Wind Energy

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Importance of earth’s rotation

Wind movement with and without earth’s rotation

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Global wind circulation and electricity generation
What causes wind to flow?
• Solar heating of the earth
• Earth rotation
• Differential heating of air above the land and air above
water
• Heating and cooling on the sides of hills and mountains

India’s electricity generation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSWm_nprfqE

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• Wind results from expansion and convection of air as solar radiation is absorbed
on earth. As long as there is sunlight, there will be wind.
• Because of uneven heating and cooling of the earth’s surface., creating
temperature, density and pressure differences. As a result, air flows from high to
low pressure area.
• On a global scale, the non-uniform thermal effects combine with the dynamic
effects from the earth rotation to produce prevailing wind patterns.
• Difference in heating of sea and land causes more minor changes in the flow of the
air.
• The nature of the terrain, ranging from mountains and valleys to more local
obstacles such as building and tree, also has an important effect on the origin of
wind.

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 In coastal regions,
• At the night the process is reversed because the air cools down more rapidly over
the land and the breeze therefore blows off-shore.
• In valleys and mountains similar processes occur, creating local wind. The surface
over which the wind blows affects its speed.
• Rough surfaces such as areas with trees and buildings, produce more friction and
turbulence than smooth surfaces such as lakes or open cropland.
• The greater friction means the wind speed near ground is reduced.

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Assessment of wind energy potential over India

hours/day
Wind speed (m/s)
Spatial distributions of mean monthly wind speed (m/s)
from January through December Spatial distributions of mean wind speed hours/day

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Wind Energy potential (Offshore)

Spatial distributions of (a) mean wind speed (m/s) and (b) number of hours/day
exceeding wind speed of 6.7 m/s averaged for May to September
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Wind speed distribution

Spatial
distributions of
mean wind
speed (m/sec)
at different
heights

Spatial
distributions of
mean wind
power density
(W/m2) at
different heights

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Wind capacity installations across the world
Onshore wind net capacity additions by
country

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Electricity generation

1) Wind speed : The power available from the wind is a

function of the cube of the wind speed. Therefore if
the wind blows at twice the speed, its energy content
will increase eight-fold. Turbines at a site where the
wind speed averages 8 m/s produce around 75-100%
more electricity than those where the average wind
speed is 6 m/s.
2) Wind turbine availability: This is the capability to
operate when the wind is blowing, i.e. when the wind
turbine is not undergoing maintenance. This is typically
98% or above for modern European machines.
3) Arrangement of wind turbines: Wind farms are laid out
so that one turbine does not take the wind away from
another. However other factors such as environmental
considerations, visibility and grid connection
requirements often take precedence over the optimum
wind capture layout.

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Various components of a Wind turbine

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjqdJ8OSmRA&ab_channel=BISONUNITED
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Wind energy conversion

kinetic energy (movement of air as a mass):

How can we find out mass flow rate of air passing through the wind turbine (W.T.)

Density of air (1.23 kg/m3) Swept area of t/b (m2) Wind velocity (m/s)

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Wind energy conversion

CP is also called as Betz limit (59%). This is also the maximum efficiency of any wind turbine that can be achieved.

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Find swept areas for WT if combined electrical eff = 90% Assume air velocities at 100, 200 and 300
m to be 3, 4, and 5 m/s.

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Types of wind mills: Horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT)

1. Dutch windmills: 2. Multiblade windmill:

• Operated widely in Europe • Has large no of blades-metallic or
in early times wooden slats
• Has a fan-tail (small wind • Used for driving a reciprocating
mill behind) system to turn pump (for water)
the windmill back to the • As the mill has to be placed directly
wind over the well, criterion for site
• Became absolute with selection concerns water availability
availability of cheaper fossil and not windiness.
fuels • Hence, should operate at low wind
• Primarily used for pumping speeds.
water • Large blades give extra torque thus
driving centrifugal pump even at low
winds.
• Orientation achieved by tail-vane.

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Types of wind mills

3. High speed propeller type wind mills

Sind stream the top of the airfoil has to traverse a

longer path than that of the bottom, leading to FL
difference in velocities. This gives rise to
difference in pressure (Bernoulli’s principle), from u v
which a lift force results in addition to drag force.
Drag force is responsible for airfoil's backward FD
movement in the direction of the wind. Aggregate
of these 2 forces acts on the airfoil.

u = aerfoil velocity
v = wind velocity
F L = Lift force
F D = Drag force

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 Types of wind mills: Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT)
2. Darrieus rotor
1. Savonius rotor
• Invented by G.J. Darrieus in 1931
• Works on thrust force of wind
(USA)
• One convex and one concave
• Came into light after energy crisis
parts subjected to wind,
• 2 or more flexible blades (bow
result into different forces
outward) attached to vertical shaft
resulting into torque
• Approximate the shape of
• overlap between the 2 parts
parabola
increases torque
• Requires starting torque
• Overlap to be 1/3 rd of drum
• Torque increases with increase in
diameter to be better
speed and then falls off at higher
• Inexpensive and simple in
wind speeds. This implies that the
construction
rotor has inbuilt protection from
• Easy construction in any rural
stormy weather as rotor tends to
area
stall at high winds.
• Used for pumping water due
Swept area, A = 8a*b/3
to low efficiency
2a = height of rotor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBBsNdk9_MQ&ab_channel=IQBLDESIGN 2b = diameter of rotor
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxJOYTZbhV8&ab_channel=MrBaron
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Types of wind mills: Vertical axis turbine

Giromill rotor:
Varient of Darrieus rotor
Blades are straight, hence simpler construction
Centrifugal force developed in the blades will
produce stress, resulting in bending of blades.
Blades need to be strong enough in transverse
direction

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Relevant definitions

• Solidity: ratio of projected blade area to the area of wind intercepted.

Projected area of blade is the blade area met by the wind
Solidity of Savonius rotor is almost unity as wind sees no free passage through it.
Multiblade mill: ~0.7
High speed HAWT: 0.01-0.1
Darrieus rotor: 0.01-0.1

Higher solidity corresponds to higher torque and low speed, hence used for pumping
water (e.g. Savonius t/b) and
Lower solidity means high speed and low torque, so suitable for electrical power
generation.

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Relevant definitions

• Solidity: ratio of projected blade area to the area of wind intercepted.

Projected area of blade is the blade area met by the wind
Solidity of Savonius rotor is almost unity as wind sees no free passage through it.
Multiblade mill: ~0.7
High speed HAWT: 0.01-0.1
Darrieus rotor: 0.01-0.1

Higher solidity corresponds to higher torque and low speed, hence used for pumping
water (e.g. Savonius t/b) and
Lower solidity means high speed and low torque, so suitable for electrical power
generation.

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Relevant definitions

• Tip speed ratio (TSR):

Tip speed ratio (λ) = 2πRN/V∞
R = radius of swept area (m)
N = rotational speed (rpm)
V∞= wind speed without rotor interruption (m/s)

HAWTs and Darrieus rotors: outer tip turns much faster than wind speed owing to
the aerodynamic shape, thus have TSR as high as 9.
Savonius rotor and multiblade water pumping windmills have low TSRs.
Generally, higher TSR implies low solidity and vice-versa.

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Relevant definitions

• Power coefficient (Cp):

Cp = Power output from wind
machine/power contained in
wind
The coefficient is a measure of
conversion of wind energy into
mechanical energy of the shaft
and does not include losses in
transmission, electrical
generation etc.
Theoretical Cp = Betz limit (in
case of HAWT)

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Relevant definitions

• Wind turbine rating:

Standard procedure is needed to evaluate rating of WT as wide amount of electrical
power can be produced by WT.
Specific rated capacity (SRC) = peak power rating of the generator/rotor swept area
= 0.2-0.6 (small to large rotors)

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 Diameter of the rotor

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• Find the required diameter of a W/T to generate 4 kW at wind speed of 7 m/s and
a rotor speed of 120 rpm. Assume power coeff – 0.4, mech. Eff = 0.9 and
generator eff = 0.95.

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•

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Wind speed measuring devices

Wind Vanes Y-shaped vane is fitted in such a way

that the two metal plates A are
positioned to form an angle of
about 20 degrees.
A weight, M, is attached to the top
of the vane for balance. A steel pipe
passes through the top and is
attached to the roof, and the axis is
fitted through the steel.
To indicate the rotation angle of the
vane, a compass is directly mounted
on the rotation axis. To enable
Types of wind vane remote indication of the vane’s angle
of rotation, a potentiometer is
mounted on the rotation axis.

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