Abstract:
Wind energy is a vital energy free from pollution and freely available energy in our world. The
amount of this free energy differs from place to place due to altitude difference. But
approximately a constant amount of free energy can be determined by installing small (micro)
wind turbine over a vehicle by using this free energy we can generate a power and use it for the
purpose of charging electric vehicles battery. The improvement of electric vehicles has been
quickened in numerous nations, to reduce the dependence on oil and environmental pollution.
The implementation of electric vehicles, particularly battery electric vehicles, is viewed as an
answer to the energy crisis and environmental issues.
The objective of this thesis work is performance investigation of small wind turbine installed at
the top of a pickup vehicle and the power generated from this wind turbine is used to charge the
batteries of the electric driving vehicles. Methods used to complete this paper were theoretical
analysis and experimental analysis. The experiment was done by using automotive alternator
and generator using wind tunnel. The maximum powers determined from the experimental and
theoretical analysis are 334 W and 437 W at reaction wind speed of 28.6 ⁄ respectively at the
maximum vehicle speed of 25 ⁄ and using generator. Generator is selected for final use of the
experiment. The blade is NACA 4412 and its angle of attack is
. The angle of attack is
determined by using at the maximum lift to drag ratio of NACA 4412 airfoil.
The blades of wind turbine are fabricated from wood because wood have excellent fatigue
properties. The comparison between analytical analysis and experimental test is done based on
the reaction wind speed, in order to achieve good matching between analytical analysis and
experimental test. Finally the power output from the wind turbine is used for charging the
vehicle battery and the charging process is controlled by regulator. Rectifier is used to convert
AC to D
