Design and Evaluation of a Wind Turbine in Urban Environment - Assignment Example

In this project, we try to use this clean power in charging different devices such as cell phones and laptops among others. Calculating the power needed to charge such devices the turbine will be designed and connected by a network providing power for such devices at home. The use of an alternative energy option is very helpful since it facilitates rural and local area electricity connection. For the case of the cost of the turbine tower, although the initial cost of purchase and installing of a turbine can be expensive in all ways it saving money, and environmental resources.

When such kinds of projects are used widely, there will be a database for all the areas including the wind direction, wind speed, and the suitable kind of turbine that may be used for each region.There may be used first a wind testing small tower in different areas before deciding which type of turbines to be used, And we may use a wind atlas if exist to use it in design.Moreover, as Abraham Lincoln said: "of all the forces of nature, I should think the wind contains the greatest amount of power".

Project tasksTask 1Calculate the power needed for recharging home rechargeable electronic devices (laptops, cell phones), the amount of power needed on a daily basis can be estimated.Task 2Study the wind atlas map for my home area in Egypt, " the new and renewable energy authority in Egypt " site provides reliable and accurate wind atlas data sets for evaluating the wind power output for any place in Egypt, studying the wind atlas will help with the data for the wind direction and the speed variation all the year.

Task 3Design all the components (main shaft, blades, and tower)ITEM 3-1(blades design)Blades are sensitive, and the most breakable part of the system, they are creating mechanical stress caused by centrifugal forces and fatigue, so designing the blades correctly is very important, or else they will break or not function efficiently.ITEM 3-2 (the main shaft design)The main shaft is necessary in order to assure an efficient rotation of the blades, and the blades need to rotate even when the wind is not strong, the rotor will ensure this.

ITEM 3-3 (the tower design)The tower supports the parts and holds them against the air, thus the tower must be structurally strong to withstand the weights of the components it supports and the forces from wind that can bend or break the tower if it is not strong enough.Task 4Prepare and submit the interim report, including all the work done.Task 5Select a suitable electrical storage battery for storing power to be available during the day, Batteries are essential because they store the energy produced by the wind.

Task 6Design and select the cables needed for transmission, and an electrical indicator with three different coloreds led to show us the possibility of charging.Task 7Prepare logbook Task 8Prepare presentationTask 1For a normal home, the use of electrical devices such as laptops, cell phones, and iPad We consider a family consists of five-person uses (5 cell phones- 3 laptops- 2 pads)In addition, by reading the manual of each device or reading the data written on the battery with each one we discover the following:Total power ( watt-hours )From the above estimation, we found that we need the power of about 455.

7 watt-hours.The power listed above per day.Therefore, the wind turbine that will be designed should provide this amount of power per day.Moreover, as we know that, the power output would not constant all over the day, so we use the battery, and a led to know the amount of power available at the time of charging.Task 2The availability of a wind turbine depends on the location of the turbine. The site must have enough wind to power the turbine, as well as be clear of obstructions that could cause turbulence.

Most commercial wind turbines are designed to be either above or in an area clear of them. At these heights, the wind is mostly undisturbed and has a higher velocity than wind closer to the ground. However, the wind at any site is not constant, and it varies based on the day.In order to conclude whether or not a site is practical, the site must be examined over the course of at least a year or multiple years. Once all information is gathered, it is recorded in a wind map.Due to seasonal variations, the potential of wind energy for power production can be higher than the annual mean speed would indicate; in order to estimate the amount of electricity that can be produced by wind turbines in a particular region we should know the wind speed frequency distribution.

Depending on atmospheric conditions, the wind speed varies with height and the information gathered can be used to determine the suitability of a certain part as my home region for a wind turbine to be placed. The wind speed in my home region is higher than the wind speed in numerous other regions In Egypt, so making that location better for a wind turbine than somewhere else; however, the potential for a turbine site cannot be determined from a wind map as wind speed and direction are changed.

In order to validate a specific site for turbine use, the site must be evaluated with respect to the surrounding area, for example, if the location has a significant number of trees, it could cause turbulence, which could reduce the overall effectiveness of the wind turbine. The next figure shows meteorological mast in a region called Zafarana in the east of Egypt; there are many masts all over the country to provide us with all the data needed for wind projectsFig 1: The meteorological mast. Following the data collected, we get the following map, and my home is in the region shaded greenFrom the map, we find that, the wind speed between 6-7 m\sec.