Lodz University of Technology students beat teams from Canada, the Netherlands, Egypt, and Denmark. Marcin Walczak, the project PR officer, thus reports on the recent triumph:
This is a monumental victory for the project, as it returns to the top of the podium in the general classification in the competition, proving the superior quality and creativity of Polish projects by students. GUST returns to Poland with two of the three top awards.GUST (Generative Urban Small Turbine) is a student project carried out by members of the Student Power Engineering Science Group, based at the Institute of Turbomachinery, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. It gathers students of Lodz University of Technology from the Faculties of Mechanical Engineering; Chemical Engineering; Electrotechnical, Electronic, Computer and Control Engineering; Organization and Management; Process Engineering and Environmental Protection; and the International Faculty of Engineering.
The GUST team's latest design proved unparalleled in efficiency. The winning turbine achieved the highest efficiency rate in its track record, surpassing all of the prototypes featured in the finals. That outcome marks an incredibly significant achievement, and validates the commitment and dedication of the entire team.
The most impressive fact is that the GUST turbine was able to generate more than 1 kW of power at 13 m/s wind speed. A result that demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of the new technology. The GUST team have maintained their tradition of perfecting their design and have proven year after year that hard work pays off with measurable results.Adding to that, this year's competition brought another breakthrough moment for the Polish wind industry. The GUST team successfully developed the first parts of the turbine, using domestically sourced materials. That marks a major milestone in gaining independence from foreign materials, and is an important contribution to the development of national manufacturing, eliminating reliance on foreign supplies.
The latest design has been improved as a result of the following modifications: reduced bearing friction, new and eco-friendly wood housing for quick replacement of components, a few components of the turbine made with bio composites, relocating most of the energy conversion system to the control cabinet (separate from the turbine nacelle), and testing two variants of the rotor (3-blade and 4-blade, with varying blade geometry).
Employing a strain gauge to measure torque enabled better dynamic analysis of the entire system.
We wish to thank all our sponsors and partners who had recognized the potential of our work and supported the project. The project is our collective accomplishment.