Mate 210 Group 3

Meet The Engineers

Colin Hoffman Marketing Engineer Civil Engineering 3rd year

Buddy Bump Systems Design Engineer

Meet The Engineers

Natalie Lacey Applications Engineer Biomedical Engineering 3rd year Aaron Youril Manufacturing Engineer Materials Engineering 2nd year

Meet The Engineers

Dillon Lynch Environmental Engineer Materials Engineering 2nd year

User Needs
Helping the environment
Wind energy is a clean fuel source Supply is abundant It takes about 10-12 years for a 1.5 MW turbine to pay for itself, assuming a 500 dollar/year electricity bill.

Using a cost effective system

The Size of the Market

The 2009 Small Wind Global Market Study found that the U.S. market share accounts for $77 million of the $156 million global total.

Competition
GE Energy has around 50% of the US wind turbine market Others Include:

S.W.O.T. Analysis
Strengths
Clean fuel source Infinite supply Cost effective over time

Weaknesses
Higher initial investment Some areas may not be cost effective

Opportunities
Wind Turbine Market Estimated To Reach $60.9 Billion by 2013

Threats
Birds flying into turbines National Security

System Block Diagram

The sun unevenly heats the earths atmosphere. Uneven heating creates wind. The wind turns the blades of the turbine. The blades drags a conductor across a magnetic field The magnetic field builds a charge on the conductor. The charge creates electricity.

Enabling Technologies
WindVAR
Automatically maintains specified voltage levels

Advanced Electronics
Allows for continues adjustment of blade angle

Active Damping
Lessens tower ocilations

Functional Requirements
Wind Speeds
3.5 meters per second ( mph) to 25 meters per second (5 mph)

Temperatures
Operational
-30C (-22F) to 40C (104F)

Survivable
-40C (-40F) to 50C (122F)

Product Operation
Basically the opposite of a fan Blades are lifted by the wind which causes them to move Movement of the blades is then converted into electrical energy through a series of gears and a generator

Performance Specifications

Impact
Pros Clean energy Large net energy gain Creates jobs Cons Noise level False positives in Tornado detection Aesthetics

Manufacturing Processes
Tower
Flat-plate steel cut into shape and rolled into conical section Connected in field with flanges

Turbine Blades
Fiberglass resin in clamshell mold Hollow halves sanded, sealed and painted

Manufacturing Costs
Tower
11,000 ft.2 Steel Plate

Ridiculous Amount of Money $1,000/kW Capcity

$1,500,000

Turbine Blades
Fiberglass resin Mold cost

Overall Cost
Tower, Turbine Blades, and Nacelle

An Environmental Perspective
Creates no air pollution. Steel, aluminum, and concrete, fossil fuels are used to create a turbine but within 9 months of operation all the energy has been paid back in full by clean power. Wind farms do not require large scale construction and demolition of the surrounding area so have a minor impact on the immediate environment and unlike fossil fuels for example coal which tears pits in the ground can be considered an aesthetic improvement, rather than an eyesore. Turbines Built Offshore offer a completely negligible impact on the Environment.

Known Issues
Lubricant and hydraulic fluid can leak if not properly maintained and contaminate nearby drinking water. Biggest environmental problem is with killing birds and bats though it kills twenty times less birds than fossil fuels. In the UK only 1 bird a year is killed by wind turbines. It is unknown exactly how much of an impact turbines have on bat populations due to the lack of information on bats, but one solution has already been put into place to stop bat deaths, which involves installing a microwave transmitter on the turbine.

Questions?
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