Design and assembly of vertical axis wind turbine, Mozambique

This work was developed to obtain a bachelor’s degree at Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique. The present work was entitled ’Design and Assembly of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, ’ funded by Eduardo Mondlane University in coordination with the Mozambican Ministry of Science and Technology. The wind system designed is of the ’Savonius’ type, built with relatively low-cost local materials, consisting of three semi-cylindrical propellers with a total mass of 500 kg. The measured wind speeds and the number of revolutions of the wind system designed indicated a mechanical efficiency of the turbine of ɳ=35.5%, which is within the standards observed in other locations with similar experiences. This system produced greater mechanical energy corresponding to a mechanical power of 5,222.4 watts per minute, which is relatively greater than that of horizontal axis turbines, exhibiting high solidity, low revolution and high torque values. It was concluded that this system is multi-purpose and can be used for mechanical work and electricity production.