Wind Power and Wind Turbines

BY
Er.KARTHIKEYAN,ME,MBA,(Ph.D)

Outline
Wind causes?
Wind Power example
Wind Turbine Design
Aerodynamics

Wind what causes it?

Atmospheric
pressure differences

~31 km
(99% of mass)

rth
Ea

Where does the

pressure come
from?

s
ce
rfa
su

~1
2,
80
0

km

Weight of air in
atmosphere

Force
Pressure
Area

Avg. pressure at sea level

101325 Pa (Pascal)
1013.25 mb (millibar)
29.92 in. Hg (inches of mercury
1 atm (atmosphere)
14.7 psi (pound per square inch)

Pressure
Pressure

Force
Area

Space (zero pressure)

(Definition)

Edge of atmosphere

Pressure Density g depth

Earths surface

Check the formula by checking the units!

Pressure mass

volume

acceleration due to gravity depth

Pressure kg 3 m 2 m
m
s

Units multiply and divide like numbers!

Pressure kg 2 1 2 m
m
s

kg m

s2 N
m2
m2

Okay!

Wind what causes it?, cont.

Pressure differences cause the flow of fluids (gases
and liquids)
pressure is always measured relative to some
reference pressure
Sometimes relative to vacuum absolute
Sometimes relative to atmospheric pressure
Fluid density

Fluid height

PB g h PA
PB

PA

Acceleration due to gravity

The higher pressure at B will cause fluid to flow out of the tank.

So, what causes pressure variations in the atmosphere?

Prevailing Winds
Heating and cooling of the air

http://trampleasure.net/science/coriolis/coriolis.png

Wind what causes it?, cont.

Pressure maps
Contours of
constant pressure
(usually 4 mb
between contours
Close spacing
means stronger
winds
In N.H., winds
circulate around a
low pressure region
in CCW direction

Weather Processor Symbols

WXP Legend

http://virga.sfsu.edu/inline/legend.gif

Review Question 1
What causes wind?
A. Air pressure
B. Weight of the atmosphere
C. Pressure difference in
atmosphere
D. Low pressure
E. High pressure

Review Question 2
What are the units of pressure?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Force/Area
Pascals (Pa)
Pounds per square inch (psi)
Millirads
B and C

Wind Energy and Power

Atmospheric pressure differences
accelerate and impart kinetic energy into
the air
Wind energy conversion machines (WEC)
convert wind energy into electrical or
mechanical forms
How much power can we extract?
K.E. 12 ( mass ) (velocity ) 2
Power

time
time
mass
density area velocity
time
3

AV
Power 1 2 (density ) area ( velocity )3
2

Wind Power - Example

Example:
V = 10 m/s
A = (2 m)2 = 4 m2
= 1.2 kg/m3
http://enneagon.org/footprint/jpg/dvc01w.jpg
http://z.about.com/d/gonewengland/1/0/5/C/leaf5.gif

AV
Power 1 2 ( density ) area ( velocity )3
2

Wind Power Example, cont.

1.2 kg
P

m 3 4m 2 10 m s
2
kg m 2
kg m m
m
2400
2400 2 2400 N
3
s
s
s
s
N m
P 2400
2400 W Theoretical Maximum
s
3

Betz Limit: 59.3% of the theoretical is the maximum amount

extractable by a wind energy conversion device (WEC)

PBetz 0.593 ( 2400W ) 1423.2 W

Practical
Maximum

Wind Turbine Size-Power Comparison

Wind Turbine Configurations

HAWT

VAWT

Boyle, G., Renewable Energy, 2nd ed., Oxford

University Press, 2004

Configuration Tradeoffs
Factors
Efficiency
Power produced per unit cost

Directionality
Support configuration
Speed of rotation
Reliability
Cost
Maintainability
Which type is best, HAWT or VAWT?

Common HAWT Construction

Rotor

Blades are connected to a hub, which is connected to a shaft

Rotational speed will depend on blade geometry, number of blades,
and wind speed (40 to 400 revolutions per minute typical speed
range)
Gear box needed to increase speed to 1200-1800 RPM for generator

Aerodynamics of Wind Turbine Blades

Forces are transmitted from a moving
fluid to an object in the flow stream
Lift = the force component perpendicular
to the original flow direction
Drag = the force component in line with
the original flow direction

Lift

Drag
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/newton3.html

Two Types of Turbine Designs

Drag Designs
Savonius

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Savonius_Querschnitt.png

Lift Designs
VAWT Darrieus
Most HAWT
designs

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Darrieus.jpg

Aerodynamics of HAWT Blade

r[L(sinD(cos)] = Torque
Torque x rotational speed= Power
Boyle, G., Renewable Energy, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2004

Aerodynamics of HAWT Blade, cont.

Angle of attack, (blade angle between chord and relative wind
direction)
Has a large effect on the lift and drag
Typical values between 1 and 15 degrees (what is optimum?)

Design of HAWT Turbine Blade

Blade size and shape
5-station design as seen from the tip
The blade twists to keep angle of attack constant

Design of HAWT Turbine Blade, cont.

Number of blades
Increasing the number
of blades tends to
increase the
aerodynamic efficiency
Increasing the number
of blades increases the
cost (material and
manufacturing
Turbines with fewer
blades
tend to run most
efficiently
at lower tip speed ratios
(ratio of tip speed to
wind speed)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine_design

Review Question 3
The lift force on a wing or turbine
blade is:
A. In line with the relative wind
direction
B. Perpendicular to the relative
wind direction
C. Somewhere between in line and
perpendicular to the relative
wind direction
D. Varies
E. A and B

References
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/
http://www.aos.wisc.edu/~hopkins/a
os100/sfc-anl.htm
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/
(Gh)/guides/mtr/prs/hghdef.rxml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_tur
bine_design
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K12/airplane/short.html