devan Rodriguez
Austin Noel
Micah Thornton
Advisor: Dr. Cris Koutsougeras
Spring 2017

2. Project Overview
The objective of this project is to design a vertical axis wind turbine that will allow us to utilize the wind energy available in the area surrounding the sustainability center. We plan to use renewable energy from the wind by converting the kinetic energy into usable electrical energy.

3. Project Overview con.
We are continuing research and design from a previous years project.
Our plan is to take their original design and to make it better.
An overarching idea is to make the new turbine hold up to time and effectively capture energy.
We plan to reuse as much as the previous materials as possible

5. Previous Design Faults
Non-functional system to orient panels according to wind direction
Unstable foundation
Was not high enough to effectively capture wind energy
No Energy captured, i.e. no batteries hooked up to alternators to harness power generated from the torque of the shaft.

6. Previous design: panels
4 air foils 90 degrees apart
30 lbs each
4ft x 8ft
4 louvers made of corrugated plastic

7. New Panel Design Requirements: 6 panels total, 2’ x 8’
Lightweight
Weather-Proof
Strong, can hold up to increased wind speeds
6 panels total, 2’ x 8’
3 levels of panels, 2 panels on each level
Each panel is spaced 60 degrees apart (from Bird’s Eye View)
Corrugated plastic louvers
3 louvers for each panel 7” each
Increases swept area and reduces weight for each panel by 20 percent

8. Bird’s Eye View of New Design

9. Side View of New Design

10. Panel research Researched Louver Materials: Researched Panel Frames
Aluminum Sheeting
Styrofoam wrapped in a thin layer of Carbon Fiber
Fiber Glass
Corrugated Plastic
Researched Panel Frames
Magnesium Alloy (AZ31 vs. AZ41)
Aluminum tubing
(Aluminum - lighter & cheaper, magnesium alloys - stronger

11. How Louvers work Shaft only spins in one direction
Omni-directional wind capture
A Driving Force is created when wind pressure
is applied to any 1&1/3 panels
When wind is pressed on panels opposing movement, the louvers will open, reducing resistance

12. Previous Design: Shaft
ANSI 1040 steel
1.25” diameter and 17.5’ long
A 2”x 8’ diameter steel shaft housing with bearings inside to support shaft

13. foundation Design
The goal is to use the previous materials as much as possible.
The best way to accomplish this is weld on an extension to the 1.25” shaft.
Higher panels = More wind
Other structure ideas:
Lattice tower
Mounting structure on top of building on campus

14. Wind Activity in Hammond, La
Over the course of the year typical wind speeds vary from 0 mph to 14 mph (calm to moderate breeze), rarely exceeding 20 mph (fresh breeze).
The highest average wind speed of 6 mph (light breeze) occurs around March 2, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 14 mph (moderate breeze).
The lowest average wind speed of 2 mph (light air) occurs around July 24, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 10 mph (gentle breeze).
In Hammond, the wind comes from the North (14% of the time), South-East (11%), North-East (4%), South-West (3%)
For our Calculations, an average of 3mph was taken for annual wind speed.

15. Beaufort Scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 >72mph 1-3mph 4-7mph1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Calm
Light Air
Light Breeze
Gentle Breeze
Moderate Breeze
Fresh Breeze
Strong Breeze
Near Gale
Gale
Strong Gale
Storm
Violent Storm
Hurricane Force
<1mph
1-3mph
4-7mph
8-12mph
13-18mph
18-24mph
25-31mph
31-38mph
39-46mph
47-54mph
55-63mph
64-72mph
>72mph
<0.3m/s
m/s
1.6-3,3m/s
m/s
m/s
8-10.7m/s
m/s
m/s
m/s
m/s
m/s
m/s
>32.7m/s

16. Based on the Beaufort Scale, we took the starting Hurricane force wind speed, and found the stresses exerted on the panels and the shaft. The typical drag coefficient value or a flat-plate panel taken perpendicular to air flow (1.28) was used.

17. Dc-540 Permanent Magnet alternator
. Dc-540 Permanent Magnet alternator Perfect wind generator in areas that experience average winds of MPH . Model Produces 12 watts at 130 RPM and increases from there

18. Transmission
There are many types of transmissions to consider when building a turbine.
The transmissions that we have considered are:
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
Pulley and Belt Drive
Gear Drive

19. Transmission: old design
Did not capture energy
Used variety of gear ratios to meet desired RPM for car alternators
Had multiple pulley systems
Highly inefficient due to friction

20. Transmission: Our design
Drive Pulley to
Alternator
Much simpler concept
Single drive pulley connected to alternator with single reduction (minimal friction)
Pulley and belt system is cheapest and simplest to design.
Design with chosen alternator will effectively capture energy at average wind speeds in the area.

21. Transmission: cont.
Taking the force from the wind exerted on panels at the average wind speed (3mph), the RPM of the airfoils (drive pulley) is found to be 20.
Since we know the alternator cannot work unless 130 RPMs are reached, this is our minimum restraint.
From this, minimum of 6.5:1 gear ratio required.
Using the size of our alternator pulley (2.6 inches), the minimum size of drive pulley is approximately 17 inches.
Incorporating old designs inch drive pulley = 145 RPM

22. DC- 540 Low Wind Permanent Magnet Alternator
Projected Budget
Cost Analysis
Product
Dealer
Cost
Corrugated Plastic
Recycled Project
0.00
Aluminum Framing
Steel Shaft
Steel Shaft Extension
Lowest Bidder
$100.00
DC- 540 Low Wind Permanent Magnet Alternator
Wind Blue
$219.00
18.75” drive pulley
Alternator Pulley
$12.50
Guy wires
Lowes
$50.00
Drive Belt
Ebay
$25.00
Total Cost:
$406.50

23. Deliverables
Researched different materials for panels and louvers, transmission systems, and possible alternate structure ideas
Decided on an overall structure for panels and the sizes involved for most efficiency.
Structural Analysis (Shaft)
Structural Analysis (Vertical Panels)
Drivetrain Design simplified

24. TimeLine Tasks to Complete: Timeframe for Tasks:
Permanent location and extension solution
Summer
Reconstructing panel frames and louvers
September
Transmission Materials
September-October
Base/Shaft
Structure support (guy wires)
October-November
Final Assembly
November-December
Testing and Presentation
December

25. Questions?