1. Wind Tunnel Design Replicating Offshore Winds
American Offshore Energy

2. Wind Parameters Variable Speed Uniformity Direction Range: 0 – 20 m/s
Evenly distributed wind speed throughout section
Direction
Straight flow through test chamber

3. Test Chamber Largest achievable square section
To optimize initial flow coverage from fan
Test Specimen Estimated Size: (Ø100’ x 200’)
Scaled Sizes
1:8 (Ø150” x 300”)
1:24 (Ø50” x 100”)
1:30 (Ø40” x 80”)
1:50 (Ø24” x 48”)

4. Trailer Selection Parameters
Limits Maximum Test Chamber Size
Average Inside Area: 92” x 92”
Minimum Length Required: 16’ (192”)
Cost Range: $1,500 – $9,000
Ideal Additional Options:
Electrical Power
Maximum Area
Low Cost
Dry Van Trailers are Ideal

5. Trailer Purchasing Options
Commercial Truck Trader
Username:
Password: newway123!
Truck Paper (Website for auction)
Arthur Trovei & Sons, Inc.

6. Available Trucks $2500 Reefer Trailer (45’ Length x 96” Width)
No Title (next available $5,500.00)

7. Available Trucks
$1800 (96” x 100” x 40’)

8. Available Trailers
$2750 (no dimensions provided)

9. Trailer Aesthetic

10. Design 1 Layout (Blower Tunnel)

11. Design 2 Layout (Suck Down Tunnel)

12. Design 3 Layout (Classical Contraction)

13. Diffuser
Requires approximately 11.5’ to maintain diffusion angle of 10 degrees
Could be framed with wood and have a sheet metal surface
Inexpensive and contains flow as a stream with a boundary layer (prevents flow separation)
Removes large low pressure areas

14. Screens Screens placed from coarse to fine mesh
Located up and downstream from honeycomb
Used to create a high pressure area that evenly distributes the flow throughout the cross-section (reduce axial turbulence)
Finest screen (closest to test chamber) must be free from damage as it is the final flow conditioner

15. Screens
TWP Inc.
Approximately $2,000 for 5 different screens moving from coarse to fine ($400 per screen)
Requires soldering wire meshes together
Stainless Steel (plain or galvanized steel available for cheaper)

16. Screens Drenth $6200 for 5 sheets of 96” x 96” Section
Ø 0.20 mm Wire and 10 x 10 / cm gap
64% Open Surface
(Cheaper per meter if ordered bulk)
Advantages:
Can be ordered full size

17. Honeycomb Air Straightener
Straighteners used to reduce swirling created from fan (lateral turbulence)
Creates small axial turbulence which is mitigated from post-honeycomb screens
Optimal diameter to length ratio is 6 – 8.

18. Honeycomb Air Straightener
Ruskin AS 100 Honeycomb Straightening Section
0.50” Cell Size and 3” Deep (Ratio of 6)
Free Area: 97%
Velocity Range: m/s
Max Size: 48” x 96” per section
Pressure Drop: 0.06” wc 1000 FPM (5.1 m/s)
$3,500 for two full size sections (96” x 96”)

19. Honeycomb Air Straightener
McMaster Carr Honeycomb Core
$3,456 for 32 (28” x 48”) pieces
Same specifications and material as Ruskin but smaller sections and limited to 3/4” depth
Design Option
Use Ruskin for two large pieces
Use McMaster to fill gaps to match test section

20. Fan
Approximate Axial Fan selection made by Howden that can supply the appropriate CFM
Sizing needs to be fine tuned to final design to account for static pressure at startup
Estimated cost $12,000.00

21. VFD Waiting to hear quote from Howden Approximate Cost is $6,000.00
Critical to flow velocity control, efficiency, and noise mitigation

22. Electrical Connection
$613 Circuit Breaker
125 Amps, 3 Pole, 277/480Vac

23. Instrumentation Pitot Tube Air Flow Meter Hot Wire Anemometer
Voltmeter
Transducers

24. Pitot Tube
Uses differential pressure (total and static) to calculate velocity
Pressure Transducer across the two outlets takes the measurement
For velocity to have complete 0.5 m/s resolution, the transducer must have at least inch WC resolution (0.01 resolution is acceptable after 4 m/s).

25. Pitot Tube Dwyer 160-48 Dwyer 160-60 Gland A-159
5/16” Diameter, 48-5/8” insertion length, 1/4” Diameter Outlet
Can Traverse entire cross section
$91.00
Dwyer
with insertion to 60”
Gland A-159
1/2” Male NPT
$28 (approximately quantity: 8)

26. Pitot Tube

27. Pressure Transducer

28. Miscellaneous Fasteners Plugs/Wires/Electrical Components Lighting
Tables/Control Center Work Station
Paint/Graphics/Aesthetics

29. Sum of Costs Item Cost Fan $12,000.00 VFD $6,000.00 Circuit Breaker
$650.00
Trailer
$3,000.00
Wire Mesh Screens
$2,000.00
Honeycomb Air Straightener
$3,500.00
Instrumentation
$25,000.00
Boundary Material (Diffuser)
$1,600.00
Labor
$10,000.00
Miscellaneous
$1,000.00
Total
$64,750.00

30. Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
Maximum angular velocity is limited by speed of wind
Allows for wide base structure that easily floats offshore
Offshore wind provides higher quality energy

31. Raw Data/Equations Pressure Calculations (Bernoulli)

32. Raw Data/Equations Power Generation

33. Raw Data/Equations Data for Transducer Resolution

34. Citation Links