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Working With Wind Energy

IEEE TISP Training WorkshopPittsburgh, PA, 23-24 October 2009

Douglas Bowman, PECentral Arkansas Chair, IEEE

Lead Engineer, Southwest Power Pool

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Activity Goal

Build a wind turbine with simple materials

The wind turbine must withstand the wind generated by a fan or hair dryer and rotate for 1 minute to lift a small object

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Activity Objectives

Learn about wind energy conversion Design a wind turbine Construct the wind turbine Test the wind turbine Evaluate Performance

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Why is this experiment useful to teachers and students?

Learn about wind energy and wind turbines

Learn about the concepts of forces and motion

Learn about engineering design

Learn how engineering can help solve societal challenges

Learn about teamwork and problem solving

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Principles & Standards for School Mathematics

Geometry: Use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric

modeling to solve problems Analyze characteristics and properties of two- and three-

dimensional geometric shapes and develop mathematical arguments about geometric relationships

Problem Solving: Recognize and apply geometric ideas in areas outside of

the mathematics classroom Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies

Communication: Communicate mathematical thinking coherently and

clearly to peers, teachers, and others

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U.S. Available Wind Power

Pwind=0.5Av3

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Getting Wind Power to the Grid

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End Result is Work

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Outline and Procedures Divide into teams of three (3)

Review the requirements

Agree on a solution and create a sketch of your design

Build a model of your design with given materials

Test your model

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Redesign after testing

Discuss and agree upon a redesign If needed after testing, or to enhance the previous design

Rebuild your wind turbine

Retest your model

Answer Evaluation Phase questions as a team

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Evaluation Phase Questions Did your design succeed? If not, why did it fail?

Did you decide to revise your design? Why?

What is one thing you would change about your design based on your experience?

How would you modify the instructions to create a better experience for the participants?

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Questions?