2. Inventions that engineers have contributed to in our school
community
3. Electricity in our lives
4. We are studying wind power
5. 6. Wind turbines
Drawings of the invention showing how it works
7. Measurements
Newly constructed windturbines.The windturbines are 157 m high,
Vane length: 61.5 m
Rotor diameter: 126 m
Rotor area: 12.469 m2
Blades: manufactured by LM Wind Power
Turbines: 5 MW manufactured by REpower
8. At 60 metres up from the ground the crane lifts the huge 12 ton
gearbox and disk brake assembly in to position. The engineer stood
in the nacelle and is in contact by radio with the crane operator
below
Engineer in the nacelle
9. Turbines used in wind farms for commercial production of
electric power are usually three-bladed and pointed into the wind
by computer-controlled motors. These have high tip speeds of over
320kilometres per hour. The blades are usually coloured light grey
to blend in with the clouds and range in length from 20 to 40
metres or more. The tubular steel towers range from 60 to 90 metres
tall. The blades rotate at 10-22 revolutions per minute. At 22
rotations per minute the tip speed exceeds 300feet per second
(91m/s).A gear box is commonly used for stepping up the speed of
the generator. Some models operate at constant speed. All turbines
are equipped with protective features to avoid damage at high wind
speeds, by feathering the blades into the wind which ceases their
rotation, supplemented by brakes.
10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
FEB.Worksheet. Green School elections. Target: waste and
energy.
FEB. Step 1 -select windturbines for project
STEP 2 Visit windfarm, photograph, research on line, create
drawings.
NOV. Register to take part in Xperience Engineering
FEB. Visit from Mr. Ewing from Kirchhoff Ireland LTD. Class begins
to try to make own Sudoko games.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
TIME LINE
OCT . Attend science demonstration in Balor Theatre,
Ballybofey
MARCH Visit Kirchhoff on site in Letterkenny. Green committee
elected. Green Audit conducted.
APRIL Submit on line!!!
APRIL Worksheet 3. Present project using PP.
Present to school
APRIL School approved for funding to conserve water and begin rain
harvesting
26. Reflection:
Learned about windfarms in Donegal and how our unique
environment makes us an ideal location
27. Windturbines can damage the look of countryside and can
cause some soil movement 28. Airtricity gives back to the local
community through the sponsored walk 29. Although we could see them
from our school, we did not quite understand how the wind was
turned into electricity 30. All pupils would consider engineering
as a career and never knew that there are so many different sorts
of engineers 31. Pupils found that it was difficult to draw the
inside of the windturbines because all the parts were so detailed
32. It is difficult to find information on line about our local
windfarm, though there is quite an amount of information about
windfarms on line. 33. Windturbines are expensive and do not suit
every area such as cities and scenic areas 34. Some locals believe
that the sound of the windturbines can damage mental health, though
there is no proof of this.
