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WIND POWER SYSTEMS

Advantages:
i. Friendlyto environment (because no fossil fuel is burnt to produce energy).
ii. Occupy less space that average power station.
iii. Free source of energy
Disadvantages:
i. Unreliable (wind speed is too low/fast)
ii. Produce lot of losses.
i. Construction of wind turbine is expensive.
ii. Produces huge noise.
6.2 TYPES OF WIND TURBINES
Wind turbine:
Type of generator in which shaft is rotated due to the flow of wind over propellers.
There two types of winds turbines as shown in fig 6.4.

1. Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT).

2. Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT).
i. Upwind Horizontal axis wind turbine.
ii. Downwind Horizontal axis wind turbine.
1. Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT).
A wind turbine whose axis of rotation is perpendicular to the ground is called VAWT.
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Advantages:
i. Do not need yaw control to keep facing into wind.
ii. Generator & gear box are located near ground, which can be serviced easily.
iii. Lightweight, and inexpensive.
Disadvantages:
i. wind speeds is low because blades are close to the ground.
ii. Winds near the surface of the earth increases stresses on VAWTs.
iii. Low wind speed has little starting torque. So output power must be
controlled to protect the generator.

2. Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT)

A wind turbine whose axis of rotation is parallel to the ground is called HVWT.
It has further two types.

a. Downwind Horizontal axis wind turbine.

A horizontal axis wind turbine in rotor facing lee (shelter of something) side the tower wind is
called downlink horizontal axis wind turbine.
Advantages:
i. It can rotate itself (left– right) w.r.t wind direction.
ii. No danger of blades bending because it always swings behind the tower,
which reduce the wind speed.
Disadvantages:
i. increases blade noise due to wind shadowing effects of the tower
ii. reduces power output due to wind shadowing effects of the tower
b. Upwind Horizontal axis wind turbine.
A horizontal axis wind turbine in rotor facing wind is called uplink horizontal axis wind
turbine
Advantages:
i. operate smoothly and deliver more power.
j. Most modern wind turbines.
k. Spin faster due to few blades (3 most common).
l. Cost & speed depends on blade length, no of blades, weight of blades, material of
blades, shape of blades.
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6.3 POWER IN THE WIND

Wind power is energy per unit time.

i. doubling the wind speed increases the power by eight- fold)

ii. wind power is proportional to swept () area of the turbine rotor.
iii. conventional horizontal axis turbine A = (π/4)D2
iv. wind power is proportional to square of blades diameter.
v. Doubling the diameter increases power by a factor of four.
vi. two-thirds area of a rectangle with width equal to the maximum rotor width and
height equal to maximum height of blades. As shown.

1. specific power or power density

annual power available per square meter of cross section, is called the specific power or power
density.
6.2 IMPACT OF TOWER HEIGHT
As wind power is proportional to the cube of the winds peed (Pw = 1 ρAv3). At first few
hundred meters above the ground heighted turbine gets more wind. Impact of the earth
surface roughness on wind speed is given as:

where v is the wind speed at height H , v0 is the wind speed at height H0 (often a
reference height of 10 m), and α is the friction coefficient. 1/7 (the “one-seventh”
rule-of-thumb) is used for α.
While the power law given

where z is called the roughness length

6.6 WIND TURBINE GENERATORS
Electricity is produced by using Faraday law of electromagnetic induction. It is state as
When conductors move through a magnetic field, cutting lines of flux and generating
voltage and current in that conductor.
6.6.1 Synchronous Generators
Generator (or a machine) which convert mechanical energy into electrical energy at
particular voltage & frequency is called synchronous generator.
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i. Generator and blades are connected through a gear box to match the required
speeds.
ii. Permanent magnet rotor creates field around the rotor core. (almost all wind
turbines use synchronous generators)
iii. Rotors of synchronous generator needs dc current to create field in stator
winding (if rotor is not permanent magnet)
iv. For this purpose, exciter, is used which convert ac from the grid into dc for
the rotor.
v. Slip rings with brushes are used to make a contact with spinning rotor to
supply DC current.

6.6.2 The Asynchronous Induction Generator

Generator (or a machine) which convert mechanical energy into electrical energy but do
not have fixed speed is called asynchronous / induction generator (machine).
i. Induction machine can act as a motor or generator, depending on whether
shaft power is being put into the machine (generator) or taken out (motor).
ii. It works as a motor during start-up and as a generator when the wind picks
up.
iii. As a motor, rotor spins a little slower than the speed established by field
windings and in its attempts to “catch up” it delivers power to its rotating shaft.
iv. As a generator, the turbine blades spin the rotor a little faster than the
synchronous speed and energy is delivered into its stationary field windings.
v. Rotor do not require the exciter, brushes, and slip rings that are required I
synchronous generators
vi. Magnetic field is creating in the stator instead of rotor.
vii. So, it is less expensive and require less maintenance.
Rotor:
Rotating part of electric generator or motor is called Rotor.
Stator:
Stationary part of electric generator or motor is called stator.

1. The Squirrel Cage Rotor.

The rotor in which copper or aluminum bars are linked (shorted) together at their ends is
called cage or squirrel cage rotor.
Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction says that when- ever a conductor cuts flux
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lines, an emf will develop along the conductor and, if allowed to, current will flow.
The rotor’s magnetic field then interacts with the stator’s magnetic field, producing a force
that attempts to drive the cage conductor to the right. In other words, the rotor wants to
spin in the same direction that the rotating stator field is revolving— in this case, clockwise
2. The Squirrel Cage induction generator (SCIG).

i. It has fixes speed nearly equal to grid frequency.

ii. It generates power when shaft spin as faster as which can produce same
grid frequency.
iii. Draws reactive power from utility supply.
3. Variable wind speed turbine.
A turbine which is designed to operate over a wide range of rotor speeds is called
variable wind speed turbine.

The Inductance Machine as a Motor.

i. Rotating magnetic field in the stator causes the rotor to spin in the same
direction.
ii. No slip rings or brushes are required, no electrical connections to the rotor.
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Slip of Induction Motor (S):

Difference between flux speed (Ns) and rotor speed (Nr) is called slip.

where s is the rotor slip, NS is the no-load synchronous speed 120f/p rpm, where f is
frequency and p is poles, and NR is the rotor speed.
Breakdown Torque:
Maximum torque which a motor or generator can provide at full rated voltage &
frequency is called breakdown torque. (due to over load rotor stop to spin).

6.7.2 Indirect Grid Connection Systems

i. This approach allows to spin wind turbine at any speed
ii. When connect with generator (synchronous or induction) produces variable
frequency depending on wind speed.
iii. Generator cannot be directly connected to the utility grid, (requires fixed 50-
or 60-Hz current).
iv. The raw output of an inverter is needs to filter to smooth it (ac is converted to
dc and back again, needs to filter harmonics are created).
v. (Describe operation via diagram)

6.10.2 Idealized Wind Turbine Power Curve

It shows relationship between wind speed and electrical output of generator. As shown in Fig.
6.32.
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1. Cut-in Wind speed (VC).

2. Rated Wind speed (VR).
i. active pitch-control
ii. passive stall-control
iii. pitch and stall-control
3. Cut-out or Furling Wind speed (VF).
Cut-in Wind speed (VC)
The minimum wind speed at which the turbine blades overcome friction and begin to
rotate is called Cut-in wind speed. (1 to 7 mph). (winds speed is Low enough that it
cannot drive turbine while generator is rotating, but cannot generated required electrical
power. this portion of the wind’s energy is wasted)
Rated Wind speed (VR)
Speed at which turbine can generate maximum rated electricity, or rated capacity is
called rated wind speed. (25 to 35 mph)
active pitch-control or pitch-control
Pitch control is a Technology used to operate and control the angle of the blades in a wind
turbine. The system is either made up hydraulic cylinders, or electric motors and gears.
(hydraulic system rotates turbine blades about their axes, up to few degrees depending
upon control command based on wind speed low or high)
Passive stall-control
Using pitch control a wind turbine, increases the angle of attack, which causes to
increase the wind pressure on flat side of blade (used when wind is low).
Active stall-control
Using pitch control a wind turbine, decreases the angle of attack, which causes to reduce
the wind pressure on flat side of blade (used when wind is high).
Cut-out or Furling Wind speed (VF)
Speed at which turbine blades are brought to rest to avoid damage from high winds is
called cut out or furling wind speed. (“furling” is the term used in sailing to describe the
practice of folding up the sails when winds are too strong)
Stall-control Machines
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i. Blades are designed to automatically reduced efficiency when wind is too

high.
ii. Nothing rotates – as it does in pitch control.
iii. No rotating part--- refer to passive control.
iv. Design of blades protect turbine from high wind.