A team of six Clemson IE students participated the Summer Lab for Fluid Energy Saarbrücken (SuFLES) at HTW SAAR, the University of Applied Sciences in Saarbrücken, Germany for seven weeks in partnership with the Clemson IE department.
Over the duration of the internship, the students were divided into two teams who were challenged to design an efficient wind turbine blade profile. This was done through computer simulations of airflow with the simulation and 3D design software, ANSYS, and physical testing was done by 3D printing a scale model of the blade profile, which was subsequently tested in the lab’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel facilities. Initially, the participants were introduced to the theory of airflow and the history of wind turbine design, as well as a tutorial of the ANSYS software package.
The remainder of the program was spent working on the design of the blades. Supplemental German language classes and industrial engineering seminars were also offered throughout the seven-week internship, while the weekends were left free to allow time to travel throughout Europe.
