Published on Jun 26, 2023
The objective:
The objective of this experiment was to determine the optimal design of a horizontal axis wind turbine.
SFive model wind turbines with identical rotor, yaw and windswept area, but different pitch and number of blades were constructed. Three turbines have 4 blades with varied pitch. After determining the optimal pitch from these three turbines, two new turbines with 2-blade and 3-blade configurations with the same pitch were built. The electricity generated by the turbines at three different wind speeds was measured.
The wind turbine with a 3-blade configuration at 30° pitch provided the most efficient design for a wind turbine.
The conclusion from this experiment is that the pitch and the number of blades are important factors in the optimal design of a horizontal-axis wind turbine at various wind speeds.
