Windmills

What was this project?

For this project, we were tasked with optimizing Windmill power output by 3D designing different windmill models determining which worked best, and achieving constant DC voltage through filtering. This allowed us to gain hands-on experience with the oscilloscopes and multimeters and explore and practice design methods.

Materials Used:

4 Capacitors (1206 SMD)
2 Resistors (1206 SMD)
Solder Wire
Soldering Iron
DC Motor
Windmill PCB
Multimeter and Osciliscope
1 Windmill Stand

Software used

3D modeling (Fusion 360, Tinkercad)
Circuit Simulation (Falstad)
Aerodynamic Analysis (NASA Simulations)

Given Windmill Design

First, we imported the blade hub file and the blades into Prusa Slicer and sized it down to the appropriate size.

This is the Windmill printed and assembled with super glue. A hole was drilled into the hub in order for it to fit inside of the motor.

This is it fully assembled.

We used alligator clips and wire to connect the motor to the oscilloscope and the wave form.

Inconsistent readings

This was us testing the original windmill with the oscilloscope. We tested it with increments of oº, 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180°.

At 45°, the oscilloscope was abt 184 mV (RMS)

This is the windmill testing's with the multimeter. The power went to about 4.2 volts.

Research for windmill

Website 1

From this website, I learned that the material plays a big part in the optimation of the windmill. A lightweight and durable can enhance the proformance and reduce maintence. High speed winds can also stiffen the material. On the contray, low speed winds can capture more ebergy and optimize the maximum energy.

Website 2

From this website, I learned that the longer the blade is the more energy that is captured. I also learnbed that flat windmill designs are cheaper and easier to use and easier to optimize. The enviroment also plays a big role in your wind

Prototype 1

This was primarily created by Angelina. She first created two offset planes and used splines to draw the shape of the turbines. She applied soft and thickened the windmills by 1.5mm. She adjusted the size for it to be longer than the original blades.

This is the first prototype in prusa slicer

This is it as a fusion 360 design

This is it 3D printed and assembled.

The testing of the first prototype with the oscilloscope

We found that the 1st prototype did not at 90º and it was rotating the fastest at 0º. It averaged around 280 mV, which was slower than the original design.

Prototype 2

For this design, Angelina made a 3-blade windmill attached to a hub. She first used slots and created three offset planes. She then created the center by extruding the circle and using the loft tool to create the cone shape. She lastly extruded a smaller circle on the bottom of the hub for the motor.

This is the second prototype in fusion 360

This is it in PrusaSlicer with supports

The second prototype was very thin and flimsy. When we tried to attach it to the windmill stand it would fly off. This was partly because it was thin but it was also because the whole we drilled in the bottom was to big for the motor. It was ultimately a fail.

Prototype 3

For this design, we wanted to try something different. Angelina first created the hub by creating a cone shape and using the Revolve tool. Then she made an offset plane and drew a horizontal line and a spine. She then used the loft tool to connect the blade and the hub. Lastly, she used the circular pattern feature to make 4 blades.

This is the third prototype in fusion 360

This is it in prusa slicer

This is it finished as a 3D model.

The problem with this is that the whole for the motor was too bit it couldn't really spin well.

The reading between 0º, 90º, and 180º wasn't very accurate because of the hole for the motor. However, at 90º, the blades worked better and continuously spun.

Prototype 4

Karlin created this prototype. She first designed it by creating a 3-point arc and extruding it. While making this, she referenced the original blade design but made the blades a bit longer.

This the forth prototype as a fusion 360 design

This is it in Prusa Slicer

This is it 3D printed

This was the most successful out of all of the other designs. It had the highest voltage at 0º. However, at 90º, 135º, and 180º, it made little to no energy.

Electronic Testing

We Solder 4 different capisitors and 2 resitors onto our PCB board. We soldered the 5ohm resitors to R1 and a 1 mega ohm resitor at R2. For the capacitor to properly filter out the signal we started low for C1(224pf). This allowed for the high frequency signals to be filtered.

installed at R1, R2

Installed at C4, C3

Installed at C2, C1

This is the original windmill with the capacitor.

The average voltage was lower when the capacitors and resistors were added.

Comparison:

The output for the orginal waveform fluctionaed frequently because the signals were unfiltered
The final waveform wasn't perfect but it improved greatly. The signals were more stable and consistant.

What I learned:

This project taught me which windmill designs worked best for capturing the most energy. I discovered that longer and sturdier blades worked the best. I also learned the importance of resistors and capacitors and its role in filtering signals

What I would change

The number one thing I would change is the drill bit we used because that caused some of our blades to not function properly.
I would design longer and thicker blades.

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