Week 6 Assignments Bryan Tiong

Wind Turbine
Humans have used the wind as an energy source for a long time. The Babylonians and
Chinese were using wind power to pump water for irrigating crops 4,000 years ago, and
sailing boats were around long before that. Wind power was used in the Middle Ages, in
Europe, to grind corn, which is where the term "windmill" comes from.

One of the devices that converts kinetic energy from wind, also called wind energy, into
mechanical energy is wind turbines. There are basically two types of wind turbines:

1. Horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT)

2. Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT)

Types of Wind Turbines

1. Horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT)

Figure 1: A horizontal-axis wind turbine

Horizontal axis wind turbines, also shortened to HAWT, are the common style that
most of us think of when we think of a wind turbine. A HAWT has a similar design to
a windmill, it has blades that look like a propeller that spin on the horizontal axis.
Horizontal axis wind turbines have the main rotor shaft and electrical generator at the
top of a tower, and they must be pointed into the wind. Small turbines are pointed by
a simple wind vane placed square with the rotor (blades), while large turbines
generally use a wind sensor coupled with a servo motor. Most large wind turbines
have a gearbox, which turns the slow rotation of the rotor into a faster rotation that is
more suitable to drive an electrical generator.

HAWT Advantages
 The tall tower base allows access to stronger wind in sites with wind veering
wind. Every ten meters up the wind speed can increase by 20% and the
power output by 34%.
 Since the blades always move perpendicularly to the wind, the wind turbines
receive most of the power through the whole rotation. In contrast, the HAWT
is a high efficiency turbine.

HAWT Disadvantages

 Massive tower construction is required to support the heavy blades, gearbox,

and generator.
 Components of a horizontal axis wind turbine (gearbox, rotor shaft and brake
assembly) being lifted into high position.

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 HAWTs require an additional yaw control mechanism to turn the blades

toward the wind.
 HAWTs generally require a braking or yawing device in high winds to stop the
turbine from spinning and destroying or damaging itself.

2. Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT)

Vertical-axis wind turbines or VAWT have the main rotor shaft arranged vertically.
The main advantage of this arrangement is that the wind turbine does not need to be
pointed into the wind. This is an advantage on sites where the wind direction is highly
variable or has turbulent winds.
With a vertical axis, the generator and other primary components can be placed near
the ground, so the tower does not need to support it, also makes maintenance
easier. The main drawback of a VAWT generally creates drag when rotating into the
wind.

VAWT subtypes
a) Darrieus wind turbine

Darrieus wind turbines are commonly called "Eggbeater" turbines, because they
look like a giant eggbeater. They have good efficiency, but produce large torque
ripple and cyclic stress on the tower, which contributes to poor reliability. Also,
they generally require some external power source, or an additional Savonius
rotor, to start turning, because the starting torque is very low. The torque ripple is
reduced by using three or more blades which results in a higher solidity for the
rotor. Solidity is measured by blade area over the rotor area. Newer Darrieus type
turbines are not held up by guy-wires but have an external superstructure
connected to the top bearing.

b) Savonius wind turbine

A Savonius is a drag type turbine, they are commonly used in cases of high
reliability in many things such as ventilation and anemometers. Because they are
a drag type turbine they are less efficient than the common HAWT. Savonius are
excellent in areas of turbulent wind and self starting.

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VAWT Advantages

 No yaw mechanisms is needed.

 A VAWT can be located nearer the ground, making it easier to maintain the
moving parts.
 VAWTs have lower wind startup speeds than the typical the HAWTs.
 VAWTs may be built at locations where taller structures are prohibited.
 VAWTs situated close to the ground can take advantage of locations where
rooftops, mesas, hilltops, ridgelines, and passes funnel the wind and increase
wind velocity.

VAWT Disadvantages

 Most VAWTs have a average decreased efficiency from a common HAWT,

mainly because of the additional drag that they have as their blades rotate
into the wind. Versions that reduce drag produce more energy, especially
those that funnel wind into the collector area.
 Having rotors located close to the ground where wind speeds are lower due
and do not take advantage of higher wind speeds above.
 Because VAWTs are not commonly deployed due mainly to the serious
disadvantages mentioned above, they appear novel to those not familiar with
the wind industry. This has often made them the subject of wild claims and
investment scams over the last 50 years.

Q: What type of wind turbine is effective and efficient?

According to the Betz Law of Turbine Efficiency, no turbine can exceed 59.3 percent of
kinetic wind energy. Not that the turbine has 59.3 percent efficiency but that it has a captured
59.3 percent of the wind. For a wind turbine to be 100% efficient, it would need to stop 100%
of the wind. But then, the rotor would have to be a solid disk and it would not turn and no
kinetic energy would be converted.

Personally, I felt that the Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) is a more effective and
efficient turbine than Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT). The tall towers of the HAWT allow
access to stronger wind unlike the VAWT. Research found out that every ten meters up the
tower), the wind speed can increase by 20% and the power output by 34%. Thus, the
efficiency of the HAWT can be increased.

The efficiency of HAWT is 45% to 59%.Some HAWT can reach a higher efficiency rate
under some circumstances such as strong winds. VAWT have a lower efficiency, which is
15% to 18%. But some types of VAWT can achieve a maximum efficiency rate of 38% under
some circumstances.

In coastal regions which have strong winds, wind farms can be situated along the coastline
or near the coastal area to harness the wind energy. HAWT are commonly used in these
situations as strong winds only come from a direction. Rotors of the HAWT are positioned to

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face the incoming strong wind. This will maximise the input energy as well as output energy.
Thus, increases its efficiency.

As for the VAWT, the turbines are situated on the ground. On the surface of the earth, wind
speeds will surely be decreased. The VAWT can only operate at lower wind speeds. This
gradually limits the input energy as well as output energy. This shows that HAWT is more
effective than the VAWT.

Is wind energy sustainable and why?

First of all, when it comes to wind energy, the word ‘clean energy’ comes to mind. Yes, that
is true. Wind turbines generate electricity from wind energy without carbon emissions. Wind
turbines on sea do not contribute to water pollution. Harnessing wind energy does not
generate solid wastes that will pollute the environment in anyway. The wind turbines does
not require large amount of liquids to cool the turbines.

Wind energy is cleaner than the typical hydroelectric power. Hydroelectricity is generated
from dams which will pollute the environment. But wind power does not destroy the
environment in any way.

A typical (750 kW) wind turbine provides enough power for 328 typical (non-electric heating)
homes. This statistic is very encouraging because the whole wind farm can support a small
city. Wind power does require land for sitting turbines. The wind turbines can be assembled
offshore. We can see that the market of wind energy is growing tremendously around the
globe especially the countries in Europe.

But there are some rejections. The exploitation of wind farms causes destruction of fragile
ecosystem such as deforestation and erosion of soil. Wind turbines kill birds and other flying
organism such as eagles, migrating birds and bats.

Maintenance of wind turbines cost a great deal of money. As wind turbines have a short life
span. In a wind farm, wind turbines maintenance will cost a lot. And this questions a lot of
people that wind power costs more to generate less energy.

In the year 2008, the total world energy demand is 143,851 TWh. But at the end of 2011,
worldwide nameplate capacity of wind-powered generators was 238 giga watts (GW),
growing by 40.5 GW over the preceding year. 2010 data from the World Wind Energy
Association, an industry organization states that wind power now has the capacity to
generate 430 TWh annually, which is about 2.5% of worldwide electricity usage. With the
increasing energy demands per year, wind power alone will not match that high value.

Offshore wind farms are vulnerable to the forces of the nature. Countries with high risks of
tsunami and hurricanes will have impacts on the wind industry. Enormous waves on the
seas will destroy the rotors and debris from the hurricanes can devastates the wind turbines.
Maintenance of these wind farms will take a whole lot more.

Wind power is eco-friendly and clean but it have its own challenges. With that, I want to
reassure my stand that wind power alone is not sustainable to the current global energy
demands.

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References

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine
2. http://centurionenergy.net/types-of-wind-turbines
3. http://www.eng.src-vertical.com/information/beginners/
4. http://blog.oregonlive.com/myoregon/2012/03/how_sustainable_is_wind_power.html
5. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/04/the-big-question1