| Abstract | Currently at IOT there is no functional wind generation system for use in dynamic testing. As a result, to add this capability to the CWTT a new system was designed. This new design used existing equipment in the facility to keep costs low. This equipment included existing fans, transformer, and controllers from the old system as well as a service carriage that would be adapted to hold this equipment. Some modifications to the service carriage was needed, for example enlarging one rail truck to support the transformer and controllers and adding clamps to the catwalk to allow vertical adjustment of the fan position. Other issues came up during the design. One such item was the need to include ground fault circuit interrupters in the transformer/controllers/fans circuit in order to achieve compliance with safety issues in the Canadian electrical code. Also, the links between the tow carriage and the wind generation system were not entirely straightforward. Due to the location of the center of gravity of the entire system, during the pulling of the system one of the links is subjected to a much higher load than the other. In fact, the load experienced by one of the links is approximately twice the load on the other. As a result, using equal links on both sides will lead to the carriage shifting sideways on the rails because the link under higher load will expand more. Therefore, to counteract this problem, the link under the higher load was designed using larger material so that both links will expand a nearly equal amount to ensure straight travel on the rails. With the design of this new system, IOT has a wind generation system that is far more suited to dynamic testing. There is at present, however, no immediate funding for this piece of equipment. The new wind generation system will be a valuable addition to facility by increasing the overall versatility of the clear water towing tank. |
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