Overview of Design Issues

• The process of designing a wind turbine involves the conceptual assembling

1. Determine application.
2. Review previous experience.
3. Select topology.
4. Estimate preliminary loads.
5. Develop tentative design.
6. Predict performance.
7. Evaluate design.
8. Estimate costs and cost of energy.
9. Refine design.
10. Build prototype.
11. Test prototype.
12. Design production machine.
 Determine Application
• The first step in designing a wind turbine is to
determine the application. Wind turbines for
producing bulk power for supply to large utility
networks, for example, will have a different
design than will turbines intended for operation in
remote communities.
major factor
• Size of the turbine,
• The type of generator,
• Method of control,
• How it is to be installed and operated.
 Select Topology
Rotor axis orientation: horizontal or vertical;
Power control: stall, variable pitch, controllable
aerodynamic surfaces, or yaw control
Rotor position: upwind of tower or downwind of tower
Yaw control: driven yaw, free yaw, or fixed yaw
Rotor speed: constant or variable
Design tip speed ratio and solidity
Type of hub: rigid, teetering, hinged blades, or gimbaled
Number of blades;
Generator speed: synchronous speed, multiple
synchronous speeds, or variable speed;
Tower structure
Estimate Preliminary Loads
Aerodynamics
Gravity
Dynamic interactions
Mechanical control
 Develop Tentative Design
• Rotor (blades, hub, aerodynamic control surfaces)
• Drive train (shafts, couplings, gearbox,
mechanical brakes, generator);
• Nacelle and main frame;
• Yaw system
• Tower (foundation and erection).
fabrication methods
• Ease of maintenance
• noise
• other environmental conditions
 Rotor Axis Orientation:
• The most fundamental decision in the design of a wind
turbine is probably the orientation of the rotor axis
• Horizontal Axis
• Vertical Axis ( no need of yaw system )
• the blades can have a constant chord and no twist
• drive train (gearbox, generator, brake) can be located
on a stationary tower, relatively close to the ground
• suffered fatigue damage of the blades, especially at
connection points to the rest of the rotor.
• Incompatibilities between structure and control have
also caused problems
• it is very difficult to incorporate aerodynamic control
 Rotor Power Control
• Stall
Stall control takes advantage of reduced aerodynamic
lift at high angles
of attack to reduce torque at high wind speeds
• Pitch
Variable-pitch machines have blades which can be
rotated about their long axis,
changing the blade’s pitch angle. Changing pitch also
changes the angle of attack of
the relative wind and the amount of torque produced
• Yaw
The rotor is turned away from the wind, reducing power
• Aerodynamic Surfaces
Rotor Position
Upwind of Tower
Downwind of Tower
A downwind rotor in principle allows the turbine
to have free yaw,
Another advantage of the downwind
configuration is that it is easier to take
advantage of centrifugal forces to reduce the
blade root flap bending
moments
Yaw Control:
Free (Downwind)
Active (Upwind)
• Rotor Speed:
Constant
• most rotors on grid-connected wind turbines have
operated at a nearly constant rotational speed,
determined by the electrical generator and the
gearbox
Variable
• Variable-speed rotors can be operated at the
optimum tip speed ratio to maximize power
conversion in low wind and at lower tip speed ratios
in high winds to reduce loads in the drive train.
• require more complicated and expensive power
conversion equipment in the drive train or electrical
components of the wind turbine.
 Design Tip Speed Ratio and Solidity
• The design tip speed ratio of a rotor is that tip speed ratio
where the power coefficient is a maximum.
• A high tip speed ratio rotor will have less blade area than
the rotor of a slower machine of the same diameter. For a
constant number of blades, the chord and thickness will
decrease as the solidity decreases. Thus, as the solidity
decreases, the number of blades usually decreases as
well.
• reducing the number of blades or their weight reduces the
cost.
• Second, higher rotational speeds imply lower torques for a
given power level. This should allow the balance of the
drive train to be relatively light.
• High tip speed rotors tend to be noisier than slower ones.
 Hub
Rigid
blades cannot move in the flap wise and edgewise directions
Teetering
• a portion of the hub is mounted on bearings and can teeter
back and forth, in and out of the plane of rotation.
• The blades in turn are rigidly connected to the teetering
portion of the hub, so during teetering one blade moves in
the upwind direction, while the other moves downwind.
(reducing bending moment during normal operation)
Hinged Blades
• The hinges allow the blades to move into and out of the
plane of rotation independently of each other
Gimballed
• the entire rotor nacelle assembly is mounted on horizontal
bearings so that the machine can tilt up or down from
horizontal. (reduce imbalance Aerodynamic force)
Rigidity
Flexible
• Lighter, faster turbines are more flexible.
• Flexibility may have some advantages in
relieving stresses, but blade
motions may also be more unpredictable.
• natural frequencies near the operating peed
of the turbine and flutter motion.
Stiff
• Turbines with lower design tip speed ratios
and higher solidities tend to be relatively stiff.
 Number of Blades
• Three blades have the particular advantage that the
polar moment of inertia with respect to yawing is
constant, and is independent of the azimuthal position of
the rotor. This characteristic contributes to relatively
smooth operation even while yawing.
• A two bladed rotor, however, has a lower moment of
inertia when the blades are vertical than when they are
horizontal.
• This ‘imbalance’ is one of the reasons that most two-
bladed wind turbines use a teetering rotor.
• A few single-bladed turbines have been built in the last
thirty years. The presumed advantage is that the turbine
can run at a relatively high tip speed ratio, and that the
cost should be lower because of the need for only one
blade. ( counter weight ).
 Generator Speed
• one synchronous speed, multiple
synchronous speeds, or a range of
continuously variable speeds.
• fixed or variable speed
• If the rotor speed and generator
speed are to be the same, no
gearbox is needed.
• If, on the other hand, the rotor speed
and generator speed are to vary and
not be the same, then something like
a torque converter will be needed in
 Tower Structure
• For a horizontal axis machine the
tower must be at least high enough
to keep the blade tips from touching
the ground as they rotate.
• Winds are nearly always much
stronger as elevation above ground
increases, and they are less
turbulent.
• Choice of tower height is based on an
economic trade-off of increased
energy capture versus increased
 Design Constraints
climatic factors
• General climate can affect turbine design in a
number of ways. For example, turbines for use in
hot climates may need provisions for extra cooling,
• whereas turbines for cold climates may require
heaters, special lubricants, or even different
structural materials.
• Turbines intended for use in marine climates need
protection from salt, and should be built of
corrosion resistant materials wherever Possible
environmental factors
Site-specific Factors Affecting Design:
• Difficulty in transport
• Limited availability of expertise and equipment for
installation and
Operation.
Environmental Factors Affecting Design:
 Noise
 visual appearance
 effects on birds
 electromagnetic interference
• interference with television signals,
• the creation of false images or masking of flying
objects in military and aviation radar systems, and
blocking of microwave transmissions.