DCU Expo 2024 - Final Year Projects

74 132. Development and Testing of a Rotary BladeWind Turbine This project investigates the performance of a rotary blade vertical axis wind turbine. The project is based on a thesis study by SamWeiss of M.I.T., which presents a conceptual design for such a turbine. The rotary blade design aims to achieve positive torque from each blade at any point in the turbine’s rotation by harnessing both lift and drag forces from the wind. A small lab-scale model was designed and built, and the performance was tested in the DCUwind tunnel. A theoretical analysis of the turbine was carried out simultaneously, and comparisons were made with the results of the wind tunnel test. Student Programme Mechanical andManufacturing Engineering (Year 4) Project Area 3-DModelling, AdditiveManufacturing, Electric Generation, Mechanical Design andManufacture, Renewable Energy Technology Project Technology Excel/VB, Matlab, Solidworks Student Name(s) LiamCrowley Email liam.crowley4@mail.dcu.ie Supervisor Dr CornéMuilwijk 133. Bubble Formation fromMicrotextured Surfaces in (Photoelectro-)Catalytic Water Splitting Currently, the production of hydrogen requires rare earthmetals such as platinum, which is not sustainable or economically viable when scaled for industrial applications worldwide. Green hydrogen represents a pivotal advancement towards decarbonisation, aligning with global efforts tomitigate climate change. Due to its high energy density and ability to be produced in a completely green way with its only by- product being water, hydrogen can replace the current burning of fossil fuels and work in tandemwith sustainable and renewable energy sources. This study aims to investigate a novel solution of utilising laser-textured nickel electrodes to replace platinum electrodes for the production of hydrogen in photo-catalytic water splitting. Student Programme Mechanical andManufacturing Engineering (Year 4) Project Area AdvancedMaterial Engineering, Electric Generation, Renewable Energy Technology Project Technology Excel/VB, Femtosecond Laser, SEM, Electrolysis, Optical Profilometry, Goniometer Student Name(s) Jack Butler Email jack.butler25@mail.dcu.ie Supervisor Dr CornéMuilwijk 134. Design, Manufacture and Assembly of aNon-Circular Gear Train This project investigates the design andmanufacture of a non-circular gear train. The assembly of the gear train is carried out for display purposes for incoming first-year engineering students. The project looks into the different design techniques, along with how different gear parameters will affect the overall design. Various manufacturingmethods are investigated alongside different 3D printing parameters. Student Programme Mechanical andManufacturing Engineering (Year 4) Project Area 3-DModelling, AdditiveManufacturing, Mechanical Design andManufacture Project Technology Solidworks Student Name(s) Niall Morland Email niall.morland2@mail.dcu.ie Supervisor Dr Tamas Szecsi