Faculty Advisor
Olinger, David J.
Abstract
The goal of this MQP was to continue the design and testing of the Rotary WPI Kite-Powered Water Pump using concepts for airborne wind energy systems. An ascending kite pulls on a tether attached to a rotating wheel, gear mechanism, and water pump axle. The kite is retracted to its original altitude using a retraction system. First, we designed a support for the water pump that could be incorporated into the existing A-frame design. We improved the housing for the power spool to allow for a stall spool and brakes. We improved the vertical pump shaft connecting the windmill pump to the underground pump cylinder. Solidworks was used to design all parts and a program was developed to calculate variables within the airborne wind system. The final design was lab and field tested.
Publisher
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Date Accepted
November 2015
Major
Mechanical Engineering
Project Type
Major Qualifying Project
Copyright Statement
All authors have granted to WPI a nonexclusive royalty-free license to distribute copies of the work, subject to other agreements. Copyright is held by the author or authors, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted.
Accessibility
Unrestricted
Advisor Department
Mechanical Engineering