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*Received A* IB Physics HL Extended Essay - An Investigation of the Blade Designs of Wind Turbine CA$31.17   Add to cart
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*Received A* IB Physics HL Extended Essay - An Investigation of the Blade Designs of Wind Turbine
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  • Course
  • IB Extended Essay Physics
  • Institution
  • Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TUE)

IB Extended Essay Physics. This essay is about the efficiency of wind turbines and their blades. It discusses the different factors of the turbine blades such as angle of attack, chord length, etc. Several experiments were completed with methods and raw data. I received an A for this extended e...

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  • September 30, 2023
  • 34
  • 2022/2023
  • Essay
  • Unknown
  • A+

Subjects

  • ib physics
  • ib extended essay
  • ib physics extended essay
  • physics
  • physics hl
  • ib physics high level
  • extended essay physics
  • ib
  • international baccalaureate
  • ib extended essay physics high level
  • ee

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  • Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TUE)
  • IB Extended Essay Physics
  • IB Extended Essay Physics
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An Investigation of the Blade

Designs of Wind Turbines



Research question: How Does the Angle of Attack, Chord Length and Serrated Trailing Edge of

Wind Turbine Blades Affect the Efficiency?




Physics: Extended Essay

Word Count: 3998

, Table of Contents
Introduction 1

Theoretical Background 3

Experimental Investigations 11
Experiment 1: Angle of Attack 11
Analysis 13
Experiment 2: Chord Length 16
Analysis 18
Experiment 3: Trailing Edge 20
Analysis 21

Evaluation 23

Conclusion 25

References 26

Appendices 28
Appendix 1 28
1.1 A raw data table of experiment 1 28
1.2 Processed data table of experiment 1 28
Appendix 2 29
2.1 Raw data tables of experiment 2 29
2.2 Processed data table of experiment 2 29
Appendix 3 30
3.1 A raw data table of experiment 3 30
3.2 A processed data table of experiment 3 30
3.3 An quadratic graph of experiment 3 31

,Introduction

The wind turbine for pumping water was first used in China, around 200 BC. By the 11th

century, people in the Middle East used the turbines extensively for food production. The

technology of wind turbines was spread out very shortly to Europe and then eventually to the

United States. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, wind turbines for electricity generation were

first invented. Around 1930, the number of wind turbines and wind pumps declined as the

availability of electricity to most farms improved. However, with the growing concerns on global

warming, wind turbines for electricity generation have gained the societies’ attention again.



Nowadays, wind turbines are one of the leading contributors to green energy in the battle to

reduce reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity. Wind turbines generate approximately 5%

of the world’s total electricity generation which is approximately 1.5 PWh (Alves, 2021). Wind

turbines use wind energy which is an unlimited source from nature to turn electric generators

for electrical power. Today’s wind turbines have an efficiency of 50% out of the total wind energy

passing through the blades (University of Michigan, 2021). However, research suggests a Betz

Limit that suggests the theoretical maximum efficiency of wind turbines is around 59% (Andres,

2010). Maximizing efficiency is beneficial not only environmentally but also economically.



The fact that wind turbines do not emit CO2 is extremely beneficial for the environment because

limited sources such as fossil fuel often increase carbon dioxide emission and air pollution that

are harmful to both the environment and public health.



Economically, companies or individuals who own wind turbines gain profits from selling the

electricity generated by their turbines. The owner of one wind turbine can earn approximately

3000$ to 10,000$ per year depending on its capacity of electricity within the average lifespan of



1

, 20 years. This means that a possible increase in efficiency may result in an increase in the profit

of owners as they will be able to sell a bigger amount of electricity. This makes it a more

attractive proposition to those considering investing in this technology. The efficiency can be

increased by changing the geometrical characteristics of blades or adding some parts since

aerodynamics on blades contain complex variables and there are still new technologies in

development.



Efficiency also takes an important role considering the challenges wind turbines face when

getting recycled. As mentioned, most wind turbines have the lifespan of 20 years. After their life

span, wind turbines stop their operations and are disassembled. The issue is that the composite

materials that wind turbine blades are made out of such as fiberglass are considered as materials

that are hard to recycle. Most of the used wind turbine blades nowadays often wind up in the

landfill. Efficiency is an important factor because it governs the total amount of green energy

produced before waste occurs.



In this Extended Essay, I will investigate multiple ways of maximizing the efficiency of wind

turbines in terms of the blade design.




2

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