For an upcoming interdisciplinary unit on wind turbine design, the main focus was collecting reliable data to inform iterations of the design. The best way to gather accurate data is to have reliable testing conditions. So we decided to build a Wind Tunnel Test Chamber.

Along with a team of grade nine students and a couple of teachers, we constructed a 3-part test chamber. Our first discovery in our research was that wind tunnels pull air, not blow air. This produced laminar flow, which has very low turbulence, and hence, a consistent wind speed at the contact surface of the blades.

rough planning drawings

skeleton of the test chamber

the intake chamber

intake chamber fitted to the stand

connecting the three chambers together and preparing to attach the fans

almost all the fans mounted and ready to go--just need their power boxes connected

fans mounted with new power boxes

one of the first tests

re-purposing standing fans

assembling the frame

turbine prototype testing

Using what we had, we "re-purposed" some standing fans to build a wall of 16 fans to pull air into the chamber. New power boxes were 3D printed to contain the switches and wires we harvested from the fans. The 1.2 meter square test chamber was equipped with an anemometer to measure windspeed right in front of the prototypes.

The frame was built of wood, with corrugated plastic sheets used for the panels. The corrugated plastic is very light and easy to work with.

Working alongside the grade nine girls, it was rewarding to see them develop their skills, confidence, and pride in working at such a large scale. It was a great opportunity for them to practically apply their geometry knowledge on a large scale and through manipulating materials.

We live on an island that is known for its wind. The annual exchange between Branksome Hall Asia and Branksome Hall Canada is centered around an inquiry into wind energy. This year’s inquiry took the BHX experience to a new level of inquiry, excitement, and challenge.

Inquiry is about investigating and exploring possibilities. It depends on a solid foundation of knowledge, and a willingness to take risks and explore possibilities. Following a visit from Professor Kim of the Wind Turbine Engineering Laboratory from Jeju National University, students began their inquiry into designing a wind turbine. With access to a variety of materials, technologies such as laser cutters, heat forming, and 3D printers, they explored the effect of blade angle, surface area, number of blades, and blade profile on their turbine’s ability to generate electricity.

For two months prior to the exchange, a team of BHA grade 9 students worked on the weekends to design and construct a wind tunnel test chamber. The centerpiece of the experience, the test chamber allowed for accurate and consistent measurement of turbine designs. Throughout the process, students collaborated with each other, used data analysis to continually iterate and improve their designs, and developed novel approaches to solving the design problem. Students innovated and experimented with materials in new and interesting ways--such as using elastic bands to tension the elements of their design, bending plastic with heat to create unique shapes, and building turbines with double sets of blades.

By applying scientific knowledge and mathematically analyzing the test data from the wind tunnel, students continually iterated and developed their turbine designs. With full access to the fabrication technology in the BHA Design Lab, we saw some students designing cross-sections of turbine blades in 3D modeling software that were later laser cut; others 3D modeled complex parts for turbine sections. One student announced that we had run out of a particular part, but not to worry because she had taken measurements and 3D modeled her own--Could we please print it on the 3D printer? It was wonderful to see students taking initiative and ownership of their learning and continually pushing their inquiry

Every aspect of this intensive project was guided by the ethos of design-test-iterate. The 2017 BHX strengthened the bonds between our two schools and provided our students with an authentic experience into what research, design, and testing entails and how to apply it to solving complex real-world problems.