CHAPTER 4 - Introduction to Wind Energy

PRINCIPLES OF WIND POWER

 ALL ABOUT WIND ENERGY
 The wind is a free, clean, and inexhaustible type of solar powered energy.
 Winds originate from the uneven heating in the atmosphere from the sun, the irregularities
from the earth’s surface, and rotation of the earth
 Wind flow patterns are modified through the land terrain, environmental conditions and
buildings. This wind flow, or motion energy, when harvested by modern wind turbines,
enable to generate electricity.
 The terms wind energy or wind generation describes the task where the wind is utilized to
come up with mechanical power or electricity.
 In fact, wind energy is a nondegraded renewable energy, is geographically diffuse, and is in
correlation with the season (electric power is much more demanded in winter, and it is
often during this period that the average wind speed is high)
 The materials required for the manufacture of wind turbine elements (nacelle, blades, and
multiplier) must be technologically advanced and are therefore expensive. The installations
can be carried out not only on land but also increasingly at sea (offshore wind farms),
where the presence of wind is more regular. Wind turbines are thus less visible and cause
less noise nuisance
 Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy inside wind turbine into mechanical power.
 In earliest times, this mechanical power may be used for grinding grain or pumping water
or perhaps a generator can convert this mechanical power into electricity energy.
 The wind has been utilized to power wind-surfing ships for almost all centuries. Many
international locations owed their success on their science in sailing.

 WIND CHARACTERISTICS
The earth’s air can be modeled as a gigantic heat engine. The item extracts energy from
the sun in addition to delivers heat to yet another reservoir at a cheaper temperature (space).In
the procedure, work is done within the gases in the ambiance and upon the ground-atmosphere
boundary.
There will likely be regions where the atmospheric pressure is temporarily higher or
perhaps lower than average. That difference in air pressure causes atmospheric gases or
perhaps wind to flow through the region of higher pressure to that of reduced pressure. These
regions are normally hundreds of kilometers in diameter.
Solar radiation, evaporation of water, cloud cover, and surface roughness all play
important roles in determining the conditions of the atmosphere. The study of the interactions
between these effects is a complex subject called meteorology

 METEOROLOGY OF WIND
 The basic driving force of air movement is a difference in air pressure between two
regions.
 Within the atmosphere, there will be large regions of alternately high and low pressure.
These regions are formed by complex mechanisms, which are still not fully understood.
Solar radiation, surface cooling, humidity, and the rotation of the earth all play important
roles.
 In order for a high pressure region to be maintained while air is leaving it at ground level,
there must be air entering the region at the same time. The only source for this air is above
the high pressure region. That is, air will flow down inside a high pressure region (and up
inside a low pressure region) to maintain the pressure
 This descending air will be warmed adiabatically (i.e. without heat or mass transfer to its
surroundings) and will tend to become dry and clear. Inside the low pressure region, the
rising air is cooled adiabatically, which may result in clouds and precipitation. This is why
high pressure regions are usually associated with good weather and low pressure regions
with bad weather.

 A line drawn through points of equal pressure on a weather map is called an isobar. These
pressures are corrected to a common elevation such as sea level.
 The horizontal pressure difference provides the horizontal force or pressure gradient which
determines the speed and initial direction of wind motion. In describing the direction of the
wind, we always refer to the direction of origin of the wind. That is, a north wind is
blowing on us from the north and is going toward the south.
 The greater the pressure gradient, the greater is the force on the air, and the higher is the
wind speed.
 The Coriolis force is due to the earth’s rotation under a moving particle of air. From a fixed
observation point in space air would appear to travel in a straight line, but from our vantage
point on earth it appears to curve.
 For straight or slightly curved isobars this resultant wind is called the geostrophic wind.
 When strongly curved isobars are found, a centrifugal force must also be considered. Fig. 3
shows one isobar around a cyclone, which is a low pressure area rotating counterclockwise
(Northern Hemisphere). Fig. 4 shows an isobar around a high pressure area which is
rotating clockwise (Northern Hemisphere). This region is called an anticyclone.
 The low pressure area is usually associated with bad weather, but does not imply
anything about the magnitude of the wind speeds. A cyclone normally covers a major part
of a state or several states and has rather gentle winds. It should not be confused with a
tornado, which covers a very small region and has very destructive winds.

The wind moving counterclockwise in the cyclone experiences a pressure gradient

force fp inward, a Coriolis force fc outward, and a centrifugal force fg outward. For wind to
continue moving in a counterclockwise direction parallel to the isobars, the forces must be
balanced, so the pressure gradient force for a cyclone is
fp = fc + fg

The pressure force inward is balanced by the sum of the Coriolis and centrifugal forces.
The wind that flows in such a system is called the gradient wind applies only to a wind
flowing in the vicinity of nearly straight isobars.

For the high pressure area of Fig. 4, the pressure and Coriolis forces reverse in
direction. The pressure gradient force for an anticyclone is therefore
fp = fc – fg

 CHARACTERISTIC PARAMETERS FOR WIND MACHINE

 Rated power of the machine, is the maximum power developed by the rotor and is also the
generator rating.
 Cut-in speed, Uc is the minimum wind speed at which the machine starts
rotating.
 Rated speed, UR is the minimum wind speed at which the machine develops rated power.
This is the speed at which the blade regulation become active.
 Furling speed, uF is the maximum wind speed at which the machine develops
power. The machine is stopped beyond this speed

 WIND TURBINE
 A wind turbine is a device that transforms a part of the kinetic energy of the wind (fluid
in motion) into available mechanical energy on a transmission shaft and then into electrical
energy via a generator.
The most common secondary wind turbine is the particular horizontal-axis propeller
having 2 or 3 blades mounted on the top of a tower. The selection of number of blades of the
wind turbine is not an easy design choice
Three blade systems cost in excess of two blade systems, yet two blade wind generators
have to operate on higher rotational speeds than three blade ones. This way the individual
blades of the two bladed wind generator need to be lighter and have bigger awkwardness and
are therefore more pricey.
The basic formulation for the power in the wind in a location perpendicular to the wind
blowing direction is given by the formula:

Where:
P is the power
ρ is the air density
v is the wind speed
Cp is the power coefficient, which describes the fraction of the wind captured by a wind turbine
A swept area of the blade

According to Betz rules, the value of the power coefficient features a theoretic limit
connected with 59.3 %.

Most wind power internet sites experience large wind speeds only for the few hours per
evening. The design of wind mill elements is regulated by the ability to withstand physical
loads
Figure 4.1 shows a comfortable wind speeding – power contour, which demonstrates
the controlled power accomplishable from the particular wind generator. At very low wind
rates of speed the developed power is too low to end up being utilized. With typical models the
wind generators are started out when the wind swiftness exceeds three or more than four
thousand.
 Fig. 4.1 Power from a pitch-regulated wind turbine

The turbine is started out at the cut-in wind pace and it’s power will increase with
another power on the wind rate, for the moment once the rated breeze speed is reached.
On wind rates of speed range by 12 m/s around about 25 min the electricity is restricted
to the ranked power on the wind turbine with the assistance of stall-regulations or pitch-
control methods. When this wind pace exceeds 20–25 m/s the particular wind generators
are commonly brought to be able to standstill avoiding high mechanically skillful loads
within the turbine components. This wind flow speed is called the shortened-out breeze
speed

WIND TURBINE COMPONENTS & OPERATION

 COMPONENTS OF WECS (WIND ENERGY CONVERSION SYSTEM)
Wind energy can follow harnessed with a wind power conversion organization,
composed of wind generator blades, a generator, an power electronic converter tools and the
related control system.
Figure 4.2 indicates the block diagram involving different parts of WECS. Different
WECS options based on synchronous or asynchronous machines, and stalling-regulated or
even pitch controlled systems are available.
 Fig. 4.2 Typical block diagram for a wind turbine power generation system

It also shows the normal block diagram of typical wind power generation system. The
actual block demonstrates the wind generator and source selection represents a huge part in this
wind energy conversion.
Modern wind generators fall straight into two fundamental groups: the horizontal-axis
wind turbine, like the original wind generator used for pumping water, and the vertical-axis
wind turbine, like an eggbeater fashion Darrieus product, named right after its France inventor.
Many large modern-day wind mills are horizontal-axis wind generators.

Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

PAGE 36