Student Work

Design of a Two-Kite, Rotary Power Cycle for the WPI Kite-Powered Water Pump

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This project continued the development of the WPI Rotary Kite Powered Water Pump to be used in developing regions. The water pump operates with Rokkaku kites that extend/retract two tether lines to spin a bike wheel, gear mechanism, and water pump axle. Improvements to the water pump include: design, fabrication, and testing of an on-board Arduino-based system to vary the angle of attack of the kite, implementing a dual kite system for non-manual tether line retraction, and allowing for easier mechanical disassembly of the pump. Field testing was conducted on the new system for the first time, and water pumping rates of 1000 liters/hour were achieved. These pumping rates were much higher than those achieved by a previous WPI kite-powered water pump based on a rocking arm concept.

  • This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.
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Identifier
  • E-project-042616-151324
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Year
  • 2016
Date created
  • 2016-04-26
Location
  • Worcester
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Permanent link to this page: https://digital.wpi.edu/show/gb19f745j