Wind Turbines-Part 2

Course : Photovoltaic and Wind off-grid

Wind turbines in a wind farm . [Photography]. Retrieved from Unsplash

Credit: RawFilm

Content developed and presented by Dr Nima Khoshsirat,

All Rights Reserved by Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

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Recap of previous lecture
1. Wind turbine types

2. Wind turbine structure

3. Horizontal axis wind turbine blade

4. Angle of attack

5. Force and torque applied to HAWT blades

6. Mechanical power generated by blades

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Why we’re here

Electricity

Electrical load
Today’s Focus 3
In today’s lesson, we will be reviewing:

1. Power curve of the wind turbine

2. Coefficient of power

3. Betz Law

4. The effect of number of blades

5. Type of installations

6. Type of wind power systems

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Blade power 𝜔

In last lecture you learned that the blade power can be calculated using 𝑉
𝑟
following equation:

𝑃 𝜏 𝜔 𝐹 𝑟 𝜔

𝑃 𝜏 𝜔 𝑛 𝜏 𝜔, where n is the number of blades

Tip speed 𝜔

The linear velocity at the tip of the blade is a function of the rotational speed of the blade (ω) and
𝑉
the length of the blade r.
𝑟

𝑉 𝜔𝑟 2𝜋𝑓𝑟

Where f is the frequency of rotation that is the number of revolutions the blade makes in one second

 Wind turbines are often designed to have tip velocity faster than wind speed to be able to generate
electricity even at low wind speeds.

 However, a high tip speed produces audible noise.

 In most turbine design, the tip speed is limited to about 80 m/s in areas with noise restrictions
Coefficient of performance-1
The energy harvested by the blade is the difference between the upstream kinetic energy of wind (KEu) and the downstream kinetic
energy of wind (KEd)

1
𝐾𝐸 𝑚𝑣
2

1
𝐾𝐸 𝑚𝑣
2
𝑣 𝑣 1
𝑣 𝑃 𝐴 𝑣 𝛿
2 2

𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑠:

1 𝑃 𝑃 𝑃
𝑃 𝐴 𝑣 𝛿
2
1
𝑃 𝐴 𝑣 𝛿
2
Upstream and downstream wind speed [Photography]. Retrieved from wind energy, an introduction, CRC
Coefficient of performance-1
 When a site is evaluated for potential WT installation, wind power density is used as a measure for the expected production.
Wind power density ρ is defined as the wind power Pw per unit of a sweep area.

 300 and 500 is the desirable range of wind power density for a suitable wind site.

1
𝑃 𝐴 𝑣 𝛿
2

𝑃
𝜌
𝐴

Upstream and downstream wind speed [Photography]. Retrieved from wind energy, an introduction, CRC
Coefficient of performance-2
 Coefficient of performance (Cp) is known as the “coefficient of
performance.”

 It represents the amount of wind power that is captured by the

blades.

𝑃
𝐶
𝑃

 Cp is maximum when 𝑣 𝑣

Upstream and downstream wind speed [Photography]. Retrieved from wind energy, an introduction, CRC
Betz' Law
 In reality, a wind turbine will deflect the wind, even before
the wind reaches the rotor plane. This means that we will
never be able to capture all of the energy in the wind using a
wind turbine.

 The more kinetic energy a wind turbine pulls out of the wind,
the more the wind will be slowed down as it leaves the left
side of the turbine in the picture

This animation is retrieved from YouTube. Credit: Chrvoje engineering

 If we try to extract all the energy from the wind, the air would move away with the speed zero, i.e. the air could not leave the
turbine. In that case we would not extract any energy at all, since all of the air would obviously also be prevented from entering
the rotor of the turbine.

Accordingly the maximum power coefficient is: 𝐶 0.593 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑉 𝑉

Theoretically maximum power extraction: 𝑃 𝛿𝐴𝑣 .𝐶 𝜌π𝑟 𝑣 .𝐶

𝛿: air density , R:blade length
Tip speed ratio‐1
𝜔
𝑇𝑖𝑝 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝜆 ,

𝑉 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑝𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑢𝑛𝑎𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑉
𝑟

 The coefficient of performance is a nonlinear

function of λ and has the general shape shown in
this figure.

 A well-designed system operates the wind turbine

at or near the maximum Cp

Coefficient of performance as a function of tip speed [Photography]. Retrieved from wind energy, an introduction, CRC
Tip speed ratio‐2

𝑉 𝜔𝑟
𝑇𝑖𝑝 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝜆 ,
𝑉 𝑉

𝑉 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑝𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔,

𝑢𝑛𝑎𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑠

- 4 blades cost more than 3 – provide marginal performance benefit

- 2 blades provides loads balancing issue - requires teetered hub/downwind rotor
- 3 blades (tripod) provides solution to loads resolution
Problem : What is the TSR for a 90-m-diameter turbine rotating at
15 rpm at a wind speed of 10 m/s and height of 50m and the average
roughness of 0.3m? Find the TSR of the same turbine at the height of
80m.

05
04
02
01
03
00
min

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 Wind Turbine Power Curve-1
This is an example of a power curve for a wind turbine.
• Note that the power output of the turbine is dependent on the wind speed at the hub height of that turbine
• Start-up speed of the turbine is the speed at which the turbine blades start to rotate but no power is being generated.
• The Cut In Speed of the turbine is the speed at which the turbine starts producing power
• The Cut Out Speed of the turbine is the speed at which the turbine automatically applies brakes to prevent damage due to high
winds

Region 3

Region 4
Region 1

Region 2

Max power
Cut-in speed Cut-out speed
speed
 Wind Turbine Power Curve-2
• Pitch angle adjustment that is used to control the output power of the turbine depends on the wind speed region.
• When wind speed is in region 1, the generator is disconnected as wind speed is lower than needed to generating electricity.
• When wind speed is in region 2, the pitch angle is adjusted to maximize the output power
• When wind speed is in region 3, the pitch angle is adjusted to spill some of the wind to prevent the machine from overcurrent
damages.
• When wind speed is in region 4, the blades are adjusted to minimize the lift force and disk brake is applied. (Feathering)

Region 3

Region 4
Region 1

Region 2

Cut-in speed Max speed Cut-out speed

 Wind Turbine Power Curve-3
• Based on the wind turbine power variation is response to the wind speed, quality of the site can be evaluated:

Region 1

Kemp, W. H. (2012). The Renewable Energy Handbook: The updated comprehensive guide to renewable energy
and independent living. Aztext Press.
Group Activity:

Review spec sheets from manufacturers to see their

power curves
Examples:
https://www.enercon.de/fileadmin/Redakteur/Medien-
Portal/broschueren/pdf/en/ENERCON_Produkt_en_06_2015.pdf
https://www.northerntool.com/images/downloads/manuals/40091.pdf

Group Exercise
Select a turbine and determine what the power output
would be under average wind speed conditions in your
current location.
10
00
04
09
02
01
06
03
05
07
08
min

17
Break- 5 mins

05
00
01
03
02
04
min
 Problem : A wind turbine has a mass flow rate of 20,000 kg/s. The
upwind speed is 20 m/s and the downwind speed is 18.7 m/s. (Hint:
𝑚 𝐴𝜔𝑡𝛿 , air density to be 1 kg/m3) calculate the power captured by
the blade as well as the coefficient of performance.
𝑘𝑔 𝑚 𝑚
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 , 𝑤𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚 𝐴𝜔𝑡𝛿 → 𝐴𝜔𝛿
𝑠 𝑡 𝑡

20′000
𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝑔 𝐴 1000𝑚 , 𝑈𝑝𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑
𝐴𝜔𝛿 20 000 , 𝛿 1 → 20

05
04
02
01
03
00
𝑠 𝑚 20 000
𝐴 1062.5𝑚 , 𝐷𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑
18.7
𝑁𝑜𝑤 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟

𝑃
1
𝐴 𝜔 𝛿 min
2
→𝑃 𝑃 𝑃
1
𝑃 𝐴 𝜔 𝛿
2 19
 Turbine Installation
Two main types of tower installations
Guy Wire Supported Towers Self Supporting Towers

Windmills with blue sky in sunset at Cadrete, Saragossa, Aragon, Spain.

Guy Wire Supported Towers. [Photography]. Retrieved from advance power [Photo]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
Credit: unknown https://quest.eb.com/search/164_3279281/1/164_3279281/cite
Guy Wire Supported Towers

Guy wire supported towers consist of the following:

• Tower
– Steel pipe or lattice tower
– Gin-pole, tilt up, or crane installation
• Pier foundation
• Anchors
– Installed at approximately 45 degrees into the ground
– Typically screwed into the ground, but can be cemented in place
if soil is loose
• Guy Wire
– Connect the tower to the anchors
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Guy wire supported tower. [Photo] Retrieved from “The Renewable Energy Handbook (2008)”.
 Self Supporting Towers
• Self Supporting towers consist of a
foundation typically composed of concrete
and metal rebar.

• Many different designs of foundations are

possible, and depend on a number of
factors, including tower height and weight,
and soil conditions.

• Larger turbines are typically transported in

parts, including tower sections, blades, and
rotor, and then assembled on site, as
shown in the video.
This animation is retrieved from YouTube. Credit: NREL
 Offshore Wind Turbines
• Offshore wind turbine foundations can either be installed directly into seabed, or floating and anchored into
seabed.
• Foundation type typically depends on depth of water

Edenhofer o. et al, IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation, 2012 (Cambridge University Press). "Middelgruden Offshore Wind Farm in Denmark" by United Nations Photo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Wind Turbine System Design
• Wind turbines typically output AC power, however turbines that output DC power are available as well
(especially for small scale residential systems). Wind turbines can:

Export power directly to the grid Provide power to a microgrid or off-grid system Be used in a net metering arrangement to
offset the need for grid power

Grid connect wind power system, created by Dr Nima Khoshsirat

Wind power netmetering {illustration] Retrieved from freepik.com, created

Microgrid {illustration] Retrieved from https://www.altenergymag.com/
by macrovector

• System design is based on the type of wind turbine, and the application for which they are being used
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Wind Turbine System – Direct Connect to grid
A collector system of cables between turbines transports the power to a central substation, which transforms the
power to the grid voltage, acts as the point of demarcation, and injects power directly to the grid
Wind Turbine System – Off grid/microgrid

Wind Turbine with DC output, in conjunction with solar

array, battery bank, and backup generator, can provide
grid independence
Wind Turbine System – Net Metering
 Wind turbine connected through inverter to main utility
breaker panel behind the meter.

 When the turbine is generating power, it feeds the load

from the breaker panel directly.

 If turbine power exceeds the load, then the excess is fed

to the grid for a credit from the utility company.

Electricity Generation Using Small Wind Turbines at Your Home or Farm. Credit: OMAFRA
What have we learned in this lecture?
1. Power curve of the wind turbine
2. Coefficient of power
3. Betz Law
2. The effect of number of blades
3. Type of installations
4. Type of wind power systems

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