• anemometer
• anemometro
• CAD
• cut-off
• data acquisition
• design process
• disc brake
• fail-safe
• freno a disco
• furling
• Glasgow
• labview
• metodi passivi
• micro-eolico
• mini-eolico
• off-grid
• over-speed protection system
• progettazione
• pugh
• sistema di acquisizione dati
• sistema di protezione vento troppo forte
• small wind
• solidworks
• Turbina
• turbine

The purpose of the thesis is to analyse the issues related to the design of an over-speed protection system for a small wind turbine. In fact, as a very small energy production plant, simplicity and prices become two of the most important factors to consider, at the same level of safety and reliability.
The analysis has been realized following a real design process, producing the protection system on a turbine with no protections and facing all the issues coming out in every step of the process. The studied turbine is a 600W horizontal axis wind turbine, but the results are applicable to turbines of higher power, up to around 1.5kW.
After a first market research to establish whether the subject would be really a matter of interest or not, the first real step has been to define the required technical specification of the final product. Many solutions at the problem have been then proposed, analysed and compared with each other. The one that matched most the specification was selected as the best solution. The chosen system has been designed in a more detailed way, to proceed then with its real manufacturing. The final product has been effectively tested on the turbine to verify its behaviour, which was compared with the one initially expected.
The system has been finally adapted and optimised to work in the studied context, which is a mechanical laboratory of a university.
The energy production revenue that can be achieved using the proposed design has been estimated assuming a typical wind distribution of the considered area.
The price of the new design has been estimated and then compared with the price of other possible systems to verify that the design would be cost-effective for the future marketing phase.