Wind Turbine Design Studies

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mark Turner

Students: Krista KirievichRobert Golsby

Attributes of Wind Turbines

• Convert kinetic energy from wind to shaft power.

• Interact with each other on wind farms.

• Operate under various conditions due to changing wind speed and direction.

• Be efficient and robust.

Elements of Wind Turbine Design Studies

• Use existing methods to design wind turbines.

• Use optimization approaches.

• Address issues of aerodynamics, structures, aeromechanics, and cost.

• Use GE 1.5 MW Wind Turbine as a baseline design.

• Generate a CAD model of design to 3D print at different pitch angles.

• Test these 3D designs in a wind tunnel to measure drag, rpm, and energy production.

Student Learning Goals

• Learn about the aerodynamics of wind turbines.

• Develop technical skills in CFD, FEA, and CAD.

• Gather and analyze wind tunnel data for different wind turbine designs.

• Understand energy conversion from one form to another.