Ivan Trivino, '13

Ivan Trivino, '13

Cohort

2010; 2011

Biography

Ivan Trivino was born in Cali, Colombia, and moved to Orlando, Florida, when he was eleven. During a high school visit to the Kennedy Space Center, Ivan decided to study aerospace engineering. Currently, he is pursuing a double major in aerospace and mechanical engineering. Ivan is the Public Relations and Logistics Chair for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). His research interests include turbomachinery, air-breathing propulsion systems, hypersonics, and jet engine optimization.

Undergraduate Major

Aerospace Engineering

Future Plans

Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering

Summer Research

Efficiency Study of a Flat Plate Bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Conducted at the University of California, Irvine as part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program Mentor: Dr. Feng Liu, University of California, Irvine Abstract: In the need to break from fossil fuel dependence and reduce the impact on the environment by non-renewable energy sources, wind energy has become an important viable option. The successful assimilation of wind energy however, largely depends on its cost-effectiveness. Due to their relative youth and potential for exponential development, the use of Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) has become an important topic to study. The main issues faced by this type of technology are its high manufacturing costs due to the complicated turbine blade geometry and the lack of performance data available from this type of turbine. In an attempt to address both of these issues, we studied the use of simple blade geometry (i.e. flat plates) as turbine blades and developed an analytical model to provide performance data for this design. The analytical model was created by studying the wind flow-blade interaction in a simplified two-dimensional case and by utilizing lift and drag data provided by previous research. The governing relations were found and inserted as a FORTRAN code in order to solve for the turbine power production. Inputs such as angles of attack, wind speed and direction of flow were used. The outputs were the turbine power production and efficiency. Knowledge of the VAWT's maximum efficiency determined the performance of flat plates as an alternative for VAWT blade geometry. This enables us to determine their relative efficiency to other VAWTs with different shaped blades. Results show that flat plates were inefficient at low angular velocities, and experienced an increase in the loss of power as the angular velocity was increased. Their efficiency, although low, provides a point of reference for future improvement of the design. Future research can be performed in order to improve the analytical model and take into account a wider range of parameters.

Summer Research Institution

University of California Irvine

Disciplines

Aerospace Engineering

Ivan Trivino, '13


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