6.

wind turbines

small or large
Wind Turbines drag or lift driven
horizontal or vertical axis (HAWT / VAWT)

Savonius
Darrieus quietRevolution

WGD EGEM07 Fluid-Structure Interaction 51

6. wind turbines

1
power in the wind: Pwind = ṁ U 2
2

introducing a circular reference area (turbine disk): ṁ = ⇢ A U with A = ⇡ R2

⇡ Pwind / U 3
thus: Pwind = ⇢ R2 U 3
2 Pwind / R2

WGD EGEM07 Fluid-Structure Interaction 52

6. wind turbines

momentum theory: Betz limit for CP

Assume steady incompressible fluid flow and consider a stream tube containing
any type of wind turbine.

conservation of mass:
streamtube boundary
ṁ = ⇢ Au Uu = ⇢ At Ut = ⇢ Ad Ud

conservation of momentum:
ṁ Uu ṁ Ud = T

conservation of energy:
1 1
ṁ Uu2 ṁ Ud2 = P
2 2
upstream turbine downstream
Au , Uu At , Ut Ad , Ud
thrust and power: P = T Ut
Uu Ut
definition of induction factor: a =
Uu
WGD EGEM07 Fluid-Structure Interaction 53
6. wind turbines

P T
definition of power and thrust coefficients: CP = and CT =
Pwind Twind

1 1
power and thrust in in the wind: Pwind = ⇢ Uu3 At and Twind = ⇢ Uu2 At
2 2

After mathematical manipulation we obtain:

Ut = Uu (1 a) Ud /Uu

Ud = Uu (1 2a)

CT = 4 a (1 a)
CP = 4 a (1 a)2 59%

16 1 a
Betz limit CP max = ⇡ 59% at a=
27 3

WGD EGEM07 Fluid-Structure Interaction 54