12/9/2019 Design of Wind Turbine Rotor (With Diagram) | Wind Energy | Energy Management

 Geography Notes

Design of Wind
Turbine Rotor
(With Diagram) |
Wind Energy |
Energy
Management
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In this article we will discuss about the

design of wind turbine rotor with the
help of suitable diagrams.

In a propeller type wind turbine,

the following two forces operate
on the blades:

1. Axial Thrust:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

It acts in the same direction as that of

the flowing wind stream.

2. Circumferential Force:

It acts in the direction of wheel

rotation that provides the torque.

Thrust on Turbine Rotor:

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A turbine extracts wind energy,

causing the difference in momentum of
air streams between the upstream and
down-steam sides as shown in Fig.
5.18.

Eqn. (5.20) indicates that for designing

a wind energy generator (WEG) a large
axial force can be obtained by using
large diameter turbines. The upper
limit of the diameter needs to be
optimized by matching structural
design with economy.

Torque on Turbine Rotor:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The torque on a turbine rotor would be

maximum when maximum thrust can
be applied at the blade tip farthest
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from the axis, Maximum torque (Tmax)

in a propeller turbine of radius ‘R’ is
given as:

Solidity:

Solidity (S) is defined as the ratio of

the blade area to the rotor
circumference. It determines the
quantity of blade material required to
intercept a certain wind area.

Mathematically, solidity,

where, N = No. of blades,

b = Blade width and

ADVERTISEMENTS:

D = Diameter of the circle described by

a blade.
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“Solidity” represents the fraction of the

swept area of the rotor which is
covered with metal.

Variation of Solidity (S) with Tip

Speed Ratio (TSR):

The variation of ‘S’ with ‘TSR’ is shown

in Fig. 5.19.

i. The faster a rotor runs with respect

to the wind speed less ‘solidity’ is
required to intercept the entire stream-
tube of wind passing through the rotor
disc. In other words, a rotor with high
TSR needs less material and can have
relatively slender blades. However,
because it rotates at higher speeds and
its twist angles require only slight
angles of attack at the tip, a high LDR
(Lift/drog ratio) is essential to produce
a driving torque.

Therefore, high speed low-solidity

wind rotors need good quality airfoils
(similar to those used for aircraft).
They must also be made with good
surface finish and the structural
integrity necessary to withstand
rotational speeds.

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a. Conversely, low TSRs require rotor

discs with relatively solid blades or
soils, so that wind energy will not be
lost through the gaps between them.
These blades need courser pitch
setting. Because lift is stronger in the
plane of rotation and drag is weaker,
the LDR is less critical. For this reason,
mindmills with low TSRs tend to have
many blades, and the lifting surfaces
can be much cruder without causing
any serious loss of efficiency.

b. As TSR increases, the number of

blades decreases.

Effect of Tip Speed Ratio (TSR)

on Torque and Solidity:

i. Fig. 5.20 shows how the relative

torque of various Wind energy
conversion systems (WECS) decreases
with increasing TSR. High torque
requires a high solidity, and that type
of WECS works best at low tip speed
ratios.

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12/9/2019 Design of Wind Turbine Rotor (With Diagram) | Wind Energy | Energy Management

ii. Fig. 5.21 shows how the best

operating tip speed ratio changes with
solidity.

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