The 2022 KidWind Rules can be found HERE.
You must have your own turbine! You will not be allowed to modify another team's turbine and use it for testing. Teams cannot share one turbine and simply change blades or other parts for each team.
The turbine must fit inside the wind tunnel and operate within its 48" x 48'' internal dimensions. We HIGHLY recommend that you design your turbine within these dimensions with plenty of room! Sand bags or other weights will be available to hold the turbine in place, but we find that almost all turbines shake and move a little in the tunnel.
There are no budgetary restrictions for your turbine design. However, part of the judging process is the economical use of resources.
You may only use 1 generator per turbine. You have two options for choosing what this generator will be:
KidWind Turbine Generator (KidWind General Division)- The easiest path is to get a few KidWind Turbine Generators from Vernier.
Homebuilt/Advanced Generator (Open Division)- If you would like to build your own generator, Vernier sells the GENPack or the simpleGen which can be a good way to start learning about your own generator and conditioning AC current ouptut to DC. You can also find many more resources and kits online about building your own generator. For the really studious, check out Homebrew Wind Power by Dan Bartmann and Dan Fink and construct your own generator and turbine from scratch.
The key to using a homebuilt or advanced generator is to make sure the power output does not exceed 30V and 1A at any point in testing. You will also have to properly match a load to your generator for maximum efficiency. This can get complicated.
If you construct your own generator or use an advanced generator, you will be placed in the OPEN DIVISION for energy production at local and national challenges. If you use a KidWind Generator you placed in the KIDWIND GEN Division. Judges will inspect your generator to determine in which division your team will participate. Please make sure that your generator is visible.
Power must be generated solely by wind using the wind tunnel.
Your turbine can be built on either a vertical or horizontal axis.
Your turbine may use a gearbox, pulley system, or similar mechanism to increase power output. You may use pre-manufactured gearboxes and other parts, but keep in mind that innovation is a critical judging criteria, and parts that you make on your own will earn you more points.
You cannot use pre-manufactured wind turbine blades or airfoils/sheets.
Your wind turbine must be free-standing. A tower stand will not be provided.
Metal, plexiglass, and similar blade materials are highly discouraged because they are potentially dangerous.
You may 3D print components for your turbine. You may choose to 3D print blades designed in the WhiteBox Learning simulator and use those blades in the build and test challenge. If you would like more details about doing this, please contact Susan Stewart at sjw147@psu.edu.
Students have used wheels from bicycles as part of their turbines. These are allowed since bike wheels are designed to spin at high RPM. Please be aware that if the wheel assemblies appear unsafe, local judges will disqualify these turbines.
While the use of shrouds to channel the wind is permitted, the turbine and the shroud must fit COMPLETELY inside the wind tunnel to qualify. If any part of the shroud is outside of the wind tunnel during the test, the turbine will be disqualified.
You will have two minutes to set up your wind turbine inside the tunnel.
If you are using the KidWind Generator, the wires at the base of your turbine will be attached to a circuit with a 30 ohm resistor in series and will simultaneously measure voltage and amperage.
If you are using a home-built or advanced generator, you will attach your desired load to the turbine or our measurement tools and then attach the wired at the base of your turbine to the circuit that will simultaneously measure voltage and amperage.
Once your turbine is in the tunnel and connected to the data collection system, the judge will turn on the fans and collect data on your turbine.
During testing, the wind tunnel will run constantly. We collect power and energy output data between 30-60 seconds. Your energy output score will be calculated using a Vernier data-logging system that collects voltage and amperage readings simultaneously.
Our data-logging software and hardware can measure Direct Current at 30V / 1A. Teams in all divisions must make sure to regulate their power output below these specifications. If your turbine exceeds this output, even for a millisecond, it may be disqualified as the equipment will not be able to properly record its power and energy output. This is very important!
If your turbine produces so much power that it damages the generator before testing is complete, you will be able to retest your turbine as long as you can repair your generator. If we are unable to record power and energy data with our equipment due to generators overheating, your turbine may not receive a power and energy score.
Your best trial will contribute to your final score.