Undergraduate Course

Renewable Energy and Environment

(SEE-611)
Course Instructor:

Dr. Muhammad Usman Farid

Department of Structures and Environmental Engineering
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-Pakistan
 Lecture # 8
Wind Energy

Renewable Energy and Environment (SEE-611) 2

 Wind Energy: Overview
• Wind Energy is the mechanical energy present in the
high speed winds
• This is also considered as a by-product of solar energy
• The surface of the earth heats and cools unevenly,
creating atmospheric pressure zones that make air flow
from high- to low-pressure areas.
• Available potential can contribute five times the world
energy demand
• 0.4% contribution to total energy
• This energy can be captured and converted into other
useful form, i.e. electricity

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Wind Energy: Overview

Renewable Energy and Environment (SEE-611) 4

 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
• The device which extract/convert the energy possessed
in the high speed winds is termed as “Wind Turbine”
• Very old technique to extract wind energy
• Initially was used for water pumping and grinding of
grains etc.
• Modern turbines are used for electricity generation

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine:
• A typical Wind Turbine has following
components:
• Nacelle, rotor blades, hub, low speed shaft,
gearbox, high speed shaft with its mechanical
brake, electrical generator, yaw mechanism,
electronic controller, hydraulics system,
cooling unit, tower, anemometer and wind
vane.

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine: Nacelle
• The nacelle contains the key
components of the wind turbine,
including the gearbox, and the
electrical generator.
• Service personnel may enter the
nacelle from the tower of the
turbine.
• To the left of the nacelle, the wind
turbine rotor is mounted consisting
of the rotor blades and the hub.

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine: Rotor
Blades and Hub
• The rotor blades capture the wind and
transfer its power to the rotor hub.
• On a modern 1000 kW wind turbine
each rotor blade measures about 27
meters (80 ft.) in length and is
designed much like a wing of an
aeroplane.
• The hub of the rotor is attached to the
low speed shaft of the wind turbine.

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine: Low Speed Shaft
• The low speed shaft of the wind turbine
connects the rotor hub to the gearbox.
• On a modern 1000 kW wind turbine the rotor
rotates relatively slowly, about 19 to 30
revolutions per minute (RPM).
• The shaft contains pipes for the hydraulics
system to enable the aerodynamic brakes to
operate.
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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine: Gearbox
• The gearbox has the low speed shaft to the left.
• It makes the high speed shaft to the right turn approximately
50 times faster than the low speed shaft.

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine: High Speed Shaft
• The high speed shaft rotates with
approximately. 1500 revolutions per minute
(RPM) and drives the electrical generator.
• It is equipped with an emergency mechanical
disc brake.
• The mechanical brake is used in case of
failure of the aerodynamic brake, or when
the turbine is being serviced.
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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine: Electrical Generator
• The electrical generator is usually a so-called
induction generator or asynchronous
generator.
• On a modern wind turbine the maximum
electric power is usually between 600 and
3000 kilowatts (kW).

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine: Yaw
• The yaw mechanism uses electrical
motors to turn the nacelle with the
rotor against the wind.
• The yaw mechanism is operated by
the electronic controller which
senses the wind direction using the
wind vane.
• Normally, the turbine will yaw only
a few degrees at a time, when the
wind changes its direction.

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine: Electronic Controller
• The electronic controller contains a computer which
continuously monitors the condition of the wind
turbine and controls the yaw mechanism.
• In case of any malfunction, (e.g. overheating of the
gearbox or the generator), it automatically stops the
wind turbine and calls the turbine operator's
computer via a telephone modem link.

Renewable Energy and Environment (SEE-611) 14

 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine: Hydraulic System
and Cooling Unit
• The hydraulics system is used to reset the
aerodynamic brakes of the wind turbine.
• The cooling unit contains an electric fan which is
used to cool the electrical generator.
• In addition, it contains an oil cooling unit which
is used to cool the oil in the gearbox.
• Some turbines have water-cooled generators.

Renewable Energy and Environment (SEE-611) 15

 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine: Tower
• The tower of the wind turbine carries the nacelle and the
rotor.
• Generally, it is an advantage to have a high tower, since
wind speeds increase farther away from the ground.
• A typical modern 1000 kW turbine will have a tower of 50 to
80 meters (150 to 240 ft.) equal to the height of a 17-27
story building.
• Towers may be either tubular towers or lattice towers.
• Tubular towers are safer for the personnel that have to
maintain the turbines, as they may use an inside ladder to
get to the top of the turbine.
• The advantage of lattice towers is primarily that they are
cheaper. Renewable Energy and Environment (SEE-611) 16
 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine: Anemometer and Wind Vane
• The anemometer and the wind vane are used to measure
the speed and the direction of the wind.
• The electronic signals from the anemometer are used by the
wind turbine's electronic controller to start the wind turbine
when the wind speed reaches approximately 5 m/s.
• The computers stops the wind turbine automatically if the
wind speed exceeds 25 m/s in order to protect the turbine
and its surroundings.
• The wind vane signals are used by the wind turbine's
electronic controller to turn the wind turbine against the
wind, using the yaw mechanism.

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Components of Wind Turbine

Renewable Energy and Environment (SEE-611) 18

 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Types:
• Fundamental designations of a wind energy device
include the HAWT and the VAWT
• The designation depends simply on the axis of rotation of
a wind machine
• HAWT devices rotate in the horizontal plane
• VAWT devices rotate in the vertical plane
• HAWT devices are more common than VAWTs, but
horizontal devices must have a mechanism–a yaw
control– to keep them pointed into the wind
• VAWTs,on the other hand, do not need a yaw control.

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Types:

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Types: HAWT
• Lift is the main force

• Much lower cyclic stresses

• 95% of the existing turbines are HAWTs

• Nacelle is placed at the top of the tower

• Yaw mechanism is required

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Types: Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Types: VAWT
• Drag is the main force

• Nacelle is placed at the bottom

• Yaw mechanism is not required

• Lower starting torque

• Difficulty in mounting the turbine

Renewable Energy and Environment (SEE-611) 23

 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Types: Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Types: Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Modelling of Energy Generated by Wind Turbine:

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 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Modelling & Simulation of Wind Turbine: ANSYS Workbench
• Geometry Formation
• Mesh Generation
• Model Application
• Running the Iterations
• Extracting the Results

Renewable Energy and Environment (SEE-611) 27

 Wind Energy: Wind Turbines
Environmental Impacts of Wind
Turbine
• Clean source of energy
• Faster energy conversion
mechanism
However:
• Climate dependent: wind
potential required
• Risks and Accidents:
malfunctioning
• Expertise required for
designing and malignance
• Noise Pollution
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QUESTIONS???

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