Title

DOE CWC Micro Wind Turbine Team 3

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-21-2014

Faculty Sponsor

Sarah Haight

Abstract

With the goal of increasing the national capacity for wind energy from 4% to 20%, the Department of Energy issued a challenge for undergraduate students to develop and build a marketable micro wind turbine capable of producing at least 10 watts of power. In order to meet the competition requirements, this multidisciplinary project involved collaboration between business, as well as electrical and mechanical engineering students. The design of this turbine was aimed at providing a portable, low-cost electronics charger that could be used to charge batteries or power medical and communications equipment during disaster relief situations.

The mechanical design consisted of a 3D printed blade design based on a Blade Element Momentum approach, a custom drivetrain connected to a generator, and a custom tower and nacelle. For safety, the turbine includes a remotely operated emergency braking system capable of shutting the turbine down within 10 seconds. Initial simulations suggest that this wind turbine is capable of extracting upwards of 80 watts (before losses) of power from the wind. With a cost of $260, this turbine is expected to cost less than the original budget of $500

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