Design and testing of horizontal axis wind turbine blades and components to increase efficiency

We have successfully designed, developed, and tested the blades, a wind lens, and a wind deflection ramp. The lens and ramp were capable of increasing the output power of the wind turbine. Since the power output of an ideal wind turbine is a function of wind speed cubed, these modifications were designed to increase the velocity of the wind before it reached the blades. The lens creates a low-pressure region at the exit area of the lens, which generates vortices and draws the wind through the blades at a higher velocity. The wind deflection ramp, which was designed to operate at a wind speed of 7 m/s, increased the power output by directing more wind into the turbines blades. The test data was compared to theoretical calculations to evaluate the results. All of the design and testing methodology as well as theoretical and experimental results are explained throughout the body of this paper.