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EngiTech
Renewable Energy Technology Learn
Course Lecture Series Plex

Module 3.2
Classification of Wind Turbines

Prepared by
Engr. Dr. Muhammad Farhan

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Wind Turbines
• A wind turbine is a machine for
converting the kinetic energy in
wind into mechanical energy.
• Windmills: If the mechanical energy
is used directly by machinery, such
as a pump or grinding stones, the
machine is usually called a windmill.
• Wind Turbines: If the mechanical
energy is then converted to
electricity, the machine is called a
wind generator.
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Type of Wind Turbines

• Wind turbines are classified into two
general types: horizontal axis and vertical
axis.
• A horizontal axis machine has its blades
rotating on an axis parallel to the ground.
A
• vertical axis machine has its blades
rotating on an axis perpendicular to the
ground.
• There are a number of available designs
for both and each type has certain
• advantages and disadvantages. However,
compared with the horizontal axis type,
• very few vertical axis machines are
available commercially
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Parts of a Wind Turbine

• The nacelle contains the key
components of the wind turbine,
including the gearbox, and the
electrical generator.
• 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.
• The rotor blades capture wind energy
and transfer its power to the rotor hub.
• The generator converts the mechanical
energy of the rotating shaft to
electrical energy
• The gearbox increases the rotational
speed of the shaft for the generator.
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Parts of
a Wind Turbine

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Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

• The Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) is a wind
turbine that has its main rotational axis oriented in the
vertical direction.
• Although vertical axis wind turbines have existed for
centuries, they are not as common as their horizontal
counterparts. The main reason for this is that they do
not take advantage of the higher wind speeds at higher
elevations above the ground as well as horizontal axis
turbines.
• VAWTs were innovative designs that have not proven
as effective in general as HAWTs, but they have a few
good features, including quiet operation.
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Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

• An Early Wind Turbine
• The Persian windmill was used
around 1000 b.c. to turn a
grindstone. It is the oldest known
windmill design.
• Anonometer
• An anemometer is a device used for
measuring wind speed and direction.
It is also a common weather station
instrument.
• A cup anemometer is a drag-type
vertical axis wind turbine
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Savonius Wind Turbine

• The Savonius turbine is S-shaped if
viewed from above.
• This drag-type VAWT turns relatively
slowly, but yields a high torque.
• It is useful for grinding grain, pumping
water, and many other tasks, but its slow
rotational speeds make it unsuitable for
generating electricity on a large-scale
• The turbine consists of a number of
aerofoils, usually—but not always—
vertically mounted on a rotating shaft or
framework, either ground stationed or
tethered in airborne systems.
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Flapping Panel Wind Turbine

• The Flap Turbine (FT) is a novel type of
vertical axis turbine (VAWT) where the blades
are made of movable flaps.
• With this turbine, wind can come from any
direction. It is designed with moving panels that
are each attached to the base with two poles.
• Wind can hit the turbine from any direction to
produce power.
• This turbine lacks speed and durability in
higher winds.

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Darrieus Wind Turbine

• The Darrieus turbine is the most famous vertical axis
wind turbine. It is characterized by its C-shaped rotor
blades which give it its eggbeater appearance. It is
normally built with two or three blades.
• The Darrieus turbine is not self starting. It needs to
start turbing before the wind will begin rotating it.
manual push
• These eggbeater shaped turbines are great at efficiency,
however, they are not as reliable.
• This design is much smaller, so it produces less noise
and requires much less space.
• In order to use the Darrieus wind turbine you must have
an outside source of power in order to start them
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Giromill Wind Turbine

• The giromill is typically powered by two or three
vertical aerofoils attached to the central mast by
horizontal supports.
• Giromill turbines work well in turbulent wind
conditions and are an affordable option where a
standard horizontal axis windmill type turbine is
unsuitable
• This design is extremely inexpensive to make, and it
is good in turbulent wind conditions.
• Besides the low cost, in comparison, it does not
stand up to the energy production of HAWTs.

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Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

• A horizontal Axis Wind Turbine is the most common wind
turbine design. In addition to being parallel to the ground, the
axis of blade rotation is parallel to the wind flow.
• Up-Wind Turbines (Machines)
• Upwind machines have the rotor facing the wind. The basic
advantage of upwind designs is that one avoids the wind shade
behind the tower. By far the vast majority of wind turbines have
this design.
• The basic drawback of upwind designs is that the rotor needs to
be made rather inflexible and placed at some distance from the
tower.
• Upwind turbines are driven by motors to follow the direction of
the wind. Smaller turbines use a tail vane to steer the turbine in
the direction of wind flow.
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Down-Wind Turbines
• Other wind turbines operate in a downwind mode
so that the wind passes the tower before striking the
blades. Without a tail vane, the machine rotor
naturally tracks the wind in a downwind mode.
• Downwind turbines naturally track air flow without
a motor. This simpler design of wind turbine can be
used in combination with upwind turbines to create
farms of turbines.
• Down-wind turbines noisier (additional
aerodynamic noise), and the blades are subject to
more forces than those of up-wind turbines.
• Reliable Technologies of Downwind Rotor: the
stronger the wind, the larger the clearance between
the blades and the tower by blade flexion.
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Shrouded Wind Turbines

• Some turbines have an added structural
design feature called an augmentor.
• The augmentor is intended to increase
the amount of wind passing through
the blades.
• A shroud of suitable geometry can
increase the flow velocity across the
turbine by 3 to 4 times the open or
free stream velocity.
• Most shrouded turbines are
directional. One-direction fixed
shrouds may not capture flow
efficiently
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VAWT Advantages
• They can produce electricity in any wind direction
• Strong supporting tower in not needed because generator, gearbox and other components are
placed on the ground
• Low production cost as compared to horizontal axis wind turbine
• Easy installation as compared to other wind turbine
• Easy to transport from one place to other
• Low maintenance cost
• They can be install in urban area
• Low risk for human and birds because blades moves at relatively low speed
• Function in extreme weather, with variable winds and even mountain conditions.
• Permissible where taller structures are prohibited.
• Quieter to operate, so they don’t disturb people in residential neighborhoods. 15
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VAWT Disadvantages
• As only one blade of wind turbine work at a time so efficiency is very low
• They need a initial push to start, this action use few of its own produce electricity
• When compared to horizontal axis wind turbine they are very less efficient with
respect to them. this is because they have an additional drag when their blades
rotates.
• Since the wind turbines are lower to the ground, they do not harness the higher wind
speeds often found at higher levels.
• They have relative high vibration because the air flow near the ground creates
turbulent flow
• Vibration can be an issue at times, and even increase the noise produced by the
turbine. Air flow at ground level can increase turbulence, thereby increasing vibration.
• Because of vibration bearing wear increase which result in the increase of
maintenance cost
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HAWT Advantages
• Horizontal axis wind turbines are most often seen in large-scale wind farms for national
projects or industrial plants, and here’s the reason why: Their advantages make them the
perfect solution for mass electricity production.
• High Power Output: horizontal axis wind turbines are generally built to have a capacity
ranging between 2 to 8 MW , depending on the usage.
• High Efficiency: Currently, horizontal axis wind turbines have the highest efficiency. They
can transform 40 to 50 % of received wind power into electricity.
• High Reliability: Being the dominant wind turbine model for decades, R&D of horizontal
axis wind turbines are already mature. Not only are existing products on the market reliable,
the application and usage of horizontal axis wind turbines are also thoroughly explored.
• High Operational Wind Speed: Due to the height of the rotors, horizontal axis wind
turbines are able to receive wind with greater speed. This means they are more likely to
operate at higher wind speed which helps them provide optimal performance.
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HAWT Disadvantages
• Difficult to Transport, Install, and Maintain: Due to the sheer size of horizontal axis wind
turbines, transporting and installing them come with great logistic and technical challenges.
• With blades sometimes as long as 70 meters and as heavy as 20 tons, horizontal axis wind
turbines might just not fit onto the narrow, curvy roads of mountainous areas, or even our
day-to-day roads where houses, utility poles, and street lamps line up the sides.
• Create Negative Environmental Impact: The environmental impact of horizontal axis wind
turbines are, until this day, still widely discussed and somewhat controversial. Concerns
generally include the noise emission caused by enormous blades swooping across the air, the
gigantic drop shadow, and the effect on wildlife and local ecosystems.
• Strict Regulations for Installation: minimum distance to a neighboring household from a
horizontal axis wind turbine is usually four times the turbine’s total height.
• Before installing a wind turbine in a certain area, the municipality must conduct a noise
assessment to ensure limits are kept.
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