Discipline: Technology and Engineering
Subcategory: Civil/Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering
Christina Hoffman - University of Maryland - Baltimore County (UMBC)
Co-Author(s): Fareed Dawan, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Patrick Mensah, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Guoqiang Li, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Louisiana
Wind turbine technology has gained tremendous traction as an alternative source of energy for on-the-grid application systems[1]. It is reasonable to propose that wind energy can be utilized for portable, off-the-grid applications as well. Therefore, we proposed to design, fabricate, and characterize a mini turbine utilizing wind and solar energy for use in low-power personal and portable applications. The mini wind turbine was designed and constructed for high velocity wind impact conditions. It was of further interest that the blades are high in strength and stiffness but light in weight as well as electrically conductive. Composite materials were suitable for this purpose and may be tailored towards such specific applications, offering advantages over pure, neat metals and polymers. We investigated a 3D printed neat resin form and a carbon fiber composite form and performed a comparative study. Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques such as 3D printing allowed for complex designs typical of advanced wind turbines[2] and enables selective placement of carbon fiber reinforcements throughout the design. We also investigated the effect of the arrangement and orientation of the fibers[3]. Autodesk Inventor CAD program was used to construct the optimum designs and perform a static analysis of these designs. The Hysitron Nanoindentor was used to study the mechanical properties of the composite blade materials and determine the best orientation of fiber reinforcements. A wind tunnel manufactured by Engineering Laboratory Design, Inc. was used to test the various turbine designs to determine the current produced at varying wind speeds. Through testing, it was found that 5 μA was generated at a wind speed of 40mph. Mechanical testing yielded an optimum composite sample with a hardness of 260 MPa and an elastic modulus of 2.2 GPa. Therefore, small scale, composite wind turbines have the potential to provide power for low power, personal devices. Future research will be geared towards creating more efficient turbine designs and incorporating thin solar cell films onto the blades. [1] “Wind Vision. A New Era for Wind Power in the United States (Executive Summary, Full Report, and Appendices)”; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory).” (2015) [2] Schubel, Peter J., and Richard J. Crossley. “Wind Turbine Blade Design.” Energies 5.12 (2012): 3425-449. [3] Campbell, Thomas, Williams, Christopher, Ivanova, Olga, Garrett, Banning; “Could 3D printing change the world? Technologies, potential, and implications of additive manufacturing”; Atlantic Council, Washington (DC) (2011).
Not SubmittedFunder Acknowledgement(s): Supported by the National Science Foundation through cooperative agreement OIA-1541079 and the Louisiana Board of Regents
Faculty Advisor: Fareed Dawan, fareed_dawan@subr.edu
Role: I participated in all aspects of this research, from formulating the research question to the design, fabrication and testing of various wind turbine designs. I worked to 3D print each turbine and the material coupons for mechanical testing. I designed the various fiber orientations that were tested. I also worked to characterize the material coupons using the Hysitron Nanoindentor.