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Design of a Small Wind Turbine Rotor and Hub for Wind Tunnel Testing

Wijk, BSc. Cedric F.C. van (2020) Design of a Small Wind Turbine Rotor and Hub for Wind Tunnel Testing.

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Abstract:To satisfy the demand of a wind turbine practical, a new design of a wind turbine is developed. The design is created specifically for the UT aeroacoustic wind tunnel, meaning that it fits the already present mounting table and is useable at various wind speeds that the wind tunnel can reach. The wind tunnel can reach wind velocities of up to $60 \ m/s$, however for safety reasons the operating range of the turbine is much lower: up to $13.8 \ m/s$ wind speed In this thesis the design and construction of the wind turbine rotor is discussed. The rotor is designed to be modular and to have an adaptable blade pitch. The design process is documented in detail. The rotor performance is predicted using Beam Element Momentum (BEM) theory and the numerical program QBlade, which uses the same theory. Both results are compared to each other. The rotor is tested in simple experimental setups, indicating the basic functionality of the wind turbine and its rotor, as well as in the university's wind tunnel, creating a more detailed overview of the wind turbine performance. Further testing in the wind tunnel is recommended to completely map the rotor performance at different pitch angles, tip speed ratios and wind speeds, as well as to include effects that were not yet taken into account, such as the blockage effect. The result of the thesis is a wind turbine that can be used for demonstrative practicals and future research in the wind tunnel
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:ET: Engineering Technology
Subject:43 environmental science, 50 technical science in general, 52 mechanical engineering
Programme:Mechanical Engineering MSc (60439)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/81624
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