Title

Controlled Velocity Testing of an 8-kW Wind Turbine

Document Type

Conference Presentation

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Conference Title

WINDPOWER 2001

Organization

American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)

Location

Washington, D.C.

Conference Dates

June 4-7, 2001

Date of Presentation

6-4-2001

Abstract

This paper describes a case study of the controlled-velocity test of an 8-kW wind turbine. The turbine was developed in response to the U.S. Department of Energy's small wind turbine program. As background, the prototype development is discussed. The turbine mechanical and electrical components are described. The turbine was tested on a flatbed truck and driven down an airfield runway at constant relative wind speed. Horizontal furling was used to control over-speed. Various parameters were changed to determine their effects on furling. The testing showed that the machine had insufficient rotor offset for adequate furling. Also, a rotor resonance problem was discovered and remedied. Problems associated with taking the measurements made it difficult to determine if the truck test was a suitable method for code validation. However, qualitative observations gleaned from the testing justified the effort.

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