Structural evaluation and testing of a multi-bladed wind turbine prototype

Abstract

Alternative energy sources have become much more necessary as fossil fuels are being depleted and pollute the environment. Wind energy is one of the cleanest and effective of all types of renewable energy. This is the driving force which led to the creation of this project. The Chicago type wind pump was introduced to the Maltese countryside with the main purpose to pump water from the aquifer which is then stored in reservoirs. Most of these wind pumps are no longer utilised because of the introduction of the electric water pump and grid availability. For this reason most of these wind pumps were abandoned and became useless. This fact provided the necessary motivation by which these unused wind pumps would be replaced to generate clean electricity. This included the design and construction of a new prototype of a wind turbine system. The objective of this project was to continue on the previous work done on the concept wind turbine. An elaborate structural analysis was carried out to check if the supporting structure is adequate. Any identified design deficiencies were noted and modified, so that the structure would meet the required design standard guidelines. Further to this, the supporting structure was subjected to a full-scale load test, which verified that the structure can withstand the design loads. Additional functions and sensors were designed and implemented onto the wind turbine. Following this, it was transported and installed at the location where it was tested. During this operation, management and health and safety measures were of utmost importance. Subsequent to this, the turbine was tested under local conditions. Promising results from initial testing proved that the wind turbine is efficient to convert wind energy into electrical energy. Its performance was found to be comparable to that of commercial wind turbines. This prototype proved to achieve a balanced design between the aesthetics of the old Chicago Wind Pump, coupled with efficient aerodynamic and structural performance. Further design improvements were suggested based on the testing results.