Wind Energy Conversion Systems

April 21-22, 2003

K Sudhakar
Centre for Aerospace Systems Design & Engineering
Department of Aerospace Engineering
http://www.casde.iitb.ac.in/~sudhakar
 Horizontal Axis WECS

Energy extraction at a plane normal to wind stream.

Rotor plane - a disc
 Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines

Aerodynamics
Forces and Moments on a body in relative motion
with respect to air

Topics of intense study

aerospace vehicles, road vehicles, civil structures,
wind turbines, etc.
 Atmosphere
• International Standard Atmosphere
– Sea level pressure = 101325 Pa
– Sea level temperature = 288.16 K (IRA 303.16)
– Sea level density = 1.226 kg/m^3 (IRA 1.164)
– dt/dh = -0.0065 K/m
– p/pSL = (t/tSL)5.2579

• Planetary boundary layer extends to 2000m

V(50 m) / V(20 m) = 1.3 city
= 1.2 grassy
= 1.1 smooth
 Bernoulli Equation

p + 0.5  V2 = constant
Incompressible flows; along a streamline, . .

Internal flows:
Conservation of mass;  A V = constant
If  is constant, A1 V1 = A2 V2
A1, V1

A2, V2
 Actuator Disc Theory

A pd+
pd-
V
p
Ad
A1
Vd
V1
p
A  V= A d Vd =A1 V1 ; mass flow rate, m =  Ad Vd

P = 0.5 m (V2 - V12) = 0.5  Ad Vd (V2 - V12)

T = m (V- V1) =  Ad Vd (V- V1) = Ad ( pd- - pd+)

pd- - pd+ =  Vd (V- V1)

 Actuator Disc Theory

A pd- pd+
V
p Ad
A1
Vd
p  + 0.5  V2 = pd- + 0.5  Vd2 V1
p
p  + 0.5  V12 = pd+ + 0.5  Vd2
pd- - pd+ = 0.5  (V2 - V12 ) =  Vd (V- V1)
Vd = 0.5 (V+ V1) ; Vd = V( 1 - a); V1 = V( 1 - 2 a)
P = 0.5  Ad Vd (V2 - V12) = 0.5  Ad Vd 2 Vd (V- V1)
=  Ad Vd2 (V- V1)
=  Ad V2 (1 - a)2 2aV
 Actuator Disc Theory

P = 2  Ad V3 a (1 - a)2
Non-dimensional quantities,
CP = P / (0.5  Ad V3 ) ; CQ = Q/ (0.5  Ad R V2 )
CT = T/ (0.5  Ad V2 ) ;  = r  / V
CP = 4 a (1 - a)2 ; CT = 4 a (1 - a)
dCP/da = 0  a = 1/3
CP-max = 16/27 ; CT @ CP-max = 8/9  a = 1/3
CT-max = 1 ; CP @ CT-max = 1/2  a = 1/2
 Rotor & Blades

Energy extraction through cranking of a rotor

Cranking torque supplied by air steam
Forces / moments applied by air stream?
Blade element theory of rotors?
 Aerodynamics

Aerodynamics - Forces and Moments on a body in

relative motion with respect to air

Fx  M x 
   
   
M F F  Fy  ; M  M y 
   
* P1    
 Fz   M z 
V Po
M P1  M P0  r  F

 M P0  ( P1  P0 )  F
F, F  Vectors
 Forces & Moments

Basic Mechanisms
– Force due to normal pressure, p = - p ds n
– Force due to tangential stress,  =  ds (  n = 0)

y
n u
rMRP ds

V
du

dy
d F   p n̂ ds   ds ; dM  rMRP  dF
kg
 for air 1.789 x 10 5
F    p n̂ ds    ds ms
 Drag & Lift

Fx   Fdrag 
   
   
F  Fy   Fside force  drag
    V
   
 Fz   FLift 

• D - Drag is along V
• L - Lift is the force in the harnessed direction
How to maximise L/D
 Drag

F  V 1
Drag      p n̂  V
 ds     V ds 
V V

Pressure drag, DP Skin friction drag, Df

For steam lined shapes Df >> DP

For bluff bodies DP >> Df

 Streamlining!

Airfoil of chord 150 mm

1 mm dia wire

Equal Drag Bodies

 Wind Turbine

Typical Vertical Axis WECS - Rotor with n-blades

Cranked by airflow. Cranking torque?

r

,Q
Tower loads
V
 Wind Turbine Rotor
How to compute Q = Torque, T = Tower load

Lift
drag

V

Lift, L  f (V , , , a , c) at a given 

 V c V
C L  f (Re, M); Re  ; M  Dimensional analysis
 a
L D M
CL  ; CD  ; CM 
0.5  V S
2
0.5  V S
2
0.5  V2 S c
 Why non-dimensional Coefficients

• With dimensional values

– At each (, , , V , a, c) measure L, D, M
– Many tests required
• With non-dimensional coefficients
– At desired Re, M,  and V
– for each  measure L, D, M
– Convert to CL, CD, CM
– At any other  and V compute L, D M
 Airfoil Characteristics
Camber line
t

V h

h(x)  0 camber  symmetric airfoil

(h/c)max and (x/c) @ (h/C)max

(t/c)max and (x/c) @ (t/c)max

Leading edge radius

 Airfoil Characteristics
stall
Moment Ref Pt = 0.25 c

CL CD CM

13o  i  

CL = dCL/d i = f(h/c)max

= 2  rad-1 = 0.11 deg -1
CLo = f (h/c)max CM = constant = f(h/c)max

Special airfoils for wind turbines with high t/c @ low Re  SERI / NREL
 Cranking Torque?

• Air cranks rotor  equal, opposite reaction on air

• Rotor angular velocity, 
• Torque on rotor Q

, Q 

• Angular velocity of air downstream of rotor,  = 2a’

• Angular velocity at rotor mid-plane, 0.5  = a’
a’- circumferential inflow
 Cranking Torque?
   2r dr Vd
dm
dr
r dT   2r dr Vd ( V  V1 )
, Q   2 r dr V (1  a ) V 2a

 4 r V2 a (1  a ) dr

dQ   2r dr Vd ( r  0) r
 = 2a’
 2 r dr V (1  a ) r 2a '  r

 4r 3  V a ' (1  a ) dr

 CL
Flow velocities
r r a’
CD


V (1  a )
tan  
V r (1  a ' )
W

W  V (1  a ) / Sin 

a V =-
CL, CD = f ()

Cx = CLSin  - CD Cos  = CLSin  ( 1 -  Cot )

CT = CLCos  +CD Sin  = CLCos  ( 1+  Tan )
 V (1  a )
C x  C LSin  (1   Cot ) tan   (1)
r (1  a ' )
C Y  C L Cos  (1   tan ) W  V (1  a ) / Sin  (2)
1      (3) ;   C L , C D (4)
dQ  W 2 c dr C X r B
2
1 C
 BcR V2 (1  a ) 2 L (1  Cot ) dr (5)
2 Sin 

1
dT  W 2 c dr C Y B
2
1 2 C L Cos 
 BcR V (1  a )
2
(1  Tan ) dr ( 6)
2 Sin 
2
 V (1  a ) 1 (1  a )
tan    (1)
r (1  a ' )  r (1  a ' )

W  V (1  a ) / Sin  (2)

  (3) ;   C L , C D (4)

1 C
dQ  BcR V2 (1  a ) 2 L (1  Cot ) dr (5)
2 Sin 
1 2 C L Cos 
dT  BcR V (1  a )
2
(1  Tan ) dr ( 6)
2 Sin 
2


P
P    dQ ; C P 
0 0.5V3 R 2

B  2 cC L
CP   (1  a ) (1  Cot )  r d r (7 )
R 0 Sin 
From momentum theory

dQ  4 r 3 V a ' (1  a ) dr (8)

dT  4r  V2 a (1  a ) dr (9)

Equating (5) & (8) for   0

Bc C L a'
 (10)
8r Cos  1  a '

Bc C L Cos  a
 (11)
8r Sin  1  a
2
 B 2 cC L
CP   (1  a ) (1  Cot )  r d r (7)
R Sin 

a ' 8r
From (10) cC L  Cos 
1  a' B
B 1 a ' 8r
CP   (1  a ) 2
Cos  (1   Cot )  r d r
R Sin  1 a' B
8 1 a' r
  (1  a ) 2
(1   Cot )  r d r
 Tan  1  a ' R

8 1  a' a' r
  (1  a )  r
2
(1  Cot )  r d r
 1 a 1  a' 
8 a'
 2  (1  a )  r
2 3
(1  Cot ) d r
 1 a
8 8 
 2  (1  a )a '  r d r 
3
2 
(1  a ) a ' 3
r Cot  d r
 0  0
 8 8 
C P  2  (1  a )a '  r d r 
3
2 
(1  a ) a ' 3
Cot  d r
 0  0
r

 C Pi  C Pf

8
Maximise C Pi  2  (1  a )a ' 3r d r
 0
Can we choose any values for a and a ' ?
1 a ' (1  a ' )
No. Only subject to; 2  (12) { got by (10) /(11) }
 r a (1  a )

ie. For each  r we can do the following

choose a  a ' from (12)  compute (1  a )a ' 3r

Pick that value of a for which (3) is max imum

 Betz

16/27

CP
Cpi - Energy extraction is through cranking

16 0.3538 1.2946
C Pi  e
27
 8 
C Pf  2  (1  a )a ' 3r Cot  d r
 0
8  1 a'
 2  (1  a )a ' 3r  r d r
 0 1 a
8 
 2  (1  a ' )a ' 4r d r
 0
8 
 2  (1  a )a 2r d r
 0
8 1 1  2 1
 2 (1  )   r d r Note : for  r 1; a 
 3 3 0 3
16 3 16
 2  
9 3 27
C P  C Pi  C Pf

16 0.3538 1.2946 16
 e  
27 27
16  0.3538 1.2946
 (e   )
27