[COMPLETED] Akron - Educational Wind Turbine

Progress made during Fall 2021:¶

• Turbine blades purchased and acquired.
• Wind turbine base materials purchased and assembled.
  • The base is made from plywood with 2x4's for reinforcement.
  • Two elbows and a T-fitting are used to attach tower to the base.
• Tower assembled.
  • Donated piping was used for the tower
• Nacelle constructed with blades, generator, and tail.
  • Blades were attached to hub of the generator.
  • Generator was attached to nacelle through multiple pipe clamps.
  • Tail was fabricated using donated car fenders.
• The electrical system was completed.
  • This consisted of connecting the generator to the battery with a diode in line.

In the Spring 2022 semester, the Wind Turbine Team plans to:¶

• Reinforce the way the current nacelle is fixed to tower.
  • Current system is weak and susceptible to fatigue.
• Add stability to tower through the use of guy-lines.
  • Current tower is secured by rigidly fixing base.
• Test power output during operation.
  • The wind turbine will be assembled in open field on windy day.

A big thanks to the graduating seniors for all the work they have put into this project!

First raising of the wind turbine.¶

Construction of the nacelle.¶

Completed base with wiring being fed through tower to be connected to generator.¶

The University of Akron’s Educational Wind Turbine Design Team’s goal is to produce a functional wind turbine with the purpose of showing the availability and practicality of wind energy. This team formed in January of 2021 and has made a lot of progress throughout the Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 semesters.

Progress made during during Spring and Summer 2021 include:

• General research of current small scale wind turbines that produce about 300 Watts of power.
  • Considerable research was conducted in order to see how current small scale wind turbines are constructed.
  • Individuals independently researched and shared results on specific components including blades, generators, batteries, and towers.
• Generator selected and purchased.
  • We found that many people repurpose permanent magnet motors and use them as generators for wind turbines and even hydro turbines.
• Battery selected and acquired.
  • We determined that a 12 volt deep-cycle battery would be best for our project.
• Blades selected
  • We looked into many ways of fabricating our own blades, but after understanding the requirements for each design it was decided to purchase blades that will sweep an area 62" in diameter.
• Tower design and general layout of turbine revised
  • The tower has been designed to be easy to put up, safe, and cost effective.
  • The base of the tower pivots for raising the turbine.
  • The turbine will be able to turn into the wind as the top of the turbine is connected as a sleeve rather than rigidly.
  • It will be roughly 10 feet tall and be held securely in place through stakes at the base and at the end of the guy lines.

In the Fall 2021 semester, the Wind Turbine Team plans to:

• Acquire the chosen blades
• Finalize tower design and purchase materials
• Purchase required wiring and electronics
• Construct the wind turbine

General layout of the proposed wind turbine.

The Educational Wind Turbine Team