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remain at higher levels for a longer time, similar to the experiments with the battery and solar
panel.
REMEMBER
– the wind turbine generates its power based solely on the amount of air that
reaches its blades. The faster the airflow, the faster the blades turn with more power generated.
Therefore, use a larger, more powerful table fan to produce more power out of the wind turbine
More about Wind Turbines:
The important parameters surrounding a wind turbine’s power generation ability are …
•
wind
speed
•
wind
direction
•
blade
size
•
blade
shape
•
blade
angle
•
blade pitch and
•
generator efficiency in relation to shaft rotation speed
The WindCharge
tm
wind turbine is designed to work with these parameters so that you, the
experimenter, can see the effects when these parameters are changed. Also, the WindCharge
tm
wind turbine can align itself to the direction of the wind. This feature cannot be found in most
small turbines for educational purposes.
Initially, the output voltage rises more slowly as compared with a solar panel, which is a solid
state device whose voltage and current outputs are nearly instantaneous. A fuel cell is a heavy
electrical load that makes the wind turbine work harder to power it. As the fuel cell starts to
electrolyze water, the current drawn by the fuel cell is reduced. The output voltage will then
stabilize at a voltage of about 1.5 Volts which is higher than the electrolyzing voltage of a fuel cell.
In the first part of the experiment, you chose the best location for the wind turbine with the
maximum wind energy source. The water can then be electrolyzed at the maximum speed.
However, keep in mind that the speed of electrolysis depends largely on the output power of the
fan – the larger the fan, the more power that gets produced.
Another way to increase the output of the WindCharge
tm
wind turbine is to experiment with
different blade designs. You are encouraged to create your own blades using cardboard or
flexible plastic materials and then repeat this experiment. Polypropylene, balsa wood, post card
or any sheet media can be used. See for yourself which material is more efficient. You may find
that your efforts will produce more hydrogen in a faster time. Have fun!!
