International student project CIP brings a third partner on board

The Cooperative International Student Project (CIP), which has traditionally been organized by the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien (FHTW) and the Lapland University of Applied Sciences (Lapland UAS), also brought students from the Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD) on board for the sixth round in the winter semester 2023/24.

This year’s project focused on wind energy, in particular the Savonius rotor – a wind turbine with a vertical axis. The Savonius rotor, named after the Finnish engineer Sigurd Savonius, is known for its unique design, which allows efficient operation even in turbulent or frequently changing wind conditions. This adaptability makes it suitable for various applications and especially valuable for decentralized power generation, which is particularly suitable for situations where wind directions are unpredictable, such as in urban environments with complex wind patterns due to buildings and their structures. Therefore, this type of energy generation is often used in off-grid scenarios and small wind energy projects.

As part of the project, various configurations of the Savonius rotor were produced in the 3D Printing Laboratory at Lapland UAS in the run-up to the attendance week in Vienna, which were then extensively tested in the FHTW wind tunnel in the EnergyBase in Vienna at the end of November. In addition, the most efficient solution for charging a battery from an energy generation perspective was to be developed. Various systems for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy were therefore investigated.

During the on-site week in Vienna, which took place from 27.11.-01.12.2023 at the UAS Technikum Wien, the students not only had the opportunity to test the rotors, but also to attend workshops on the subject of presentations in English and to gain first-hand impressions during an excursion to the Lichtenegg Energy Research Park. The project week was rounded off with a visit to the Ottakringer brewery, where the participants were able to get to know Austrian beer culture.

The student project is to be held again next year. There are also plans to convert the project into an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program (BIP) so that students can receive funding for this short-term mobility as part of the Erasmus+ program. The project is particularly interesting for students who are unable to complete a longer stay abroad for professional or private reasons but would still like to gain international experience.