Wind_Turbine_Technology.pptVIP

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Wind Energy Technology What works what doesn’t Orientation Turbines can be categorized into two overarching classes based on the orientation of the rotor Vertical Axis Horizontal Axis Vertical Axis Turbines Advantages Omnidirectional Accepts wind from any angle Components can be mounted at ground level Ease of service Lighter weight towers Can theoretically use less materials to capture the same amount of wind Disadvantages Rotors generally near ground where wind poorer Centrifugal force stresses blades Poor self-starting capabilities Requires support at top of turbine rotor Requires entire rotor to be removed to replace bearings Overall poor performance and reliability Have never been 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 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 previous problems with VAWT’s. They can also usually be installed on a roof or in a city where wind is poor. WindStor Mag-Wind WindTree Wind Wandler Tip Speed Ratio Capacity Factor 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 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 Nomenclaturewind turbines use the same aerodynamic principals as aircraft Lift Drag