Wind Turbine Design and Construction Lab Report

jumper lead Turbine Design and Construction - lab Report ExampleIn its very basic nature, the wind turbine consists of the rotating blades, a component that points the turbine to the wind, a governing body to convert the mechanical rotation of the blades into other forms of energy, the control body, as well as the start and mark off mechanisms. There are two main wind turbine designs, the horizontal axis and the vertical axis designs (Spera, 2009).Specifications of the convolute DeviceFor this project, the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) is considered. The horizontal axis machine is preferred due to the incident that less cost is incurred in the foundation (as a fraction of the total cost) of the structure compared to its vertical axis counterpart (Veritas, 2001). This essentially makes HAWT cheaper in cost. The design is also preferred since it does not need to be pointed at the wind direction especially where the wind direction varies almost constantly. The wind turbin e is expected to operate at room temperatures (between -200C to 400C). Operating beyond these temperatures may cause the wind turbine generator to work inefficiently or cause structural damage. Further more than, at extremely low temperatures, the generator may need external ply to internal heating. The wind turbine should be ale to work efficiently at different wind speeds and directions. Very uplifted wind speeds (beyond the survival speed) often lead to wind turbine damages according to Veritas (2001). In order to rationalise the speed of rotation, a mechanical (disc) braking system depart be used. The design will take into condition the ternary modes of operation of the turbine beyond rated speed, around rated speed and below rated speed operations. In order to find out that the wind turbine operates efficiently at different wind directions, a wind vane will be fitted at the rear of the devices. The vane which also forms the tail of the wind turbine is made of a thin blad e plate welded to a slender metal strip. Steel is suitable for its strength and low cost. According to retiring(a) studies, the mass of a wind turbine for the survivable wind speed is best proportional to the blade length cubed (Stiesdal, 1998). The solid of the blade length is also proportional to the power of the wind that is intercepted by the turbine (Stiesdal, 1998). The Rotor Unit As a matter of fact, the most visible and most vital part of the wind turbine is the bladed rotor coil. The rotor is the part that transforms wind energy into mechanical energy. This energy in turn causes the rotation of the turbines main shaft. The turbine blade is designed in such a way as to allow the streamlined geological period of wind, the material at best remaining inflexible. Considering this need, the blades will be made of steel sheets. The thickness, twist and breadth of the blade is a compromise between the need for strength and for the streamline flow of wind (Stiesdal, 1998). Consi dering that the more the number of blades the greater the aerodynamic efficiency but with reducing return, the turbine to be constructed will have three blades. The transmission system The transmission system of the wind turbines acts as the link between the rotor system and the generator. The transmission system of the wind turbine is basically presented in the following figure. Fig. Transmission system The hub is made of roller iron. The complicated shape of the hub makes set downing the most appropriate method for its production according to Stiesdal (1998). The material for the hub is cast iron, the materials desirable property being its high resistance to fatigue. For such a humbled turbine, normal cast iron, although the material is fragile and may fracture if exposed to extreme blasts. Fig The Wind turbine hub The main shaft of the wind turbine is commonly made of hardened steel that is tempered. For this project, hardened steel will