Design of Wind Turbine System

Dr. Monalisa Patnaik

Department of Electrical Engineering,

National Institute of Technology, Rourkela,
Odisha, India, 769008.
1
 DESIGN OF WIND TURBINE ROTOR
 Efficient design of a blade maximizes the lift and minimizes
the drag.
 The wind velocity is constant throughout the rotor area, but
the blade velocity increases from the inner edge to the tip.
 So, neither the magnitude nor the angle of the relative
wind is constant throughout the length of the blade.
 As the aero-foil has to face the relative wind at all points, it
should have a varying pitch angle along the blade i.e. it
should have a twist.
 As the lift force developed at the tip is higher than that at
the inner edge due to the difference in magnitude of w, the
tip tries to move faster than the central parts.
 This produces a stress that may cause blade failure.
Moreover, the tension developed at the inner side due to
centrifugal force is more than that at the tip.
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 DESIGN OF WIND TURBINE ROTOR

 Both these problems can be removed by designing a

tapering blade so that the blade area at the tip is less than
that at the inner edge.
 To achieve a perfect balance of all these forces at all parts of
the blade, it may sometimes be desirable to have a varying
aero-foil section along the blade.
 However, some of these features are too expensive to
implement, and a compromise is often struck between
efficiency and production cost.

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 MAJOR COMPONENTS OF WIND TURBINE (HAWT)

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

 A streamlined enclosure called nacelle houses key turbine components
4
 COMMON HAWT CONSTRUCTION

Rotor

• Rotational speed will depend on blade geometry, number of

blades, and wind speed (40 to 400 RPM typical speed range)
• Gear box needed to increase speed to 1000-1500 RPM for
generator

5
 DESIGN
WINDOF WIND TURBINE
TURBINE SYSTEM
TECHNOLOGY

Designing a wind turbine system involves:

 Determining the diameter of the rotor
 Choice of the number of blades
 Blade profile
 Chord length
 Setting angle
 Height of the tower
 Type of transmission system and gear box

6
 WIND TURBINE
DETERMINING TECHNOLOGY
THE DIAMETER OF THE ROTOR
 The diameter of the rotor is determined from the operating wind speed and the rated
power output.
 The generated power is given by:
1
𝑃𝑃 = 𝑃𝑃𝑂𝑂 ƞ𝑚𝑚 ƞ𝑒𝑒 𝐶𝐶𝑝𝑝 = 𝜌𝜌ƞ𝑚𝑚 ƞ𝑒𝑒 𝐶𝐶𝑝𝑝 𝐴𝐴𝑉𝑉∞3
2
1 𝜋𝜋𝐷𝐷 2 3
= 𝜌𝜌ƞ𝑚𝑚 ƞ𝑒𝑒 𝐶𝐶𝑝𝑝 𝑉𝑉∞
2 4
1
= 𝜌𝜌ƞ𝑚𝑚 ƞ𝑒𝑒 𝐶𝐶𝑝𝑝 𝜋𝜋𝐷𝐷 2 𝑉𝑉∞3
8
 where is ƞ𝑚𝑚 the efficiency of mechanical transmission and ƞ𝑒𝑒 is the
efficiency of electrical generation.
 If the rated P (W), 𝑉𝑉∞ (m/s), and 𝐶𝐶𝑝𝑝 are known, the diameter can be
found out.
 In the absence of the above data, the following simple formulae can be
used for the initial estimation of the maximum aerodynamic power:
 𝑃𝑃 = 0.15𝐷𝐷 2 𝑉𝑉∞3 for slow rotors
 𝑃𝑃 = 0.20𝐷𝐷 2 𝑉𝑉∞3 for fast rotors
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 EXAMPLE
WIND TURBINE TECHNOLOGY
Find the required diameter of a wind turbine to generate 4 kW
at a wind speed of 7 m/s and a rotor speed of 120 rpm.
Assume power coefficient = 0.4, efficiency of mechanical
transmission = 0.9, and efficiency of generator = 0.95.
Soln:
1
𝑃𝑃 = 𝜌𝜌ƞ𝑚𝑚 ƞ𝑒𝑒 𝐶𝐶𝑝𝑝 𝜋𝜋𝐷𝐷2 𝑉𝑉∞3
8

1
4000 = × 1.25 × 0.9 × 0.95 × 0.4 × 𝜋𝜋 × 𝐷𝐷2 × 73
8

2 4000
 𝐷𝐷 = = 69.43 →D=8.332 m
57.61
𝑃𝑃 = 0.20𝐷𝐷 2 𝑉𝑉∞3 = 0.2 × 𝐷𝐷 2 × 73
2 4000
𝐷𝐷 = = 58. 3 →D=7.636 m
68.6
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 CHOICE
WINDOF THE NUMBER
TURBINE OF BLADES
TECHNOLOGY

 Efficiency of power extraction from wind depends on the proper

choice of the number of blades.
 There will be little power extraction if the blades are so close to
each other or rotate so fast that every blade moves into the
turbulent air created by the preceding blade.
 It will also be less than optimum if the blades are so far apart or
move so slowly that much of the air stream passes through the
wind turbine without interacting with a blade.
 Thus, the choice of the number of blades should depend on the
TSR.
 A large number of blades implies high solidity-hence high torque
and low speed
 A small number of blades implies low torque and high speed.
 Therefore, a large number of blades are used in wind turbines
meant for pumping water or other mechanical functions that
require a high starting torque.
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 CHOICE
WINDOF THE NUMBER
TURBINE OF BLADES
TECHNOLOGY
 Let ta is time taken by one blade to move into the position previously
occupied by the preceding blade.
 For an n-bladed rotor rotating at an angular velocity ω
2𝜋𝜋
 𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑎 =
𝑛𝑛𝜔𝜔

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 CHOICE
WINDOF THE NUMBER
TURBINE OF BLADES
TECHNOLOGY

 Let tb be the time taken by the disturbed wind, caused by the

interference of a blade, to move away and normal air to be reestablished.
 It depends on the wind speed v and the length of the strongly perturbed
air stream, say d.
𝑑𝑑
 𝑡𝑡𝑏𝑏 =
𝑉𝑉
 For maximum power extraction,
 𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑎 ≅ 𝑡𝑡𝑏𝑏
2𝜋𝜋 𝑑𝑑 𝜔𝜔 2𝜋𝜋
 = → ≅
𝑛𝑛𝜔𝜔 𝑉𝑉 𝑉𝑉 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛

 For modern electricity-generating wind turbines, the empirical

measurement of d and the requirement of a high TSR lead to
a small number of blades, generally only two or three.

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 CHOICE
WINDOF THE NUMBER
TURBINE OF BLADES
TECHNOLOGY

 Though both two-blade and three-blade designs are equally popular, their
choice depends on certain factors.

Two-blade turbines Three-blade turbines

 less nacelle weight and much  involves 33% more weight and
simpler to erect cost
 Less cost and power coefficient  power coefficient increases only
 More power fluctuation and less by 5-10 %
balanced gyroscopic force  smoother power output and a
 more blade fatigue and more more balanced gyroscopic force
chances of failure  therefore less blade fatigue and
less chances of failure

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 SOLIDITY
WIND TURBINE TECHNOLOGY

Blade solidity is an important design parameter and is

defined as the ratio of blade chord length to spacing.
Solidity is usually defined as the percentage of the
circumference of the rotor which contains material rather
than air. High-solidity machines carry a lot of material.
Blade Solidity (𝜎𝜎b)=c/s= cNb/2𝜋𝜋𝑅𝑅
where c= blade chord length and spacing (s)=2𝜋𝜋R/Nb
Nb = No. of blades
 Blade solidity should not be confused with rotor solidity,
which is the ratio of the total area of the rotor blades to the
swept area of the rotor.
 Rotor Solidity (𝜎𝜎)=cRNb/𝜋𝜋𝑅𝑅2
=cNb/𝜋𝜋𝑅𝑅

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 CHOICE OF THETURBINE
WIND BLADE PROFILE AND MATERIAL
TECHNOLOGY
 For low-TSR, high solidity water-pumping windmills, the
blade is generally a flat metallic plate.
 In some cases it is a simple, circularly curved metallic
sheet, which leads to certain aero-foil like characteristics,
but with uniform thickness throughout the blade.
 For high-speed wind turbines, the blade profile must have
an aerofoil section.
 High-speed turbine blades are made of high-density
wood or fiber glass and epoxy composites.
 Among all the components of a wind turbine, the blades
have the maximum possibility of failure because of
mechanical stresses.
 It is therefore important to keep the stresses within limits.
 This is achieved by limiting the rotor speed to a
predesigned limit, stalling the turbine at high wind speeds,
and restricting the acceleration and deceleration rates. 14
 CHOICE OF THETURBINE
WIND BLADE PROFILE AND MATERIAL
TECHNOLOGY

 As the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbine blades

are essentially the same as those for aeroplane wings
and propellers, a choice can be made from the profiles.
 The geometries of the various profiles and their
aerodynamic characteristics are available from the NACA
series and the Gottingen series of publications (e.g.
NACA 4412, 4415, 4418, 23012, 23015, 23018 and
Gottingen 623, 624, etc.)
𝑤𝑤𝑏𝑏𝑝𝑝
 Reynolds number of any fluid flow is given by: 𝑅𝑅𝑒𝑒 =
𝑣𝑣 ′
where 𝑏𝑏𝑝𝑝 is the width of the profile (m), w is the flow velocity
(m/s), and 𝑣𝑣 ′ is the kinematic viscosity (m2 /s).

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 CHOICE OF THETURBINE
WIND BLADE PROFILE AND MATERIAL
TECHNOLOGY

 In choosing the appropriate profile, caution must be

exercised. The studies presented in these literatures are
generally for high Reynolds number flows and are not valid
for lower Reynolds numbers.
 If the flow velocity is much higher than the viscosity, it is a
high Reynolds number flow-the condition prevailing in an
aeroplane propeller.
 If the flow around the blade is slower, the viscosity term
becomes significant and flow is a low Reynolds number flow.
 The Reynolds number for the flow of wind around a wind
turbine blade is generally much lower than that around
an aeroplane wing.
 Hence the aero-foil performance of a wind turbine may
deviate significantly from that expected upon the application
of the characteristic values obtained from these studies.
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 DETERMINATION OF TECHNOLOGY
WIND TURBINE THE BLADE CHORD
 The width of the blade chord can be determined by a simple manipulation
of the relationships developed in the previous sections.
 For a blade element between radii r and r + dr,
𝑑𝑑𝐹𝐹𝐿𝐿 𝑣𝑣
 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = , 𝑤𝑤 =
cos 𝜀𝜀 sin 𝐼𝐼
 𝑑𝑑𝐹𝐹𝑇𝑇 = 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 cos(𝐼𝐼 − 𝜀𝜀)
𝑑𝑑𝐹𝐹𝐿𝐿 cos(𝐼𝐼−𝜀𝜀)
=
cos 𝜀𝜀
1 2 cos(𝐼𝐼−𝜀𝜀)
= 𝜌𝜌𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 𝑑𝑑𝐴𝐴𝑏𝑏 𝑊𝑊
2 cos 𝜀𝜀
1 2 cos(𝐼𝐼−𝜀𝜀)
= 𝜌𝜌𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 𝑑𝑑𝐴𝐴𝑏𝑏 𝑣𝑣
2 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠2 𝐼𝐼 cos 𝜀𝜀
 If the blade chord length is c, the elemental blade area is given by 𝑑𝑑𝐴𝐴𝑏𝑏 = Cdr
 Thus the thrust on the blade element is given by:
1 2 cos(𝐼𝐼−𝜀𝜀)
𝑑𝑑𝐹𝐹𝑇𝑇 = 𝜌𝜌𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 𝑣𝑣 2 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 17
2 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝐼𝐼 cos 𝜀𝜀
 DETERMINATION OF TECHNOLOGY
WIND TURBINE THE BLADE CHORD
 Similarly, the expression for the moment produced by the blade element in
terms of 𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 , I, and ε becomes:

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = 𝑟𝑟𝑑𝑑𝐹𝐹𝑀𝑀 = 𝑟𝑟𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 sin(𝐼𝐼 − 𝜀𝜀)

𝑟𝑟𝑑𝑑𝐹𝐹𝐿𝐿 sin(𝐼𝐼−𝜀𝜀)
=
cos 𝜀𝜀
1 2 sin(𝐼𝐼−𝜀𝜀)
= 𝑟𝑟𝜌𝜌𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 𝑑𝑑𝐴𝐴𝑏𝑏 𝑊𝑊
2 cos 𝜀𝜀
1 2 sin(𝐼𝐼−𝜀𝜀)
= 𝜌𝜌𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 𝑣𝑣 2 𝐶𝐶𝑟𝑟𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
2 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝐼𝐼 cos 𝜀𝜀
 The following factors should be considered while determining the length of
the blade chord (C):
 The total torque developed by the blade at the rated wind speed should
be equal to the desired value.
 The moment and thrust produced by blade elements of equal length
along the blade should be almost equal.

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 DETERMINATION OF TECHNOLOGY
WIND TURBINE THE BLADE CHORD
 While designing a blade using the blade-element theory, the
length of the blade is divided into a number of smaller elements
within which the parameters are assumed to be constant.
 Parameters such as 𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 ,𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷 , 𝜀𝜀 & 𝑖𝑖 are determined from aerofoil data
sheets and the Eiffel polar plot of the aerofoil section. (Note that
𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷
as tan 𝜀𝜀 = , the tangent to the Eiffel polar gives the minimum 𝜀𝜀
𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿
only if 𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷 & 𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 are plotted on the same scale)
 I is given by the magnitudes of v and u at a particular blade
element.
 The design parameters are computed for each element, keeping
in mind that the summation of the forces over the whole blade
length should yield the desired values.
 It is natural that the smaller the length of that blade element, the
better the design.
 Complex variation of chord length computed above may not be
the most desirable economically.
 In most cases a linear trapezoidal tapering is preferred for the
19
sake of cost-effective manufacture.
 CHOICE
WIND OF THETECHNOLOGY
TURBINE PITCH ANGLE
 Pitch angle is given by 𝛼𝛼 = 𝐼𝐼 − 𝑖𝑖.
 As I varies along the length of the blade, α should also vary to ensure
an optimal angle of incidence at all points of the blade.
 Thus the desirable twist along the blade can be calculated easily.
 The pitch angle should be such that tan 𝜀𝜀 or 𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷 /𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 is minimum at all
points of the rotor.
 The tangent to the Eiffel polar plot gives the minimum 𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷 /𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 . For the
tangent to represent tan 𝜀𝜀 , 𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷 & 𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 should be drawn to the same scale.
 This becomes very inconvenient, since for most aero-foils, 𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 is about
two orders of magnitude higher than 𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷 . It is more convenient to plot the
curve for 𝐶𝐶𝐷𝐷 /𝐶𝐶𝐿𝐿 versus i.
 Its minimum point will then represent the optimal value of the incidence
angle. This method yields a twisted blade, i.e. one that has different
pitch angles at different distances from the axis.
 If the constraints in the production method do not permit a twist, the
optimal value of α can be chosen for a suitable point on the blade, say r
= 0.8R, and the same pitch angle maintained throughout the blade.
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 WINDHEIGHT
TURBINEOFTECHNOLOGY
TOWER
 In a horizontal-axis wind turbine, the tower supports the whole
machinery, including the blades, the gear box, the generator, and
the control equipment.
 It therefore requires high strength, which is achieved with a steel
or concrete structure, based on tubular or lattice construction.
 It is necessary to avoid amplification of vibration through careful
design of the resonant frequencies of the tower, blades, rotor, etc.
vis-a-vis the wind fluctuation frequencies.
Based on power output:
 Small size (up to 10kW): Small turbines should have taller towers
in comparison with their rotor diameters; otherwise the turbine
would be too close to the ground surface and would experience
poor wind speeds.
 Medium size (10-100 kW): have tower heights in the range of 20
m-30 m;
 Large size (300 kW to 500 kW ): have towers 35 m to 40 m high.
 In general, for medium and large turbines, the height of the tower
21
is slightly greater than the rotor diameter.
 TRANSMISSION SYSTEM
WIND TURBINE AND GEAR BOX
TECHNOLOGY

Rotor

 In order to ensure that a low speed of the turbine

produces a high rotational speed at the generator, a
gear box is inserted in the transmission system.
 If the gear system has a fixed gear ratio, the
transmission system is relatively simple and
inexpensive.
 However, in this case the efficiency suffers at low or
high wind speeds. 22
 TRANSMISSION SYSTEM
WIND TURBINE AND GEAR BOX
TECHNOLOGY
 It has been found that for a particular site (with
particular wind speed distribution characteristics), one
particular choice of the gear ratio gives the highest
system efficiency
 The curve falls off on both sides of this optimal gear
ratio.
 Therefore, a judicious choice of the gear ratio is very
important.
 Generally a speed ratio of 20-30 is chosen for wind
electrical systems.
 For a variable-speed wind turbine, a better overall
efficiency may be obtained with a two-speed gear box
 It can switch from a low gear ratio at high wind speeds
to a high gear ratio at low wind speeds so that the
speed variation at the generator side is kept low.
23