Wind
Wind
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WIND ENERGY
Introduction:
Winds are essentially created by the solar heating of the atmosphere. Several attempts have been
made since 1940 to use wind to generate electric energy and development is still going on.
However, techno-economic feasibility has yet to be satisfactorily established. Wind as a power
source is attractive because it is plentiful, inexhaustible and non-polluting. Further, it does not
impose extra heat burden on the environment. Unfortunately, it is non-steady and undependable.
Control equipment has been devised to start the wind power plant whenever the wind speed
reaches 30km/h. Methods have also been found to generate constant frequency power with
varying wind speeds and consequently varying speeds of wind mill propellers. Wind power may
prove practical for small power needs in isolated sites. But for maximum flexibility, it should be
used in conjunction with other methods of power generation to ensure continuity. For a rotor of
17m diameter and a velocity of 48 km/h the theoretical power is 265kW and the practical would
be roughly half of this value.
There are some distinctive energy end-use features of wind power systems:
Most wind power sites are in remote rural, island or marine areas.Rural grid systems are likely to
be ‘weak’ in these areas, since they carry relatively low voltage supplies (e.g.33kV).
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Wind energy:
Winds are caused due to Heating and cooling of the main atmosphere which generates
convection currents. The rotation of the earth with respect to atmosphere, and its motion around
the sun. The potential of wind energy is abundant. 1.6X107 MW. (Same order of present energy
consumption) Wind mill is drives generator to produce electricity.
Water pumping for irrigation and drinking water Required Wind speed range is 8 to 36Km per
hour In India, coastal areas of Saurashtra, western Rajasthan and some parts of central India.
Wind Direction:
A weather vane, or wind vane, is used to show the direction of the wind. A wind vane points
toward the source of the wind. Wind direction is reported as the direction from which the wind
blows, not the direction toward which the wind moves. A north wind blows from the north
toward the south.
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Wind Speed:
It is important in many cases to know how fast the wind is blowing. Wind speed can be
measured using a wind gauge or anemometer. One type of anemometer is a device with three
arms that spin on top of a shaft. Each arm has a cup on its end. The cups catch the wind and spin
the shaft. The harder the wind blows, the faster the shaft spins. A device inside counts the
number of rotations per minute and converts that figure into miles per hour. A display on the
anemometer shows the speed of the wind.
Since ancient times, people have harnessed the wind’s energy. Over 5,000 years ago, the ancient
Egyptians used the wind to sail ships on the Nile River. Later, people built windmills to grind
wheat and other grains. The early windmills looked like paddle wheels. Centuries later, the
people in Holland improved the windmill. They gave it propellertype blades, still made with
sails. Holland is famous for its windmills. In this country, the colonists used windmills to grind
wheat and corn, to pump water, and to cut wood at sawmills. Today, people occasionally use
windmills to grind grain and pump water, but they also use modern wind turbines to make
electricity
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Like old-fashioned windmills, today’s wind turbines use blades to capture the wind’s
kinetic energy. Wind turbines work because they slow down the speed of the wind. When
the wind blows, it pushes against the blades of the wind turbine, making them spin. They
power a generator to produce electricity. Most wind turbines have the same basic parts:
blades, shafts, gears, a generator, and a cable. (Some turbines do not have gearboxes.)
These parts work together to convert the wind’s energy into electricity.
1. The wind blows and pushes against the blades on top of the tower, making them spin.
2. The turbine blades are connected to a low-speed drive shaft. When the blades spin, the
shaft turns. The shaft is connected to a gearbox. The gears in the gearbox increase the
speed of the spinning motion on a high-speed drive shaft.
3. The high-speed drive shaft is connected to a generator. As the shaft turns inside the
generator, it produces electricity.
4. The electricity is sent through a cable down the turbine tower to a transmission line.
The amount of electricity that a turbine produces depends on its size and the speed of the
wind. Wind turbines come in many different sizes. A small turbine may power one home.
Large wind turbines can produce enough electricity to power up to 1,000 homes. Large
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turbines are sometimes grouped together to provide power to the electricity grid. The grid
is the network of power lines connected together across the entire country
Wind power plants, or wind farms, are clusters of wind turbines used to produce
electricity. A wind farm usually has dozens of wind turbines scattered over a large area.
Choosing the location of a wind farm is known as siting a wind farm. The wind speed and
direction must be studied to determine where to put the turbines. As a rule, wind speed
increases with height, as well as over open areas with no windbreaks.
Turbines are usually built in rows facing into the prevailing wind. Placing turbines too far
apart wastes space. If turbines are too close together, they block each other’s wind.The
site must have strong, steady winds. Scientists measure the winds in an area for several
years before choosing a site. The best sites for wind farms are on hilltops, on the open
plains, through mountain passes, and near the coasts of oceans or large lakes.The wind
blows stronger and steadier over water than over land.There are no obstacles on the water
to block the wind. There is a lot of wind energy available offshore.Offshore wind farms
are built in the shallow waters off the coast of major lakes and oceans. Offshore turbines
produce more electricity than turbines on land, but they cost more to build and operate.
The first offshore wind farm in the United States, off the coast of Massachusetts, was
approved in April 2011. Construction is expected to begin in 2013.
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Wind Production
Every year, wind produces only a small amount of the electricity this country uses, but
the amount is growing every year. One reason wind farms don’t produce more electricit y
is that they can only run when the wind is blowing at certain speeds. On Midwestern
wind farms, the wind is optimum for producing electricity between 65 and 90 percent of
the time.
Environmental Impacts
In some areas, people worry about the birds and bats that may be injured by wind
turbines. Some people believe wind turbines produce a lot of sound, and some think
turbines affect their view of the landscape. On the other hand, wind is a clean, renewable
energy source that produces no air pollution. And wind is free to use. Wind power is not
the perfect answer to our electricity needs, but it is a valuable part of the solution.
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Substituting the above and accounting for the constants, we arrive at the fol lowing:
Pw= O.Spn:R3Vw3CP(J , p)
Where,
Pw = extracted power from the wind,
p= air density. (approximately 1.2 kg/m3 at 20c Cat sea le el)
R = blade radius (i n m). (it varies bet\ een 40-60 m)
V= wind velocity (n s) (velocity can be controlled between 3 to 30 m/s)
Cp = the power coefficient which i a function of both tip peed ratio (A.), and blade pitch angle,
((3) (deg.)
Power coefficient (Cp) is defi ned as the ratio of the output power produced to the power
available i n the wind.
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Betz Limit
Betz limit is the theoretical limit assigned to efficiency of a wind turbine. It states that no
turbinecan convert more than 59.3 % of wind kinetic energy into shaft mechanical
energy. Thus thevalue of C is limited to Betz limit. For a well designed turbine the
efficiency lies in the range of35-45 %.
Wind Turbines
A wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the wind kinetic energy into
mechanicalenergy. If the mechanical energy is then converted to electricity, the machine
is called a windgenerator, wind turbine.Wind turbines can be separated into two types
based by the axis in which the turbine rotates asHorizontal Axis Wind Turbines and
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines. The former are more commonly used due to several
inherent advantages, the latter being used in small scale.
• Rotors which convert wind energy into mechanical energy of the shaft ;
• Nacelle (enclosure) which contains all the conversion equipment, generator ,gear shaft
etc.
• Tower, to increase the height of the turbine systems so that higher wind speeds are
captured.
Horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT) get their name from the fact that their axis of
rotation ishorizontal. They have the main rotor shaft and electrical generator at the top of
a tower, and arepointed into the wind. The variability of wind distribution and speed
brings up the requirement ofa gear system connected to the rotor and the generator. The
gear system enables a constant speedof rotation to the generator thus enabling constant
frequency generation. Turbine blades are madestiff in order to prevent the blades from
being pushed into the tower by high winds. Downwindmachines have also been built, as
they no longer require a yaw mechanism to keep them facingthe wind, and also because
in high winds the blades can turn out of the wind thereby increasing drag and coming to a
stop. Most of the HAWTs’ are upwind as downwind systems cause regular turbulence
which may lead to fatigue.
HAWT advantages
• Variable blade pitch, which gives the turbine blades the optimum angle of attack.
Changing the angle of attack provides greater control over power generated and enables
maximum efficiency.
• As wind energy increases with height, the tall tower in the HAWT gives access to
higher windspeed. In some cases increase of even 10m height leads to increase in wind
speed by 20 %
•In HAWTs’ the blades move horizontally that is perpendicular to the wind and hence
haveminimum drag and they receive power throughout the rotation.
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HAWT disadvantages
•Due to inherent large structures, construction costs are very high and so are
transportation costs.
•Wind turbine operation often leads to production of electronic noise which affects radar
sites.
• HAWTs require an additional yaw control mechanism to turn the blades toward the
wind.
Types of HAWTs:
Features:
2. Blade are 15-25 m long and are made up of metal, glass reinforced plastics, laminated
wood,composite carbon fiber/ fiberglass etc.
Advantages:
2. Favorable price
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Disadvantages:
Applications:
1. Field irrigation
Twin-Blade HAWT
1. They have large sizes and power output in range of 1 MW, 2 MW and 3MW.
Blade HAWT
1. 3 blade propeller type wind turbines have been installed in India as well as abroad.
2. The rotor has three blades assembled on a hub. The blade tips have a pitch control of 0
30 for controlling shaft speed.
4. The gear chain changes the speed from turbine shaft to generator shaft.Vertical axis
Wind Turbines Vertical-axis wind turbines (or VAWTs) have the main rotor shaft
arranged vertically as theplane of rotation is vertical. Blades are also vertical in this
arrangement. The biggest advantageof VAWTs is they don’t require a yaw control
mechanism to be pointed into the wind.
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Thusthese are useful in sites where wind direction is random or there is presence of large
obstacleslike trees, houses etc. Also VAWTs’ don’t require a tower structure and can be
placed nearby aground enabling access to electrical components. Some drawbacks are the
low efficiency of windproduction and the fact that large drag is created for rotating the
blades in a vertical axis.
VAWT advantages
• A massive tower structure is not required, as VAWTs’ are mounted closer to the ground
• These are located closer to the ground and hence easier to maintain.
• These have lower startup speeds than their horizontal counterparts. These can start at
speeds aslow as 10Kmph.
VAWT disadvantages
•VAWTs’ have lower efficiency as compared to HAWTs’ because of the additional drag
• Even though VAWTs’ are located closer to the ground, the equipment now resides at
thebottom of the turbines structure thus making it inaccessible.
•Because of their low height they cannot capture the wind energy stored in higher
altitudes.
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Types of VAWTs
Persian Windmill:
1. The Persian windmill was the earliest windmill installed. (7th Century A.D. – 13th
Century A.D. in Persia, Afghanistan, and China)
2. It is a vertical axis windmill.. This windmill was used to grind grains and make flour.
3. Efficiency is 31%.
3. To control speed of rotation mechanical brakes are incorporated. Those brakes consist
of steel discs and spring applied air released calipers for each disc.
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Anemometer: This device is used for measurement of speed. The wind speed is also fed
to thecontroller as it is one of the variables for controlling pitch angle and yaw
Blades: These are aerodynamically designed structures such that when wind flows over
themthey are lifted as in airplane wings. The blades are also slightly turned for greater
aerodynamicefficiency
Brake: This is either a mechanical, electrical or hydraulic brake used for stopping the
turbine inhigh wind conditions
Controller: This is the most important part of the turbine as it controls everything from
poweroutput to pitch angle. The controller senses wind speed, wind direct ion, shaft speed
and torque at one or more
Gear box: This steps-up or steps down the speed of turbine and with suitable coupling
transmitsrotating mechanical energy at a suitable speed to the generator. Typically a gear
box system steps up rotation speed from 50 to 60 rpm to 1200 to 1500 rpm
50Hz High-speed shaft: Its funct ion is to drive the generator. Low-speed shaft: The rotor
Nacelle: The nacelle is the housing structure for high speed shaft, low speed shaft, gear
box, generator, converter equipment etc. It is located atop the tower structure mostly in
the shadow of the blades
Pitch: This is basically the angle the blades make with the wind. Changing the pitch
anglechanges weather the blades turn in or turn out of the wind stream.
Rotor: The hub and the blades together compose the rotor.
Tower: Towers are basically made up of tubular steel or steel lattice. Taller the towers
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greater is the amount of power generated as the wind speed generally goes on increasing
with height. oints. Also the temp of generator and power output produced is sensed
Wind direction: Generally erratic in nature, hence the rotor is made to face into thewind
by means of control systems.
Wind vane: Basically the job of a wind sensor, measuring the wind speed and
communicating the same to the yaw drive, so as to turn the turbine into the wind flow
direction.
Yaw drive: This drive controls the orientation of the blades towards the wind. In case the
turbine is out of the wind, then the yaw drive rotates the turbine in the wind direction
There are several parameters involved in the design of an efficient yet economical wind
turbine.Generally and efficient design of the blade is known to maximize the lift and
minimize the dragon the blade. Now, minimization of the drag means that the aerofoil
should face the relative windin such a way that minimum possible area is exposed to the
drag force of the wind. Furthermorethe angle of this relative wind to the blades is
determined by the relative magnitudes of the windspeed and the blade velocity. The thing
to note here is that the wind velocity basically staysconstant throughout the swept area
but the blade velocity increases from the inner edge to the tip.Which means the relative
angle of the wind with respect to the blade is ever-changing. Now the various parameters
which determine the design of the wind turbine are noted below:
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Since the power generated is directly proportional to the square of the diameter of the
rotor, itbecomes a valuable parameter. It’s basically determined by the relation between
the optimumpower required to be generated and the mean wind speed of the area.
The choice of the number of blades of a wind rotor is critical to its construction as well as
operation. Greater number of blades is known to create turbulence in the system, and a
lessernumber wouldn’t be capable enough to capture the optimum amount of wind
energy. Hence thenumber of blades should be determined by both these constraints and
after proper study of its dependence on the TSR. Now, let be the time taken by one blade
to move into the positionpreviously occupied by the previous blade, so for an n-bladed
rotor rotating at an angular velocity, ω we have the following relation:Again let tbe the
time taken by the disturbed wind, generated by the interference of the blades to move
away and normal air to be reestablished. Now this will basically depend on the wind
speed, on how fast or how slow the wind flow is. Hence it depends on the wind speed V
& the length of the strongly perturbed wind stream, say d Here we have:
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The mechanical power that can be extracted from the wind depends heavily on the win d
speed,and for each wind speed there is always an optimum turbine speed at which the
wind powerextracted at the shaft of the turbine is maximum, at any other speed apart
from this optimumspeed we get sub-standard operation of the system. So our chief goal
would be to find out theoptimum turbine speed over the operational range of the wind
stream speeds. This thing isbasically area specific, because the wind speeds would vary
from place to place. Now themechanical power transmitted at the shaft is:
As we know Cp is a function of the TSR & the pitch angle. For a wind turbine with
radius R, theabove formula can be written as,
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Indian Scenar
India has a vast supply of renewable energy resources. India has one of the world’s
largest.Programs for deployment of renewable energy products and systems, with wind
energy being one of the highest with 11087MW installed.
The Indian wind energy scene is upbeat, with a large number of forays being made
bymultinationals like vestas, gamesa, GE power etc. and with suzlon making brisk pace
in theinternational market, the nations wind potential is rightly being tapped. Here we
analyze thewind potential of four distinct spots on the subcontinent.
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The wind blows day and night, which allows windmills to produce electricity throughout
the day. (Faster during the day) Energy output from a wind turbine will vary as the wind
varies, although the most rapid variations will to some extent be compensated for by the
inertia of the wind turbine rotor. Wind energy is a domestic, renewable source of energy
that generates no pollution and has little environmental impact. Up to 95 percent of land
used for wind farms can also be used for other profitable activities including ranching,
farming and forestry.
The decreasing cost of wind power and the growing interest in renewable energy sources
should ensure that wind power will become a viable energy source in the United States
and worldwide.
National Security
This is a list of things to consider when selecting sites for installing wind monitoring
devices and wind generators. Site selection will depend on a number of factors including
the general terrain and wind flow characteristics of an area and the proximity to the
location of intended use.For more detailed information, check the references listed below.
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Considerations:
Wind Characteristics: Ideal sites are generally located in areas with good exposure to the
prevailing wind, away from structures, terrain or vegetation that might alter the wind or
introduce excessive turbulence. For wind measurement, sites that represent a wide area
are ideal in order to estimate the wind resource over as wide an area as possible.
Vegetation will often show signs of "flagging" if wind is present in sufficient amounts.
Proximity to End Use: The costs associated with wind energy grow with increased
distance to where the energy might be used. A windy site close to transmission lines or
close to a pumping location might be most appropriate.
Terrain and Land Use: Consider the amount of land available, how this land is
currently used, it?s proximity to other uses such as roads, houses, towns or parks. Avoid
potential problems by considering your neighbors and the public in this process.
Site Accessibility: To install a monitoring tower or a wind turbine and to provide routine
maintenance it will be necessary to get equipment to the site. Accessibility may be
important. It may also be useful to have cell phone coverage at the site to obtain help with
maintenance issues that might arise.
The following characteristics are important in considering a wind turbine site, and are
examined in this
B. Noise
D. Proximity to Airports
G. Net-metering