MSc Thesis Defense – 60 ECTS 
Thesis Title: Experimental Analysis of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Fouling in Dusty Environments

• Student: Maxon Montstream Quas
• Supervisor: Ármann Gylfason
• Examiner: Yonatan Tesfahunegn
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• Room M102

Thesis Abstract: Wind Turbines that are installed in climates that have consistent strong winds and high erosion of the ground are subject to increased fouling of their blades. Vertical axis wind turbines are able to operate in harsher climates, making them the ideal choice for areas with extreme weather conditions. This research aimed to increase the knowledge of simulating severe weather circumstances and the effects that these events have on vertical axis wind turbines. This was accomplished by designing a unique experiment that was able to produce preliminary results that future research can build off of. Using an open section wind tunnel that was converted to a closed section tunnel, the interactions between seeding particles and the wind turbine blades were analyzed and compared. High speed cameras were used together with a particle tracking algorithm to track the number of collisions between the blades and particles. The trajectories of the particles were tracked to find patterns between them and find where the particles are most likely to impact with the blade. The total energy of the impacts was also calculated to find any correlation between the collisions and the energy of the impacts.