The final project design was implemented to produce the most efficient generator in the smallest space possible. Accordingly, my team developed the integrated generator turbine (IGT). The IGT is designed to produce a higher efficiency through the integration of the generator rotor and turbine blades. A traditional wind turbine has a central axis through the center of the turbine blades which connects through bearings to the generator. These bearings represent a source of loss due to friction, making a traditional turbine inherently more inefficient than our design. Upon testing the proof of concept turbine, we received only a very small efficiency. The proof of concept only output 20.6 mV and 4.7 mA, resulting in just 0.1 mW. While this efficiency is incredibly low, the purpose was to prove a concept. In a previous trial using what we predict to be a less efficient turbine, we achieved upward of 70 W, resulting in a total efficiency of 57.9% after accounting for Betz limit losses. Provided better materials and more time to develop a significantly more advanced prototype, we expect to see a voltage of 24V produced. This would also produce a significantly higher efficiency, as the voltage produced by the first, most basic prototype was only around 12V.
For a complete list of electrical equations pertaining to this project and force calculations, please refer to the appendices section at the end of this report.