University of Birmingham

School of Engineering

Integrated Design Project 3

FINAL GROUP REPORT

Mechanical Engineering

BEng
Team Number 2

Group Number 1

Student Names ID Numbers

Abdulhakim Alqudsi 1616403

Atip Nimsiriwangso 1629571

Dennis Muhirwa 1624262

Faris Aladainan 1615068

Khalid Almaskary 1629584

Muhammad Salihu 1616522

 Feedback (Compulsory Section)

1 Design choices validation

Reflecting on the feedback that I
have received on previous
Positioning of the yaw system with respect to the
assessments, the following 2
nacelle and wind turbine centre of gravity
issues/topics have been identified
as areas for improvement:
3 Description of the nacelle assembly

The design choices in this report have been

In this assignment, I have
attempted to act on previous
feedback in the following ways:
1
clearly outlined and validated
2 All figures used were made readable and clear
Assembly routing sheets are attached to provide
3
clear instructions on intended assembly

1 Design and validation approach

Feedback on the following
aspects of this assignment (i.e.
2
content/style/approach) would be
particularly helpful to me:
3
1 Introduction
The challenge addressed to Team 2 was to design a renewable energy system, as wind energy
contributes to approximately 30% of the United Kingdom’s green energy [1], the team attempted
to construct a wind farm located in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. As group 1 of the team, we
designed the Nacelle and the Yaw system of the wind turbines. The Nacelle sits on top of the
tower and houses the electricity generation components such as the generator, drive shaft and
power convertors. The yawing system works to direct the wind turbine to face the wind direction,
optimizing the power generation and efficiency of the system.
Throughout the year various design choices were made, it is not possible to repeat the design
processes to arrive at these choices in detail in this report. Alternatively, the main design
choices previously discussed are summarized below:
1. The type of the wind turbine selected is a horizontal axis wind turbine, because of the
lower costs and risks, higher efficiency and lower mechanical stresses. [2]
2. The arrangement of the wind turbine is upwind, as opposed to downwind wind turbines,
due to the better efficiencies and much lower aerodynamic wake effects. A result of this
selection is the need of the yawing system. [3]
3. An active yaw system was preferred to a passive yaw system because of the size of the
wind turbine
For the Nacelle design it was crucial to consider its accessibility for maintenance purposes, and
the assembliability of the systems it houses, along with safe operation environment for the
components inside. In addition to the external shape of the shell to enhance the aerodynamic
features of the Nacelle. As for the Yaw system, it was important to contemplate on how to
improve the design efficiency and ensure safe and continuous operation of the wind turbine,
given that the yaw is the second highest likely cause of wind turbines downtimes. [4]
In this report we present our final design for the Nacelle and the Yaw system, according to the
team aim and design requirements, supported by analytical and computational validation, while
addressing the wider impacts of our design, and the possible risks to the construction and
operation of the system with insights to how to mitigate them.
1.1 Team Management and Integration
The roles of each member of the group were decided after a personality evaluation test called
the Belbin team role test [5] and the members technical tendencies. The tasks were delegated
accordingly and fairly to all group members throughout the different phases of the project. A
project plan was then devised to ensure suitable time management and was updated according
to the progress made.
Weekly meetings were arranged to keep up with the time plan and review the work, the weekly
meeting was also a method for the members of the group to voice any questions for the other
teams through the group communicator. A sample of the minutes of meetings are attached in
the Appendix.
In addition to the weekly meetings, a group chat was established in the Facebook messenger
for quick communications and discussions, and an online drive folder was created for file
sharing and saving.
As for the design integration with the other groups, because of the nature of the systems
designed by our group, the main communication line was with group 2.2, who are designing the
power generation unit of the wind turbine, where it was crucial to adapt the design and
dimensions of the nacelle to the dimensions of the drivetrain. For groups 2.3 and 2.4, most of
the communication were with regards to the yaw system requirements, an example of the
parameters received were the mass of the components in their design. For the Civil group,
storage requirements in Megawatt Mansion were provided. Finally, because the work of the
electrical group was focused on the power grid, minimal communication was needed within the
context of the systems we designed, so most communications were on the team design level.
Figure 1 shows what our group provided and received from the other groups.

Mech 4 Civil

Group 2.1 Storage

requirements

Interfaces Yaw System type

Blades Mass
&
Maintenance
Forces on Blades

Nacelle Components Group 2.1

Mech 3 Yaw and Electrical
Yaw System type Nacelle

Nacelle
Yaw System type
Components
Yaw Brakes
Drivetrain
Nacelle Design
requierments

Interfaces Mech 2

Figure 1: Group interface diagram

2 Product Design Specifications

Table 1: Product design specifications

Parameter Value
Total Nacelle Mass 213 tonnes
Yaw Classification Active
Yaw Drive Electrical
Yaw Speed 0.1 𝑅𝑃𝑀
Maximum Yaw Error 5°
Yaw Torque 300 𝑘𝑁𝑚
Yaw Drive Factor of Safety 2.24
Yaw Braking Torque 2400 𝑘𝑁𝑚
Yaw Braking Factor of Safety 3.58
Operating Temperature Range Ambient temperature: -30℃ to +45℃ [6]
Noise Limit Noise levels not exceeding 105 d𝛽.
Life Cycle 25 Years
Design Standard BS EN 61400-1:2005 [7]

3 Technical Evaluation
3.1 Design Requirements
The design requirements for the yaw drive and braking systems were found theoretically using
the method in Figure 2 below:

Combined Power and

Yaw Moment Drive
Centre of Torque
of Inertia Requirements
Gravity

Literature
Validation and
Comparison

Yaw Moment of Angular Braking

Inertia Acceleration Requirements

Figure 2: Calculation steps.

3.1.1 Centre of gravity
The centre of gravity of the nacelle and the other components were needed to calculate the yaw
inertia. For the nacelle components, SolidWorks was used to determine the individual centres of
gravity. Then the volume was multiplied by the density to find the mass. The centres of gravity
of the other components (Table 2) were then added using Equations 1 and 2 to find the
combined centre of mass. Only major components were weighed. The z-axis was not
considered due to design symmetry.
𝑥1 𝑚1 + 𝑥2 𝑚2
𝑥̅ = Eq.1
𝑚1 + 𝑚2
𝑦1 𝑚1 + 𝑦2 𝑚2
𝑦̅ = Eq.2
𝑚1 + 𝑚2
Where:

𝑥̅ = Centre of gravity position in the x axis (m) 𝑥 = x – axis position (m)

𝑦̅ = Centre of gravity position in the y axis (m) 𝑦 = y – axis position (m)
𝑚 = Component mass (kg)

Table 2: Centre of gravity calculations

X position (m) from Y position (m) from
Component Mass (kg)
blades centre
Blades 20 x 3 = 60,000 0 0
Generator 89,000 2.785 0
Hub 30,000 0 0
Nacelle assembly 212,508.5 7.56 -0.46
Miscellaneous 50,000 10 -0.5
Total 441,508.5 6.73 -0.36

3.1.2 Yaw Moment of Inertia

The yaw moment of inertia for the main components were derived from Solidworks and using
the parallel axis theorem (Equation 3)
𝐼𝑦𝑎𝑤 = 𝐼𝐶 + 𝑚𝑑2 Eq.3
Where:

𝐼𝑦𝑎𝑤 = Moment of inertia about the yaw axis (𝑘𝑔𝑚2 ) 𝑑 = Distance to yaw axis (m)

𝐼𝐶 = Component moment of inertia (𝑘𝑔𝑚2 )

3.1.3 Drive and Braking Power and Torque

The full angular velocity of the yaw system was defined to be 0.6 𝑅𝑃𝑀.
The angular acceleration was then found, it was decided that the yaw system will achieve
0 → full speed in 1 minute, this allowed for the calculation of the angular acceleration (𝛼) using
Equation 4.
𝛼 = 𝛿𝜔 Eq.4
Where:

𝛼 = Angular Acceleration (𝑚/𝑠 2 ) 𝛿𝜔 = Change in Angular velocity

(𝑚/𝑠)
The torque of the system was then calculated using Equation 5.
𝑇 = 𝐼𝑦𝑎𝑤 𝛼 Eq.5

The drive power was finally calculated using the following equation:
𝑃 =𝑇𝜔 Eq.6
Where:

𝑇 = Torque (𝑁𝑚) 𝜔 = Angular velocity (𝑚/𝑠)

𝑃 = Power (𝑊)

The braking requirements were determined using Equations 5-6, where the time to achieve a
full stop of the system was determined to be 1 second to ensure a quick stop in case of a
failure.
A summary of the system requirements is displayed in Table 3.

Table 3: System requirements summary.

Parameter Value
Nacelle centre of Mass (5.68, -0.31) 𝑚
Total static Mass 230,000 𝑘𝑔
Yaw Inertia 9.58 × 106 𝑘𝑔𝑚2
Yaw angular velocity 0.07 𝑚/𝑠
Start-up time 5𝑠
Yaw angular acceleration 1.73 × 10−4 𝑚/𝑠 2
Required Yaw Torque 170 𝑘𝑁𝑚
Yaw braking time 1𝑠
Yaw deceleration 1.04 × 10−3 𝑚/𝑠 2
Braking torque 1.02 𝑀𝑁𝑚
3.2 Sub-Systems
3.2.1 Drive System
Yaw drives are one of the most essential components of the yawing system, they help align the
blades of the turbine to the same direction as the wind by rotating the nacelle to maximize
power output. Yaw drive can be broken down into two types, either hydraulic or electro
mechanical drives. The former is rarely used in modern wind turbines mainly due to problems
associated with leakage which can be catastrophic, higher maintenance cost and higher effort
required in maintaining them. Electro-mechanical drives mainly consist of a motor, a speed-
reduction gear to amplify the torque produced by the motors which is necessary in overcoming
the inertia of the nacelle and a pinion gear to mesh with the slew bearing [8].
We decided to go with electric servo motors mainly because of how they are controlled. The
position of the shaft is controlled via pulse width modulation which is usually sent every 20ms
[9]. When the motor moves to its new position based on the signal sent, it holds that position
and will resist any motion causing it to move out of that position until a new signal is received.
This is important as it keeps the wind turbine blades facing wind direction until the direction
changes in which the sensors will send a new signal.
We picked planetary gearboxes over more traditional gearsets (standard spur or helical
transmissions) mainly due to easy integration onto the yawing system. They also provide lower
noise level due to more uniform surface contact, higher efficiency due to higher surface contact
and higher service life which is essential as they will be used for long periods [10].
The yaw system will have eight drives which will be bought from Bonfiglioli. The supplier
provides the pinion gear and gearbox as an integrated unit, so there wouldn’t be a need to
manufacture the pinion gear separately. This is a bonus as it reduces the overall cost of the
components. The choice of using eight drives was based on the power requirement of the
yawing system (16 kW) which was calculated earlier. Each drive has a rated power of 4kW, so
multiplying this value by eight (8 drives) gives 32kW which is enough given the power
requirement of the yawing system while also considering cases of possible failure from one to
four drives. Table 4 shows the summary of the drive specification.

Table 4: Summary of the motor and gearbox specification provided by Bonfiglioli

Rated Synchronous servo motor
Motor rated speed 3000 rpm
Motor rated power 4.08 kW
Product code BCR6- 1350-30-400 [11]
Number of motors 8
Range of gear ratios 600 to 3000
Nominal Torque 37.5kNm
Peak static torque 80kNm
Gearbox product code 711T
 3.2.2 Braking System
Yaw system brakes are an important feature for wind turbines, they keep the wind turbine in
place when maintenance is being carried out, they are activated during emergencies, and keep
the nacelle oriented correctly [12]. Quality brakes are important to avoid constant maintenance
and accidents due to failure. For this reason, we chose electromechanical brakes over hydraulic
brakes because they avoid issues such as leakage of hydraulic fluid which could lead to fire [4]
causing an increase in the frequency of maintenance and higher maintenance costs. On the
other hand, electromechanical brakes tend to be heavier than their hydraulic counterparts, but
we believe the extra safety they provide makes them worth it. When the system is not yawing,
the brakes will apply maximum force as a safety measure. A further advantage of
electromechanical brakes is they require little physical space relative to the braking force they
provide.
For our wind turbine we chose electromechanical brakes provided by KTR systems as they
have a proven track record in designing systems for wind power machinery. KTR provide both
the brakes and the brake disc, removing the need for in house manufacturing. A summary of the
key values is shown in table 5 below

Table 5: A summary of the brake specifications provided by KTR

Parameter Value
Brake name EMB-2x300 Y
ID: KTR-SAP-Nr. 485630620500 - 0

Mass (kg) 600

Max clamping force (kN) 300
Operating temperature (°C) -30 to 60
Motor voltage (V) 24
Coefficient of friction 0.4
Torque (kNm) 2400

3.2.3 Yaw Bearing

Double row eight-point contact ball bearing was chosen based on the high load capacity
compared to a similar size single row four-point contact bearing with 80% increase in capacity
[13](Figure 3). Slew bearing has low friction and long service life expectancy, it is very accurate
and safe as it operates at low speed. It can withstand a high, axial, radial, and moment loads.
The slew bearing consists of, inner ring with gear, an outer ring with two rings with M30
mounting holes, balls and a spacer, between each ball. The inner ring is dived by a driving
unites, and the outer ring drives both the collar and the nacelle.

Table 6: key bearing information

Slewing Bearing [14]
Dynamic Bearing - Manufacturer
External Internal Static Load Operation
Load pinion gear and Mass
Diameter Diameter Rating Speed
Rating ratio Product ID
Liebherr
Up to ≈ KUD03839-
4,005mm 3,520mm 37,652kN 1,892kN 19 2,905kg
4m/s 050ZJ15-
900-000
 Figure 3. Left: Loading types [15] Right: Slewing Bearing [16]

3.2.4 Nacelle
Nacelle is the house of components that transform the wind kinetic energy into electricity, which
located on top of the wind turbine tower [17]. On top of the tower, the nacelle is more likely to
experience high speed wind. Due to this, the nacelle will experience lift and drag force from the
air flow [18]. If the lift force on the nacelle is greater than its drag force, there is a high chance
that the nacelle will lift and loosen a bolt joint between the nacelle and the tower. In order to
design the most suitable nacelle for this project, the aerodynamics of the nacelle was
considered. Moreover, a map inside the nacelle was also considered. The nacelle map is
related to size and weight of the nacelle [19]. Therefore, to minimise weight and size of the
nacelle, all the space inside the nacelle needed to be functionally used. However, the compact
design of the nacelle still needs to provide space for maintenance technicians to access the
nacelle with maximum safety and serviceability [20]. As a result, our group came up with the
design as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5.

Figure 4. Nacelle fully enclosed Figure 5: Cross section of Nacelle and its components
Every year more than a hundred wind turbines catch on fire. One of the main reasons is from
equipment overheating. Highly flammable materials are housed inside the nacelle including
electric wire, electric device and lubricant oil. Therefore, when the fire ignites, the flame will
easily penetrate all over the nacelle. Most of the heat inside the nacelle is from the generator,
since it generates electricity from the shaft rotation [21]. In fact, generating electricity always
comes with heat and some of the heat will be lost to the surrounding. In this case, it means that
generator is the main component that can cause overheating inside the nacelle. Therefore, to
avoid overheating, nacelle need significant thermal management.
 Table 7: cooling technology comparison.

Our group found that air-liquid-air cooling system (Figure 6, Table 7) is the most suitable for our
nacelle, since it provide higher heat transfer efficiency when compared to air-air and liquid-air
system. However, with similar working system, air-liquid-air and air-liquid-liquid system require
higher initial investment and more maintenance [6].

Figure 6: Air-liquid cooling system

3.2.5 Lubrication
Inadequate lubrication is one of the main influencers on bearing life, it consists of issues such
as overfilling, underfilling, incorrect specification, mixing, incorrect lubrication intervals,
deteriorated grease, water contamination, and particulate contamination [22]. In order to keep
the bearing functioning, proper lubrication and maintenance are required. We chose to
incorporate an automatic lubrication with Lithium complex soap grease (mineral oil base) into
our system provided by SKF [14] with a temperature range of -25 oC to +150 oC and a kinematic
viscosity of 160. With the automatic lubrication system market expected to grow at a compound
annual growth rate of 4.5% between 2018 and 2023 [23] it is evident that factors such as
reduced down time, and increased safety are contributing greatly to the rise in use of automated
lubrications systems over manual lubrication systems.

Figure 7: the lubrication system

3.2.6 Miscellaneous
Research has shown that more than 50% of wind turbines are misaligned to the wind direction
[24]. This misalignment can lead to a significant loss of power production. Different methods
have been developed to overcome this issue, with new research favouring the use of one
sensor for a group of wind turbines instead of one sensor per turbine [25]. By reducing the yaw
error, the annual energy production can be increased by 1.8% [26]. Therefore, to combat this
issue, we chose a ZX TM – Turbine Mounted wind Lidar which will help mitigate yaw
misalignment, provided by ZXLidars.
Various cables run from the components inside the nacelle to the bottom of the wind turbine
tower. While the nacelle yaws, the cables can be damaged by twisting. This would lead to
increased downtime and cost the company money in maintenance costs. To limit this, we
elected to use a re-closable protective sleeving, HELAHOOK, provided by HellermanTyton and
a cable twist counter which will inform the controller when it is time to untwist the cables.
In order to monitor the temperature inside the nacelle, we chose a MEAS Transformer Probe
provided by TE connectivity. this will let the maintenance team know if any of the machines in
the nacelle are overheating and checks will be carried out to prevent damage.

3.3 Validation and Comparison

3.3.1 Computational Fluid Dynamics for the Nacelle

Figure 8: Result from the CFD simulation

As mentioned before, the aerodynamic should be considered when designing the nacelle. The
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to test for the aerodynamics in our nacelle
design. The fluid used in this analysis was air at atmospheric pressure 101325 PA and density
of 1.225 kg/m3. The inlet was set at 44.4 km/h, which is the number from calculation according
to wind turbine standard centre [27]. However, there was a limitation in the meshing process,
since there is a limitation number of element (512,000 elements) in ANSYS workbench 19.2
academic edition [28]. Therefore, only the area that we are focus on will have a small mesh size
to get more accurate result on the area, including front facing area, back area and edges. The
result from the simulation is show in Figure 7
The result in Figure# show that the new nacelle design provides better aerodynamics when
compared to the common square box nacelle. Due to the frontal area of the new design being
smaller. A small frontal area provides a better aerodynamic shape, since a drag coefficient is
decreased with the size of a frontal area. In fact, the lower value of drag coefficient means
better aerodynamics [29]. Moreover, our nacelle design also has more curved edges around the
nacelle frame, which allows the air to flow smoother around the nacelle. The common square
box has a drag coefficient approximately 0.5 to 1.0 [30]. From the simulation, the result in
figure# shows that the drag coefficient of our nacelle design is approximately 0.3, which is better
than a common square box nacelle.
3.3.2 Comparison
Table 8: comparison between our design and other wind turbines.
Dowec 6MW
Parameter Our design NREL 5MW [31] REPower 5MW
[32]
Total Nacelle
213 240 188 370
Mass (Tonnes)
4-point contact 4 – Point contact
Yaw Bearing - -
external external
Yaw Braking Electric - Electric Hydraulic

Yaw rate (rpm) 0.66 0.09 0.05 -

Yaw Inertia
8.57 x 105 2.61 x 106 2.42 x 106 -
(kg.m2)

4 Wider Implications
4.1 Industry ethical / Legal
A patent search was conducted on various configurations for the yaw system to make sure our
design doesn’t conflict with other patents. As most wind yawing systems will have similar
configuration, slight differences such as the number of motors and the position of sensors or the
direction of the drive units proved vital in differentiating our designs with other patents. M-G kim
and PH Dalhoff made references to these patents in their journal paper [4]. Their in-depth patent
analysis was accepted because their design is like ours.
As most of our components will be bought from reputable suppliers, it is assumed that there will
be no legal conflicts with their components if we correctly follow the product guidelines.

4.2 Social impacts

One of the major social concerns in building wind turbines is the noise pollution they bring to the
environment. It is also important to note that most of the noise comes from the motors and not
the blades because the blades are usually designed to be very aerodynamic, so the noise is
minimal. One way of tackling this is considering gearboxes that operate smoothly with little
sound levels (such as planetary gears) or using sound absorbent materials for both the tower
and the nacelle to make them as sound proof as possible [33,34]
Another impact is telecommunication or radar interferences caused by improper placement of
wind farms, so it is very important to take this into considering when choosing suitable location
for wind farms.
Regarding socio-economic impacts. Local employment is increased during wind farm
construction due to the amount of short-term jobs created [35]. Also, pre-existing owners of
these farms can double or diversify their income through land rentals or leases.
Lastly, the socio-cultural aspects to consider before installing wind turbines is by consulting
native population living in those areas. As there may be conflicts regarding their physical cultural
resources such as historical or religious sacred objects [36].
4.3 Sustainability
Given that one of the major reasons why the development of more wind turbine is encouraged is
to provide clean energy which in turn increases sustainability. It is also important to consider
sustainable materials in their components.
Regarding the yawing system, one area where this can be improved is the material used for the
yawing system and the manufacturing process used in creating it. The material selected is
fiberglass which although proven difficult to recycle, it is still very possible [37]. It can be
transformed into wood-substitute planks which can be used to build sea walls or picnic tables.
One company presently involved in fiberglass recycling is American green fiber product [38].
In terms of the manufacturing process, die casting is an attractive solution because most of the
materials used are highly sustainable. The most common metal used in die casting is aluminum
which can be recycled.
Another area of improving sustainability is the materials used in the motors selected. Most
motors are based on rare-earth magnet which is non-recyclable. So, in order to recycle motors
this needs to be removed. A possible solution is considering motors without rare-earth magnet
[39]

5 Risk Evaluation and Mitigation

It is important to analyse the risks and the consequences of any project, to find some alternative
measures to avoid litigations, regular issues, reduce exposure and minimise impact, as it could
have serious impact such as, reputation of the company and government, financial, time,
sustainability, quality of life, health & safety. Weighing the risk and understand its impacts before
it occurs would significantly help in making the right decision at the right time, thus it would prevent
the development of any problems, some of the major components of the yaw were analysed using
Fault Tree Analysis FTA (Figure 10,11) and risk matrix (Figure 9) to evaluate some of the main
risks and its consequences, and some solutions were suggested in Table 9 to prevent it from
happening.

Figure 9: Failure analysis.

Table 9: failure analysis
Part Key Harm H Consequence C Control (prevention)
Table 9: ErrorWords
analysis.
Sensors Error Signal error 1- 1- 1-Loss of 1- Alternative sensor
More/les miss adjusting E energy. 4 in case of a failure.
s the wind turbine 2- Increasing the 2- immediate
towards the 2- temperature of 4 replacement of
wind direction. E the components damaged sensors.
2-Yaw moves Cutting cables Upgrading the
faster/ slower Electric shock in sensors for better
than expected. addition cause a types and better
fire. Wear to the controlling system
gears. every few years if
needed.
Lubrication Blockag 1- Blockage on 1- Temp. increase 1- A regular
System e/ the pipes. E which can cause 4 inspection, for
leakage 2- run out of, all the fowling: lubricant condition
leakage and 2- Bearings failure on-site or remotely.
More/les Inadequate B Adhesive wear
s Lubrication. to the
3- low viscosity 3- mechanical
Incorrect lubricant or E components
incorrect type of FATUGE
lubricant.
Yaw Brake Damage 1-Worn 1- 1- damaging the 1- Check regularly for
d out brake D brake 2 signs damage and
pads. 2- brake pads fatigue on the
2- wear, can lead 2- surface of the disc
2- C to Increase 3 in addition checking
damaged friction which for the brake
brake increase heat callipers position for
disc. that could cause example, callipers
a fire. are not return back
to its rest position or
offset, check for a
worn up and
fasteners, or signs
of corrosion.
Nacelle Overhea 1. Error in 2- 1.burn all the 3- -Check the sensor
t temperature C components 4 regularly and
sensor. inside the having alternative
2.Cooling 2- nacelle. sensor in case of a
system C failure.
breakdown -Have a small
alternative fan
cooling system to
work instead before
engineer come and
fix it.
Figure 10: fault analysis for yaw system

Figure 11:.Fault analysis for gearbox

6 Costing and Commerciality
Product and process costing is essential to ensure successful product design. In order to
provide this, our group looked into current innovations in the design of the nacelle and yaw
system and compared them to the more traditional design choices. We also analyzed the
market trend for the necessary materials as well as the trend of processes we chose to use
which are discussed below.
While discussing a methodology for updating wind turbine capital costs, researchers at the wind
energy center University of Massachusetts presented a cost distribution chart shown in figure #
below. It highlighted the increase in cost of rolled steel manufacturing while there was a
decrease in cost of fiberglass fabric, both being essential components for the yaw system and
nacelle being designed by this group.
In order to keep up with the varying cost of the necessary materials shown in table #, the report
[40] also presented a producer price index (PPI) method which would be used to predict the
change in labour costs, material prices, and energy prices. This method, in conjunction with the
PPI details provided by the UK Office for National Statistics [41] would provide a means to keep
up with the ever-changing wind energy market.

Figure 12: cost contributions for parts in a wind turbine [40]

Figure 12 above presents the trend in material cost between 2002 and 2016 as examined by
the national renewable energy laboratory. It shows us that the cost of fiberglass reduced initially
and has maintained a stable price ever since 2004. This makes fiberglass ideal, in terms of cost,
because studies have shown that the cost isn’t volatile when compared to materials like steel,
iron, and copper which all demonstrated volatile behavior from 2006 to 2012; after which they
maintained a steady decrease in cost until 2016.

Table 10: The process costs for manufacture of the nacelle and yaw
system)
Process Labour intensity Capital cost (£)
Hot open die forging Low 2.86e5 - 7.15e5
Hot shape rolling Low 1.43e5 - 1.43e7
High pressure die casting Low 1.43e5 - 7.15e5
 Figure 13: The price change in materials used for wind turbines between 2002 and 2016 (42)
The capital cost shown in table 10 above is the total cost of the equipment necessary to carry
system)
out the process. For the purpose of this project, only a cost range could be supplied which
would lead to an overall price estimate for the processes required. These estimates are in line
with the current market trends available for wind turbine design with rolled steel manufacturing,
speed reduction gearing, fiberglass fabric, and industrial control manufacturing accounting for
nearly 50% of wind turbine costs (8). However, only rolled steel and fiberglass apply to this
group in the wider team. The labour intensity was also added to provide an insight into how
employees would be affected by each process with an arbitrary scale from low to very high
being used. The lower the labour intensity, the lower the amount of labour needed to produce
goods or services.
Table 11 below shows the main bought out components and their average cost as provided by
each of their suppliers. These average costs allow us to gain an initial estimate of the type of
investment necessary to carry out the design of the nacelle and yaw system.

Table 11: the cost of bought out components

Component Supplier Quantity Cost (£) Total Cost
Table #: the cost of bought out componentssystem)
Drive system Brevini 8 2,466 19,728
Brake system KTR 8 8,200 65,600
Bearings Liebherr 1 5,200 5,200
90,528
Table 12: The cost of materials used to manufacture different parts of the nacelle and yaw
system.Table #: the cost of bought out componentssystem)
Material Mass used (kg) Price per kg Price (£) Total cost (£)
(£/kg)
Structural steel 51001.92 0.54 27541.04
cast iron 127504.80 3.37 429691.18
glass fibre 34001.28 1.50 51001.92
steel s550 39000.00 0.53 20670.00
528904.13
The total cost estimate we arrived at for the manufacture and purchasing of the parts of the yaw
system and nacelle is just over £1.5 million with the cost of manufacturing carrying the bulk of
money required.
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8 Appendix
8.1 Minutes of Meeting
Date Meeting topic Decisions/Discussion
30/10/18 Initial team discussion - Location for wind farm chosen.
- Group roles distributed.
- Design week presentation
highlighted.
- Khalid selected as group
communicator/leader.
1/11/18 First group meeting. - Research on yaw and nacelle
system presented by group
members.
- Group members assigned roles.
5/11/18 Group meeting on - Research presented by
design week members.
presentation. - Active yaw system selected.
- Initial sketches of yaw system
and nacelle presented.
- Group roles chart created.
- Project Gantt chart created
- Presentation slides outlined.
7/11/18 Group practice for - Members assigned presentation
design week minutes based on content.
presentation. - Practice run of presentation
carried out.
08/11/18 Design week
presentation
14/11/18 Group meeting - Feedback from presentation
discussed.
- Group members gave each
other feedback based on the
presentation.
- Preliminary report divided into
sections and assigned to
members.
- Concept designs discussed.
21/11/18 Group progress - Members gave updates on
meeting. progress for individual
questions.
- Members presented any
queries they had for
group/team.
- Concept designs edited further.
27/11/18 Group work on prelim - Compiling of report began.
report. - Format of report agreed upon.
- TRIZ model incomplete.
- Concept designs completed
28/11/18 Report finalisation and - Interfaces and TRIZ completed.
hand in - Report compiled and submitted.
Results of meeting
- Group meeting date
selected.
- Each member to carry out
research no the yaw
system and nacelle.
- Each member to research
their assigned area.
- Slides to be prepared in
next meeting.
- Next meeting arranged for
5/11/18.
- Members to fill in their
sections on PowerPoint
using OneDrive.
- Next meeting set for
7/11/18 as a practice
meeting for presentation.
- Members to practice in
their free time.
- Group feedback
discussed after
presentation.
- Team feedback discussed
in group chat.
- Group members to read
mark scheme of prelim
report and start their
sections.
- Deadline for prelim report
sections set as 27/11/18.
- Interface drawings to be
completed on 28/11/18.
- TRIZ model to be
completed on 28/11/18.
22/01/19 First group meeting of - Feedback from prelim report - Team meeting to be
new year. discussed. arranged.
30/01/19 Team meeting - Parameters finalised. - Group to speed up work
- Overall design established. on CAD models.
4/02/19 Group meeting. - Team meeting discussed. - Information shared
- Roles assigned for CAD between groups about
designs, calculations of requirements.
individual sections, and material - Members to carry out
selection. calculations and search
- Requirements from other for suppliers.
groups discussed.
11/02/19 Group meeting to - Possible suppliers discussed. - Content of design week
provide progress - CAD design beginning to form presentation to be
update. properly. prepared.
- Validation methods like CFD
and Simulink discussed.
18/02/19 Group meeting on - Presentation slides planned out. - Presentation slides to be
presentation - Sections assigned. prepared.
- Design details such as - Presentation practice date
bearings, and braking system set for 20/02/19.
chosen.
20/02/19 Presentation run - Each member presented their - Members to memorise
through section in front of group. scripts before
- Members discussed any presentation on 21/02/19.
possible additions to slides.
21/02/19 Presentation 2 - - Meeting set for 27/02/19
to discuss feedback and
next steps.
27/02/19 Meeting to discuss - Feedback discussed. - Members to begin work
feedback. - Members gave each other on final report based on
feedback on presentation. feedback given.
- Final report discussed.
12/03/19 Meeting to discuss - CAD models presented. - Members to continue
progress. - Update on calculation process working on their tasks.
for different members.
- Each member presented plan
for forward steps.
22/03/19 Meeting on final report - Report structure created. - Routing sheets to be
- Members to fill in sections via created.
OneDrive. - Final meeting before
- All work to be uploaded to break
OneDrive folder.
22/04/19 Meeting to compile - Different sections updated. - Poster to be worked on in
report - Unassigned sections next meeting.
highlighted and worked on.
- Final CAD models and drawings
presented.
25/04/19 Meeting to create - Poster divided into different - Team meeting discussing
poster. sections. poster to be set.
- Members added their parts to
the poster.
30/04/19 Team meeting on - Final report and poster -
poster and report. compiled.
8.2 Manufacturing Routing Sheets
Table 13: Manufacturing routing sheet for the platform
Routing sheet
Part name: Part no.: N/A Drg. No.:
Platform
Quantity: Material: Steel (S500) Planner: Group 2-1
Revision no.: Date: Page: 1 of 1 Order No.: N/A
Op. No. Description Machine tool Fixtures
10 Molten metal is poured Casting machine clamp
into pattern of the
shape
20 Drill 8 30 mm bolt Drill press Clamp
holes around 500 mm
hole.
30 Drill 50 30 mm holes Drill press Clamp
in a circular pattern
2200 mm away from
centre
40 Deburr Tumbler N/A
50 Polish Bench grinder N/A
60 Inspect N/A N/A
Table 14: Manufacturing routing sheet for the Nacelle bed
Routing sheet
Part name: Part no.: N/A Drg. No.:
Nacelle bed
Quantity: Material: Cast iron Planner: Group 2-1
Revision no.: Date: Page: 1 of 1 Order No.: N/A
Op. No. Description Machine tool Fixtures
10 Molten metal is poured Die casting clamp
in a mold to acquire its
shape

20 Bolt holes are drilled Drill press Clamp

with size of 30 mm on
the edges

30 Deburr Tumbler N/A

40 Polish Bench grinder N/A
50 Inspect N/A N/A
Table 15: Manufacturing routing sheet for the Nacelle frame
Routing sheet (manufacturing)
Part name: Part no.: N/A Drg. No.:
Nacelle frame
Quantity: Material: Planner: Group 2-1
Revision no.: Date: Page: 1 of 1 Order No.: N/A
Op. No. Description Machine tool Fixtures
10 The forged alloy is hot Controlling mill Pulley
rolled to reach the
desired properties
20 The material is Press Dies
pressed between two
die into the desired
shape
30 Inert gas pressure is Gas pressure Dies
applied forcing into a
female die
40 30M holes are drilled Drill press clamp
on the sheet edges
50 Deburr Tumbler N/A
60 Polish Bench grinder N/A
70 Inspect N/A N/A
8.3 Assembly Routing Sheets
Table 16: Assembly routing sheet for the Yaw ring
Routing Sheet
Part name: Yaw Ring Part no: N/A Drg no: 1
Quantity:1 Material: Planner: Muhammad Salihu

Revision no: Date: 18/03/2019 Page 1 of 1 Order no:

N/A
Op. Description Tool Required Time
no. (mins)
10 Lift and turn nacelle main frame casting upside Hoist 6
down**
20 Screw five studs into the machined groove of the Electric 3
nacelle main frame casting screwdriver
30 Lift the yaw ring and carefully lower it onto the Pulley 6
nacelle main frame using the studs to align it
properly
40 Screw the remaining studs onto the yaw ring Electric 4
Screwdriver
50 Insert spacers onto the studs 4
60 Install nuts on top of the spacers 4
70 Use gauge to make sure that enough threads are Gauge 3
exposed for tensioning
80 Add white index marks on the nuts and spacers to Marker 4
verify rotation of the nuts during tensioning
process
90 Screw tensioners onto the studs Hydraulic Bolt 6
tensioner
100 Use Hydraulic operator to tighten all the screws Hydraulic Bolt 6
tensioner
110 Add Black index marks to verify that the nuts have Marker 4
been tightened
Total 50
Table 17: Routing sheet for the Yaw drive and brake

Routing Sheet
Part name: Yaw Drive and Part no: N/A Drg no: 1
Brake
Quantity: N/A Material: N/A Planner: Muhammad Salihu

Revision no: N/A Date: 18/03/2019 Page 1 of 1 Order no:

N/A
Op. Description Tool Time
no. (min)
10 Add 4 temporary legs onto the nacelle main frame Hex screw 10
casting drive
20 Place fixtures onto the yaw ring N/A 5
30 Lift and rotate the nacelle main frame casting upside Hoist 6
down
40 Screw the yaw pinion onto the yaw gear box on the N/A 3
ground
50 Lift and place the yaw gearbox into the mounts of the Hoist 4
yaw drives
60 Spin the reduction gear shaft to rotate the housing and Allen keys 3
line up the mounting holes
70 Install the mounting bolts onto the sides of the Electric 6
gearbox housing Screwdriver
80 Install the yaw motors on top of the gearbox Pulley 2
Wire the Yaw motors N/A 7
90 Install brake cylinder sleeves in their bores N/A 0.5
100 Lubricate Brake pistons Hydraulic 2
operators
110 Install brake pistons into their sleeves Hammer 1
120 Add the taps of the brake assembly and bolt them in Spanner 4
130 Add index marks to the screw of the taps for the brake Marker 2
assembly
140 Install the Brake hydraulic tubes Spanner 6
150 Add plastic cups to the side of the hydraulic tubes to Spanner 5
contain fluid leakage
160 Run and test yaw drive and brakes N/A 6
Total 75
 Table 18: Assembly routing sheet for the Nacelle
Routing Sheet
Part name: Nacelle Part no: N/A Drg no: 1
Quantity:1 Material: Planner: Group 2-1

Revision no: Date: 18/03/2019 Page 1 of 1 Order no:

N/A
Op. Description Tool Required Time
no. (mins)
10 Lift and mount the nacelle on top of the yaw Hoist with 10
hydraulic sling
system
20 Screw the nacelle main frame into the yaw Electric 5
system frame screwdriver
Total 15

Table 19: Pre-Assembly routing sheet for the Nacelle

Routing Sheet (Assembly)
Part name: Nacelle Part no: N/A Drg no: 1
Quantity:1 Material: Planner: Group 2-1

Revision no: Date: Page 1 of 1 Order no:

N/A
Op. Description Tool Required Time
no. (mins)
10 Fix the nacelle lower panel Hoist 6
20 Install the internal components of the nacelle on Hoist 7
the lower panel
20 Lift the nacelle rear frame and drill into the lower Pulley, Electric 10
panel Screwdriver
30 Screw the nacelle side sheets into the frame Electric 12
Screwdriver
40 Lift the front cover of the nacelle and place it into Pulley 3
the main frame
50 Screw the front cover into the main frame Electric 4
Screwdriver
60 Install the nacelle door on top of the main frame 3
70 Screw the door into the main frame Electric 4
Screwdriver
80 Apply fibre glass coating on upper and lower 6
nacelle frames
90 Inspect N/A 5
Total 60
 8.4 Operations List

Date:
Table 20 Operation sheet for the Platform
19/04/2019
Batch size
Component: Platform Drawing No. 1 Planner: Team 2 Group 1
50
Set-up Operating
Operation Speed Feed
Description Machine Tooling time time Remarks
number (RPM) (mm/min)
(mins) (mins)
Pack sand and clay to form basic pattern
10
shape
Crucible Tongs, Pouring 10 1
Pour molten metal, rest until solidification, Shank (Cranked Lift),
20 Metal foundry Sand Casting
retrieve the casting. Shakedown Mallet
Hammer

30 Cutting off the excess material Bandsaw 2 10

Visual
40 Initial Inspection Visual 2
Inspection
Ensure flatness of the surface and polish the
50 Sanding wheel 2 5
surface
Drill M30 holes around the edges for bolting,
Ø10 and Ø30 mm High
60 start with an M10 drill to ensure guided Press drill 5 15
Speed Steel Drill Bits (HSS)
drilling.

70 Remove sharp edges from the holes Deburring tool 2 5

Visual indication,
80 Final Inspection Digital Dial and, 1 10
calliper
Date:
Table 21 Operation sheet for the Nacelle
19/04/2019
Batch size
Component: Nacelle Drawing No. 1 Planner: Team 2 Group 1
50
Operating
Operation Speed Feed Set-up time
Description Machine Tooling time Remarks
number (RPM) (mm/min) (mins)
(mins)

10 Heat the alloy metal sheets to 520°C Furnace 15 10

Thermoform the metal sheet between two Thermoforming Superplastic

20 10 10
dies into upper nacelle frame shape. machine Forming

30 Trimming off the excess material Bandsaw 15 10

Thermoform the metal sheet between two Thermoforming Superplastic

40 10 10
dies into lower nacelle frame shape. machine Forming

50 Trimming off the excess material Bandsaw 15 10

Visual
60 Initial Inspection Visual 2
Inspection

70 Polishing the surface of the component Polishing wheel 2 5

Drill holes on the component edge with Ø10 and Ø30 mm High
80 Press drill 5 15
size of 30M Speed Steel Drill Bits (HSS)
Grind the edges of the drilled holes to
90 Convolute tool 2 5
avoid sharpness

100 Final Inspection Visual indication 1 10