Instructions wind energy kit

TERRA NOVA - Wind energy - Standard Kit (part number: TN003)

The kit includes: 

Main board small (2-slot)

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Wind machine module

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profile rail for wind machine

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Wind turbine module

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2-, 3- and 4-blade wind rotor

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Potentiometer module

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Buzzer module

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Power supply for wind machine (including key for adjusting voltage)

Fourier Systems Ltd. 16 Hamelacha St., POB 11681, Rosh Ha‘ayin 48091, Tel: +972-3-901-4849, Fax: +972-3-901-4999 www.FourierEdu.com

EXPERIENCE SCIENCE!

Concept The kit consists of a main board where up to two experiment modules can be plugged-on and connected to each other. Sensors for measuring current or voltage can be connected via standard connectors.

The main modules are the wind turbine with three different attachable rotors (2, 3 and 4blade rotor) and the wind machine that produces wind with a speed of up to 7m/s. With the help of the profile rail the distance between wind machine and wind turbine can be adjusted. The wind machine is operated by the power supply. For most of the experiments 12V supply voltage are needed but the voltage can be adjusted on the back side of the power supply with the appropriate key.

The following picture shows the basic set-up that will be used for almost every experiment.

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The wind turbine module consists of two parts: the module plate that can be plugged onto the main board and the turbine itself with the generator. The generator can electrically be connected to the module plate by its cables.

The setup can be mounted in the following order (see the above picture for reference): Plug the wind turbine module onto the main board without the generator part (Important: do not plug the module onto the main board in wrong direction – see the picture for reference!)

Fix the rail to the wind turbine module Mount the wind turbine on top of the rail and connect the small cables to the module Fix the wind machine to the rail The potentiometer module is used for measuring the IV-characteristics. The buzzer module is a visualisation module that can be used for easy introductory experiments.

Needed sensors The sensors are not included in the kit. Most of the experiments can be done with the following sensors. The pictures in the instructions are based on the USB-Link and MultiLabSoftware but of course all experiments can also be conducted using NOVA or MultiLog. Current (DT006 (recommended), with DT005 experiments are possible with lower accuracy) Voltage (DT002, DT002, DT003 or DT019) Anemometer

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List of Experiments: 1. Introduction to wind power 2. Measuring the wind velocity 3. Dependence of the wind turbine power on wind velocity 4. Comparing different number of rotor blades 5. Dependence of the wind turbine on wind direction 6. IV-characteristics of the wind turbine 7. IV-characteristics with different rotor blades 8. IV-characteristics depending on wind velocity 9. Start-up characteristics of different rotor blades 10. Efficiency of the wind turbine

Concept of the experiments Most of the experiments are designed for students from the age of 14. Of course you have to decide which experiment is applicable according to your curriculum and the previous knowledge of the students.

Experiments 6 to 10 are recommended for students from 16 years because more detailed previous knowledge and more experimental skills are necessary.

In contrast, Experiment 1 can also be conducted by students from 12 years. It is a qualitative introductory trial without using data loggers. It is also recommended for older students as introduction to the experiment equipment and how to use it.

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Definitions and Calibration With the equipment of this kit the wind speed can only be varied indirectly by changing the distance between wind machine and wind generator. To correlate distance and wind speed the following calibration curve can be used. Just read the wind speed value from the graph for a certain distance value which was used in the experiment. The different curves are given for different voltages at the wind machine.

For calculating the efficiency of the wind turbine the density of the air is needed. This density depends on the temperature. Read the density value for the temperature you measured in the room the experiment was conducted in.

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