Wind Energy Technology

Prof. Adel Khalil

 Wind
Wind energy is created when:
• the atmosphere is heated unevenly by the Sun
• some patches of air become warmer than others
• the warm patches of air rise
• other air rushes in to fill the void
thus, wind blows

WIND

Source: www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7n.html
 Historical Utilization of Wind Energy
(transportation, pumping, milling and power)
Wind Energy Global Capacity 2019
Global Capacity and Investment in Renewable Energy
Technologies(GSR2020)
LCOE for Solar PV, CSP, on-shore Wind and off-shore Wind energy technologies 2012-2022 (Auctions
and LCOE database IRENA 2018)
Global weighted average total installed costs and project percentile ranges for CSP, solar
PV, onshore and offshore wind, 2010–2018 (IRENA 2018)
Wind rose (speed speed distribuion)
Wind rose (frequency disribuion)
 Wind speed distribution

P : Probabiliy
K : Shape parameter
C : Scale parameter
X : wind speed

α : wind shear exponent depending on surface roughness

 Wind Energy Resource Maps

Contours for annual average of:

• Wind Speed (at 10, 30 or 50 m height)-m/s

• Wind power density (W/m2)

• Wind Energy Potential (kWh/m2/y)

• Wind classes 1 to 7

• Wind roses

• Wind classes 4 and higher are suitable for

power production using existing technologies.
Wind Classes
Wind Turbine Sysem
HA Wind
Turbine
optimum Tower Spacing
Wind Turbine Size Development
 Power Generated by HWind Turbine
Power = ½ (ρ)(A)(V)3 (Cp)

ρ = Density of air = 1.2 kg/m3 at sea level, 20 oC and dry air

A = swept area = π(radius)2, m2
V = Wind Velocity, m/sec. A
Cp = Efficiency=0.35~0.45, typically

The power in the wind is Pwind = ½ (ρ)(A)(V)3. The amount of power

that can be captured by a turbine is only 35% to 45% of that amount
(i.e., Cp = 0.35 ~ 0.45).
The theoretical maximum for Cp is 0.593, i.e., the theoretical
maximum efficiency of a turbine is 59.3%. This maximum efficiency
is called Betz Limit.

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 Power Generated by HWind Turbine
How much power a wind turbine with 50 meters long blade can generate
with a wind speed of 12 m/s? The site of the installation is about 1000
feet above sea level.

Air density is lower at higher elevation. For 1000 feet above sea level, ρ is
about 1.16 kg/m3

Power = ½ (ρ)(A)(V)3 (Cp)

= 0.5(1.16)(π502)(12)3(0.4)
= 3.5 x 106 Watt
= 3.5 MW

where we assumed the turbine efficiency is 40%.

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Betz efficiency
Ca
pa
cit
y
Fa
ct
or

Tip Speed Ratio

 Orientation
Turbines can be categorized into two overarching classes
based on the orientation of the rotor
Vertical Axis Horizontal Axis
 Vertical Axis Turbines

Advantages Disadvantages
• Omnidirectional • Rotors generally near ground
– Accepts wind from any where wind poorer
angle • Centrifugal force stresses
• Components can be blades
mounted at ground • Poor self-starting capabilities
level • Requires support at top of
turbine rotor
– Ease of service
• Requires entire rotor to be
– Lighter weight towers removed to replace bearings
• Can theoretically use • Overall poor performance
less materials to and reliability
capture the same • Have never been
amount of wind 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
Magnus effect
Magnus effect
Windship simulation
Floating Wind Turbines
 Drag or Lift Design

Wind turbines are designed based on either aerodynamic Drag or

Lift force.

Drag Design
The wind literally pushes the blades out of the way.

Slower rotational speeds and high torque capabilities. Useful for providing
mechanical work (water pumping e.g.).

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 Lift Design
•The blade is essentially an airfoil (like wings of
airplanes).

•When air flows past the blade, a wind speed and

Lift
pressure differential is created between the upper
and lower blade surfaces. The pressure at the
lower surface is greater and thus acts to "lift" the
blade.

•The lift force is translated into rotational motion.

•Lift design generally has higher efficiency and is

used in most modern turbines.

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 VAWT’s have not been commercially
successful, yet…
Every few years a new
company comes along
promising a revolutionary
breakthrough in wind
turbine design that is low
cost, outperforms anything
else on the market, and
overcomes all of the
WindStor
previous problems with Mag-Wind
VAWT’s. They can also
usually be installed on a
roof or in a city where wind
is poor.

WindTree Wind Wandler

Buoyant Airborne Turbine (BAT)
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
Horizontal
Axis Wind
Turbine
Nacelle Components
HA Wind
Turbine
 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
 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 to the direction of α = High
motion. We want to make Stall!!
this force small.
 Tip-Speed Ratio
ΩR
ΩR
Tip-speed ratio is the ratio of the speed
of the rotating blade tip to the speed
of the free stream wind. RR
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
 Twist & Taper
• Speed through the air of a
point on the blade changes
with distance from hub
• Therefore, tip speed ratio
varies as well
• To optimize angle of attack
all along blade, it must twist
from root to tip
 Wind Turbine – Blade Design
Blade size and shape
Last profile next to
5-station design as seen from the tip the hub

First profile at the

tip

Engineering 10, SJSU 35

 Pitch Control vs. Stall Control
• Pitch Control
– Blades rotate out of the
wind when wind speed
becomes too great
• Stall Control
– Blades are at a fixed pitch
that starts to stall when wind
speed is too great
– Pitch can be adjusted for
particular location’s wind
regime
• Active Stall Control
– 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

A
High solidity (>0.80) = low speed, high torque
Solidity = 3a/A
 All wind power cannot
Betz Limit be captured by rotor
or air would be
Rotor Disc completely still behind
rotor and not allow
more wind to pass
through.
Theoretical limit of rotor
efficiency is 59%
Rotor Wake
Betz Limit
 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
 Blade Composition
Wood
Wood
– Strong, light weight,
cheap, abundant,
flexible
– Popular on do-it
yourself turbines
• Solid plank
• Laminates
• Veneers
• Composites
 Blade Composition
Metal

• Steel
– Heavy & expensive
• Aluminum
– Lighter-weight and easy
to work with
– Expensive
– Subject to metal fatigue
 Blade Construction
Fiberglass
• Lightweight, strong,
inexpensive, good fatigue
characteristics
• Variety of manufacturing
processes
– Cloth over frame
– Pultrusion
– Filament winding to produce
spars
• Most modern large
turbines use fiberglass
 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
 Direct Drive Enercon E-
70, 2.3 MW (right)

Drive Trains
Drive Trains transfer
power from rotor to the
generator
• Direct Drive (no
transmission)
– Quieter & more reliable
– Most small turbines GE 2.3 MW (above)
• Mechanical Multi-drive Clipper
Transmission Liberty 2.5 MW (right)
– Can have parallel or
planetary shafts
– Prone to failure due to very
high stresses
– Most large turbines (except
in Germany)
 “ The rotor is the single most critical
Rotor Controls element of any wind turbine… How
a wind turbine controls the forces
acting on the rotor, particularly in
high winds, is of the utmost
• Micro Turbines importance to the long-term,
– May not have any controls reliable function of any wind
– Blade flutter 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
 Towers
• Monopole (Nearly all
large turbines)
– Tubular Steel or
Concrete
• Lattice (many Medium
turbines)
– 20 ft. sections
• Guyed
– Lattice or monopole
• 3 guys minimum
– Tilt-up
• 4 guys
• Tilt-up monopole
Capacity factor and capacity credit for different power technologies
Wind Turbine Classes
Wind Turbine Classes
Cost of On-Shore WT
Cost of Off-Shore WT
Cost Data Base
Rotor Diameters
Turbine Hub heights and Rotor Diameters
Wind Turbine Museum Texas
Thank you