Disciplines
Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics | Propulsion and Power
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Low speed wind turbines can provide inexpensive and clean energy in areas where large scale wind power generation is impractical. The purpose of this research is to explore factors that affect the efficiency of low speed wind turbine blades. The factors that were tested include angle of attack, angle of twist, chord length, average thickness, span, and taper ratio. The goal is to determine a combination of these variables to enable maximum power extraction from a low wind speed source. These blade parameters are optimized for the Southeastern region of the United States. NOAA weather data at ground level are used to determine average wind speeds. The optimized wind turbine will be suitable for residential or small commercial uses. Testing is done using an analytical physics-based model and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Future testing on 3D printed blades will be done to validate the accuracy of the analytical physics-based model and Computational Fluid Dynamics testing.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
SPCEET - Industrial and Systems Engineering
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Adeel Khalid
Blade Optimization for Ground Level Low Speed Wind Turbines
Low speed wind turbines can provide inexpensive and clean energy in areas where large scale wind power generation is impractical. The purpose of this research is to explore factors that affect the efficiency of low speed wind turbine blades. The factors that were tested include angle of attack, angle of twist, chord length, average thickness, span, and taper ratio. The goal is to determine a combination of these variables to enable maximum power extraction from a low wind speed source. These blade parameters are optimized for the Southeastern region of the United States. NOAA weather data at ground level are used to determine average wind speeds. The optimized wind turbine will be suitable for residential or small commercial uses. Testing is done using an analytical physics-based model and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Future testing on 3D printed blades will be done to validate the accuracy of the analytical physics-based model and Computational Fluid Dynamics testing.