Wind Turbine Research

What are they?

Dictionary Definition- a turbine having a large vaned wheel rotated by the wind to generate electricity.
A wind turbine is an apparatus used to convert the kinetic energy of the wind into electricity.

How do they work?

(​Paraphrased from the Department of Energy, and put into my own words.)
Wind Turbines work by extracting the “​aerodynamic force​” of the rotor blades, which are
designed like the wing of an airplane or the blade of a helicopter.
When wind flows across the blade, something called ​lift and drag​ is generated. This causes the
rotor blade to spin.
Energy is converted when the rotor blade spins because the rotor blade is connected to the
generator, either directly or through a set of gears and mechanic operations. This generator translates most
of the kinetic energy into electricity.
Vocab:
Aerodynamic Force: a force exerted on a body by the air (or other gas) in which the body is
immersed, and is due to the relative motion between the body and the gas.
Lift: upward-acting force on an aircraft wing or airfoil.
Drag: the aerodynamic force that opposes an aircraft's motion through the air.

What variables have the most impact on power output?

The three main factors that are taken into account when it comes to power output are wind speed,
air density, and blade radius. These are variable because they constantly change, and that directly affects
the amount of energy you are able to convert.
Wind Speed​: Higher wind speeds generate more power because it turns the rotor blades faster.
The faster the rotor blades spin, the more energy is being converted.
Turbines are actually designed to operate at a certain speed. There is something called a cut-in
speed, which is the point at which the wind speed is high enough for the turbine to generate power. Any
speed lower than that won’t create enough lift. The cut-out speed is where maximum output power is
reached. Basically, no more power can be generated because the turbine is producing as much lift as it
possibly can. The cut-out speed is the point at which the turbine should be shut down to avoid damage to
the machinery. The special relationship between wind speed and energy production is that when wind
speed doubles, the wind turbine will produce 8 times the power output. Calculating wind speed is an
accurate way of measuring the power generated by the turbine.
Air density:
Dictionary Definition: the mass per unit volume of Earth's atmosphere, which is a function of
altitude, ​pressure​, and ​temperature​.
Dense air exerts more ​air pressure​ on the rotors, which results in higher power output.
Rotor Blade Radius:
Most wind turbines are built with fairly large blades. That’s because larger blades are needed to
maximize the amount of kinetic energy moving through them. However, it isn’t as easy as it seems.
Building larger blades sucks up money and space and they also need higher wind speeds to operate.
Vocab: Air Pressure: The forces exerted by air, whether compressed or unconfined, on any surface
in contact with it
What are the changeable variables for blade design?
( Length, Shape, Number, Material, Weight, Curvature, Pitch/Angle, Twist)
There are many ways to design a turbine, especially because the smallest of changes can change
the amount of energy converted. There are basic components of the blade though.
Length​: Wind turbines usually have blades that span between 20 to 80 meters. This is because
they need blades that are big enough to generate proper lift, but not so much so, to the point of which
unusually high wind speeds are needed to rotate the blades. Although, as we progress in renewable
energy, larger wind turbine blades are coming into the scene.
Shape​: A wind turbine has blades that are very similar to that of an airplane. Basically, the front
and rear sides of the blade are almost rectangular. It widens near the base and then tapers off into a sharp
point. It has fairly rounded edges and is elongated and flat. The best description would be a long pointy
whale fin shape.
Number​: The majority of wind turbines have three blades. This was a calculated decision. In
terms of energy, one long blade would have been ideal, because having only one blade meant the most
minimal of drag. But, one blade could cause the turbine to become unbalanced, so this wasn’t the perfect
choice for the stability of the turbine. They decided to try two blades: Two bladed turbines are vulnerable
to a phenomenon called ​gyroscopic precession, ​which resulted in wobbling. Since wind turbines are very
big, falling could cause a lot of damage. Any number of blades greater than three would result in higher
drag, which would lessen the amount of electricity created. Three was the optimal number.
Material:​ Wind turbine blades are made from glass and ​carbon fibre reinforced composites.
These materials are not really recyclable, so even though we are reducing the reduction of fossil fuels, we
are still creating waste.
Curvature/Twist:​ A lifting force is generated due to the curved or twisted shape of the blades
just as in the case of an airplane wing. Low air pressure is created on the side with the most curves, while
the high pressure created beneath pushes the other side of the blade. Basically, more lift is created, which
is necessary for a faster rotation of the blades.
Pitch/Angle:​ The pitch or angle simply refers to the turning the angle of attack of the blades of a
propeller or helicopter rotor into or out of the wind to control the production or absorption of power. The
angle of the position of the blades can change the amount of lift and drag generated by them. As we
know, lift and drag can dramatically shift the amount of power a wind turbine converts.
Vocab:
Gyroscopic Precession: ​ ​the tendency of a rotating object to maintain the orientation of its rotation.
Carbon Fibre Reinforced Composites: lightweight, strong materials used in the manufacturing of
numerous products used in our daily life. It is a term used to describe a fiber-reinforced composite
material that uses carbon fiber as the primary structural component.

Varieties of Turbines
- Onshore and Offshore Wind Turbines: These turbines are named relative to their location. Wind
Power plants located landside are known as Offshore Wind Turbines, and vice versa.
- On-grid and Off-grid Turbines. These turbines are ones that relate to electrical grids. On-grid
turbines are connected to the national electrical grid, and off-shore ones aren’t.

There are a ton of others as well, such as Upwind turbines, and Downwind turbines. A lot of these
turbines are straight forward and they usually pertain to the location of the turbine or the mechanical
arrangement of the turbine.
Groups of Turbines
A group of wind turbines is called a wind farm. Most turbines are put in the same place, because the
creation of wind turbines was also supposed to boost the economy. Most companies sell land to renewable
energy companies so that they can build multiple turbines in the same place.

Conversion of energy from one form to another form:

Most wind turbines convert moving wind, which is ​kinetic energy​, into ​mechanical energy.
Vocab:
Kinetic Energy: energy which a body possesses by virtue of being in motion
Mechanical energy: Sum of the kinetic energy, or energy of motion, and the potential energy, or
energy stored in a system by reason of the position of its parts.

Part identification: