Design and implementation of a self-adjusting micro wind turbine.
Project Summary: Our project is a self-adjusting micro wind turbine. We powered a real wind turbine with artificially generated wind. Our generator generates 24V AC at rated speed of 600 rpm. That output is converted to DC using a rectifier. This DC voltage is dependent on t
2025-06-28 16:31:41 - Adil Khan
Design and implementation of a self-adjusting micro wind turbine.
Project Area of Specialization Electrical/Electronic EngineeringProject SummaryProject Summary:
Our project is a self-adjusting micro wind turbine. We powered a real wind turbine with artificially generated wind. Our generator generates 24V AC at rated speed of 600 rpm. That output is converted to DC using a rectifier. This DC voltage is dependent on the wind speed. As the wind speed increases our voltages increase and if wind speed decreases our voltages also decrease. This DC output is connected to battery and the battery requires a stable DC voltage. The wind speed is also a variable value since this is a natural phenomenon and we have no control over it. To stabilize this DC voltage, we use a boost converter which boosts our voltages to 26V DC and give out a stable voltage. Our input voltages are between 6-30V. Now this 26V DC will charge our batteries. After that we will use an inverter and a transformer to get 220V AC on which we will run our load. The need of implementing a self-adjusting micro wind turbine arises from the fact that wind direction changes a lot. So, to improve the efficiency we want our blades to always face against the wind since our blades are ideal to be used in upwind. For the self-adjusting part we will use a control system to adjust our wind turbine to a better wind direction.
Project ObjectivesProject Objectives:
- Design and construct a self-adjusting micro wind turbine.
- Generate a stable DC output using our wind turbine.
- Increase efficiency of our wind turbine using Yaw mechanism and a dedicated control system.
- Charge a UPS using our micro wind turbine.
Project Implementation Method:
A micro wind turbine is a smaller wind turbine which usually generates under 10 kilowatt. Our generator will generate three phase AC voltage which will then be passed through a rectifier. After we get DC voltage we need to stabilize our voltage. So, we will pass it through a dc-dc boost converter to get a constant DC output to charge batteries. A dc-dc boost converter is a switching circuit. A switching circuit uses PWM for switching using a MOSFET or a similar transistor. A boost converter’s output voltage is either equal or greater than the input voltage. The exact value of output is decided by the duty cycle. Our dc-dc converter will also use a controller since wind speed is variable and we need to maintain a constant voltage for batteries.
Another important part of our project is to develop a control system to adjust our wind turbine’s direction according to the wind direction. For this purpose we will use sensors to detect the current wind direction and this input will be given to a closed loop control system. Our wind turbine prototype will have a Yaw mechanism installed on it. Yaw mechanism uses electric motors and gearboxes to keep the turbine yawed against the wind. Our sensors will be continuously monitoring the direction of wind and when there is a sufficient change in the direction of wind, the control system will rotate our wind turbine using Yaw mechanism to the new wind direction.
Benefits of the Project:
- Generates Green energy in a domestic / commercial settings.
- Small size wind turbine has many useful applications in rural and urban areas.
- In comparison with solar it is more power efficient.
- Takes lesser space than solar for same power generation.
Technical Details of Final Deliverable:
- Height of our wind turbine =5 ft.
- Material used for Structure = Iron
- Material used for blades and nacelle = Fiber
- Diameter of rotor = 1.5m
- Length of each blade = 0.75m
- Type of Generator = Permanent Magnet
- Rated Power of Generator = 400 W
- Rated Speed of Generator= 600 rpm
- Rated Voltage= 24V dc
- Braking Voltage= 27V dc
- Wind direction and Wind sensor use RS-485 standard.
- DC to DC boost converter will keep our output fix at 26 V
- Our control system for Yaw mechanism will rotate our turbine if the angle is more than 45°
- We are using a 24V battery
- We are using a inverter which will convert 26V DC to 220V AC
| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 79867 | |||
| Generator | Equipment | 1 | 35550 | 35550 |
| Wind Direction Sensor | Equipment | 1 | 4631 | 4631 |
| Anemometer | Equipment | 1 | 4631 | 4631 |
| Blades | Equipment | 3 | 4710 | 14130 |
| Rotor Hub | Equipment | 1 | 3925 | 3925 |
| Generator Base | Miscellaneous | 1 | 1000 | 1000 |
| Nacelle | Equipment | 1 | 7000 | 7000 |
| Structure | Miscellaneous | 1 | 5000 | 5000 |
| Gear Box | Miscellaneous | 1 | 3000 | 3000 |
| Other Compenents | Miscellaneous | 1 | 1000 | 1000 |