A cutaway engine cylinder shows the piston, valves and spark through the four strokes of the cycle. Students change engine speed and spark advance and watch the stroke, cycle angle, cylinder pressure and valve states update.
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Wind Turbine
About this simulation
This simulation shows a three-blade turbine catching moving air. Sliders control wind speed, blade pitch and tip-speed ratio, and readouts report the wind power through the rotor, the power coefficient Cp, the electrical power and the rotor speed. Students see that power rises steeply with wind speed, that a turbine can only capture part of the wind energy, and that blade settings matter. It suits renewable energy lessons, where pairs can search for the settings that give the best output.
What students can explore
- Raise Wind speed from 6 to 12 m/s and compare the Wind power through rotor readout.
- Change Blade pitch and watch Power coefficient Cp and Electrical power respond.
- Move Tip-speed ratio up and down to find where Cp is highest.
- Push Wind speed to its maximum and see what happens to Electrical power.
- Lower the wind to a very small value and note how little power the rotor makes.
Learning objectives
- 1Explain that wind power depends on the cube of wind speed.
- 2Describe why a turbine cannot capture all of the energy in the wind.
- 3Investigate how blade pitch and tip-speed ratio change output.
- 4Compare wind power through the rotor with electrical power produced.
Questions teachers ask
Is it free to use?
Yes, it is free. It runs in any modern browser, including classroom whiteboards and tablets, with no sign-up needed.
Why does doubling the wind speed give eight times the power?
The power in moving air depends on the cube of its speed. Doubling the speed doubles the air passing each second and makes each kilogram carry four times the energy, so the power rises by a factor of eight.
What is the Betz limit?
The Betz limit says a turbine can capture at most about 59 percent of the kinetic energy in the wind. Real rotors reach roughly 40 to 48 percent, which is why the power coefficient Cp never reaches 1.
How do I use the wind turbine simulation?
Drag the Wind speed, Blade pitch and Tip-speed ratio sliders and read the four output boxes. Try changing one slider at a time so you can see which one has the biggest effect.
Embed this simulation
Drop it into your LMS, blog, or class site — free.
<iframe src="https://kiwibee.io/en/simulations/wind-turbine-3d-simulation/embed" title="Wind Turbine | KiwiBee" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen style="width:100%;height:min(70vh,620px);min-height:420px;border:0;border-radius:16px"></iframe>Continue exploring
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