Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Midterm Report
Troy Massagee
EE-458 D01
March 7, 2018
System Design
Project Concept:
The customer is seeking a portable wind turbine able to operate in variable and unstable wind
environments. It must be transportable in the back of a standard pickup truck and can be
assembled by one person within a reasonable time. The turbine must be able to charge a
battery backup system (car battery or similar). The system must be able to self-stabilize on a
relatively flat and level surface in an outdoor environment.
Optional features would include the system being able to power a variety of small electrical
appliances, from lights to phones. Another optional feature would include the turbine’s ability
to generate electricity suitable to connect to the local power grid to sell to the local utility
company when not being used to charge or power any batteries.
Functional Description:
• Turbine Blades:
The length of the blades determines how much of the wind is captured for use. The
specifications limit the blade length to a maximum of 3.5 meters to accommodate portability
and space constraints.
• Turbine Shaft:
The upper shaft will contain the nexus where the blade arms meet to apply the rotational
energy derived from the turbine blades. The joints should be reinforced to prevent stress and
fatigue failures. The upper shaft will be mounted to the generator with long-life, low-friction
ball bearings to allow for easy rotation. The generator will convert the mechanical energy into
electricity and flow down through the stationary lower shaft. The lower shaft will be strong
enough to support the weight of the turbine blades, arms, and generator.
• Generator:
The generator will be an asynchronous induction generator. This will produce 3-phase AC
power at variable frequencies, relative to the fluctuating wind speeds of the environment.
Research shows AC generators are more efficient in wind turbine usage than DC generators
(Muller, et. al., 2002). While 3-Phase AC is preferable, cost and simplicity has seen this revised
to a single phase AC generator easily obtainable from ceiling fan motors.
• Sensor Array: (Module Removed)
The sensor array would be mounted to various locations on the turbine platform and shaft.
Sensors include an anemometer, wind vane, thermometer, ammeter, potentiometer, and a
rotational speed sensor. Collections of these data points are critical for the testing phase of this
project. This has been removed from the revised design to simplify the Turbine project to meet
the April deadline.
• Battery Bank:
This component is an array of at least one large-capacity battery. This battery will be used to
power the controller component. It also operates as a backup power source for the inverter
during times of minimal or zero wind speeds. Ideally this bank would be built using
conventional 12V batteries for easy scalability.
System Description:
The turbine design is based on the H-rotor concept, relying on the lift force generated from
aerodynamic blades to turn the shaft and generate electricity. Research has shown efficiencies
in using the NACA 0018 airfoil design for the turbine blades (DeCoste, et al., 2005). The turbine
blades will be attached to allow passive self-adjustment of their pitch which will maintain
optimal airflow through them. This increases efficiency and lowers the minimum start-up wind
speed for the turbine design (Shuqin, 2011).
The electrical systems will be primarily made from individual parts and components. The major
systems are the generator, sensor array, braking system, controller, inverter, and battery bank.
The upper shaft of the turbine houses the generator, converting the mechanical energy into
electricity. Sensor array collects all the essential data to monitor the performance and power
output of the system as well as collect data on environmental variables such as wind speed and
air temperature. The braking system reduces the rotational speed of the upper turbine shaft if
wind speeds exceed operating limits of the turbine design. The controller is the “brain” of the
system. It logs the data collected from the sensor array, converts the generator output from
alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) electricity, determines when to apply the braking
system, houses the charge controller to regulate power to the battery bank, and outputs the DC
power to the inverter. The inverter will convert the DC power into AC power at 120V and 60Hz
in single-phase. This is the standard for home grid connections. The battery bank is the back-up
power supply to power the controller logic and inverter when the turbine is inactive.
System Analysis:
A previous wind turbine project shows that various turbine designs range in efficiencies from
10% to 20% (DeCoste, 2005, p. 8). The current wind turbine project will be determined
successful if the wind turbine is able to meet the primary objectives outlined at the beginning of
this document. The secondary objective is to reach a Coefficient of Performance (Cp) rating of
10% or higher. Losses from converting the mechanical power to electrical power will see an
even lower overall efficiency rating. Assuming a loss factor of 30% in converting mechanical
energy to electrical energy, the wind turbine is expected to produce electricity at seven percent
overall efficiency in harnessing available wind energy. The equations in Table 2 below were
derived from previous wind turbine projects (DeCoste, 2005, p. 6-7 and Silva, p. 1-3) and a hot
air balloon website (Griffin, 2017).
The sensor data can then be used to analyze the efficiency of each component. Future wind
turbine projects can use this data to determine which components to focus on for improving
efficiency. This can also help identify which, if any, components need to be scrapped for
redesign and reconstruction.
Project Plan
Definition of work:
The first stage is building the Base, or platform for the system to mount on. This has already
been completed and is made of a combination of plywood and 2x4 beams mounted to reinforce
and raise the platform a few inches above ground level.
Stage 8:Painting/Weatherproofing
Painting and coating all main elements of the Turbine system with some sort of polyurethane
sealant will help mitigate water damage and prevent rust. Spray foam will be used to seal any
small cracks in various areas of the system
Schedule:
Please refer to Appendix B for the project schedule. The project is currently several weeks
behind schedule and the construction and assembly process is taking longer than expected. This
will cause a significant reduction in time available for testing and troubleshooting.
Cost estimate:
Between Parts and tools, the estimated cost of completing this project is around $1000 dollars.
Please refer to Appendix A for a complete breakdown of estimated labor and material costs for
this project. Costs are and will be mitigated by using free labor from the project manager and
tools provided by family sponsors. The project is being constructed and stored in Front Royal,
VA on family property.
Project Budget:
Initial self-investment into this project has $1000 in the bank to satisfy safe construction of this
system.
Current Status:
So far, stages 1 and 6 are the only ones currently complete. Stages 2 and 3 are currently
underway simultaneously. The Turbine Blades are taking longer than expected to complete,
requiring extended times for glue and materials to form and set at each stage. They require
precise and accurate measurements, cutting, forming, and smoothing. The Electronic Housing
design is finalized. The exact materials that will be used to construct it is still being examined
and will be decided shortly.
This leaves stages 4,5,6 and 8 still to be complete. Testing will happen throughout the
construction phase of this project to ensure satisfactory components.
Appendix A: Estimated Project Costs
Table 2: Estimates of Tangible Costs
Resource Estimated Price Per Total Source
Unit(s) Unit Cost
Research and Design Costs: $1,624
Project Member Labor (PML) Research 24 hr. $21/hr. $504 Glassdoor
time
PML Design time 30 hr. $21/hr. $630 Glassdoor
Project Software (Windows 10, 1 $120 $120 Microsoft
MS Office) 1 $70/year $70
Design Software (Matlab) 1 $500 $0 Matlab
Matlab Alternative (GNU Octave) 1 $0 Octave
3D Model/Printing (Blender, Sketchup, 1 $0 Fabian
Fusion360)
Laptop 1 $300 $300 Amazon
Construction Costs: $2,104
Indoor Storage Rental Costs 3 months $60/mont $180 Public
h Storage
PML for Construction/Assembly 49 hr. $21/hr. $1029 Glassdoor
Construction Materials:
- Grid Tie Inverter (<500 Watts) 1 $80 $80 Amazon
- Sensor Array (weather station) 1 $70 $70 Sparkfun
- Charge Controller (40 Amp) 1 $20 $20 Amazon
- AC-DC Converter/Filter 3 $15 $45 Amazon
- Battery Bank (12V) 2 $70 $140 Amazon
- Controller Logic 1 $50 $50 Banggood
- Breaking Element 3 $5 $15 Banggood
- DC/DC regulator 1 $15 $15 Ebay
- Wood Platform 2 $16 $32 Home
- Wood 2x4” beams 4 $6 $24 Depot
- Galvanized Steel sheet 7 $8 $56 “”
- Nuts/Bolts/Washers, Screws 100 $0.46 $46 “”
- PVC pipe (Turbine Shaft) 1 $20 $20 “”
- Turbine Arm (Aluminum) 3 $22 $66 “”
- Balsa Wood Turbine Blade 6 $3 $18 “”
Construction Tools:
- Soldering Iron 1 $10 $10 Amazon
- Multimeters 3 $15 $45 “”
- Toolkit/Toolbox 1 $33 $33 Home
- Power Drill 1 $30 $30 Depot
- Drill bit set 1 $10 $10 “”
- Clamps 4 $5 $20 “”
- Glue Gun 1 $40 $40 “”
- Glue 2 $5 $10 “”
Testing Costs: $1,541
PML for Testing 44 hours $21/hr. $924 Glassdoor
Testing Tools:
- Lab equipment (Oscilloscope, 2 months $300/mo. $600 Electrorent
Multimeters, probes)
- Sensor Array (built into system) 1 $0 $0
- Data Storage (Flash drive – 32GB 1 $12 $12 Amazon
microSD)
USB connector (5 ft.) 1 $5 $5 Amazon
Laptop (Reused from Design Phase) 1 $0 $0
Revision Costs: $196
PML for revising/fixing 4 hr. $21/hr. $84 Glassdoor
Replacement parts (blades, gears, ball 2 $50 $100 Amazon
bearings, battery) Banggood
Spare consumable materials (nuts, bolts, 20 $0.60 $12 Home
wires, glue) Depot
Troubleshooting/Repair tool use 4 hr. $0 $0 Estimated
Operational Costs: $405
PML for Maintenance 5 hr. $21/hr. $105 Glassdoor
Outdoor Space Rental Costs 30 days $10/day $300 Estimated
Operating costs 30 days $0 $0 Estimated
Miscellaneous Costs: $1,061
Electrical Consulting (Local Utility 4 hr. $26/hr. $104 Glassdoor
Company)
Administrative Costs (computer/printer 2 hr. $5 $10 Estimated
access)
PML for Documentation 7 hr. $21/hr. $147 Glassdoor
Project Advisor Consultations 16 hr. $50/hr. 800 Glassdoor
Total Estimated Tangible Costs: $6,931.00
Appendix B: Schedule for Completing Senior Design Project (EE-458)
EN-408: Item 2B
Senior Design Project Schedule
For Troy Massagee
(Omnidirectional Wind Turbine)
# of Resource
Task Days Requirements Notes
Seek Project Funding 60 EN-408 Documents, *Will use the documents generated
Computer, Printer, Points from EN-408 as a basis for creating
of Contact proposals for seeking sponsors to
help fund this Senior Design
Project.
Finalize Prototype Wind Turbine 15
Design Project Budget will constrain the
Consult with Project size of the Turbine and quality of its
Finalize Project Budget & Resources 3 Advisor components. Access to 3D printer is
Available required if manufacturing
Consult with Project components in-house
Identify testing equipment needed 1 Advisor
DeCoste, J., McKay, D., Robinson, B., Whitehead, S., & Wright, S. (2005, Dec 5). MECH 4010
design project: Vertical axis wind turbine. Nova Scotia, Canada: Dalhousie University.
Retrieved from
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.452.6381&rep=rep1&type=
pdf
Shuqin, L. (2011, July 5). Magnetic suspension and self-pitch for vertical-axis wind turbines. In R.
Carriveau (Ed.). Fundamental and Advanced Topics in Wind Power (pp. 233-248).
Shanghai, China: InTech. Retrieved from
https://www.intechopen.com/books/fundamental-and-advanced-topics-in-wind-power
Silva, G. (n.d.). Vertical axis wind turbine development. Portugal: Tecnico Lisboa [University].
Retrieved from
https://fenix.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/downloadFile/395143097660/Extended%20abstract.pdf