UNCLASSIFIED

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

DEFENCE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANISATION

ADVANCED ENGINEERING LABORA.TORY

TECHNICAL REPORT

AEL-0039-TR

F E A S I B I L I T Y STUDY ON A LOW POWER VERTICAL A X I S WIND-POWERED GENERATOR

W.R. Crook, T. Puust, M.L. Robinson and L . J . Vencel

S U M M A R Y

This paper describes inves t igat ions ca r r i ed out t o es tab l i sh a design concept fo r a 1 kW wind-powered generator s u i t a b l e f o r use a s an a l t e r n a t i v e power source i n i so la ted locations. Design c r i t e r i a include high power t o weight r a t i o , s impl ic i ty of assembly and p o t e n t i a l f o r f ixed, mobile o r por table app1.ication.s. The repor t proposes a s u i t a b l e configurat ion using a Darrieus S t ra igh t blade r o t o r with a microprocessor based control system and provides information on t h e power output t o be expected i n d i f f e r e n t wind environments.

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POSTAL ADDRESS: Chief Superintendent, Advanced Engineering Laboratory, Box 2151, GPO, Adelaide, South Austral ia , 5001.

UNCLASSIFIED

Accordingly thc p l a n should include:-

(a) evaluation of turbine s t r uc tu r a l performance

(b) evaluation of turbine aerodynamic performance

(c) development and t e s t of spo i le r u n i t s

(d) evaluation of a l t e rna to r performance

(e) optimisation and evaluation of e l e c t r i c a l control

(f) 'development and t e s t of t he guyed tubular tower

Once these i n i t i a l object ives have been achieved, it i s des i rable t h a t t he wind- powered generator be deployed i n t he f i e l d for an extended period f o r evaluation of overal l performance.

14. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors wish t o acknowledge t h e contributions made by M r G . G . Wilmot of Computer Aided Processes Group fo r ass is tance i n preparing programs f o r the aerodynamic and s t r uc tu r a l analys is of t he Darrieus r o to r .