The wind tunnel that the turbine is mounted in has a bell mouth and honeycomb for flow settling on the inlet. Speed is measured by an anemometer that is stowed away when not in operation so the flow is not disturbed. The turbine can be viewed from both sides of the tunnel through a transparent window and a sliding door with an interlock. The turbine features motorized blade pitching and digital read-back so downtime during experiments is reduced.

Attached to the base of the turbine is the yawing mechanism and the setting handle. The turbine is compatible with custom-designed 3D-printed blades built upon the hub CAD file provided by TecQuipment. A removable silencer is attached to the rear of the wind tunnel to reduce noise pollution. The silencer can be stowed beneath the apparatus to reduce space when it is stored.

The built-in safety features include an interlock on the door so that it can’t be opened while the turbine is turning and a smart shut down system that isolates power to the turbine in the event that over current or over speed is detected.

The control box has two screens for standalone operation and a VDAS® output for connecting to a PC via USB. Controls for the operation of the product are on the top panel for:

• Door open (Interlock release)
• On/off buttons
• Wind speed
• Turbine speed
• Turbine pitch

Learning Outcomes

Comprehensive demonstration and investigation into the foundations of wind turbine energy conversion including:

• The relationship between turbine speed and wind velocity (TSR)
• Effect of blade pitch on turbine performance
• Effect of yaw angle on turbine performance
• Blade performance characteristics of different profiled blades
• Blade design theory

Key Features

• 62 W turbine with calculated torque and power output
• Compatible with custom-designed 3D-printed blades
• Motorised blade pitch control
• Yaw control
• Integrated safety guards with solenoid interlock
• Automatic over speed, over current, and thermal limit shutdown
• Castor-mounted and removable silencer for easy mobility and storage
• Uninterrupted Ø400 mm tunnel with a Ø300 mm turbine
• Standalone operation (no PC required)
• Flow settling on the inlet
• Viewing from both sides of the tunnel for groups
• Ergonomic front panel design
• Includes TecQuipment’s Versatile Data Acquisition System (VDAS® Onboard) for data acquisition via USB
• Compatible with TecQuipment’s e-lab remote learning software

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