WIND ENERGY

CONVERSION
 Grid Connection
 We have seen in the previous section the generation of
electrical power by the flow of water through turbines.
 The generated electrical power could be dc or ac depending on
the type of generator.
 After the power is generated, it needs to be transmitted and
distributed to consumers by connecting it to the grid.
Rotor:
• The portion of the wind turbine that collects energy from the
wind is called the rotor.
• The rotor usually consists of two or more wooden, fiberglass or
metal blades which rotate about an axis (horizontal or vertical)
at a rate determined by the wind speed and the shape of the
blades.
• The blades are attached to the hub, which in turn is attached to
the main shaft.
Drag Design:
• Blade designs operate on either the principle of drag or lift.
• For the drag design, the wind literally pushes the blades out of
the way.
• Drag powered wind turbines are characterized by slower
Lift Design:

• The lift blade design employs the same principle that enables
airplanes, kites and birds to fly.
• The blade is essentially an airfoil, or wing.
• When air flows past the blade, a wind speed and pressure
differential is created between the upper and lower blade
surfaces.
• The pressure at the lower surface is greater and thus acts to
"lift" the blade.
• When blades are attached to a central axis, like a wind
turbine rotor, the lift is translated into rotational motion.
• Lift-powered wind turbines have much higher rotational
Following figure gives an idea about the drag and lift principle

Tip Speed Ratio:

 The tip-speed 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.
 Electricity generation requires high rotational speeds.
 Lift-type wind turbines have maximum tip-speed ratios of around
10, while drag-type ratios are approximately 1.
 Given the high rotational speed requirements of electrical
generators, it is clear that the lift-type wind turbine is most
practical for this application.
 The number of blades that make up a rotor and the total area they
cover affect wind turbine performance.
 For a lift-type 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.
Generator:
 The generator is what 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), and they 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.
 It is important to select the right type of generator to match
intended use.
 Most home and office appliances operate on 240 volt, 50 cycles
AC.
 Some appliances can operate on either AC or DC, such as light
bulbs and resistance heaters, and many others can be adapted to
run on DC.
 Storage systems using batteries store DC and usually are
configured at voltages of between 12 volts and 120 volts.
 Generators that produce AC are generally equipped with
features to produce the correct voltage of 240 V and constant
frequency 50 cycles of electricity, even when the wind speed is
fluctuating.
 DC generators are normally used in battery charging
applications and for operating DC appliances and machinery.
 They also can be used to produce AC electricity with the use of
an inverter, which converts DC to AC.
Transmission:
 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.
 Some DC-type wind turbines do not use transmissions.
 Instead, they have a direct link between the rotor and generator.
 These are known as direct drive systems.
 Without a transmission, wind turbine complexity and
maintenance requirements are reduced.
But a much larger generator is required to deliver the same
power output as the AC-type wind turbines.
Induction generators
❑ Most of the wind turbines are equipped with induction generators.
❑ They are simple and rugged in construction and offer impressive efficiency
under varying operating conditions.
❑ Induction machines are relatively inexpensive and require minimum
maintenance and care.
❑ Characteristics of these generators like the over speed capability make them
suitable for wind turbine application.
❑ As the rotor speed of these generators is not synchronized, they are also
called asynchronous generators.
❑ Induction machines can operate both in motor and generator modes.
Tower:
 The 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.
 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.
• Towers for small wind systems are generally "guyed" designs.
• This means that there are guy wires anchored to the ground on three
or four sides of the tower to hold it erect.
• These towers cost less than freestanding towers, but require more
land area to anchor the guy wires.
• Some of these guyed towers are erected by tilting them up.
• This operation can be quickly accomplished using only a winch, with
the turbine already mounted to the tower top.
• This simplifies not only installation, but maintenance as well. Towers
can be constructed of a simple tube, a wooden pole or a lattice of tubes,
rods, and angle iron.
• Large wind turbines may be mounted on lattice towers, tube towers or
guyed tilt-up towers.
Gear box

❑ Gear box is an important component in the power trains of a wind turbine.

❑ Speed of a typical wind turbine rotor may be 30 to 50 r/min whereas, the
optimum speed of generator may be around 1000 to1500 r/min.
❑ Hence, gear trains are to be introduced in the transmission line to manipulate
the speed according to the requirement of the generator.
❑ An ideal gear system should be designed to work smoothly and quietly-even
under adverse climatic and loading conditions-throughout the life span of the
turbine. Due to special constraints in the nacelle, the size is also a critical
factor.
❑ In smaller turbines, the desired speed ratio is achieved by introducing two or
three staged gearing system
❑ If higher gear ratios are required, a further set of gears on another
❑ However, the ratio between a set of gears are normally
restricted to 1:6.
❑ Hence, in bigger turbines, integrated gear boxes with a
combination of planetary gears and normal gears are used.
❑ A typical gear box may have primary stage planetary gears
combined with a secondary two staged spur gears to raise
the speed to the desired level.
❑ By introducing the planet gears, the gear box size can be
considerably reduced. Moreover, planet gears can reliably
transfer heavy loads.
Power regulation
Power curve of a typical wind turbine is shown in Fig

❑ The turbine starts generating power as the wind speeds crosses its cut-in
velocity of 3.5 m/s. The power increases with the wind speed up to the rated
wind velocity of 15 m/s, at which it generates its rated power of 250 kW.
Between the rated velocity and cut-out velocity (25 m/s), the system
generates the same rated power of 250 kW, irrespective of the increase in
wind velocity. At wind velocities higher than the cut-off limit, the turbine is not
allowed to produce any power due to safety reasons.
Power generated by the turbine is regulated to its rated level between the
rated and cut-out wind speeds. If not regulated, the power would have been
Speed of the rotor also increases with the wind
velocity
❑Speed of the rotor also increases with the wind velocity.
❑In the above example, the rotor speed increases from 34 r/min
to 54 r/min, while the velocity changes from 15 m/s to 20 m/s.
❑With further increase in velocity, the rotor may further speed up,
finally reaching the run-away situation. It should also be noted
that this increase in speed occurs in a short span of time,
resulting in rapid acceleration.
❑ Hence it is vital that the power of the turbine should be
regulated at constant level, at velocities higher than the rated
wind speed.
❑The common methods to regulate the power are pitch control,
 wind turbine blades offer its maximum aerodynamic
performance at a given angle of attack. The angle of attack
of a given blade profile changes with the wind velocity and
rotor speed. Principle of pitch control is illustrated in Fig
❑ VR is the rated wind velocity, VT is the velocity of the blades due to its
rotation and α is the angle of attack.
❑ In a pitch controlled wind turbine, the electronic sensors constantly
monitors the variations in power produced by the system. The output
power is checked several times in a second. According to the variations
in power output, the pitch control mechanism is activated to adjust the
blade pitch at the desired angle as described below.
❑ Between the cut-in and rated wind speeds, the turbine is made to operate
at its maximum efficiency by adjusting the blade pitch to the optimum
angle of attack.
❑ As the wind velocity exceeds VR, the control mechanism change the
blade pitch resulting in changes in the angle of attack as shown in the
figure.
❑ From Fig. we can see that, any changes in the angle of attack from its
optimum level would in turn reduce the efficiency of the rotor.
❑ Thus, at wind speeds higher than VR, we are shedding the excessive
rotor power by spoiling the aerodynamic efficiency of the blades.
❑ Once the velocity comes down to the rated value or below, the blades
are pitched back to its optimum position.
❑ In a pitch controlled turbine, the blades are to be turned about their
longitudinal axis by the pitch control mechanism in tune with the
variations in wind speed.
❑ The pitch control mechanisms are driven by a combination of hydraulic
and mechanical devices.
❑ In order to avoid sudden acceleration or deceleration of the rotor, the
pitch control system should respond fast to the variations in wind
velocity.
❑ Similarly, for maximum performance, the pitching should exactly be at
the desired level. Thus, the pitch control system should be very
Stall regulation
• Another method to regulate the power at high wind velocities is
stall regulation.
• The basic principle of stall regulated turbines is illustrated in
Fig
In these turbines, profile of the blades is designed in
such a way that when the wind velocity exceeds beyond the
rated limit, the angle of attack increases as shown in the figure.
With this increase in angle of attack, air flow on the upper side of
the blade.
• ceases to stick on the blade. Instead, the flow starts whirling in
an irregular vortex, causing turbulence.
• This kills the lift force on the blades, finally leading to blade
 Pitch controlled turbines can capture the power more effectively in moderate
winds as the blades can be set to its optimum angle of attack by pitching.
However, moving components are to be introduced in the blade itself for
adjusting its angle, which is a drawback of these systems. Similarly, the
control unit should have high sensitivity towards wind fluctuations which
makes them costlier.

On the other hand, stall controlled blades do not require any control system
or pitching mechanism. However, the blades are to be aerodynamically
twisted along its longitudinal axis. Design and manufacturing of such blades
demand sophistication.
Structural dynamics of the system should be carefully analyzed before the
design to avoid any possible problems like the stall induced vibrations. Power
curve of a typical stall controlled turbine is shown in Fig Performance of these
turbines at higher wind speeds is not impressive as the power falls below the
rated level. In spite of these limitations, many wind power plants are still
Safety breaks During the periods of extremely high winds,
wind turbines should be completely stopped for its safety. Similarly, if
the power line fails or the generator is disconnected due to some
reason or the other, the wind turbine would rapidly accelerate. This
leads the turbine to run-away condition within a few seconds

✓ As the rotor accelerates rapidly, the safety brakes should have rapid
reactive response to prevent the run-away condition.
✓ Two types of brakes are commonly used with wind turbines. They
are aerodynamic brakes and mechanical brakes.
✓ In order to ensure the safety, wind turbines usually have two braking
systems, one functioning as the primary brake and the other as a
backup option which comes into action if the primary system fails.
 Aerodynamic brakes are the primary system in most of the wind turbines.
Aerodynamic braking in pitch and stall controlled turbines are different. In pitch and
active stall controlled systems, the entire blade is turned 90o along its longitudinal
axis, there by hindering the driving lift force. Thus the rotor would stop after making a
few more rotations.

In contrast, it is the tip of the blade which is moved in stall controlled

turbines.
Position of the blade tip, relative to the blade, can be changed using a shaft and
bearing assembly fixed inside the main body of the blades.

In addition to the aerodynamic braking, a mechanical brake is also

4 provided with the turbine as a back up system. These brakes are applied
47to bring the rotor to ‘full stop’ position in stall controlled turbines. They
are also useful to lock the rotor during the turbine maintenance.
WIND ENERGY
COLLECTORS
HORIZONTAL AXIS WIND MILL DUTCH TYPE AND SAIL TYPE