JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
A Fundamental Study Of Mini-Turbine Blades For Urban Applications

Author
Chan, Stacey
Abstract
Urban environments contain high densities of wind energy that are inaccessible to large wind turbines of the classical "windmill" design. By exploring small-scale vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs), wind energy can possibly be harvested from the constrained spaces within cities. A thorough and detailed investigation of offset pitch angle, relative blade size, camber, thickness, and sweepback angle for straight blades was done in a wind tunnel. Mini-turbines with chordlength to diameter ratios (c/D) equivalent to commercial VAWTs do not operate at the small scales of mini-turbines. On the other hand, mini-turbines with large c/D produce the most power. The standard NACA 0015 straight blade with zero offset pitch angle produces the highest coefficient of power, CP. Adding sweepback reduces CP but improves self-starting capability. Other unconventional designs and numerical models are investigated. Although the design and behavior of large-scale VAWTs has been documented in previous literature, mini-turbines show significantly different properties which indicate promise for practical application in the urban environment.
Date Issued
2014-01-27Subject
Vertical Axis Wind Turbine; Energy; Urban Environment
Committee Chair
Williamson, Charles Harvey Kaye
Committee Member
Cowen III, Edwin Alfred
Degree Discipline
Mechanical Engineering
Degree Name
M.S., Mechanical Engineering
Degree Level
Master of Science
Type
dissertation or thesis