Lect 1 - 2021
Lect 1 - 2021
Lecture #1 Introduction
Course Description
p This course will present the fundamental concepts
and theories that can be used to design an
efficient wind turbine.
n Introduction
n Wind regimes
n Aerodynamic modeling of wind turbines
n Rotor design considerations
n Wind turbine control
n Technology to improve wind turbine efficiency
n Wind Farms
Learning Objectives
p Understand how to characterize the
properties of the wind resource from
which the power is to be extracted.
p Understand how to predict the
performance of a wind turbine using Blade
Element/momentum theory.
p Understand the blade design features and
aerodynamics that yields an efficient rotor.
Learning Objectives Continued
p Understand how to use distributed active control
to enhance turbine performance.
n For increased energy capture.
n For reducing unwanted blade loading.
n To allow blade weight reductions.
p Understand how rotor design considerations
influence the wind turbine performance.
p Understand technical and economic issues related
to wind turbines and wind farms.
Lecture # 1 Outline
Ref. 1
Persian Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
Top View
Ref. 1
VAWT in
Afghanistan
Ref 3
Ref. 1
History - Continued
p Wind Turbines.
n The first evidence of windmills in China is
found in a document in 1219AD. The windmill
was similar to the Persian design and was
used for grinding corn and pumping water.
Chinese Vertical Axis Wind Mill
Chinese Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine
used for Irrigation
Wind Sail
History - Continued
p Wind Turbines.
n One difference between the Persian and
Chinese windmills was the use of sails that
adjusted themselves to the wind direction.
n Horizontal axis windmills were widely used in
the southeastern area of China in 1368-1644
AD.
History - Continued
p Wind Turbines.
n In 1185 the first historical references to a
horizontal axis windmill appears in Europe
(Yorkshire, England). It is thought that the
Roman water wheel provided the insight to
change from a vertical to horizontal axis wind
turbine.
History - Continued
p The Post mill (Horizontal axis windmill)
n The first post mill design appears in 1270 AD
in Canterbury, England. This design
incorporated blades attached to a horizontal
shaft that used a wooden cog-and-ring gears
to translate the motion of the horizontal shaft
to a vertical rotation of the grindstone.
Post mill
This design incorporated
blades attached to a
horizontal shaft that used a
wooden cog-and-ring gears
to translate the motion of
the horizontal shaft to a
vertical rotation of the
grindstone. The miller
could manually rotate the
post mill into the wind.
History - Continued
John Smeaton
James Blyth
Smith-Putman
Wind Turbine
Growth of Wind Power in the USA
1980 - 2012
Challenges For Wind Energy Industry
n The major challenges of this century will be to provide
enough energy, water and food without harming the
environment and depleting these resources for future
generations.
n Renewal energy sources such as wind and solar energy
must play a more important role in our energy future.
n Today wind power only contributes about 2% of the
electrical power generated in the United States, however
our country has excellent wind resources that potentially
could provide up to 20% our electrical power need.
n The next generation wind turbines must improve their
efficiency, lower the acquisition cost, improved reliability
and have a cost /kWh that is competitive with fossil fuel
electric power plants.