By: Jordan KreitzmanJack Dres

Tasha HartRaphael Onwuzuruigbo

Chantel Matikke

Wind Powered Electric Generator

Generator = complicated. Alternating current design.Four coils are oriented in a circle so that all

of the wire is going in a clockwise fashion.Connected to the axle of the windmill is the

magnet disk which consists of four strong magnets oriented like the coils.

These magnets spin very close to the coils to produce the current.

Device Design

Process: Convert the kinetic energy of air particles to rotational kinetic energy of the blades, which spin magnets to produce a current with electrons that convert electrical energy into light.

Windmill feeds off the energy and the bulb is lit.

Mechanical to Electrical

1. The generator works due to the basic idea of changing magnetic flux.

2. As a magnet comes toward a coil, its magnetic field goes through the coil. The coil produces a current in a certain direction to produce a magnetic field that counteracts the field going through it.

3. As soon as the magnet starts leaving the coil, the coil produces a current in the opposite direction to try and keep the magnetic field strong inside the coil.

4. This produces alternating current.

How it Works

Equations

Consider a cylinder of air that hits the fan in a time of one second

V=volume; v=velocity; P=power; m=mass; I=current; KE=kinetic energy

1. V=πr²h (since air is traveling at 7m/s, height=7m)

2. m=ρV; ρ(air)=1.2 kg/m³3. KE=.5mv²4. Electrical Aspect: P=IV;

1. V= π(.2667m) ²(7m)=1.564 m³2. m=(1.2 kg/m³)(1.564m³)=1.877

kg3. KE=.5(1.877kg)(7 m/s)²=45.99 J

(P=45.99 W (Kinetic energy of air hitting blades per second.))

4. P=(1.5A)(2V)=3.0W Efficiency: 3.0W/45.99W =about

6.5% (efficiency of starting kinetic energy of air to light and heat energy)

Efficiency Calculations Calculations

Wire was not insulated at first, which caused problems with the generator.

Coils were not thick enough, which also caused the generator to fail. After we fixed those problems, it worked perfectly.

Blades were tricky as well: Initially, we couldn’t turn them fast enough.Then, we decided to decrease our blade angle,

blade length, and blade width. Finally, everything worked great!

Design/Construction Issues

ConclusionEstimated costs of

materials: ~$362 PVC pipes-$0.50Plywood-$5.00Blades-$1.00Magnet Wire-$14.008 Magnets-$10.00Cardboard-$0.00Nuts and Bolts-$2.00Styrofoam-$0.50Electrical Tape-$3.00

Windmills have poor efficiency

Blade angle is significant

PVC pipe is good for low friction

Overall, the project was time consuming yet beneficial.

Link to video: It Really Works