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Turbine Blade Design Engineering

A photo of a green field. From the top center to the bottom left is a a water pipe. At the top of the photo the pipe is connected to a water storage tank. Students kneel on the left side of the pipe.
Learning Goals

Learning Goals:

  1. Determine the voltage produced by the hub/blade combination and how the number of turbine blades affects electrical output.
Materials List

Handouts

Classroom Supplies

  • 3 5-Gallon bucket
  • 3 Multimeters
  • 3 Reservoir unit (5-Gallon water storage cube) with hose
  • 3 Meter sticks
  • 3 Funnels
  • 3 sets of alligator clips
  • 3 Stopwatches or watches with second hands

Group Supplies (4-6 per group)

  • 1 64oz Jug
  • 1 Motor
  • 1 Hub
  • 12 Wooden dowels
  • 1 Pair of sharp scissors
  • 3 Pieces of double-sided tape
  • 1 Nail
  • 12 Wooden spoons
  • Safety glasses
  • Fast-drying glue
  • Optional: Glue gun

Important Links

Lesson 6 of 8 / Time: 1 hour

This lesson appears as a part of the following:
– Water Power Implementation Toolkit

This teacher-adapted lesson is based on the NEED Project’s Energy of Moving Water unit where students apply engineering design to determine the voltage produced by hub/blade combinations and how the number of turbine blades affects electrical output.

 

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