Design and Fabrication of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Test Setup

Project Title

Design and Fabrication of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Test Setup

Project Area of Specialization Mechanical EngineeringProject Summary

Increasing world energy demand, and rising global warming, thrust researchers & engineers to look for clean & sustainable energy resources. Among, all the renewable energy resources wind and solar are the most promising source of energy. International Energy Outlook report-2019, forecasted that by the end of 2050, 70% of world electricity demand, will be fulfilled from solar and wind. At present interest towards micro wind energy production through employing vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is the active research topic, because VAWT are insensitive to wind direction, turbulence intensity, produce less noise as well as simple easy to manufacture and install. However, the low power coefficient and poor self-starting characteristics are the major problem associated with VAWT.  

In this regards, proposed project aim to design and fabricate low speed wind tunnel to provide testing facility for various design configuration of VAWT. Moreover, this project also design, fabricate and test the first prototype model of the H-type Darrieus VAWT to analyze its self-starting and power performance characteristics. Once the conceptual design and parameters were finalized, the 3D model of tunnel and the turbine will be developed. Four small size motors with fan will be installed in order to reduce vibration in the tunnel and motor angular velocity will be controlled through variable frequency device to produce wind different velocities. Flow straightener will be installed to uniformly distribute wind inside the test section. Moreover, the frame will be fabricated from square section of mild steel material. Anemometer, tachometer and torque sensor will be installed to measure wind speed, turbine angular velocity and torque respectively. In addition to this, blades, connecting arms and turbine shaft will be manufactured separately through different manufacturing method. Since the blade geometry, profile and surface finish are critical parameters that has significant impact on experimental results, thus blades may be manufactured through 3D printing technique. All the parts of Darrieus turbine were assembled and turbine will be installed the tunnel for testing. Finally, the simple H-type Darrieus VAWT will be tested at different wind speeds to analyze its self-starting and power performance characteristics. Additionally, effect of blade pitch angle, turbine solidity and tip speed ratio will be analyzed.

Project Objectives

Conceptual design and Modeling of low speed wind tunnel

Design and modeling of straight blade Darrieus wind turbine

Fabrication of low speed wind tunnel & turbine

Testing of wind turbine at different wind speed to analyze its self-starting and power performance characteristics.

Project Implementation Method

As the proposed project is the pure experimental work, thus it is the direct implementation of idea that is related to real world problem to understand the aerodynamic behavior of the VAWT. As this project aim to design and fabricate the wind turbine and its testing setup. Since, at present most of the universities in Pakistan don’t have proper turbine testing setup. The available wind tunnels are small in size and are not capable of testing small scale VAWT or other aerodynamic bodies. The wind tunnel present at Mehran UET has test section dimensions of 30x30 cm, thus the real time aerodynamic testing of the different designs of wind turbine need a large scale setup with low wind speed. The proposed project will design and fabricate small size testing setup for VAWTs. The testing setup is manufactured locally and may be commercialized at much lower cost than imported one. This testing setup will be capable of testing every VAWT at different values of wind speed. Ultimately this proposed project will be highly helpful to enhance turbine performance through rigorous test and available at lower cost so that public or private sector will get benefit.

Benefits of the Project

The Wind turbine has always room for the modification and improvement. The series of test are required to improve turbine performance such as aerodynamics design, structural integrity and cost effectiveness. In this regards proposed project will design turbine aerodynamics testing setup that may be used to test numerous turbine designs in future. Since at present, various computational tools are used, however, the real time experimentally in unsteady environment will be more helpful to understand aerodynamics in much better way. The prototype experiment will be performed on this testing setup to analyze turbine power and self-starting characteristics.

The proposed project will be highly beneficial for the different universities and number future students of Mehran UET, will get benefit from this project through test different turbine designs. Proposed project will enable student to understand associated problem in designing and fabrication. Moreover, students will be able to use state of art instruments to measure various physical parameters. The proposed project will be helpful to improve turbine performance that will greatly enhance production green and sustainable energy throughout the country as well as add some basic knowledge in the domain science.

Improved turbine will boost the interest in local community to install these simple, small scale turbines on building rooftop, to produce very low cost and clean energy with little investment. Many researchers can be benefited from this project in the field of wind energy; this project is also beneficial for the wind power plant companies like United Energy Pakistan (UEP), artistic energy Pvt.Ltd and others. Clean and sustainable energy production will lead to sustainable development, global prosperity and socio-economic progress. In the medium/long term these actions will help in uplifting poverty, diminish illiteracy, and, in general, improve the quality of individual life.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

I this project rectangular wind box is designed with 3m length and square cross section of 1.2m×1.2m.The rectangular frame and the legs will be manufactured from square cross-section pipe of mild steel material, whereas sides will be covered with small gauge aluminum sheet. Four small size motors with fan will be installed to provide wind at different speed through variable frequency device. The flow encounters an array of honeycomb flow straighteners. The test section has clamps and bearings on the top and bottom surface of the box, in which the shaft of the vertical axis wind turbine will be inserted. This box is equipped with a tachometer, anemometer and torque sensor to measure various turbine angular speed, wind speed and turbine torque respectively. Approximately, 2 feet high stand is made for this testing setup, and small wheels are also attached so that the moment of the testing setup will remain easy.

Since proposed project also fabricate h-type VAWT, the specification of turbine are as:  NACA0022 airfoil profile is used for the blade of the turbine, chord length of blade is 100mm, span length of blade will be kept 400mm.

Final Deliverable of the Project Hardware SystemCore Industry Energy Other IndustriesCore Technology Clean TechOther TechnologiesSustainable Development Goals Affordable and Clean EnergyRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	70000
Wind tunnel frame	Equipment	1	20000	20000
Motors with fans	Equipment	4	5000	20000
Pitot tube	Equipment	1	20000	20000
Torque measurement systems	Equipment	1	8000	8000
Tachometer	Equipment	1	2000	2000