Wind Power and Wind Turbines

BJ Furman K Youssefi 13FEB2008

Outline
Wind causes? Wind Power example Wind Turbine Design
Aerodynamics

Wind what causes it?

Atmospheric pressure differences
Where does the pressure come from?
Weight of air in atmosphere
s rth Ea

~31 km
(99% of mass)

Force Pressure = Area

km

ce rfa su

Avg. pressure at sea level

101325 Pa (Pascal) 1013.25 mb (millibar) 29.92 in. Hg (inches of mercury 1 atm (atmosphere) 14.7 psi (pound per square inch)

~1 2

,8

00

Pressure
Pressure = Force Area
Space (zero pressure)

(Definition)

Edge of atmosphere

Pressure = Density g depth

Earths surface

Check the formula by checking the units!

Pressure = mass

volume

) ( accelerati on due to gravity ) depth

Pressure = kg 3 m 2 m s m
Units multiply and divide like numbers!

( )

Pressure = kg 2 1 2 m = s m

( )

kg m

s2 = N m2 m2

Okay!

Wind what causes it?, cont.

Pressure differences cause the flow of fluids (gases and liquids)
pressure is always measured relative to some reference pressure
Sometimes relative to vacuum absolute Sometimes relative to atmospheric pressure
Fluid density Fluid height

PB = ( g h ) > PA
PB PA
Acceleration due to gravity

The higher pressure at B will cause fluid to flow out of the tank.

So, what causes pressure variations in the atmosphere?

Prevailing Winds
Heating and cooling of the air

http://trampleasure.net/science/coriolis/coriolis.png

Wind what causes it?, cont.

Pressure maps
Contours of constant pressure (usually 4 mb between contours Close spacing means stronger winds In N.H., winds circulate around a low pressure region in CCW direction

Weather Processor Symbols

WXP Legend

http://virga.sfsu.edu/inline/legend.gif

Review Question 1
What causes wind?
A. Air pressure B. Weight of the atmosphere C. Pressure difference in atmosphere D. Low pressure E. High pressure

Review Question 2
What are the units of pressure?
A. B. C. D. E. Force/Area Pascals (Pa) Pounds per square inch (psi) Millirads B and C

Wind Energy and Power

Atmospheric pressure differences accelerate and impart kinetic energy into the air Wind energy conversion machines (WEC) convert wind energy into electrical or mechanical forms How much power can we extract?
K.E. 12 ( mass ) (velocity ) 2 Power = = time time mass = density area velocity time

AV 3 Power = 1 2 (density ) area (velocity )3 = 2

Wind Power - Example

Example:
V = 10 m/s A = (2 m)2 = 4 m2 = 1.2 kg/m3
http://enneagon.org/footprint/jpg/dvc01w.jpg http://z.about.com/d/gonewengland/1/0/5/C/leaf5.gif

AV 3 Power = 1 2 ( density ) area ( velocity )3 = 2

Wind Power Example, cont.

(1.2 kg P=

m 3 )( 4m 2 ) (10 m s ) 2 kg m 2 kg m m m = 2400 = 2400 2 = 2400 N 3 s s s s N m P = 2400 = 2400 W Theoretical Maximum s

3

Betz Limit: 59.3% of the theoretical is the maximum amount extractable by a wind energy conversion device (WEC)

PBetz = 0.593 ( 2400 W ) = 1423 .2 W

Practical Maximum

Wind Turbine Size-Power Comparison

Wind Turbine Configurations

HAWT

VAWT

Boyle, G., Renewable Energy, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2004

Configuration Tradeoffs
Factors
Efficiency
Power produced per unit cost

Directionality Support configuration Speed of rotation Reliability Cost Maintainability Which type is best, HAWT or VAWT?

Common HAWT Construction

Rotor

Blades are connected to a hub, which is connected to a shaft Rotational speed will depend on blade geometry, number of blades, and wind speed (40 to 400 revolutions per minute typical speed range) Gear box needed to increase speed to 1200-1800 RPM for generator

Aerodynamics of Wind Turbine Blades

Forces are transmitted from a moving fluid to an object in the flow stream
Lift = the force component perpendicular to the original flow direction Drag = the force component in line with the original flow direction

Lift

Drag
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/newton3.html

Two Types of Turbine Designs

Drag Designs
Savonius

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Savonius_Querschnitt.png

Lift Designs
VAWT Darrieus Most HAWT designs

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Darrieus.jpg

Aerodynamics of HAWT Blade

r[L(sin ) D(cos )] = Torque Torque x rotational speed= Power

Boyle, G., Renewable Energy, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2004

Aerodynamics of HAWT Blade, cont.

Angle of attack, (blade angle between chord and relative wind direction) Has a large effect on the lift and drag Typical values between 1 and 15 degrees (what is optimum?)

Design of HAWT Turbine Blade

Blade size and shape
5-station design as seen from the tip The blade twists to keep angle of attack constant

Design of HAWT Turbine Blade, cont.

Number of blades
Increasing the number of blades tends to increase the aerodynamic efficiency Increasing the number of blades increases the cost (material and manufacturing Turbines with fewer blades tend to run most efficiently at lower tip speed ratios (ratio of tip speed to wind speed)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine_design

Review Question 3
The lift force on a wing or turbine blade is:
A. In line with the relative wind direction B. Perpendicular to the relative wind direction C. Somewhere between in line and perpendicular to the relative wind direction D. Varies E. A and B

References
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ http://www.aos.wisc.edu/~hopkins/a os100/sfc-anl.htm http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/ (Gh)/guides/mtr/prs/hghdef.rxml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_tur bine_design http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K12/airplane/short.html