Wind Turbine Kit

The wind turbine is composed of two different sets of components:

  • The mechanical components
  • The electronic components

Each group of students will receive a kit including:

Description Qty Per Kit
Front face plate 1
Rear face plate 1
Mounting block 1
Orange 917D/2 gear mounted on 80mm threaded axle 1
Orange 917D/2 gear mounted on 40mm axle (no thread) 1
Green 917D/2 gear 1
40 mm axle (no thread)  
200 mm 28° fan blade 1
200 mm 22° fan blade 1
154 mm 22° fan blade 1
M4 x6 screw 4
M4 x40 screw 2
M3 x20 screw 1
M3 x10 screw 4
M3 x15 screws 2
M3 nut 7
M4 nut 2
M4 washers 4
M4 stand offs 2
Push on clip 8
Shoulder washer 4
Pipe clip 1
Motors 3
Acrylic cross 2
Acrylic mast pipe 1
47 kohm resistor 1
47 uF capacitor 1
68 uF capacitor 1
100 uF capacitor 1
Plier 1
Screwdriver 1
Allen key 1

The Mechanical Components

The aim of those components is to transform the wind into rotational motion.

Blades

200mm 28° fan blade (large diameter, high pitch)
200mm 28° fan blade (large diameter, high pitch)
200mm 22° fan blade (large diameter, low pitch)
200mm 22° fan blade (large diameter, low pitch)
154mm 22° fan blade (small diameter, low pitch)
154mm 22° fan blade (small diameter, low pitch)

Blade Mounting Plates

Mounting plates are used to enable it to be mounted on the roles. Four M4 screws are used to hold the mounting plates on either sides of the blade.

Left: Blade mounting plates. Right: Screws to hold blade mounts in place
Left: Blade mounting plates. Right: Screws to hold blade mounts in place.

Gear Set

Gears in wind turbines enable the conversion of a low-speed, high-torque input to a high-speed, low-torque output, which is optimal for the generator to produce electricity efficiently.

Image shows the gear train (917D/2 gear set). Use x2 orange, x1 green, x1 red. Note the green and orange gears are very subtly different.
Image above shows the gear train (917D/2 gear set). Use x2 orange, x1 green, x1 red. Note the green and orange gears are very subtly different.

Face Plates

The face plates hold the axels (see below) and motor. There should be 2x face plates; a front face plate (fan-side face plate) and a rear face plate (motor-side face plate).

Face plate
Face plate.

Axels

The axels are used to hold the gears and blades.

80 mm axle w/15 mm thread (for the fan blade; thread holds the fan on)
80 mm axle w/15 mm thread (for the fan blade; thread holds the fan on).
40 mm axle, no thread (for the gear train).
40 mm axle, no thread (for the gear train).

The mast

The mast serves as a robust framework, providing a secure mounting point for the motor and other essential components like faceplates. It ensures that the motor and faceplates are firmly anchored and positioned correctly, facilitating the smooth operation of the turbine by holding the rods and motor in place.

Mast to mount the motor to the face plates (the photos show three different sides of a single holding block).
Mast to mount the motor to the face plates (the photos show three different sides of a single holding block).

Pipe Clip

The pipe clip is used to affix the motor to the mounting block and face plate.

Pipe clip.
Pipe clip.

Fastners

Below is the variety of fastners and components used to affix the components.

  • Hexagonal connector nuts (M4 x25 standoff) are used to set the face plates’ distance and hold the structure together.
  • Pan head screws are used to affix the faceplate to the standoffs
  • Hex socket screws are used to hold the mounting block to the face plates
From left to right: M4 x25 standoffs, M4 x6 pan head machine screw, M4x40 hex socket head machine screw, M3x20 pan head machine screw.
From left to right: M4 x25 standoffs, M4 x6 pan head machine screw, M4x40 hex socket head machine screw, M3x20 pan head machine screw.
  • Push-on fasteners are used for the ends of all the axles.
  • M4 washers are used with the M4 screws for holding the block to the plate.
  • Pipe clips are used to secure the green gear in place.
  • The M4 nuts are used to hold the face plates to the mounting block
  • 4 M3 nuts are used for the corners of the blade mounting plate and 3 M3 nuts are used to secure the blade in place on the axel (one behind the blade and 2 in front of it)
push-on fastners, M4 washers, pipe clips, M4 nuts, M3 nuts.
From left to right: push-on fastners, M4 washers, pipe clips, M4 nuts, M3 nuts.

The Electrical Components

The aim of the electrical components is to transform the mechanical rotation to a DC electrical signal.

The Generators

You are provided with three different brushed DC motors that can be used as generators.

  • GENERATOR 1 (PEL00882): 18000 rpm, 11.6 g-cm, 420 mW BDC motor
  • GENERATOR 2 (PEL00881): 14700 rpm, 14.1 g-cm, 1650 mW BDC motor
  • GENERATOR 3 (MM18): 4300 rpm 15.5 g-cm, 420 mW BDC motor

Brushed DC motor operation.
Brushed DC motor operation.

Motor Basics:

  • A brushed DC motor consists of a rotating armature wound with coils, stationary magnets, and a commutator with brushes.
  • When powered, the stationary magnets create a magnetic field, which interacts with the magnetic field generated by the current flowing through the armature. This interaction generates a torque that causes the armature to rotate.

Energy Harvesting:

  • Energy harvesting involves utilising the motor in a generator mode.
  • When an external mechanical force spins the motor’s shaft, the armature coils move through the magnetic field, inducing a voltage (Faraday’s Law of electromagnetic induction). This voltage can be harvested and used as a power source.

The datasheets for the different motors/generators can be downloaded using the links below.

Download PEL00882 datasheet
Download PEL00881 datasheet
Download MM18 datasheet
From left to right: generators 1 to 3.
From left to right: generators 1 to 3.

The load

A $47 k\Omega$ resistor will be used to help in limiting the current.

$47 k\Omega$ Resistor.
$47 k\Omega$ Resistor.

The Capacitors

You are given three different capacitors to choose from. A capacitor stores energy and releases it to smooth out the fluctuations in the voltage.

Capacitors.
Capacitors.

Citations