Abstract

This study was conducted to maximize the electrical power output of a wind turbine by interchanging different magnets and wire gauges in the generator. The turbine used is a bicycle wheel with magnets mounted on the rim at the tips of the blades, which pass over a copper coil to produce an AC current. Compared to a conventional wind turbine, this design is quieter, exhibits less resistance, and can operate at lower wind speeds, making it more suited for smaller scale usage. The research hypothesis was if neodymium and ceramic permanent magnets and 30-gauge and 22-gauge copper wire are paired in different configurations in a wind turbine generator, then the generator using the configuration of neodymium magnets and 30-gauge copper wire will produce the largest amount of electrical power. Three trials were conducted for each of the pairings and a fan was used to turn the turbine at a constant rate. The voltage and current values were measured and the average electric power generated was calculated. The generator utilizing neodymium magnets and 30-gauge wire produced the most electric power, creating an average of 0.007059 W. Thus, the hypothesis was correct. This was followed by the combinations using neodymium magnets and 22-gauge wire, ceramic magnets and 30-gauge wire, and ceramic magnets and 22-gauge wire, which produced 0.004511 W, 0.0005746 W, and 0.0004853 W, respectively. Across the trials, neodymium magnets created more power than ceramic magnets and 30-gauge wire created more power than 22-gauge wire.