Wind Power Plant

Origin of Wind

 The movement of air mass in the atmosphere is perceived as wind and has
various causes.
 The first and the most important of these is the heating of the earth by the
sun.
 Since the surface is not homogeneous (land, water, desert, forest, etc.), the
absorption of the solar energy varies both with respect to geographical
distribution and with respect to the time of the day.
 This non uniform heat absorption produces great difference in the
atmosphere with respect to temperature, density and pressure.
 So the resultant forces will move the air mass from one places to another.
 Cont…
 Above all, the tropical regions on the earth absorb much more solar energy
throughout the year than the Polar Regions.
 Since, as a result, the tropical regions become warmer and warmer and the
polar regions become increasingly colder.
 This temperature difference causes a strong convention current.

 This temperature difference causes a strong convention current flow

between these regions.
 Wind Energy Convertors
 Wind energy converters (WEC) harness the kinetic energy contained in flowing
air masses.
 Most modern wind energy converters are equipped with rotors to extract wind
power, and consist of one or several rotor blades.
 The extracted wind power generates rotation and is thereby converted into
mechanical power at the rotor shaft. converted into mechanical power at the rotor
shaft.
 Mechanical power is taken up at the shaft in the form of a moment at a certain
rotation and is transferred to a machine (such as a generator or a pump).
 The entire wind power station thus consists of a wind energy converter (rotor), a
 Cont…
 There is a wide range of different types of wind turbines. The most important
features of various concepts include:

rotor axis position (horizontal, vertical),

number of rotor blades (one, two, three or multiple blade rotors),

speed (high and low speed energy converters),

number of rotor revolutions (constant or variable),

power control (stall or pitch control),

wind resisting strength (wind shielding or blade adjustment),

gearbox (converters equipped with gearbox or gearless converters)

generator type (synchronous, asynchronous or direct current generator)

 Wind Energy Application Markets
 Wind energy markets can be classified based on the end-use application of the
technology. They are:

1.Off –grid applications

2.On –grid applications

 Wind energy projects are common for off-grid applications.

 However, the largest market potential for wind energy projects is with on-grid
(or grid-connected) applications.
 Off grid Applications
 Historically, wind energy was most competitive in remote sites, far from the electric
grid and requiring relatively small amounts of power, typically less than 10kw.
 In these off-grid applications , wind energy is typically used in
 Charging of batteries

 Water pumping

On grid Applications
 In on-grid applications the wind energy systems feeds electrical energy directly into
the electrical utility grid.
 Two on-grid applications types can be distinguished:
 Isolated grid and

 Central grid
 Isolated grids
 are common in remote areas.

 In sites with good local winds, a small wind energy project are installed to help supply
a portion of the electricity requirements.
 These wind energy projects are normally referred to as wind-diesel hybrid systems.

 The capacity of wind energy system’s typically ranges from approximately 10kW to
200kW.

Central grids
 In relatively windy areas, larger scale wind turbines are clustered together to create a
wind-farm with capacities in the multi- megawatt range.
 The land within the wind-farm is usually used for other purposes, such as agriculture
or forestry.
 The capacity of wind energy system’s typically ranges from approximately 200kW to
2MW.
 Wind Turbine Types
Turbines can be categorized into two overarching classes based on the
orientation of the rotor
Vertical Axis Horizontal Axis
 Vertical Axis
Turbines

Advantages Disadvantages
• Omni directional • Rotors generally near ground
where wind poorer
– Accepts wind from any
angle • Centrifugal force stresses
blades
• Components can be • Poor self-starting capabilities
mounted at ground level • Requires support at top of
– Ease of service turbine rotor
– Lighter weight towers • Requires entire rotor to be
• Can theoretically use less removed to replace bearings
materials to capture the • Overall poor performance and
same amount of wind reliability
• Have never been commercially
successful
 Lift vs Drag
VAWTs
Lift Device
“Darrieus”
– Low solidity,
aerofoil blades
– More efficient than
drag device
Drag Device
“Savonius”
– High solidity, cup
shapes are pushed
by the wind
– At best can capture
only 15% of wind
energy
Capacity Factor

Tip Speed Ratio

Horizontal Axis Wind
Turbines
• Rotors are usually Up-
wind of tower
• Some machines have
down-wind rotors, but
only commercially
available ones are small
turbines
Advantages:
1. Variable blade pitch, which gives the turbine blades the optimum angle of attack.
Allowing the angle of attack to be remotely adjusted gives greater control, so the
turbine collects the maximum amount of wind energy for the time of day and
season.

2. The tall tower base allows access to stronger wind in sites with wind shear. In some
wind shear sites, every ten meters up, the wind speed can increase by 20% and the
power output by 34%.
Disadvantages HAWT:
1. HAWTs have difficulty operating in near ground because of turbulent winds.

2. The tall towers and blades up to 90 meters long are difficult to transport.
Transportation can now cost 20% of equipment costs.

3. Tall HAWTs are difficult to install, needing very tall and expensive cranes and
skilled operators.

4. Massive tower construction is required to support the heavy blades, gearbox, and
generator.

5. Their height makes them obtrusively visible across large areas, disrupting the
appearance of the landscape and sometimes creating local opposition.

6. Downwind variants suffer from fatigue and structural failure caused by turbulence.

7. HAWTs require an additional yaw control mechanism to turn the blades toward the
wind.
Active vs. Passive Yaw
• Active Yaw (all medium &
large turbines produced today,
& some small turbines from
Europe)
– Anemometer on nacelle tells
controller which way to point
rotor into the wind
– Yaw drive turns gears to point
rotor into wind
• Passive Yaw (Most small
turbines)
– Wind forces alone direct rotor
• Tail vanes
• Downwind turbines
 Airfoil Nomenclature
wind turbines use the same aerodynamic principals as aircraft

KidWind Project | www.kidwind.org

 Lift & Drag Forces
• The Lift Force is
perpendicular to the α = low
direction of motion. We
want to make this force
BIG. α = medium
<10 degrees

• The Drag Force is parallel α = High

to the direction of motion. Stall!!
We want to make this force
small.
 Tip-Speed Ratio
ΩR
ΩR
Tip-speed ratio is the ratio of the
speed of the rotating blade tip to RR
the speed of the free stream wind.
There is an optimum angle of attack
which creates the highest lift to
drag ratio.
Because angle of attack is dependant
on wind speed, there is an
optimum tip-speed ratio
ΩR
TSR =
Where,
V
Ω = rotational speed in radians /sec
R = Rotor Radius
V = Wind “Free Stream” Velocity
 Performance Over Range of Tip
Speed Ratios
• Power Coefficient Varies with Tip Speed Ratio
• Characterized by Cp vs Tip Speed Ratio Curve

0.4
Cp
0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Tip Speed Ratio
 Pitch Control vs. Stall Control
o Pitch Control
– blade position changes with wind
speed to actively control low-speed
shaft for a more clean power.

o Stall Control
– blade position fixed,
– angle of attack increases with wind
speed until stall occurs behind
– Many larger turbines today have
active pitch control that turns the
blades towards stall when wind
speeds are too great
 Airfoil in stall

• Stall arises due to separation of flow from airfoil

• Stall results in decreasing lift coefficient with
increasing angle of attack
• Stall behavior complicated due to blade rotation
 Rotor Solidity
Solidity is the ratio of total rotor planform
area to total swept area
R
Low solidity (0.10) = high speed, low torque a

Solidity = 3a/A
High solidity (>0.80) = low speed, high torque
 Number of Blades – One
• Rotor must move more rapidly
to capture same amount of
wind
– Gearbox ratio reduced
– Added weight of counterbalance
negates some benefits of lighter
design
– Higher speed means more noise,
visual, and wildlife impacts
• Blades easier to install
because entire rotor can be
assembled on ground
• Captures 10% less energy than
two blade design
• Ultimately provide no cost
savings
 Number of Blades - Two
• Advantages &
disadvantages similar to
one blade
• Need teetering hub and
or shock absorbers
because of gyroscopic
imbalances
• Capture 5% less energy
than three blade designs
 Number of Blades - Three
• Balance of
gyroscopic forces
• Slower rotation
– increases gearbox &
transmission costs
– More aesthetic, less
noise, fewer bird
strikes
 Hubs
The hub holds the rotor
together and transmits
motion to nacelle
Three important aspects
• How blades are attached
– Nearly all have
cantilevered hubs
(supported only at hub)
– Struts & Stays haven’t
proved worthwhile
• Fixed or Variable Pitch?
• Flexible or Rigid
Attachment
– Most are rigid
– Some two bladed designs
use teetering hubs
 Rotor Controls “The rotor is the single most critical
element of any wind turbine… How a
wind turbine controls the forces acting
• Micro Turbines on the rotor, particularly in high
winds, is of the utmost importance to
– May not have any controls the long-term, reliable function of any
– Blade flutter wind turbine.” Paul Gipe
• Small Turbines
– Furling (upwind) – rotor
moves to reduce frontal
area facing wind
– Coning (downwind) – rotor
blades come to a sharper
cone
– Passive pitch governors –
blades pitch out of wind
• Medium Turbines
– Aerodynamic Stall
– Mechanical Brakes
– Aerodynamic Brakes