4/6 - Wind Turbine Project
CONCEPTUAL MODEL
- Empirical Research - Weight and size and the speed at which our turbine spun were directly correlated. While a larger surface area and blades mean more wind is captured, you also need to factor in the speed of the wind. If the wind is not all the powerful, than the larger blades and increased weight mean that the blades will spin less and less electricity will be generated
- Cylindrical Plastic Blades
- Identify the problem - Problem is making the most efficient (most electricity produced) wind turbine out of recycled and reused materials
- Generate Ideas - Homemade pin-wheel, store-bought pin-wheel, cutting up a plastic bottle and using that as the blades, using cardboard as blades. Triangular blades, square blades, # of blades about 4-6, decent surface area.
- Constraints - Can only use recycled/given material, turbine must fit in bin for storage, and must produce electricity
- Criteria - Overall weight and materials used and most electricity produced. Less weight and more electricity = good.
- Research -
- Empirical Research - Weight and size and the speed at which our turbine spun were directly correlated. While a larger surface area and blades mean more wind is captured, you also need to factor in the speed of the wind. If the wind is not all the powerful, than the larger blades and increased weight mean that the blades will spin less and less electricity will be generated
- Possible Solutions for the best turbine.
- - Pinwheel. A pinwheel is easy to make and with construction paper, will be sturdy and lightweight while still having the capability to spin fast
- Cylindrical Plastic Blades
- Summary - Our group chose the Pinwheel because it seemed like the most practical choice and the easiest to make. It also scored best on the idea matrix.
- Idea Matrix (Look down)
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Graphical Model
Sketchup: Here is out sketchup representation of the real wind turbine. It shows the triangular support base, the three stick of balsa that supports the generator and turbine, the generator (cylinder in the back) and turbine itself.
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Mathematical Model
---> This trend shows that the further away the turbine is from the fan, he less power is generated. ---> This trend shows that the moer the turbine weighs, the more power is generated. ---> This trend shows that the more surface area that the blades have, the less power is generated. ---> This trend shows that the more number of blades the turbine has, the less power is generated. ---> This trend shows that the higher the turbine is off the ground, the more power is generated. |
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Working Model
Test and adjust - The first few times that we tested our wind-turbine yielded our best test results, and we only really had a couple overall tests. Our first test had a low volt, about .1, in which we held the turbine sideways to the fan. Then, with our second-to-final-turbine, we scored .609 volts on distance one when we turned the turbine to face the fan. Seeking more, we then added weight to the stand which held the turbine in place, and that did not changed results. After viewing trends in mathematical models, we decided that adding more height to the turbine could might help generate more electricity - but the opposite was true, and we ended up losing power.