6th Annual Judith Ramaley Celebration of Research and Creative Scholarship
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Poster #98 Green Energy Waterwheel for Camping Application: Current2Current Brett Sawyer, Dustin Smith, Jeff Schneider, and Xiaotian Qin Faculty Mentor: Keith Dennehy The goal of the Current2Current project is to create a lightweight and portable composite waterwheel for camping enthusiasts to generate electricity while in nature. The lightweight aspect of the composite panels utilized in the construction will benefit campers having to transport the waterwheel from various camping locations. The panels are constructed from fiberglass and carbon fiber using an epoxy resin along with an aerospace-grade honeycomb core material that will add to the overall strength of the part. The wheel can be disassembled to ease the transportation burden and for easier packaging. The green energy will allow the campers to maintain their energy needs while leaving a minimal carbon footprint. This energy will be generated through the use of a small motor connected to a battery. The motion of the waterwheel will transfer the energy from the moving water in a stream through the driveshaft into the motor to generate the electricity. The composite waterwheel is specially manufactured to retain its mechanical properties when exposed to water and UV radiation. |
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