Recipient Organization
Wind Lift Technologies
874 W 2150 S
Woods Cross,UT 84087
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Rural farming communities, rural homeowners, the farmers, the small business/industries, the schools, and the municipalities need quality alternative energy solution to help offset all or a portion of their electrical power usage. In many instances the high cost of energy prohibits economic recovery. Wind energy has been identified as one of the important sources of renewable energy. Large Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs) are becoming fairly common today. Most states have at least one location where large HAWTs are installed and operating. The large HAWTs are very efficient because they have large propeller blades that are shaped like airfoils that have a variable pitch so that they generate power efficiently at most wind speeds. On the other hand, the small "customer-sited" HAWTs does not have variable pitch propeller blades (because of the cost) and are therefore limited to a small range of wind speeds where they can deliver power efficiently. The small VAWT described in this proposal can generate power efficiently at all levels of wind speed because the airfoils of the VAWT described in this proposal can change pitch and can be controlled to deliver maximum efficiency at all wind speeds. Because the generator and controller are located at ground level, the maintenance of the described VAWT is easily performed on these components. Also, because small HAWTs need to be located at 30-40 feet off of the ground, they require a strongly reinforced support system with wire-rope guy wires to help support the weight of the HAWT and the forces of the wind. The lower supported weight of the small VAWT reduces the cost of manufacturing and installation when compared to small HAWT wind turbine installations. Also, because the heavy components of the VAWT such as the generator and controller don't need to be located near the turbine blades, no heavy reinforcements are required to locate the VAWT on the top of a building. Locating the VAWT on top of structures such as barns and other buildings can funnel the wind to the VAWT which will increase the effective wind speed for power generation.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The project will provide empirical information required to create a working prototype capable of demonstrating power generation utilizing of a high efficiency lift based Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT). The technical objectives include: 1. Evaluating, selecting and testing an optimal airfoil shape for use in the VAWT. 2. Developing empirical measurements on the amount of torque required to create the optimal angle of attack for the airfoils selected. 3. Empirically measure the effect of aspect ratio (span/chord) that provides the best efficiency for the selected airfoil. 4. Empirically measure the effect of adding end fins to the selected airfoil to minimize induced drag. 5. Empirically determine the exact location of the center of lift on the selected airfoil measured for various angles of attack to locate the ideal placement of the airfoil attachment shaft.
Project Methods
Initial research will be performed using computer models to select the ideal airfoil. An airfoil will be constructed using the parameters of the computer modeling and will be connected to sensors and tested in a wind tunnel to measure lift, drag and the torque required to rotate the airfoil to various angles of attack. The airfoil will be tested with and without end fins to evaluate the benefit of attaching fins to minimize induced drag. Once the tests have been concluded the data gathered will be used to establish relationships of lift, drag, and torque to the angle of attack. The maximum angle of attack will be determined and amount of torque required to create this angle of attack will be used to determine the theoretical amount of power that can be developed from the side of the turbine moving into the wind. Also a theoretical maximum angular velocity of the turbine will be determined and used to calculate the maximum theoretical power and efficiency developed by the turbine. Other items to be determined will be the best aspect ratio for the airfoil design and the number of airfoils per bank to be utilized in the design.