Professional Documents
Culture Documents
QUEZON CITY
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering
and for the Completion of the course Energy Conversion/EE408 through the Design of Experiment
entitled: Design an Experiment on How Wind Turbine can Generate Electric Power
Submitted By:
Submitted To:
March 9, 2016
topped by giant blades. These connect to a generator that converts the energy of their spinning motion into
electricity.
To utilize the use of wind turbine in generating electricity by measuring the electrical parameters of
a wind turbine while operating at a windy environment suitable for optimum generation activity.
To understand the basic operation of a wind turbine in generating electricity from wind energy to
Image
Description
Tachometer
Picture Evidences
(Ohms Law)
Po = Vgenerated x Iarmature
T=
Po
2 N
Where,
Po = Generated output power of the wind turbine in watts
T = Torque in N-m
N = Speed of the rotating shaft in rpm
This experiment works on the principle of drag as opposed to aerodynamic lift of the wind turbine.
This is done by converting the kinetic energy of the wind into rotational kinetic energy in the turbine which is
converted through blades to mechanical energy of a rotating shaft and then transmitted to a motor, which
converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy.
To demonstrate the experiment, the motor used to model a wind turbines actual motor is a
modified fan rotor.
PROCEDURES
Activity A
Identify the parts and its functions of the Savonius wind turbine to be used in the experiment:
A
B
C
D
Activity B:
1. Set the wind turbine on a ground where it is desirable to incur optimum amount of wind pressure to
move the blades of the wind turbine.
2. Measure also the speed of the rotating shaft located in the bottom part of the wind turbine using the
tachometer. Record the results in Table 1.
3. Proceed with the measurement of the electrical parameters generated by the wind turbine as
follows:
A. Voltage Measurement
3.1.1 Attach the wires from the generator to the multimeter. Polarity is irrelevant at this point.
3.1.2
3.1.3
Speed (RPM)
<value 1>
<value 2>
Trial 3
Trial 4
Trial 5
<value 3>
<value 4>
<value 5>
It is normal for the voltage readings to fluctuate because of the inconsistent nature of the
wind or unbalanced blades.
Voltage is related to how fast the DC generator is spinning. The faster it spins, the higher
the voltage. With no load on the generator, it has little resistance and can spin very fast.
3.1.4
Speed (RPM)
Voltage (V)
B. Current Measurement
3.2.1 Place the multimeter in series with a load to measure the armature current being
3.2.2
3.2.3
Speed (RPM)
Current Generated (mA)
<value 1>
<value 2>
<value 3>
<value 4>
<value 5>
Table 2 Current Generation
When measuring current you are monitoring how many electrons are being pushed
through the wire by the turbine. The current that the turbine produces depends on the load
placed in the circuit and the torque your blades are generating.
3.2.4 Graph the results from the measurement of voltage generation.
Speed (RPM)
C. Power Output
3.3.1 From the results
Ampere (mA)
gathered in part (A) and (B), calculate the
power output.
Po = VI
where V and I are the voltage and current generated, respectively.
3.3.2 Tabulate and graph the results.
Trial
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4
Trial 5
Speed (RPM)
Speed (RPM)
Current Generated (mA)
<value 1>
<value 2>
<value 3>
<value 4>
<value 5>
Table 3 Power Output
Trial
Speed
(RPM)
Voltage
(V)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Current
(A)
Power (W)
Resistanc
e
()
Pt
(W)
Torque
(N-m)
4. Complete the table shown below using the engineering calculations sited in the beginning of the
activity. Continue the trials until you have 10 trials of data at various wind speeds generating
different values of electric power.
Torque(N-m)
Power (W)
Trial
Speed
(RPM)
Voltage
(V)
Current
(mA)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
205
275
235
353
432
875
672
983
455
323
3.14
5.82
4.06
7.62
8.17
13.55
11.02
17.14
8.66
7.11
19.539
36.738
26.148
54.796
62.065
74.84
67.498
88.33
60.089
45.024
Resistanc
e
()
160.708
158.420
155.271
139.061
131.636
181.054
163.264
194.046
144.12
157.915
Power
(mW)
Torque
(N-mm)
61.35
213.8
106.16
417.5
507.07
1014.08
743.83
1513.97
520.37
320.12
4.76e-2
0.124
7.19e-2
0.188
0.187
0.184
0.176
0.245
0.182
0.158
OBSERVATION
The group have observed that when enough wind force passes through the blades of the wind
turbine which causes it to move in a circular motion, it also rotates a shaft connected to a motor causing the
rotor to rotate generating electric power. Since the turbine needs a large amount of wind not yet available in
the school venue, we simulated the wind by rotating the bladesWe verified that by using a digital multimeter to measure how much voltage is the motor generating and the amount of electric power it can
generate. Observing the readings in the multi-meter, we have seen that the voltage increases when the
speed of the blades rotation (corresponding to strong wind) increases.
INTERPRETATION OF DATA
We can interpret the data gathered as we observe the relationship between the speed of the
rotating shaft connected to the blades of the wind turbine and the electrical power it generates. From this
experiment we can see that as the speed of the rotating shaft increases, indicating a strong wind dragging
the blades of the wind turbine to turn, the voltage, current and generated electric power also increases with
the changing speed. Decreasing the speed for weaker wind forces correspond to a much lower generated
electric power.
CONCLUSION
The group therefore conclude that by doing this experiment, one can learn how a wind turbine
generates electric power by observing the mechanism of how the wind turbine used in the experiment is
being operated. We have therefore concluded that the wind energy coming from the environment is
translated to mechanical energy as it passes through the blades of the wind turbine and initiates it to spin in
a circular motion simultaneously rotating a shaft connected to a motor which converts mechanical energy to
electrical energy that we use in our daily lives.
RECOMMENDATION
The group recommends the use of other types of generators that may be used as a wind turbine. It
is also recommended that before a heavy-duty equipment is used for the experiment, those who wish to
experiment may try a smaller generator that generates smaller voltage, following the objective of imitating
the behavior and theories working around a wind turbine. This is the ideal experiment since observers get
to understand deeper how the wind turbine works in the smallest and most understood method of
demonstration.
Bibliography
(http://goldpower.net/news/how-does-a-wind-turbine-generate-electricity/)
(http://fwee.org/nw-hydro-tours/how-wind-turbines-generate-electricity/)
(https://www.wind-watch.org/faq-output.php)
(http://windeis.anl.gov/guide/basics/)
(http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/wind-power/wind-turbines/)