Vipul Raj Thesis

THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND
DESIGN OF AN ENERGY STORAGE MECHANISM FOR A VERTICAL AXIS

WIND TURBINE
Student Name: VIPUL, RAJ
Course Code: ENGG7240
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. KAMEL HOOMAN, Dr. YUANSHEN LU
Submission date: 25 October 2018
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology

DESIGN OF AN ENERGY
STORAGE MECHANISM
FOR A VERTICAL AXIS
WIND TURBINE
ENGG7240 – Engineering Project 4A
Abstract
The present world wind turbines used for generating electric power however possess some
drawbacks, out of which the discontinuous power output stands as prominent. This happens
at times when the windspeed crosses the maximum capable speed limit of the turbine.
During such situations, when the windspeed goes beyond the maximum limit, to protect the
turbine from damages, by means of a brake, the turbine is regulated to drop down its
rotation to a speed that corresponds to a value below the rated wind speed. So, there occurs
an intermittent power output. However, this could be rectified with the accommodation of
an energy storage mechanism, especially of the flywheel type. In this project, a variable
inertia flywheel with four internal slider mass blocks, is to be designed as a solution for this
scenario, which aids in stabilizing the turbine angular velocity at the rated value even at a
windspeed above the rated level and protects the turbine from unexpected damages. Also,
a relation between the radial movement of the mass blocks and the windspeed is derived
and the magnitude of each mass block is obtained. The performance curves for this system
are developed through MATLAB Simulink software.
DESIGN OF AN ENERGY STORAGE MECHANISM FOR A VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINE
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisors Assoc. Prof. Kamel Hooman
and Dr. Yuanshen Lu for guiding me throughout the course of this project with their invaluable
comments and suggestions. I would also like to thank Prof. Andrej Atrens for all his help
towards developing this project report the most systematic way possible. last but not the least,
I also thank the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering for giving me such an
auspicious opportunity to exhibit my talent in performing research activities with all possible
and appreciable support.
2
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 5
Background information ........................................................................................................ 5
Thesis definition..................................................................................................................... 6
Thesis objective ..................................................................................................................... 7
Literature review ........................................................................................................................ 8
Types of wind turbines........................................................................................................... 8
Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) .............................................................................. 8
Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) .................................................................................. 9
Energy storage mechanisms ................................................................................................. 16
Batteries ........................................................................................................................... 16
Compressed air energy storage (CAES) .......................................................................... 17
Pumped hydro .................................................................................................................. 17
Flywheel ............................................................................................................................... 19
Background ...................................................................................................................... 19
Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 26
Wind..................................................................................................................................... 26
Opted VAWT model ............................................................................................................ 26
Wind power...................................................................................................................... 27
Turbine characteristics ..................................................................................................... 27
Design and description ......................................................................................................... 31
Working ........................................................................................................................... 31
Flywheel mounting .......................................................................................................... 32
Mathematical modelling .................................................................................................. 33
Simulation ........................................................................................................................ 36
Result and discussion ............................................................................................................... 38
Performance curves .............................................................................................................. 39
Angular velocity v/s windspeed ....................................................................................... 39
Power v/s windspeed........................................................................................................ 40
Mass block radial movement v/s windspeed ................................................................... 41
Limitations ............................................................................................................................... 42
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 43
References ................................................................................................................................ 43
3
List of figures
Figure 1- Three bladed 12kW VAWT prototype located in Marsta, Sweden [14] __________________________ 5
Figure 2 - Schematic representation of a horizontal axis wind turbine [10] ______________________________ 8
Figure 3 - Schematic representation of the HAWT airfoil [10] _________________________________________ 9
Figure 4 - A typical VAWT [10] _________________________________________________________________ 9
Figure 5 - A typical Darrieus VAWT [2] __________________________________________________________ 10
Figure 6 - Schematic representation of a H-rotor turbine [2] ________________________________________ 11
Figure 7 - A typical H-rotor VAWT [15] __________________________________________________________ 11
Figure 8 - Schematic representation of a H-rotor VAWT blade forces [3] _______________________________ 12
Figure 9 - Schematic representation of the entire H-rotor system [11] _________________________________ 12
Figure 10 - A typical savonius design for pumping water [2] _________________________________________ 13
Figure 11 - A typical solwind VAWT [2] _________________________________________________________ 13
Figure 12 - A typical eurowind VAWT [2] ________________________________________________________ 14
Figure 13 - Eurowind in a marine site [2] ________________________________________________________ 14
Figure 14 - A typical helical VAWT [2] __________________________________________________________ 15
Figure 15 - Schematic representation of different energy storage mechanisms [4] _______________________ 16
Figure 16 - Schematic representation of battery cell reaction [4] _____________________________________ 16
Figure 17 - Schematic representation of CAES [4] _________________________________________________ 17
Figure 18 - Schematic representation of pumped hydro [4] _________________________________________ 17
Figure 19 - A typical locomotive flywheel [16] ____________________________________________________ 19
Figure 20 - Schematic representation of a high-speed flywheel [18] __________________________________ 21
Figure 21 - A typical variable inertia flywheel [12]_________________________________________________ 24
Figure 22 - Schematic representation of an arm type flywheel [9] ____________________________________ 25
Figure 23 - 12kW VAWT prototype [3] __________________________________________________________ 26
Figure 24 - 12kW VAWT in Marsta [11] _________________________________________________________ 27
Figure 25 - Schematic representation of stalling in VAWT [19] _______________________________________ 28
Figure 26 - PMSG for VAWT [11] ______________________________________________________________ 30
Figure 27 - Schematic representation of variable inertia flywheel ____________________________________ 31
Figure 28 - Schematic representation of a speed governor [20] ______________________________________ 32
Figure 29 - Schematic representation of the flywheel mounting position ______________________________ 33
Figure 30 - Cp vs TSR curve [3] _________________________________________________________________ 34
Figure 31- Schematic representation of simulation model __________________________________________ 37
Figure 32 - Angular velocity vs windspeed _______________________________________________________ 39
Figure 33 - Activated angular velocity vs windspeed _______________________________________________ 39
Figure 34 - Power vs windspeed _______________________________________________________________ 40
Figure 35 - Activated power vs windspeed _______________________________________________________ 41
Figure 36 - Mass block radial movement vs windspeed _____________________________________________ 41
List of tables
Table 1 - Characteristics of low-speed and high-speed flywheels [18] _________________________________ 21

Table 2 - General characteristics of flywheels [6] _________________________________________________ 21
Table 3 - Different flywheel materials [7] ________________________________________________________ 22
Table 4 - Tensile properties of high-performance fibers [17] _________________________________________ 23
Table 5 - Nominal properties of 12kW VAWT [11] _________________________________________________ 29
Table 6 - Nominal properties of turbine generator [11] _____________________________________________ 30
4
Introduction
Background information
Electricity is one of the important factors that aids the development of any economy. There
were many basic electric power generating systems discovered so far and resulted in
tremendous success. These have later paved way for the introduction of renewable power
generation systems that depends on sources like the solar, tidal, geothermal, etc. Out of these
methods the wind power production stands a bit higher due to their excessive use in the present
world scenario. Being a non-conventional mode of energy supply, the wind energy has been
evolving seriously since its discovery and is still under outstanding developments. The wind
energy is generally harvested by means of wind turbines which are basically rotary devices that
converts the kinetic energy of wind to corresponding mechanical energy. They are modelled in
mainly two different types; horizontal and vertical; which are differentiated by their axis of
rotation. This project deals with a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) installed in the Marsta
site in Sweden as depicted in Figure 1. Though a recognised method of power production, the
operating conditions of a wind turbine is seriously affected by many factors out of which the
irregular wind speed sounds to be the major one. The currently available method to rectify this
issue is by making use of a brake system which is installed along with the electrical system
Figure 1- Three bladed 12kW VAWT prototype located

in Marsta, Sweden [14]
namely generator. However, this method seems to be a little power consuming and would in
5
turn lead to subsequent replacements. This thesis takes into consideration the former mentioned
drawback and put forward a design of an energy storage device which is a flywheel to overcome
the situation. The flywheel is basically a variable moment of inertia type with sliding weights
accommodated in it that helps in varying the moment of inertia when the turbine exceeds a
rated speed limit. By installing such an energy storage device in the turbine would help the
rotary system to attain the rated speed when its actual speed crosses the cut-off value. This in
turn would help to produce a stable output from the turbine that leads to the generation of
uniform power supply.
Thesis definition
Being a non-conventional mode of energy generation, wind energy has developed to a

reasonable level so far. The tremendous dependence of this advancing world on such types of
renewable energy sources has been taken into wide considerations. However, there are many
drawbacks associated with this power production system in which the intermittent outcome
seems to be the prior one. This scenario can be excluded and rectified with the incorporation
of an energy storage system which is mainly the flywheel type. Installing this device beneath
the rotor, which eventually causes change in the moment of inertia of the rotary apparatus, can
aid the angular velocity to be maintained in an acceptable steady level; rated speed; when wind
speed crosses a cut-off value. The whole procedure is considered for a three bladed H - rotor
vertical axis wind turbine prototype. The opted variable inertia flywheel has four spring loaded
slider masses installed in four different slots that are mutually perpendicular to each other.
When the turbine angular velocity exceeds the speed limit that corresponds to rated wind speed,
the centrifugal force associated with the sliding masses increases and they start to shift their
radial positions from the rotary centre and gradually varies the mass moment of inertia of the
system [1]. This in turn leads to an eventual change in the turbine angular velocity in such a
way that this velocity helps in stabilizing the turbine power output. This thesis focusses on
constructing a relation between the radial movement of the sliding mass blocks and the
windspeed which thereby aids in designing the flywheel that suits with the selected VAWT
model. The design simulations are made in MATLAB Simulink software and the related
performance curves are also to be obtained.
6
Thesis objective
Firstly, a detailed literature survey is conducted to understand the various aspects of a vertical
axis wind turbine. Also, the flywheels are studied in a more comprehensive way. The flywheel
key components are to be specified and defined. The opted turbine model must be studied for
the flywheel system to be installed. The preferred position of the flywheel is beneath the rotor
apparatus. The aim is to develop a relation between the sliding mass radial movement and the
windspeed that eventually changes the turbine angular velocity to obtain a steady output. This
thereby aids in obtaining a suitable magnitude for each slider mass block. To simulate the
design for obtaining the performance curves, the turbine parameters are to be set in a sequential
order and the output graphs are to be compared with the scenario where the flywheel is active
and non-active.
7
Literature review
Types of wind turbines

There are commonly two types of wind turbines available till date which are the horizontal and
vertical axis wind turbines. The major difference between both the types is their axis of rotation
from which their names came.
Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT)
Figure 2 - Schematic representation of a horizontal axis wind turbine

[10]
Figure 2 shows the schematic representation of a horizontal axis wind turbine. The blades of
the turbine rotor rotate about an axis parallel to the ground. The top of the turbine has a section
called nacelle which encloses the gearbox and generator mechanisms. These turbines utilize
the lift force to operate. That is, the wind does not travel under the designed airfoil blade rather
it travels on top of it. This causes the pressure on top of the blade to be less and that on bottom
the more which generates a lift effect and hence the rotor rotates. HAWT is the most commonly
preferred wind turbine in many cases due to its significant characteristics that they can be
chosen for greater heights accompanied by higher power production capabilities. Figure 3
shows the schematic representation of a horizontal axis wind turbine airfoil.
8
Figure 3 - Schematic representation of the HAWT airfoil [10]
Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT)
Figure 4 - A typical VAWT [10]
Figure 4 depicts a typical vertical axis wind turbine. Here, the turbine blades rotate about an
axis that is perpendicular to the ground and hence the name. The proposed project is performed
with the vertical axis wind turbine. As compared to the HAWT, the VAWT has a relatively
lower power production capability. Also, they have some common drawbacks that they cannot
be preferred for greater altitudes and an initial force is required to rotate the turbine blades in
many cases. However, these turbines are chosen for many of the low budget power productions
nowadays. These may be mainly because of their relatively lower cost as compared to that of
the HAWT. VAWT could catch wind from any direction and hence it does not require a yaw
mechanism like HAWT does. So, these turbines can be considered as omnidirectional. Alike
HAWT, all the components except the turbine rotor arrangement are placed at the bottom of
9
the turbine tower. This helps the turbine to have a close contact with the ground surface and
helps reduce vibrations [2]. There are many types of VAWT available nowadays.
Darrieus VAWT
Figure 5 - A typical Darrieus VAWT [2]
The darrieus turbine, which is considered as the initially developed type had a great time during
its generation. This caused the entire wind energy power production sector a starting high
torque and thrust. However, the concept began fading out till the next generation. These
turbines were having some serious troubles with its operations. That is, they needed a starter to
have the initial rotations for which it must be assembled with some external means. They had
the tendency to experience eventual fatigue while vibrating at a violent level. Also, these
turbines had a relatively high noise level and a low efficiency, that caused its diminishment.
Figure 5 shows a typical darrieus VAWT.
10
H-rotor straight bladed VAWT
Figure 6 - Schematic representation of a H-rotor turbine [2]
The H-rotor or H-type VAWT is a self-regulating system that has relatively a less complex
design and shape. Figure 6 illustrates the force distribution on a H-rotor turbine. This type of
VAWT can reach the optimal speed at the earliest just after the wind speed crosses the cut-in
speed of the turbine. The reason why this turbine is chosen for most of the research works is
mainly due to its geometry and simple design. Figure 7 shows a typical H-rotor VAWT. During
Figure 7 - A typical H-rotor VAWT [15]
its time in the 1980’s, these turbines were mostly aimed at small scale markets. As they have a
low and more predictable stress loading on their blades, these are then considered as the ideal
11
machineries for wide scale electric power generation. However, this preference has not yet
been executed stating reason as the failure of the earlier model and their relatively lower blade
efficiency [2]. These types of turbines have the stalling mechanism which allows the blade to
be turned so that the turbine speed could be regulated by this operation. This enables the rotor
to accelerate till a specific speed and then tries to maintain that level even though the wind
speed rises. Figure 8 shows the blade force distribution in a H-rotor VAWT [3].
Figure 8 - Schematic representation of a H-rotor VAWT blade forces [3]
Figure 9 - Schematic representation of the entire H-rotor system [11]
12
A typical direct driven VAWT illustrated in Figure 9. The relevant parts of the H-type turbine
are depicted in the given image. It has two major sections; the turbine and the power substation.
Savonius VAWT
Figure 10 - A typical savonius

design for pumping water [2]
Basically, this turbine has blades of the shape of half drums arranged in the opposite directions
on to shaft. When wind hits the drum like blade, it rotates, and the opposite blade is expected
to attain the previous blade’s position and this process continues. This in turn causes the shaft
to rotate [2]. These types are commonly preferred for wind measurements like the anemometer.
Figure 10 shows a typical savonius VAWT.
Solwind VAWT
Figure 11 - A typical solwind VAWT [2]
These turbines are best known for their less noise operating conditions. Generally, they have
their cut-in speed in between 1.5-3.7m/s and are supposed to deliver a rated output at 10m/s.
the less noise is mainly because of their special design that their blades do not make the
13
common coning sound that happens in most other turbines, especially HAWT, where the blades
move close to the mast for each rotation. These blades are made from composite fiber glass
commonly and they are relatively easy to handle [2]. Figure 11 depicts a typical solwind design
[2].
Eurowind VAWT
These VAWT’s are mainly considered for industrial chimneys and similar structures. They
have an asymmetrical airfoil design for their blades which are mainly chosen due to the
requirement of the low drag and high lift features. The edges of the blades are parallel but are
not twisted. These blades are generally produced in sections by the extrusion process. After all,
these turbines are self-starting like most other VAWT [2]. Eurowind turbines are usually
Figure 12 - A typical eurowind VAWT [2]
Figure 13 - Eurowind in a marine site [2]
14
preferred in marine environments where happens spontaneous industrial operations. Figure 12

shows a common eurowind design and Figure 13 gives a view of the eurowind in a marine site.
Helical VAWT
It is designed based on the sailing engineering principle; that is, it doesn’t matter where the
wind comes from, but the boat still moves forward. These turbines have two vanes that are
formed spirally, and they are usually preferred for marine as well as inland sites. They can
withstand windspeed up to 60m/s. Figure 14 shows a helical VAWT [2].
Figure 14 - A typical helical VAWT [2]
15
Energy storage mechanisms

While detailing the energy storage mechanisms of a sudden, the word that comes at first is the
battery storage. However, batteries are not the only storage option and their selection may even
depend on various aspects like system operating conditions, operational parameters, efficiency,
economy, etc. Hence, whichever storage mechanisms selected, it should be designed in such a
way that it aids in attaining the maximum possible output from the system [4]. Figure 15
illustrates the currently available various energy storage mechanisms.
Figure 15 - Schematic representation of different energy storage mechanisms [4]
Batteries
In battery, energy is delivered through electrochemical reactions. It occurs inside a cell in
Figure 16 - Schematic representation of battery cell reaction [4]
which two electrodes are in tight contact with an electrolyte and the load is supplied. Electron
transfer takes place between the two electrodes as one electrode undergoes oxidation and the
16
other electrode faces reduction reactions. These electrons are transferred through external
circuit thus producing electricity. The main aspects to be considered while selecting battery
storages are to have electrodes with considerable reduction potentials, and long-lasting
electrolytic environment. Figure 16 depicts the schematic representation of a typical battery
cell reaction [4].
Compressed air energy storage (CAES)
Figure 17 - Schematic representation of CAES [4]
In this system, energy is stored and delivered through pressure gradients. How this happens is
that, the air is pumped into some container by using the energy and a turbine is driven with the
pressurized air [4]. There is a wide temperature swing including gas expansion and gas exits
with high pressure and it cools with atmospheric conditions. Figure 17 shows the schematic
representation of a typical CAES.
Pumped hydro
Figure 18 - Schematic representation of pumped hydro [4]
17
In this storage system, the potential energy of a certain quantity of water is converted to
mechanical energy by spinning a turbine. Water is pumped into a reservoir and when it is
allowed to flow back, the corresponding energy is harnessed. These were one of the oldest
methods that were utilized for the coal as well as the nuclear power productions [4]. Figure 18
illustrates the schematic representation of a typical pumped hydro system.
18
Flywheel
Background
Figure 19 - A typical locomotive flywheel [16]
Flywheels were introduced several hundred years before where they were solely used to
maintain the machine operating cycles without any appreciable flaws in between. Figure 19
shows a typical locomotive flywheel. Generally, a flywheel is a rotary mechanical device which
stores rotational energy. That is, it absorbs mechanical energy during the operation and acts
like a reservoir. Energy is stored during the time when the operating condition does not lack in
the required energy input or the supplied input energy is more than the required quantity [5].
This energy is then released during the period when the input or the supplied energy is less
than the required limit. Basically, flywheels are considered for two main reasons:
• To provide energy continuously when there is a discontinuous energy source.

• To provide energy beyond the limit of input energy source [5].
19
There are generally two types of kinetic energy storage systems (KESS); low-speed KESS and
high-speed KESS.
Low-speed KESS
The low-speed type has the following features:
• Ranges up to 6000rpm
• The mass moment of inertia needed for the flywheels are relatively more due to the
dependency of the energy content on the square of speed. This could even lead to heavy
weights.
• Generally, these are made from steel and its composition varies depending on the
operating conditions and systems.
• To increase the bearing life, conventional roll or ball bearings are commonly preferred
as the weight of the rotor is relatively large.
• The losses are in between 0.5-1 percent of the rated power [6].
High-speed KESS
The high-speed type has the following features:
• Works between 10000 rpm and 100000 rpm.

• Generally, they are made from composites.
• Here, the dimensions, mass moment of inertia and the weights are comparatively small.
• These are supported by magnetic bearings.
• The small dimensions and the low weights are its advantages over the low-speed type.
• They account for a loss limit of 0.1% of the rated power.
• The usual disadvantage related with these devices is their high cost [6].
Figure 20 shows the schematic representation of a high-speed flywheel and Table 2

illustrates the characteristics of low-speed and high-speed flywheels.
20
Figure 20 - Schematic representation of a high-speed flywheel [18]
Table 1 - Characteristics of low-speed and high-speed flywheels [18]
Table 2 - General characteristics of flywheels [6]
The Table 1 illustrates the general characteristics of industrial flywheels.
21
Flywheel basics
Energy storage
The flywheel can be meshed with both motor as well as generator. On whichever modes, the
flywheel gains energy from the external force and stores it as kinetic energy if the input energy
is more than the required condition or releases the same when the input is less than the ambient
level. This helps the generator to spin faster and attain the rated speed at the earliest or makes
it deliver a uniform output.
The flywheel stores kinetic energy and is proportional to its moment of inertia and square of
its rotational speed. This is expressed by the equation:
Where;
Ek = kinetic energy stored in flywheel
I = moment of inertia
Ꞷ = angular velocity of flywheel
Here, the moment of inertia is a function of the shape and mass of the flywheel.
Characteristics of different flywheel materials
Table 3 shows some of the different flywheel materials available so far.
Table 3 - Different flywheel materials [7]
22
Chances of defects
Flywheels develop cracks when they are made from fiber reinforced composite with
circumferentially oriented fibers. This might lead to the projection of free-flying fragments
when the flywheel fails in its action during operation. A rotational speed drop allowance of
50% is adopted in most designs. The energy storage capability of the flywheel is determined
by its geometry and speed while the power capabilities are understood from the linked motor
or generator [7]. Table 4 shows the tensile properties of high-performance fibers.
Table 4 - Tensile properties of high-performance fibers [17]
Variable inertia flywheel

These types of flywheels help in satisfying the transient power load demands by releasing the
stored kinetic energy. They have generally two ways to vary the system inertia, either by using
interconnected multiple flywheels that possess different inertia or by radially moving mass
23
blocks within the flywheel with respect to the main axis [8]. The flywheels with movable
masses have a body that encloses a certain number of guide ways for the mass blocks to occupy
and move. Most of them has spring loaded mechanisms incorporated with the sliding masses
so that these masses remain in their original positions, that is, closer to the axis of rotation, and
Figure 21 - A typical variable inertia flywheel [12]
helps the masses to return to their original position during inactivity. When the centrifugal force
corresponding to the rotation of the flywheel reaches the rated value; also called the critical
value; which is higher than the spring force, the spring compresses and the masses move
radially outwards. This causes the inertia of the flywheel to increase thereby reducing the
angular velocity [8]. This in turn affects the associated centrifugal force to decrease leading to
a reduced overall angular speed of the entire system of rotation. When the centrifugal force
reduces, the spring force gradually becomes brighter and more predominant causing the shifted
masses to regain their original positions. Figure 21 shows a typical variable inertia flywheel.
24
The flywheel in the Figure 21 has four slider masses guided through 4 mutually perpendicular
pathways. Each of them is spring loaded for the reasons mentioned above. The slider masses
are of cylindrical in shape and are arranged in the slots with the least possible clearances.
Geometry of a flywheel
The currently available flywheel can be of the type of a:
• solid cylindrical disc

• conventional wheel design
• design which suits the main system geometry
The commonly available arm type flywheel has a certain number of arms that vary depending
on the type of conditions and scenario where the flywheel is preferred to. Figure 22 shows the
schematic representation of an arm type flywheel [9].
Figure 22 - Schematic representation of an arm type flywheel [9]
25
Methodology
Wind
Earth gets heated unevenly in times by solar energy which creates pressure changes in
atmosphere causing wind formation. This wind energy can be utilized with the help of a wind
turbine. wind when hit on the turbine blades causes the blades to revolve which in turn causes
the entire rotor apparatus to rotate producing a continuous angular motion that ends up with
power generation by a generator at the other end [10]. Wind turbine power production is
accompanied by many drawbacks. The primary one is that they are expensive in designing and
installation when considered for those communities or regions having space for wind farms.
Secondary is they must be in areas having enough wind speed so that the turbine sounds to be
rotating throughout without discrete operations.
Opted VAWT model

The turbine that is selected for the proposed project is a 12kW prototype one and is shown in
Figure 23 and Figure 24. This is developed by the Uppsala university and located in the Marsta
site in Sweden.
Figure 23 - 12kW VAWT prototype [3]
26
Figure 24 - 12kW VAWT in Marsta [11]
Wind power
The power converted by the wind turbine (Pt) from the wind can be expressed by the
expression:
Here,
ρ denotes the air density in kg/m3, A represents the turbine swept area in square meter, U
indicates the windspeed in m/s. The power coefficient is specified by Cp whereas the λ
denotes the tip speed ratio [3].
Turbine characteristics
Stalling
In general, what the stall mechanism explains is of the two types of stalls, that are, the active
and passive stalls. Wind turbines usually have stalls in their rotor blade designs. These are
designed to overcome and neutralise the sudden wind speed rise in a mechanically. This aids
27
Figure 25 - Schematic representation of stalling in VAWT [19]
the lift force of the rotor blade not to affect the rotor performance. The proposed turbine in this
project, that is, the 12kW VAWT, is a passive stall turbine that has the rotor blades arranged
to the hub at a fixed angle [2]. The general conceptual advantage of having the stalling
mechanism is that it avoids the unnecessary wind speed influences on the rotor. However, the
mechanism itself is a complex design and has its associated challenges, one of which is the
accompanied vibration that almost two-thirds of the VAWT in the world experience. Figure 25
illustrates the schematic representation of VAWT stall.
Turbine structure
The turbine was designed with NACA0021 section profile. The blades are of carbon fiber and
fiberglass. There are streamlined struts to which each blade is mounted on to. These struts are
wooden made with lamination and fiberglass coating. The strut profile is designed with
NACA0025 and has the trailing edge shortened. Both analytical as well as numerical models
28
were used for the designing of this H-rotor turbine [11]. Some of the relevant properties of the
12kW VAWT are mentioned in Table 5.
Table 5 - Nominal properties of 12kW VAWT [11]
Generator
A permanent magnet synchronous generator is used for the proposed VAWT in which
neodymium-iron-boron magnets are used to magnetize the rotor. The generator was prepared
by finite element methods and were simulated after that. An auxiliary winding is placed in the
outermost lap of stator slots. This winding helps to run the generator as a motor during initial
stages of the turbine. The auxiliary winding is made of the same material as that of the man
winding [11]. Figure 26 shows the image of the generator during installation and the generator
properties are mentioned in Table 6.
29
Figure 26 - PMSG for VAWT [11]
Table 6 - Nominal properties of turbine generator [11]
30
Design and description
Figure 27 - Schematic representation of variable inertia flywheel
Figure 27 illustrates the schematic representation of the variable inertia flywheel proposed for
the above-mentioned vertical axis wind turbine. The flywheel is considered to have four sliding
masses that slide along the slot provided in the flywheel body. These mass blocks are
cylindrical in shape and are contained in the slots with a spring-loaded mechanism. The springs
used for this purpose are compression springs. The four slots are mutually perpendicular to
each other and are equal in geometry such as length, breadth as well as height. This thesis deals
with determining the relation between the sliding mass block’s radial movement and the
experienced windspeed that aids the flywheel to attain the required output angular velocity
[12].
Working
The flywheel working mechanism can be made in analogous with the working of a speed
governor. In a speed governor, as the speed of the engine output crosses a certain limit, the
mass rotating along the peripheral of the governor links moves radially outwards and thus
pulls up the lever so as to regulate the fuel flow and control the vehicle speed. The same
mechanism is called in here as well. However, the way it is considered is different. Because,
31
for this thesis, the angular velocity is the one to be regulated and brought back to the required
level; rated speed. Figure 28 shows the schematic representation of a typical ordinary speed
governor.
Figure 28 - Schematic representation of a speed governor [20]
Flywheel mounting
The variable inertia flywheel is supposed to be installed below the rotor. It is possible to mount
it above the rotor or within the rotor struts, but those may take a little more field studies which
in reality may face more complications. Currently, the turbine chosen is a prototype and also
has a smaller dimension as compared to the commercially available systems. So, to make the
concept simpler and to obtain an efficient result, which is more convenient and acceptable for
future considerations, it is better to mount the flywheel beneath the turbine rotor. Moreover, as
the moment of inertia is expected to vary throughout the turbine operation, there could be
structural vibrations associated with the turbine rotation. Considering those factors and also the
tower geometry, the most suitable position for the flywheel is suggested below. Figure 29
depicts the schematic representation of the mounting position of the flywheel.
32
Figure 29 - Schematic representation of the flywheel mounting position
Mathematical modelling
This design focusses mainly on the windspeed range between the rated and maximum value. It
is to mention that, the rated windspeed is considered as speed limit at which the flywheel is
proposed to activate, that is 12 m/s. So, when the windspeed crosses 12 m/s, the flywheel comes
in action by varying the moment of inertia which happens by the radial movement of the
internal sliding mass blocks. In this mathematical description, at windspeed equal to and greater
than the rated windspeed, the angular velocity is taken to be constant at its rated value; which
is 13.33 rad/s for this chosen VAWT.
General expression for power extracted from the wind energy by a VAWT is given by:
Tpower = 0.5 × Cp × ρ × Aswpt × Va3 (1) [3]

Here,
Cp is the turbine power coefficient, ρ denotes the air density in kilogram per cubic meter
(kg/m3), Aswpt indicates the swept area of the turbine in square meter (m2) and Va3 represents
the wind speed in meters per second (m/s).
33
Also, (1) can be expressed as:
Tpower = Ꞇwind × Ꞷ (2) [3]

Here, Ꞷ is the flywheel angular velocity in rad/s.
Hence, (1) and (2) could be expressed as:
Ꞇwind × Ꞷ = 0.5 × Cp × ρ × Aswpt × Va3 (3)

Figure 30 shows the graph between coefficient of power (Cp) and tip speed ratio (λ).
Figure 30 - Cp vs TSR curve [3]
It is possible to obtain a relation between Cp and λ from the graph shown in Figure 30, that is,
Cp can be expressed as a function of λ.
Cp = f(λ) = f( (Ꞷ × Rrotor) / Va ) (4)

Also,
Ꞷ = ( λ × Va ) / Rrotor
34
Here, Rrotor is the turbine rotor radius. The optimum Cp and λ found for the turbine are 0.29 and
3.33 respectively [3].
It is to point out that, at the moment when the windspeed crosses 12 m/s, Ꞷ is kept constant
and the equation for angular momentum can be expressed as:
Lfly = Ifly × Ꞷ
d/dt (Lfly) = Ꞷ × d/dt (Ifly) (5)

Also,
d/dt (Lfly) = Ꞇfly
Therefore, (5) can be written as:
Ꞇfly = Ꞷ × d/dt (Ifly) (6)

Where, Ifly is the moment of inertia of the flywheel.
Also,
Ifly = kmr2
Here, k depends on the number of sliding mass systems preferred in the flywheel, m and r are
the mass of each slider block and radius respectively. And here, it is 4, hence, (6) can be
written as:
Ꞇfly = Ꞷ × 4 × m × d/dt (r2) (7)

The generator torque is given by:
Where, R is the generator resistance per phase in ꭥ, Pg is the generator electrical power in W,
kg is the generator voltage constant in Vs/rad [3].
Considering the force balance on the shaft, that is:
Ꞇwind = Ꞇfly + Ꞇgenerator [13]
35
On further simplification, the radius r is obtained as a function of windspeed Va, that is:
r = f(Va)
Also,
d/dt (r2) = (( 0.774 × Va3 ) - Ꞇgenerator ) / ( 106.64 × m )) (8)
(8) is the most required expression and it will be used in modelling the simulink simulation.
This expression aids in generating a performance curve between the mass slider radial
movement in the flywheel and the windspeed.
Mathematical considerations and assumptions

The flywheel is designed in such a manner that it fits beneath the rotor of the turbine in a
compact manner without having much structural distortions. To support the concept, the radius
of the flywheel is assumed to be half of that of turbine rotor which is supposed to be 1.5m.
Also, to obtain the optimum relation between the slider mass radial movement and the
windspeed within the assumed radius, the magnitude of each mass blocks is to be varied
accordingly. The maximum windspeed experienced is assumed as 18 m/s and is also chosen so
as to suit the operational conditions of the opted turbine which is a prototype turbine primarily
developed for the experimental studies.
Simulation
A Simulink model is supposed to be developed based on the calculations performed in the
previous sections. This aids in determining the size of the flywheel that suits the opted VAWT.
The magnitude of the slider masses could also be obtained by this method. Figure 31 shows
the schematic representation of the simulation model prescribed for the flywheel design. The
main aim of the simulation was to judge how the parameters actually varies according to the
windspeed influence and an expected output was able to be obtained. The method used simple
mathematical operations to reach the expected outcome. The input source chosen was a ramp
input and the windspeed was adjusted to vary from 0 to 18m/s which is assumed as the cut-off
speed for the turbine. The graphs plotting variations in the net angular velocity, power, radial
movement of mass blocks with that in windspeed are obtained. These graphs were made in the
XY plot graphs for easier analysis and judgement.
36
Figure 31- Schematic representation of simulation model
Simulation features
The simulation of the flywheel design comprises of the following features:
• a ramp input to feed the windspeed

• the air density, turbine swept area, power coefficient has been entered with the
corresponding values and the power curve is generated
• by providing the tip speed ratio, rotor radius along with the wind speed, the turbine
angular velocity is obtained and thereafter a graph relating this velocity and the
windspeed is developed
• for analysing the flywheel slider mass radial movement with respect to the windspeed,
the relation obtained between the same components in the mathematical modelling
section; equation (8), is utilized.
• The performance graphs for each parameter before and during the flywheel operation
were developed
• To magnify the effect of the flywheel on the angular velocity of the turbine, which is
of course one of the main aims of implementing the flywheel concept, graphs between
the angular velocity and corresponding windspeeds are prepared through the same
simulink model
37
Result and discussion

An expression relating the flywheel slider mass radial movement and the influence of
windspeed has been generated with the help of certain static as well as dynamic analysis
methods. The obtained relation can be expressed as:
d/dt (r2) = (( 0.774 × Va3 ) - Ꞇgenerator ) / ( 106.64 × m ))
It is clear from this equation that the radial motion of the blocks is directly proportional to the
windspeed. Till the turbine reaches the rated speed, the slider masses will not be having enough
centrifugal force to push the spring so as to move forward. When the windspeed crosses the
rated speed of the turbine, the flywheel becomes more active, and here this causes the
centrifugal force associated with the mass block to compress the spring and start shifting the
block’s position radially. However, the extreme position of the motion of the blocks are
assumed in such way that it does not exceed a distance corresponding to the maximum
windspeed chosen, which here is 18m/s. The results could be explained a little more in detail
with the provision of the generated performance curves; shown in the section ahead.
38
Performance curves
Angular velocity v/s windspeed
Figure 32 - Angular velocity vs windspeed
Figure 33 - Activated angular velocity vs windspeed
Figure 32 shows the graph between the turbine angular velocity and the windspeed. This curve
is obtained before implementing the flywheel concept into the simulation model. Here, it could
39
be seen that the angular velocity kept on increasing till the maximum windspeed, which of
course affects the turbine in a negative manner as it causes the turbine to rotate at the maximum
speed until there is a windspeed reduction. So, the situation would be even worse when there
isn’t any windspeed reduction happening.
Figure 33 shows the graph obtained between angular velocity and windspeed when the
flywheel mechanism was installed. It could be observed from the figure that the turbine angular
velocity had been increasing till the rated windspeed; 12m/s; however, after that point, the
angular velocity maintained a steady state at the rated level throughout. That is, when the
windspeed went beyond the rated value, the flywheel activated, and the mass blocks moved
outwards which in turn changed the moment of inertia and hence reduced the angular velocity
of the turbine.
Power v/s windspeed
Figure 34 - Power vs windspeed
Figure 34 illustrates the graph between power and windspeed before flywheel installation. Like
the angular velocity curve, the power curve also kept on increasing till the maximum
windspeed. This can lead serious negative effects on the generator system which at that moment
was operating nearly at the maximum level.
40
Figure 35 - Activated power vs windspeed
Figure 35 depicts the graphical relation between power and windspeed when the flywheel
concept was implemented and activated. The power kept on increasing till the rated windspeed
and after that it maintained a steady level at the rated value until the maximum possible
windspeed.
Mass block radial movement v/s windspeed
Figure 36 - Mass block radial movement vs windspeed
41
Figure 36 shows the graph between the mass block radial motion and the windspeed with the
active presence of the flywheel. This plot was based on the equation (8) derived in the
mathematical modelling section. It could be observed from the graph that the blocks don’t
move till the windspeed reaches 12m/s; the rated speed; as it does not obtain the required
centrifugal force to compress the spring in the slot. However, after the windspeed exceeds the
rated value, the blocks start moving outwards as it gains enough centrifugal force to push the
spring and hence to acquire new position. This graph aided in determining the possible radius
of the flywheel and also the magnitude of each mass block. It was assumed before that the
flywheel radius was supposed to be half of that of the turbine rotor; that is 1.5m. This
assumption helped to set a limit for the maximum possible travel of the mass block; which is
taken as 0.7725m; within the flywheel slider slot. So, to get that particular value of radial
distance, the magnitude of mass block was required to be substituted into the equation (8).
The actual value of mass block was obtained after a few trial and error methods. The end value
was selected as 50kg each.
Limitations
Along with the designing of the flywheel, there are certain associated limitations to be noted
down. These are either re-treatable or could be resolved in the works ahead. Some of them are:
• The maximum wind speed considered for the location of the selected VAWT is 18m/s.
However, the wind may go even higher and there must be some advanced measures
accompanying the flywheel to cope up with the scenario.
• The project focusses mainly on H-rotor type vertical axis wind turbine. So, the scope
of the flywheel design for other types of vertical axis wind turbine needs to be analysed
and treated in detail.
• Stalling of the turbine is passive. Hence, in turbines with active stalling mechanism,
even though the concept of flywheel adapts, there needs a thorough redesign.
• The flywheel body dimension is not considered too deep for its mathematical modelling
and designing. However, there could be a slight variation in the actual design when the
flywheel disc is also taken into account for the design.
• Frictional force in the slider mass movement is considered negligible for this initial
design.
42
Conclusion
The concept of installing a variable moment of inertia flywheel in a VAWT might be an
appreciable one within the near future as it works with pure mechanical aids without the
consumption of any electric energy. The design of an energy storage mechanism for the H-
rotor vertical axis wind turbine is completed and the following conclusions are made:
• A detailed literature review on various aspects of the vertical axis wind turbine and
flywheel is conducted.
• A turbine was chosen which is an H-rotor VAWT.
• The flywheel was assumed to have a radius half of that of the turbine rotor.
• Maximum windspeed for the flywheel design is considered as 18m/s.
• A variable inertia flywheel is designed with 4 slider mass blocks in it.
• A relation between the slider mass block radial movement and the windspeed is
obtained and this also helped in determining the magnitude of each mass block which
is 50kg. The maximum radial motion of the blocks within the assumed flywheel radius
of 1.5m is obtained as 0.7725m.
• The angular velocity and the power output of the turbine are able to be maintained
almost steady at the rated value; 13.33 rad/s and above the rated wind speed of 12m/s.
References
[1] T. X. C. L. M. L. L. N. B. Shuai Yang, “Design, Modeling and Testing, of a Two-

Terminal Mass Device With a Variable Inertia Flywheel,” Journal of Mechanical
Design, vol. 138, no. 095001-1, 2016.
[2] M. Ragheb, “Vertical axis wind turbines,” 2015.
[3] M. ROSSANDER, “Electromechanics of VAWT,” Uppsala University, 2017.
[4] A. Senju, “Quora,” 12 June 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.quora.com/What-

are-different-types-of-energy-storage-systems-and-what-is-its-role-in-Smart-Grid.
43
[5] S. B. K. C. P. D. S. T.Raja Santhosh Kumar, “Design and dynamic analysis of

flywheel,” IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (IOSR-JMCE), pp. 51-
56, 2016.
[6] I. C. G. Portnov, “Flywheels for Low-Speed Kinetic Energy Storage Systems,”

Informes Técnicos Ciemat, 2003.
[7] “Flywheel energy and power storage systems,” Elsevier, pp. 235-258, 2007.
[8] M. Yello, “Energy conservation flywheel wiht variable moment of inertia,” US Patent,
2005.
[9] D. Patel, “Slideshare,” [Online]. Available:

https://www.slideshare.net/dhirenppatel1994/design-of-flywheel-50095336. [Accessed
2 July 2015].
[10] D. D. Lucas Deisadze, “Vertical axis wind turbine evaluation and design,”
WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, 2013.
[11] J. KJELLIN, “Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Electrical System and Experimental
Results,” Uppsala University, 2012.
[12] T. X. C. L. Shuai Yang, “Design, Modeling and Testing of a two-terminal mass device
with a variable inertia flywheel,” Journal of Mechanical Design, vol. 138, 2016.
[13] “Controls of a flywheel in a wind turbine rotor,” Wind engineering, vol. 40(2), pp. 173-
185, 2016.
[14] S. E. H. B. Senad Apelfröjd, “A Review of Research on Large Scale Modern Vertical

Axis Wind Turbines at Uppsala University,” MDPI, Energies, 2016.
[15] P. D. S. E. M. S. M. L. H. B. A. Solum, “Design of a 12kW vertical axis wind turbine

equipped with a direct driven PM synchronous generator,” Swedish Centre for
Renewable Electric Energy Conversion, 2006.
[16] T. Birmingham, “wikipedia,” [Online]. Available:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flywheel#/media/File:Thinktank_Birmingham_-
_Trevithick_Locomotive(1).jpg. [Accessed 11 August 2005].
[17] S. E. G. S. J. DeTeresa, “Properties of Fiber composites for advanced flywheel energy

storage device,” US, 2001.
[18] *. E. G. H. Samuel Wicki a, “Clean energy storage technology in the making: An

innovation systems perspective on flywheel energy storage,” Journal of Cleaner
Production, no. 162, pp. 1118-1134, 2017.
[19] N. Tamhane, “Quora,” 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.quora.com/What-is-

stalling-in-a-wind-turbine.
44
[20] P. Guenette, “123RF,” [Online]. Available:

https://fr.123rf.com/photo_35186049_r%C3%A9gulateur-watts-ou-centrifuge-
gouverneur-illustration-vintage-grav%C3%A9-dictionnaire-des-mots-et-des-
choses.html.
45

Vipul Raj Thesis

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Vipul Raj Thesis

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

DESIGN OF AN ENERGY STORAGE MECHANISM FOR A VERTICAL AXIS

Student Name: VIPUL, RAJ

Course Code: ENGG7240

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. KAMEL HOOMAN, Dr. YUANSHEN LU

Submission date: 25 October 2018

Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology

Table 1 - Characteristics of low-speed and high-speed flywheels [18] _________________________________ 21

Figure 1- Three bladed 12kW VAWT prototype located

Being a non-conventional mode of energy generation, wind energy has developed to a

Types of wind turbines

Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT)

Figure 2 - Schematic representation of a horizontal axis wind turbine

Figure 3 - Schematic representation of the HAWT airfoil [10]

Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT)

Figure 4 - A typical VAWT [10]

Figure 5 - A typical Darrieus VAWT [2]

H-rotor straight bladed VAWT

Figure 6 - Schematic representation of a H-rotor turbine [2]

Figure 7 - A typical H-rotor VAWT [15]

Figure 8 - Schematic representation of a H-rotor VAWT blade forces [3]

Figure 9 - Schematic representation of the entire H-rotor system [11]

Figure 10 - A typical savonius

Figure 11 - A typical solwind VAWT [2]

Figure 12 - A typical eurowind VAWT [2]

Figure 13 - Eurowind in a marine site [2]

preferred in marine environments where happens spontaneous industrial operations. Figure 12

Figure 14 - A typical helical VAWT [2]

Energy storage mechanisms

Figure 15 - Schematic representation of different energy storage mechanisms [4]

In battery, energy is delivered through electrochemical reactions. It occurs inside a cell in

Figure 16 - Schematic representation of battery cell reaction [4]

Compressed air energy storage (CAES)

Figure 17 - Schematic representation of CAES [4]

Figure 18 - Schematic representation of pumped hydro [4]

Figure 19 - A typical locomotive flywheel [16]

• To provide energy continuously when there is a discontinuous energy source.

• Works between 10000 rpm and 100000 rpm.

Figure 20 shows the schematic representation of a high-speed flywheel and Table 2

Figure 20 - Schematic representation of a high-speed flywheel [18]

Table 1 - Characteristics of low-speed and high-speed flywheels [18]

Table 2 - General characteristics of flywheels [6]

The Table 1 illustrates the general characteristics of industrial flywheels.

Ek = kinetic energy stored in flywheel

Ꞷ = angular velocity of flywheel

Characteristics of different flywheel materials

Table 3 shows some of the different flywheel materials available so far.

Table 3 - Different flywheel materials [7]

Table 4 - Tensile properties of high-performance fibers [17]

Variable inertia flywheel

Figure 21 - A typical variable inertia flywheel [12]

The currently available flywheel can be of the type of a:

• solid cylindrical disc

Figure 22 - Schematic representation of an arm type flywheel [9]

Opted VAWT model

Figure 23 - 12kW VAWT prototype [3]

Figure 24 - 12kW VAWT in Marsta [11]

Figure 25 - Schematic representation of stalling in VAWT [19]

Table 5 - Nominal properties of 12kW VAWT [11]

Figure 26 - PMSG for VAWT [11]

Table 6 - Nominal properties of turbine generator [11]

Design and description

Figure 27 - Schematic representation of variable inertia flywheel