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

Area
Force
Pressure=
~31 km
(99% of mass)
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)
Pressure
depth g Density Pressure =
Area
Force
Pressure= (Definition)
Earths surface
( ) ( ) depth gravity to due on accelerati Pressure =
volume
mass
( ) m
s
m
Pressure
2 3

|
.
|

\
|
=
m
kg
Check the formula by checking the units!
Units multiply and divide like numbers!
Space (zero pressure)
Edge of atmosphere
( )
2 2
2
2 2
s
m kg
m
s
1
Pressure
m
N
m
m
kg
=

=
|
.
|

\
|
= 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
h
P
B
P
A

The higher pressure at B will cause fluid to flow out of the tank.
So, what causes pressure variations in the atmosphere?
( )
A B
P h g P > =
Fluid density
Acceleration due to gravity
Fluid height
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. Force/Area
B. Pascals (Pa)
C. Pounds per square inch (psi)
D. Millirads
E. 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?
time
) ( ) (

time
K.E.
Power
2
2
1
velocity mass
= =
velocity area density
time
mass
=
2
) ( ) ( Power
3
3
2
1
AV
velocity area density

= =
Wind Power - Example
Example:
V = 10 m/s
A = (2 m)
2
= 4 m
2
= 1.2 kg/m
3

http://z.about.com/d/gonewengland/1/0/5/C/leaf5.gif
http://enneagon.org/footprint/jpg/dvc01w.jpg
2
) ( ) ( Power
3
3
2
1
AV
velocity area density

= =
( )( )( )
W
s
m N
P
s
m
N
s
m
s
m kg
s
m kg
s m m m kg
P
2400 2400
2400 2400 2400
2
10 4 2 . 1
2 3
2
3
2 3
=

=
=

=
=
Wind Power Example, cont.
Theoretical Maximum
Betz Limit: 59.3% of the theoretical is the maximum amount
extractable by a wind energy conversion device (WEC)
W W P
Betz
2 . 1423 ) 2400 ( 593 . 0 = = Practical Maximum
Wind Turbine Size-Power Comparison
Wind Turbine Configurations
HAWT
VAWT
Boyle, G., Renewable Energy, 2
nd
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



Lift Designs
VAWT Darrieus
Most HAWT
designs
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Darrieus.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Savonius_Querschnitt.png
Aerodynamics of HAWT Blade
Boyle, G., Renewable Energy, 2
nd
ed., Oxford University Press, 2004
r[L(sin|) D(cos|)] = Torque

Torque x rotational speed= Power
Aerodynamics of HAWT Blade, cont.
Angle of attack, o (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
5-station design as seen from the tip
The blade twists to keep angle of attack constant
Blade size and shape
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)/g
uides/mtr/prs/hghdef.rxml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_tur
bine_design
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-
12/airplane/short.html