CL 716:WIND ENERGY ENGINEERING

Wind Electric Conversion Systems

* Wind Energy Availability
Energy in wind, speed
Wind Turbine, Design
Variables wind power density
Generator and power output
PV-Wind, Diesel-set-Wind Hybrid System
Tower design
Wind Electric Conversion System
economics

Wind Energy Engineering Syllabus-1

Wind energy Assessment by

Measurement and instrumentation
Beaufort number -Gust parameters
Wind type power law index -Betz
constant -Terrain value.
Energy in wind study of wind data
and applicable Indian standards
Steel Tables, Structural Engineering
for tower design- Wind farms
fatigue stress Tower design.

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Wind Energy Engineering Syllabus-2

Wind Energy Conversion Systems: Variables

wind power density power in a wind
stream Wind turbine efficiency Forces on
the blades of a propeller Solidity and
selection curves.
Horizontal Axis WT and Vertical Axis -WTPower duration curves- wind rose diagrams study of characteristics - actuator theoryControls and instrumentations.
Grid-Connected WECS and Independent
WECS- Combination of WECS and diesel
generator, Battery storage Wind Turbine
Circuits.
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CL 716 WIND ENERGY

ENGINEERING: Text & Reference Books

1. S. Rao & B. B. Parulekar, Energy Technology,

3rd Edition, Khanna publishers, 1995.
2. Wind and Solar Power Systems, Mukund. R.
Patel, 2nd Edition, Taylor & Francis, 2001
3. Wind Energy Handbook, Edited by T. Burton, D.
Sharpe N. Jenkins and E . Bossanyi, John Wiley
& Sons, N.Y. 2001
4. . L .L. Freris, Wind Energy Conversion Systems,
Prentice Hall, 1990.
5. D. A. Spera, Wind Turbine Technology:
Fundamental concepts of Wind Turbine
Engineering, ASME Press
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From wind to electricity.

The first wind powered electricity was produced in
1888. It had a rated power of 12 kW (direct current - dc).
In the 1930's the first large scale AC turbine was
constructed in the USA.
In the 1970's the fuel crises sparked a revival in R & D
work in America (USA and Canada) and Europe (Denmark,
Germany, the Netherlands,Sweden and the UK) and
modern wind turbine-generators were developed. This was
achieved due to improvements in aerodynamic and
structural design, materials technology and mechanical,
electrical and control engineering and led to capablilty to
produce several megawatts of electricity.
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Wind power is
economically viable.

Over the last two decades, there has been a

tremendous amount of technical
improvement in wind turbines. Their costs
have increased by about a factor of 9, due to
more advanced controls, materials, and
engineering, but at the same time their
energy production has increased by a factor
of 56, leading to a net decline in the cost per
watt of a factor of more than six. Wind power
is thus rapidly becoming economically viable.
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Wind power at end of 2008

The worlds total installed capacity reached 120.8

GW at the end of 2008, over 27 GW of which
came online in 2008 alone, representing a 36%
growth rate in the annual market.

These figures show that there is huge and

growing global demand for emissions-free wind
power, which can be installed quickly, virtually
everywhere in the world.

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Top 10 Total Installed Capacity 2008

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The development of a domestic

industry

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Kinetic energy >

Mechanical
[Rotational] >
Electrical energy
Wind turbines convert the
kinetic energy in wind into
mechanical power that runs
a generator to produce
electricity.
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horizontal-axis vs vertical-axis

There are two basic designs of wind electric

turbines: vertical-axis, or "egg-beater" style,
and horizontal-axis (propeller-style)
machines.

Horizontal-axis wind turbines are most

common today, constituting nearly all of the
"utility-scale" (100 kilowatts, kW, capacity
and larger) turbines in the global market.
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The major components of a typical wind energy

conversion system include a wind turbine, a
generator, interconnection apparatus, and control
system.
At the present time and for the near future, generators
for wind turbines will be synchronous generators,
permanent magnet synchronous generators, and
induction generators, including the squirrel-cage type
and wound rotor type.
For small to medium power wind turbines, permanent
magnet generators and squirrel-cage induction
generators are often used because of their reliability and
cost advantages.
Induction generators, permanent magnet synchronous
generators, and wound field synchronous generators are
currently used in various high power wind turbines.
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Wind power for developing countries

Large-scale grid connected wind turbines

are common with wind farm; This can be
the main national network, in which case
electricity can be sold to the electricity
utility.
Micro-grids distribute electricity to smaller
areas, typically a village or town. When
wind is used for supplying electricity to
such a grid, a diesel generator set is often
used as a backup for the periods when
windspeeds are low.
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Figure: The Practical Action small

wind turbine Practical Action
Image:Windelectricity 02.jpeg

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Performance of WECS

The availability of wind resources are

governed by the climatic conditions of the
region concerned- for which wind survey is
extremely important to exploit wind energy.
Performance of W E C S depends upon:
Subsystems like
wind turbine (aerodynamic),
gears (mechanical),
generator (electrical) and Control (electronic)
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Wind Electric Potential in India

Gross
Potential: 45,000 MW
Technical Potential:13,000
MW
Sites with Annual Average
Wind
Power Density > 200
watts/m2
generally viable, 208 such
sites
in 13 states identified
States with high potential :

Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,
and Maharashtra.

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SPEED
Beaufort
scale

WIND- Speed at 10 m ht

SCALE
Wind

Observation

0.0-0.4 m/s (0.0 - 0.89 mph)

Calm

Smoke rises vertically

0.4-1.8 m/s (0.89 - 4.0 mph)

Light

Smoke drifts slowly

1.8-3.6 m/s (4.0 - 8.1 mph)

Light

Wind felt on face; Leaves

rustle

Light

Leaves & small twigs in

constant motion; Flags/
streamers extend

3.6-5.8 m/s (8.1-13 mph)

5.8-8.5 m/s (13 -19 mph)

8.5-11 m/s (19 - 24.6 mph)

11-14 m/s (24.6 - 31.3 mph)

14-17 m/s (31.3 - 38 mph)

17-21 m/s (38 - 47 mph)

21-25 m/s (47- 56 mph)

25-29 m/s (56 64.9 mph)

Moderate

Raises dust; small branches

move

Fresh

Small trees begin to sway

Strong

Large branches in motion;

Umbrellas difficult to hold

Strong

Whole trees in motion

Gale

Breaks twigs off trees; Difficult to

walk

Gale

Slight damage to roofs & signs

Strong

Trees uprooted; damage

occurs

10
Gale

29-34 m/s (64.9 -76 mph)

11

>34 m/s (>76 mph)

12

Full Gale

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Hurricane

Widespread damage
Widespread damage

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wind

rose: A diagram that indicates the average

percentage of time that the wind blows from
different directions, on a monthly or annual basis.

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For verifying site conditions items of

importance include:

Available land area

Land use
Location of obstructions
Trees deformed by persistent strong winds (flagged
trees)
Accessibility into the site
Potential impact on local aesthetics
Cellular phone service reliability for data transfers
Possible wind monitoring locations.
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Cost economics-1

The cost of producing electricity from the wind is

heavily dependent on the local wind regime.
The power output from the wind machine is
proportional to cube of the windspeed and so a
slight increase in windspeed will mean a
significant increase in power and a subsequent
reduction in unit costs.
Capital costs for windpower are high, but running
costs are low and so access to initial funds,
subsidies or low interest loans are an obvious
advantage when considering a wind-electric
system.
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Cost economics-2

If a hybrid system is used a careful costbenefit analysis needs to be carried out.

A careful matching of the load and

energy supply options should be made to
maximise the use of the power from the
wind - a load which accepts a variable
input is ideally matched to the intermittent
nature of windpower.
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Wind Turbine, generator, tail,

support tower


The amount of power a turbine will

produce depends primarily on the
diameter of its rotor.
The diameter of the rotor defines its
swept area, or the quantity of wind
intercepted by the turbine.
The turbines frame is the structure onto
which the rotor, generator, and tail are
attached. The tail keeps the turbine
facing into the wind.
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Wind Turbine, generator, control,

support tower

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Main Components
Generator
Wind rotor




Wind rotor
Controls

Yaw mechanism




Wind vanes (Tail vane

and side vane)

DC/AC
inverter
Tower

Generator
Power control


Tail
vane

Inverter/ Battery bank

Tower
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Load or
grid
AC output from the
generator
Rectifier unit & control
system

Battery
bank

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Horizontal Axis upwind

Wind Turbine

Most turbines today are Horizontal Axis

upwind machines with two or three blades,
made of a composite material like
fiberglass.
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Some definitions:

Solidity: In reference to a wind energy

conversion device, the ratio of rotor blade
surface area to the frontal, swept area that
the rotor passes through.
power curve: A plot of a wind energy
conversion device's power output versus
wind speed.
average wind speed: The mean wind
speed over a specified period of time.
The tip-speed ratio is the ratio of the
rotational speed of the blade to the wind
speed.
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Some definitions.

PITCH CONROL: A method of controlling the

speed of a wind turbine by varying the

orientation, or pitch, of the blades, and thereby
altering its aerodynamics and efficiency.
Unit conversion:

1 m/s = 3.6 km/h = 2.237 mph = 1.944 knots
1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour = 0.5144 m/s =
1.852 km/h = 1.125 mph

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power from a wind turbine

power

coefficient Cp: The ratio of power produced

by a wind energy conversion device to the power in a
reference area of the free wind stream.

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Tip Speed Ratio

The tip-speed ratio is the ratio of the rotational

speed of the blade to the wind speed.
The larger this ratio, the faster the rotation of
the wind turbine rotor at a given wind speed.
Generation requires high rotational speeds. Lifttype wind turbines have maximum tip-speed
ratios of around 10.
The tip speed ratio ( = R/v), R Wind turbine
blade radius (m), Wind turbine rotor angular
speed (rpm), v Wind speed [m/s].
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For various types of wind turbine rotors,

Tip-speed-ratio vs. Cp and Solidity

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Operating Characteristics
All wind machines share certain operating
characteristics, such as cut-in, rated and cut-

out wind speeds.

Cut-in Speed
Cut-in speed is the minimum wind speed at which the
wind turbine will generate usable power. This wind speed
is typically between 7 and 10 mph.
Rated Speed
The rated speed is the minimum wind speed at which the
wind turbine will generate its designated rated power. For
example, a "10 kilowatt" wind turbine may not generate 10
kilowatts until wind speeds reach 25 mph. Rated speed
for most machines is in the range of 25 to 35 mph.
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Rated Speed

At wind speeds between cut-in and rated, the

power output from a wind turbine increases
as the wind increases. The output of most
machines levels off above the rated speed.
Most manufacturers provide graphs, called
"power curves," showing how their wind
turbine output varies with wind speed.

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Cp dependence on the tip speed

ratio and the blade pitch angle
For a wind turbine with given blades it can be
shown that the Cp basically depends only on
the tip speed ratio , which equals the ratio of
tip speed vt [m/s] over wind speed vw [m/s]
and the so-called blade pitch angle q [deg].
This pitch angle is defined as the angle
between the chord of the blade and the plane
of the wind rotor.
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Cp dependence on the tip speed

ratio and the blade pitch angle
Figure 2 shows the dependency of the power
coefficient Cp on the tip speed ratio and the
blade pitch angle q for a specific blade. For
this blade maximum energy capture from the
wind is obtained for q =0 and just above 6.
To keep Cp at its optimal value for varying
wind speed, the rotor speed should be
proportional to the wind speed.
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Wind rotor

Wind energy is converted

to electrical energy

1000
900
800
Power (W)

700
600
U= 10m/s

500

9m/s

400

8m/s

300

7m/s

200

6m/s

100

4m/s

0
0

200

5m/s

400

600

800

1000

1200

Rotational speed (RPM)

D=2.21m Tip speed ratio = R

v
Cpmax =0.4

0.40
Cp

J=9.77kg.m2

Cp
Cm

0.50

0.08
0.06

0.30
0.04

0.20
0.10

0.02

0.00

0.00

Ta (v, ) = Cm 0.5 v 2 A R CEESAT NITT NOTES

0

Tip-speed ratio

9 10 11 12
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Cm

Cm = Torque coefficient
Cp= Power coefficient

Cut-out Speed

At very high wind speeds, typically between

45 and 80 mph, most wind turbines cease
power generation and shut down. The wind
speed at which shut down occurs is called
the cut-out speed. Having a cut-out speed is
a safety feature which protects the wind
turbine from damage. Shut down may occur
in one of several ways. In some machines an
automatic brake is activated by a wind speed
sensor.
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Cut out speed & yaw

Some machines twist or "pitch" the blades to

spill the wind. Still others use "spoilers," drag
flaps mounted on the blades or the hub which
are automatically activated by high rotor
rpm's, or mechanically activated by a spring
loaded device which turns the machine
sideways to the wind stream. Normal wind
turbine operation usually resumes when the
wind drops back to a safe level.
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number of blades

The number of rotor blades and the total area they

cover affect wind turbine performance. For a lifttype rotor to function effectively, the wind must flow
smoothly over the blades.

To avoid turbulence, spacing between blades

should be great enough so that one blade will not
encounter the disturbed, weaker air flow caused by
the blade which passed before it.

It is because of this requirement that most wind

turbines have only two or three blades on their
rotors
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Transmission- Gear box

The number of revolutions per minute (rpm)

of a wind turbine rotor can range between
40 rpm and 400 rpm, depending on the
model and the wind speed.

Generators typically require rpm's of 1,200

to 1,800. As a result, most wind turbines
require a gear-box transmission to increase
the rotation of the generator to the speeds
necessary for efficient electricity production.
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Electrical Generators

It converts the turning motion of a wind

turbine's blades into electricity. Inside
this component, coils of wire are rotated
in a magnetic field to produce electricity.
Different generator designs produce
either alternating current (AC) or direct
current (DC),
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generators for wind turbines

At the present time and for the near future,
generators for wind turbines will be

synchronous generators,

permanent magnet synchronous

generators, and

induction generators, including the squirrelcage type and wound rotor type.
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Squirrel cage induction generator

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Doubly Fed Wounded Rotor

Asynchronous Generator.

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Grid Connected Permanent Magnets

Synchronous Generator in full converter
topology

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generators for SMALL wind

turbines

For small to medium power wind turbines,

permanent magnet generators and squirrel-cage
induction generators are often used because of
their reliability and cost advantages. Induction
generators, permanent magnet synchronous
generators, and wound field synchronous
generators are currently used in various high
power wind turbines.
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Induction generator

Induction generator offers many advantages over a

conventional synchronous generator as a source of
isolated power supply.

Reduced unit cost, ruggedness, brush less (in

squirrel cage construction), reduced size, absence
of separate DC source and ease of maintenance,
self-protection against severe overloads and short
circuits, are the main advantages
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induction generator

Further induction generators are loosely

coupled devices, i.e. they are heavily damped
and therefore have the ability to absorb slight
change in rotor speed and drive train
transient to some extent can therefore be
absorbed.
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drawback of the induction

generator
Reactive power consumption and poor
voltage regulation under varying speed are
the major drawback of the induction
generators, but the development of static
power converters has facilitated the control of
induction generator, regarding output voltage
and frequency.

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Synchronous generator

Synchronous generators are closely coupled

devices and when they are used in wind
turbines which is subjected to turbulence and
requires additional damping devices such as
flexible couplings in the drive train or to
mount gearbox assembly on springs and
dampers.
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range of output power ratings.

Generators are available in a large

range of output power ratings.

The generator's rating, or size, is

dependent on the length of the wind
turbine's blades because more energy is
captured by longer blades.
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Range of power

<100 kW
101 kW - 250 kW
251 kW - 500 kW
501 kW - 750 kW
750 kW - 1000 kW
1001 kW - 2000 kW
>2000 kW

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Applications adapted to run on

DC.
Storage systems using batteries store DC
and usually are configured at voltages of
between 12 volts and 120 volts in USA.
A typical 100 W battery-charging machine
has a shipping weight of only 15 kg.
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A .C. Generators..
Generators that produce AC are
generally equipped with features to
produce the correct voltage (120 or 240
V) and
constant frequency (60 / 50 cycles) of
electricity, even when the wind speed is
fluctuating.
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Advantages of Induction
generator over synchronous

Induction generator offers many advantages over a

conventional synchronous generator as a source of
isolated [A .C] power supply.

Reduced unit cost, ruggedness, brush less (in

squirrel cage construction), reduced size, absence
of separate DC source and ease of maintenance,
self-protection against severe overloads and short
circuits, are the main advantages
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Environmental Aspects of Power

Generation Using WECS

Wind turbines are most environment friendly method

of producing electricity.
They do not pose any adverse effect on the global
environment, unlike the conventional coal or oil-fired
power plants. The pollution that can be saved per
year from a typical 200 kW wind turbine, involving of
substitution of 120 - 200 tonnes of coal which
contain pollution contents as, Sulphur dioxide
(SO2): 2 3 tonnes, Nitrogen oxide (NOX): 1.2 to
2.4 tonnes, and other particulates of 150-300 kg. .
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Audible noise

The wind turbine is generally quiet. The wind

turbine manufacturers generally supply the noise
level data in dB versus the distance from the
tower.
A typical 600 kW wind turbine may produce 55
dB noise at 50 meter distance from the turbine
and 40 dB at a 250 meter distance [4, 22]
comparable with the noise level in motor car
which may be approximately 75 dB.
This noise is, however, is a steady state noise.
The wind turbine makes loud noise while yawing
under the changing wind direction. Local noise
ordinance must be compiled with.
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Towers

Tower on which a wind turbine is mounted is

not just a support structure. It also raises the
wind turbine so that its blades safely clear
the ground and so it can reach the stronger
winds at higher elevations.
Maximum tower height is optional in most
cases, except where zoning restrictions
apply. The decision of what height tower to
use will be based on the cost of taller towers
versus the value of the increase in energy
production resulting from their use.
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Towers.
Towers are usually made of steel and the
great majority are of the tubular type. Lattice
towers, common in the early days, are now rare,
except for very small machines in the range 100
kW and below.

Studies have shown that the added cost of
increasing tower height is often justified by the
added power generated from the stronger
winds.

Larger wind turbines are usually mounted on
towers ranging from 40 to 70 meters tall.

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The tower must be strong enough to

support the wind turbine and to sustain
vibration, wind loading and the overall
weather elements for the lifetime of the
wind turbine.
Tower costs will vary widely as a function
of design and height.
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Research and development

Research and development is going on to make
wind power competitive with fossil fuel and nuclear
power in strict sense, without taking into account of
wind powers social factors such as environment
benefits.
Efforts are being made to reduce the cost of wind
power by: design improvement, better
manufacturing technology, finding new sites for wind
systems, development of better control strategies
(for output and power quality control), development
of policy and instruments, human resource
development, etc
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Wind Turbine Design

Design efforts benefit from

knowledge of the wind speed distribution and
wind energy content corresponding to the
different speeds and
the comparative costs of different systems to
arrive at the optimal rotor/generator combination.
Optimizing for the lowest overall cost considers
design factors such as relative sizes of rotor,
generator, and tower height.

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control strategies

Interconnection apparatuses are devices

to achieve power control, soft start, and
interconnection functions. Very often,
power electronic converters are used as
such devices.
Most modern turbine inverters are forced
commutated PWM inverters to provide a
fixed voltage and fixed frequency output
with a high power quality.

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control strategies

Both voltage source voltage controlled

inverters and voltage source current
controlled inverters have been applied in
wind turbines.
For certain high power wind turbines,
effective power control can be achieved
with double PWM (pulse-width
modulation) converters which provide a
bidirectional power flow between the
turbine generator and the utility grid.
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