Modal Parameter Identification of New Design of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chougule, Prasad; Nielsen, Søren R.K.

2013-01-01

Vertical axis wind turbines have lower power efficiency than the horizontal axis wind turbines. However vertical axis wind turbines are proven to be economical and noise free on smaller scale. A new design of three bladed vertical axis wind turbine by using two airfoils in construction of each...... blade has been proposed to improve power efficiency. The purpose of two airfoils in blade design of vertical axis wind turbine is to create high lift which in turns gives higher power output. In such case the structural parameter identification is important to understand the system behavior due to its...... first kind of design before experimental analysis. Therefore a study is carried out to determine the natural frequency to avoid unstable state of the system due to rotational frequency of rotor. The present paper outlines a conceptual design of vertical axis wind turbine and a modal analysis by using...

Vertical axis wind turbines: a survey and bibliography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abramovich, H

1987-01-01

The stimulus for the development of modern, big wind turbines has been the world-wide oil crisis during the seventies. Although the horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) was the most popular type of wind turbine the Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) has been recognized as a machine with competitive economic potential. The state of the art of the VAWT is reviewed. The wind turbine carrying the name of Darrieus was first proposed by the French inventor in 1925. His original patent covered a range of vertical-axis configurations but the term 'Darrieus' is now generally associated with the curved-blade geometry. In 1966 two researchers at the Canadian NRC again raised the idea of both the straight and curved-blade versions of the Darrieus VAWT.

Mitigating the negative impacts of tall wind turbines on bats: Vertical activity profiles and relationships to wind speed.

Science.gov (United States)

Wellig, Sascha D; Nusslé, Sébastien; Miltner, Daniela; Kohle, Oliver; Glaizot, Olivier; Braunisch, Veronika; Obrist, Martin K; Arlettaz, Raphaël

2018-01-01

Wind turbines represent a source of hazard for bats, especially through collision with rotor blades. With increasing technical development, tall turbines (rotor-swept zone 50-150 m above ground level) are becoming widespread, yet we lack quantitative information about species active at these heights, which impedes proposing targeted mitigation recommendations for bat-friendly turbine operation. We investigated vertical activity profiles of a bat assemblage, and their relationships to wind speed, within a major valley of the European Alps where tall wind turbines are being deployed. To monitor bat activity we installed automatic recorders at sequentially increasing heights from ground level up to 65 m, with the goal to determine species-specific vertical activity profiles and to link them to wind speed. Bat call sequences were analysed with an automatic algorithm, paying particular attention to mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis and Myotis blythii) and the European free-tailed bat (Tadarida teniotis), three locally rare species. The most often recorded bats were the Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) and Savi's pipistrelle (Hypsugo savii). Mouse-eared bats were rarely recorded, and mostly just above ground, appearing out of risk of collision. T. teniotis had a more evenly distributed vertical activity profile, often being active at rotor level, but its activity at that height ceased above 5 ms-1 wind speed. Overall bat activity in the rotor-swept zone declined with increasing wind speed, dropping below 5% above 5.4 ms-1. Collision risk could be drastically reduced if nocturnal operation of tall wind turbines would be restricted to wind speeds above 5 ms-1. Such measure should be implemented year-round because T. teniotis remains active in winter. This operational restriction is likely to cause only small energy production losses at these tall wind turbines, although further analyses are needed to assess these losses precisely.

Field investigation of a wake structure downwind of a VANT (Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine) in a wind farm array

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, H. T.; Buck, J. W.; Germain, A. C.; Hinchee, M. E.; Solt, T. S.; Leroy, G. M.; Srnsky, R. A.

1988-09-01

The effects of upwind turbine wakes on the performance of a FloWind 17-m vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) were investigated through a series of field experiments conducted at the FloWind wind farm on Cameron Ridge, Tehachapi, California. From the field measurements, we derived the velocity and power/energy deficits under various turbine on/off configurations. Much information was provided to characterize the structure of VAWT wakes and to assess their effects on the performance of downwind turbines. A method to estimate the energy deficit was developed based on the measured power deficit and the wind speed distributions. This method may be adopted for other turbine types and sites. Recommendations are made for optimizing wind farm design and operations, as well as for wind energy management.

New Urban Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru-Mihai CISMILIANU

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper develops a different approach for enhancing the performance of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines for the use in the urban or rural environment and remote isolated residential areas. Recently the vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT have become more attractive due to the major advantages of this type of turbines in comparison to the horizontal axis wind turbines. We aim to enhance the overall performance of the VAWT by adding a second set of blades (3 x 2=6 blades following the rules of biplane airplanes. The model has been made to operate at a maximum power in the range of the TSR between 2 to 2.5. The performances of the VAWT were investigated numerically and experimentally and justify the new proposed design.

A local-circulation model for Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Masse, B.

1986-04-01

A new computational model for the aerodynamics of the vertical-axis wind turbine is presented. Based on the local-circulation method generalized for curved blades, combined with a wake model for the vertical-axis wind turbine, it differs markedly from current models based on variations in the streamtube momentum and vortex models using the lifting-line theory. A computer code has been developed to calculate the loads and performance of the Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbine. The results show good agreement with experimental data and compare well with other methods.

Vertical characterization of the wind mode and its effect on the wind farm profitability of Sidi Daoud - Tunisia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elamouri, M.; Ben Amar, F.; Trabelsi, A.

2011-01-01

The choice of a site and the statistical characterization of the wind speed represent the most significant factors in the process of wind park establishment. Indeed, the average value of the wind speed during one year and its temporal variation are the factors which have the greatest impact on the economic wind farm profitability. Thus, this article presents a meteorological and energetic study, in terms of the height of Sidi Daoud wind power station installed in Tunisia. From the meteorological data recorded, during the year 2004, in two places (masts 3 and 4) of the site and with heights 45, 50 and 60 m above ground level, we studied the vertical profile the wind speed both using the logarithmic law and the power law. The Raleigh distribution is selected to determine the annual characteristics of the wind and their influence on the available energy. The obtained results are then extrapolated vertically using the power law making it possible to make a comparative study between the two places in order to know the evolution of the wind speed at altitudes representing an energetic interest. The study also concerns the aerodynamic performances of the three aerogenerators with horizontal axis AE-46, AE-52 and AE-61 installed in site. From their characteristic curves, we have been able to study their energy efficiency in function of the wind speed, their use factors and the availability rate according to the height. All the numerical results illustrated in the article are obtained by a computer code developed by software MATLAB.

Modal Analysis on Fluid-Structure Interaction of MW-Level Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Tower

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan Jiqiu

2014-05-01

Full Text Available In order to avoid resonance problem of MW-level vertical axis wind turbine induced by wind, a flow field model of the MW-level vertical axis wind turbine is established by using the fluid flow control equations, calculate flow’s velocity and pressure of the MW-level vertical axis wind turbine and load onto tower’s before and after surface, study the Modal analysis of fluid-structure interaction of MW-level vertical axis wind turbine tower. The results show that fluid-structure interaction field of MW- level vertical axis wind turbine tower has little effect on the modal vibration mode, but has a great effect on its natural frequency and the maximum deformation, and the influence will decrease with increasing of modal order; MW-level vertical axis wind turbine tower needs to be raised the stiffness and strength, its structure also needs to be optimized; In the case of satisfy the intensity, the larger the ratio of the tower height and wind turbines diameter, the more soft the MW-level vertical axis wind turbine tower, the lower its frequency.

Offshore vertical wind shear: Final report on NORSEWInD’s work task 3.1

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pena Diaz, Alfredo; Mikkelsen, Torben; Gryning, Sven-Erik

of power outputs. Background related to the parametrization of the vertical wind speed profile and the behavior of the vertical wind shear in and beyond the atmospheric surface layer is presented together with the application of the long-term atmospheric stability parameters for the analysis of the long......This document reports on the analysis performed by the work task 3.1 of the EU NORSEWInD project and includes the following deliverables: 3.2 Calculated vertical wind shears 3.3 Multi-variational correlation analysis 3.4 NWP data for wind shear model 3.5 Vertical extrapolation methodology 3.......6 Results input into satellite maps The nature of the offshore vertical wind shear is investigated using acquired data from the NORSEWInD network of mast and wind lidar stations. The importance of the knowledge of the vertical wind speed profile and wind shear is first illustrated for the evaluation...

The system design and performance test of hybrid vertical axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Dwiyantoro, Bambang Arip; Suphandani, Vivien

2017-04-01

Vertical axis wind turbine is a tool that is being developed to generate energy from wind. One cause is still little use of wind energy is the design of wind turbines that are less precise. Therefore in this study will be developed the system design of hybrid vertical axis wind turbine and tested performance with experimental methods. The design of hybrid turbine based on a straight bladed Darrieus turbine along with a double step Savonius turbine. The method used to design wind turbines is by studying literature, analyzing the critical parts of a wind turbine and the structure of the optimal design. Wind turbine prototype of the optimal design characteristic tests in the wind tunnel experimentally by varying the speed of the wind. From the experimental results show that the greater the wind speed, the greater the wind turbine rotation and torque is raised. The hybrid vertical axis wind turbine has much better self-starting and better conversion efficiency.

Numerical simulations of thermospheric dynamics: divergence as a proxy for vertical winds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. L. Cooper

2009-06-01

Full Text Available A local scale, time dependent three-dimensional model of the neutral thermosphere was used to test the applicability of two previously published empirical relations between thermospheric vertical wind and velocity divergence, i.e., those due to Burnside et al. (1981 and Brekke (1997. The model self-consistently solves for vertical winds driven by heat and momentum deposited into the neutral atmosphere by high latitude ion convection. The Brekke condition accurately mimicked the overall "shape" of the three-dimensional model vertical wind field although, as written, it consistently overestimated the vertical wind magnitude by a factor of approximately 5/3, for the heating scenarios that we considered. This same general behavior was observed regardless of whether the forcing was static or rapidly changing with time. We discuss the likely reason for the Brekke condition overestimating the magnitude of our vertical winds, and suggest an alternative condition that should better describe vertical winds that are driven by local heating. The applicability of the Burnside condition was, by contrast, quite variable. During static heating, both the magnitude and the sign of the model vertical winds were predicted reliably at heights above those of maximum energy and momentum deposition per unit mass. However, below the thermal forcing, the Burnside condition predicted vertical winds of the wrong sign. It also introduced significant artefacts into the predicted vertical wind field when the forcing changed suddenly with time. If these results are of general applicability (which seems likely, given the way these relations are derived then the Burnside condition could usually be used safely at altitudes above h_mF₂. But it should be avoided below this height at all times, and even at high altitudes during periods of dynamic forcing. While the Brekke condition (or our modified version of it could likely be used in all circumstances

The influence of turbulence and vertical wind profile in wind turbine power curve

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Honrubia, A.; Gomez-Lazaro, E. [Castilla-La Mancha Univ., Albacete (Spain). Renewable Energy Research Inst.; Vigueras-Rodriguez, A. [Albacete Science and Technolgy Park, Albacete (Spain)

2012-07-01

To identify the influence of turbulence and vertical wind profile in wind turbine performance, wind speed measurements at different heights have been performed. Measurements have been developed using a cup anemometer and a LIDAR equipment, specifically a pulsed wave one. The wind profile has been recorded to study the effect of the atmospheric conditions over the energy generated by a wind turbine located close to the LIDAR system. The changes in the power production of the wind turbine are relevant. (orig.)

Small Vertical Axis Wind Turbines: aerodynamics and starting behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Horia DUMITRESCU

2013-12-01

Full Text Available In urban areas the wind is very turbulent and unstable with fast changes in direction andvelocity. In these environments, the use of small vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT becomesincreasingly attractive due to several advantages over horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT.However, such designs have received much less attention than the more common propeller-typedesigns and the understanding of same aspects of their operation remains, to this day, incomplete.This is particularly true of their starting characteristics. Indeed, same authors heuristically maintainthat they cannot start without external assistance. This paper reviews the cause of the inability of thelow solidity fixed pitch vertical axis wind turbines to self-start, and investigates the way ofovercoming this draw back.

Vertical Wind Tunnel for Prediction of Rocket Flight Dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoani Bryson

2016-03-01

Full Text Available A customized vertical wind tunnel has been built by the University of Canterbury Rocketry group (UC Rocketry. This wind tunnel has been critical for the success of UC Rocketry as it allows the optimization of avionics and control systems before flight. This paper outlines the construction of the wind tunnel and includes an analysis of flow quality including swirl. A minimal modelling methodology for roll dynamics is developed that can extrapolate wind tunnel behavior at low wind speeds to much higher velocities encountered during flight. The models were shown to capture the roll flight dynamics in two rocket launches with mean roll angle errors varying from 0.26° to 1.5° across the flight data. The identified model parameters showed consistent and predictable variations over both wind tunnel tests and flight, including canard–fin interaction behavior. These results demonstrate that the vertical wind tunnel is an important tool for the modelling and control of sounding rockets.

Combined Structural Optimization and Aeroelastic Analysis of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roscher, Björn; Ferreira, Carlos Simao; Bernhammer, Lars O.

2015-01-01

Floating offshore wind energy poses challenges on the turbine design. A possible solution is vertical axis wind turbines, which are possibly easier to scale-up and require less components (lower maintenance) and a smaller floating structure than horizontal axis wind turbines. This paper presents...... a structural optimization and aeroelastic analysis of an optimized Troposkein vertical axis wind turbine to minimize the relation between the rotor mass and the swept area. The aeroelastic behavior of the different designs has been analyzed using a modified version of the HAWC2 code with the Actuator Cylinder...... model to compute the aerodynamics of the vertical axis wind turbine. The combined shape and topology optimization of a vertical axis wind turbine show a minimum mass to area ratio of 1.82 kg/m2 for blades with varying blade sections from a NACA 0040 at the attachment points to a NACA 0015...

Design analysis of vertical wind turbine with airfoil variation

Science.gov (United States)

Maulana, Muhammad Ilham; Qaedy, T. Masykur Al; Nawawi, Muhammad

2016-03-01

With an ever increasing electrical energy crisis occurring in the Banda Aceh City, it will be important to investigate alternative methods of generating power in ways different than fossil fuels. In fact, one of the biggest sources of energy in Aceh is wind energy. It can be harnessed not only by big corporations but also by individuals using Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT). This paper presents a three-dimensional CFD analysis of the influence of airfoil design on performance of a Darrieus-type vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT). The main objective of this paper is to develop an airfoil design for NACA 63-series vertical axis wind turbine, for average wind velocity 2,5 m/s. To utilize both lift and drag force, some of designs of airfoil are analyzed using a commercial computational fluid dynamics solver such us Fluent. Simulation is performed for this airfoil at different angles of attach rearranging from -12°, -8°, -4°, 0°, 4°, 8°, and 12°. The analysis showed that the significant enhancement in value of lift coefficient for airfoil NACA 63-series is occurred for NACA 63-412.

On the vertical structure of wind gusts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Suomi, I.; Gryning, Sven-Erik; Floors, Rogier Ralph

2015-01-01

The increasing size of wind turbines, their height and the area swept by their blades have revised the need for understanding the vertical structure of wind gusts. Information is needed for the whole profile. In this study, we analyzed turbulence measurements from a 100m high meteorological mast...... and the turbulence intensity, of which the turbulence intensity was found to dominate over the peak factor in determining the effects of stability and height above the surface on the gust factor. The peak factor only explained 15% or less of the vertical decrease of the gust factor, but determined the effect of gust...... duration on the gust factor. The statistical method to estimate the peak factor did not reproduce the observed vertical decrease in near-neutral and stable conditions and near-constant situation in unstable conditions. Despite this inconsistency, the theoretical method provides estimates for the peak...

Vertical wind velocity measurements using a five-hole probe with remotely piloted aircraft to study aerosol-cloud interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Calmer, Radiance; Roberts, Gregory C.; Preissler, Jana; Sanchez, Kevin J.; Derrien, Solène; O'Dowd, Colin

2018-05-01

The importance of vertical wind velocities (in particular positive vertical wind velocities or updrafts) in atmospheric science has motivated the need to deploy multi-hole probes developed for manned aircraft in small remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). In atmospheric research, lightweight RPAs ( power spectral density (PSD) functions and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) derived from the five-hole probe are compared with sonic anemometers on a meteorological mast. During a BACCHUS field campaign at Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station (Ireland), a fleet of RPAs was deployed to profile the atmosphere and complement ground-based and satellite observations of physical and chemical properties of aerosols, clouds, and meteorological state parameters. The five-hole probe was flown on straight-and-level legs to measure vertical wind velocities within clouds. The vertical velocity measurements from the RPA are validated with vertical velocities derived from a ground-based cloud radar by showing that both measurements yield model-simulated cloud droplet number concentrations within 10 %. The updraft velocity distributions illustrate distinct relationships between vertical cloud fields in different meteorological conditions.

Modal Analysis on Fluid-Structure Interaction of MW-Level Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Tower

OpenAIRE

Tan Jiqiu; Zhong Dingqing; Wang Qiong

2014-01-01

In order to avoid resonance problem of MW-level vertical axis wind turbine induced by wind, a flow field model of the MW-level vertical axis wind turbine is established by using the fluid flow control equations, calculate flow’s velocity and pressure of the MW-level vertical axis wind turbine and load onto tower’s before and after surface, study the Modal analysis of fluid-structure interaction of MW-level vertical axis wind turbine tower. The results show that fluid-structure interaction fie...

Electric power from vertical-axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Touryan, K. J.; Strickland, J. H.; Berg, D. E.

1987-12-01

Significant advancements have occurred in vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) technology for electrical power generation over the last decade; in particular, well-proven aerodynamic and structural analysis codes have been developed for Darrieus-principle wind turbines. Machines of this type have been built by at least three companies, and about 550 units of various designs are currently in service in California wind farms. Attention is presently given to the aerodynamic characteristics, structural dynamics, systems engineering, and energy market-penetration aspects of VAWTs.

Wind tower with vertical rotors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dietz, A

1978-08-03

The invention concerns a wind tower with vertical rotors. A characteristic is that the useful output of the rotors is increased by the wind pressure, which is guided to the rotors at the central opening and over the whole height of the structure by duct slots in the inner cells. These duct slots start behind the front nose of the inner cell and lead via the transverse axis of the pillar at an angle into the space between the inner cells and the cell body. This measure appreciably increases the useful output of the rotors, as the rotors do not have to provide any displacement work from their output, but receive additional thrust. The wind pressure pressing from inside the rotor and accelerating from the outside produces a better outflow of the wind from the power plant pillar with only small tendency to turbulence, which appreciably improves the effect of the adjustable turbulence smoothers, which are situated below the rotors over the whole height.

Integrated simulation challenges with the DeepWind floating vertical axis wind turbine concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verelst, David; Aagaard Madsen, Helge; Borg, Michael

2015-01-01

This paper presents the experiences and challenges with concurrently carrying out numerical model development, integrated simulations and design of a novel floating vertical axis wind turbine, the DeepWind concept. The floating VAWT modelling capabilities of the aero-hydro-elastic HAWC2 simulation...

Vertical wind velocity measurements using a five-hole probe with remotely piloted aircraft to study aerosol–cloud interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Calmer

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The importance of vertical wind velocities (in particular positive vertical wind velocities or updrafts in atmospheric science has motivated the need to deploy multi-hole probes developed for manned aircraft in small remotely piloted aircraft (RPA. In atmospheric research, lightweight RPAs ( <  2.5 kg are now able to accurately measure atmospheric wind vectors, even in a cloud, which provides essential observing tools for understanding aerosol–cloud interactions. The European project BACCHUS (impact of Biogenic versus Anthropogenic emissions on Clouds and Climate: towards a Holistic UnderStanding focuses on these specific interactions. In particular, vertical wind velocity at cloud base is a key parameter for studying aerosol–cloud interactions. To measure the three components of wind, a RPA is equipped with a five-hole probe, pressure sensors, and an inertial navigation system (INS. The five-hole probe is calibrated on a multi-axis platform, and the probe–INS system is validated in a wind tunnel. Once mounted on a RPA, power spectral density (PSD functions and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE derived from the five-hole probe are compared with sonic anemometers on a meteorological mast. During a BACCHUS field campaign at Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station (Ireland, a fleet of RPAs was deployed to profile the atmosphere and complement ground-based and satellite observations of physical and chemical properties of aerosols, clouds, and meteorological state parameters. The five-hole probe was flown on straight-and-level legs to measure vertical wind velocities within clouds. The vertical velocity measurements from the RPA are validated with vertical velocities derived from a ground-based cloud radar by showing that both measurements yield model-simulated cloud droplet number concentrations within 10 %. The updraft velocity distributions illustrate distinct relationships between vertical cloud fields in different meteorological

Design Of Rotor Blade For Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Using Double Aerofoil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chougule, Prasad; Ratkovich, Nicolas Rios; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

Nowadays, small vertical axis wind turbines are receiving more attention compared to horizontal wind turbines due to their suitability in urban use because they generate less noise, have bird free turbines and lower cost. There is few vertical axis wind turbines design with good power curve....... However, the efficiency of power extraction has not been improved. Therefore, an attempt has been made to utilize high lift technology in practice for vertical axis wind turbines in order to improve power efficiency. High lift is obtained by double aerofoil elements mainly used in aeroplane wing design....... In this current work two aerofoils are used to design a rotor blade for a vertical axis wind turbine to improve the power efficiency on the rotor. Double aerofoil blade design consists of a main aerofoil and a slat aerofoil. The parameters related to position and orientation of the slat aerofoil with respect...

Determination of performance parameters of vertical axis wind turbines in wind tunnel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nguyen Van Bang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the determination of the performance parameters of a small vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT, which operate by the utilization of drag forces acting on the blades of the turbine. The performance was evaluated by investigating the electrical power output and torque moment of the wind machine. Measurements were performed on the full-scale model and the experimental data are assessed and compared to other types of wind turbines, with respect to its purpose.

Simple passive methods for the assessment of the directional and vertical distributions of wind-blown particulates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orza, J. A.G.; Cabello, M.; Mateo, J.

2009-01-01

We have designed and tested two types of passive collectors to study aeolian erosion in the field. The first passive sampler is a sticky pad that allows for directional particulate assessment by an automatic particle counting procedure. the second one features an omni-directional capture opening, and mass of retained particles is gravimetric ally quantified. Vertical arrays of these passive collectors have been constructed to obtain vertical profiles of the horizontal particle flux as a function of soil properties, nearby sources and wind speed. We present some first results from field campaigns. (Author) 3 refs.

Determination of the number of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine blades based on power spectrum

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Fedak Waldemar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Technology of wind exploitation has been applied widely all over the world and has already reached the level in which manufacturers want to maximize the yield with the minimum investment outlays. The main objective of this paper is the determination of the optimal number of blades in the Cup-Bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. Optimizing the size of the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine allows the reduction of costs. The maximum power of the rotor is selected as the performance target. The optimum number of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine blades evaluation is based on analysis of a single blade simulation and its superposition for the whole rotor. The simulation of working blade was done in MatLab environment. Power spectrum graphs were prepared and compared throughout superposition of individual blades in the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine rotor. The major result of this research is the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine power characteristic. On the basis of the analysis of the power spectra, optimum number of the blades was specified for the analysed rotor. Power spectrum analysis of wind turbine enabled the specification of the optimal number of blades, and can be used regarding investment outlays and power output of the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine.

Determination of the number of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine blades based on power spectrum

Science.gov (United States)

Fedak, Waldemar; Anweiler, Stanisław; Gancarski, Wojciech; Ulbrich, Roman

2017-10-01

Technology of wind exploitation has been applied widely all over the world and has already reached the level in which manufacturers want to maximize the yield with the minimum investment outlays. The main objective of this paper is the determination of the optimal number of blades in the Cup-Bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. Optimizing the size of the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine allows the reduction of costs. The maximum power of the rotor is selected as the performance target. The optimum number of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine blades evaluation is based on analysis of a single blade simulation and its superposition for the whole rotor. The simulation of working blade was done in MatLab environment. Power spectrum graphs were prepared and compared throughout superposition of individual blades in the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine rotor. The major result of this research is the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine power characteristic. On the basis of the analysis of the power spectra, optimum number of the blades was specified for the analysed rotor. Power spectrum analysis of wind turbine enabled the specification of the optimal number of blades, and can be used regarding investment outlays and power output of the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine.

Small-Scale vertical axis wind turbine design

OpenAIRE

Castillo Tudela, Javier

2011-01-01

The thesis focuses on the design of a small vertical axis wind turbine rotor with solid wood as a construction material. The aerodynamic analysis is performed implementing a momentum based model on a mathematical computer program. A three bladed wind turbine is proposed as candidate for further prototype testing after evaluating the effect of several parameters in turbine efficiency, torque and acceleration. The results obtained indicate that wood is a suitable material for rotor cons...

Vertical profiles of black carbon concentration and particle number size distribution in the North China Plain

Science.gov (United States)

Ran, L.; Deng, Z.

2013-12-01

The vertical distribution of aerosols is of great importance to our understanding in the impacts of aerosols on radiation balance and climate, as well as air quality and public health. To better understand and estimate the effects of atmospheric components including trace gases and aerosols on atmospheric environment and climate, an intensive field campaign, Vertical Observations of trace Gases and Aerosols in the North China Plain (VOGA-NCP), was carried out from late July to early August 2013 over a rural site in the polluted NCP. During the campaign, vertical profiles of black carbon (BC) concentration and particle number size distribution were measured respectively by a micro-Aethalometer and an optical particle counter attached to a tethered balloon within 1000 m height. Meteorological parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and wind direction, were measured simultaneously by a radiosonde also attached to the tethered balloon. Preliminary results showed distinct diurnal variations of the vertical distribution of aerosol total number concentration and BC concentration, following the development of the mixing layer. Generally, there was a well mixing of aerosols within the mixing layer and a sharp decrease above the mixing layer. Particularly, a small peak of BC concentrations was observed around 400-500 m height for several profiles. Further analysis would be needed to explain such phenomenon. It was also found that measured vertical profiles of BC using the filter-based method might be affected by the vertical distribution of relative humidity.

Design optimization and analysis of vertical axis wind turbine blade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarral, A.; Ali, M.; Sahir, M.H.

2013-01-01

Wind energy is clean and renwable source of energy and is also the world's fastest growing energy resource. Keeping in view power shortages and growing cost of energy, the low cost wind energy has become a primary solution. It is imperative that economies and individuals begin to conserve energy and focus on the production of energy from renewable sources. Present study describes a wind turbine blade designed with enhanced aerodynamic properties. Vertical axis turbine is chosen because of its easy installment, less noisy and having environmental friendly characteristics. Vertical axis wind turbines are thought to be ideal for installations where wind conditions are not consistent. The presented turbine blade is best suitable for roadsides where the rated speed due to vehicles is most /sup -1/ often 8 ms .To get an optimal shape design symmetrical profile NACA0025 has been considered which is then analyzed for stability and aerodynamic characteristics at optimal conditions using analysis tools ANSYS and CFD tools. (author)

Experimental characterization of vertical-axis wind turbine noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, C E; Graham, W R

2015-01-01

Vertical-axis wind turbines are wind-energy generators suitable for use in urban environments. Their associated noise thus needs to be characterized and understood. As a first step, this work investigates the relative importance of harmonic and broadband contributions via model-scale wind-tunnel experiments. Cross-spectra from a pair of flush-mounted wall microphones exhibit both components, but further analysis shows that the broadband dominates at frequencies corresponding to the audible range in full-scale operation. This observation has detrimental implications for noise-prediction reliability and hence also for acoustic design optimization.

Improved double-multiple streamtube model for the Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Berg, D. E.

Double streamtube codes model the curved blade (Darrieus-type) vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) as a double actuator fish arrangement (one half) and use conservation of momentum principles to determine the forces acting on the turbine blades and the turbine performance. Sandia National Laboratories developed a double multiple streamtube model for the VAWT which incorporates the effects of the incident wind boundary layer, nonuniform velocity between the upwind and downwind sections of the rotor, dynamic stall effects and local blade Reynolds number variations. The theory underlying this VAWT model is described, as well as the code capabilities. Code results are compared with experimental data from two VAWT's and with the results from another double multiple streamtube and a vortex filament code. The effects of neglecting dynamic stall and horizontal wind velocity distribution are also illustrated.

Vertical axis wind turbine power regulation through centrifugally pumped lift spoiling

Science.gov (United States)

Klimas, P. C.; Sladky, J. F., Jr.

This paper describes an approach for lowering the rated windspeeds of Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) whose blades are hollow aluminum extrusions. The blades, which when rotating act as centrifugal pumps, are fitted with a series of small perforations distributed along a portion of the blades' span. By valving the ends of the hollow blades, flow into the blade ends and out of the perforations may be controlled. This flow can induce premature aerodynamic stall on the blade elements, thereby reducing both the rated power of the turbine and its cost-of-energy. The concept has been proven on the Sandia National Laboratories 5-m diameter research VAWT and force balance and flow visualization wind tunnel tests have been conducted using a blade section designed for the VAWT application.

Overview and Design of self-acting pitch control mechanism for vertical axis wind turbine using multi body simulation approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chougule, Prasad; Nielsen, Søren R.K.

2014-01-01

Awareness about wind energy is constantly growing in the world. Especially a demand for small scale wind turbine is increasing and various products are available in market. There are mainly two types of wind turbines, horizontal axis wind turbine and vertical axis wind turbines. Horizontal axis...... wind turbines are suitable for high wind speed whereas vertical axis wind turbines operate relatively low wind speed area. Vertical axis wind turbines are cost effective and simple in construction as compared to the horizontal axis wind turbine. However, vertical axis wind turbines have inherent...

Numerical study on small scale vertical axis wind turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parra-Santos Teresa

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The performance of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT is numerically analyzed. The set-up is Hdarrieus with three straight blades airfoils NACA attached to a rotating vertical shaft. The wind turbine has solidity equals to the unity operating with wind velocity of 7 m/s. Influence of pitch angle is tested to get design tendencies. 2D, transient, Navier Stokes equations are solved using the code Ansys-Fluent. Conservation equations were solved with a Third-Order MUSCL scheme using SIMPLE to couple pressure and velocity. More than six revolutions must be simulated to get the periodic behavior. Two models of turbulence have been contrasted Realizable k-epsilon and Transition SST concluding the last one show more realistic flow features. Pitch angles of 0º, -6º and -10º have been tested with Tip Speed Ratios ranging from 0.7 and 1.6. The no null pitch angles improve the performance of the wind turbine. Instantaneous and averaged power coefficients as well as detailed flow field around the airfoils are showed.

Simulation of flow over double-element airfoil and wind tunnel test for use in vertical axis wind turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chougule, Prasad; Nielsen, Søren R K

2014-01-01

Nowadays, small vertical axis wind turbines are receiving more attention due to their suitability in micro-electricity generation. There are few vertical axis wind turbine designs with good power curve. However, the efficiency of power extraction has not been improved. Therefore, an attempt has been made to utilize high lift technology for vertical axis wind turbines in order to improve power efficiency. High lift is obtained by double-element airfoil mainly used in aeroplane wing design. In this current work a low Reynolds number airfoil is selected to design a double-element airfoil blade for use in vertical axis wind turbine to improve the power efficiency. Double-element airfoil blade design consists of a main airfoil and a slat airfoil. Orientation of slat airfoil is a parameter of investigation in this paper and air flow simulation over double-element airfoil. With primary wind tunnel test an orientation parameter for the slat airfoil is initially obtained. Further a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to obtain the aerodynamic characteristics of double-element airfoil. The CFD simulations were carried out using ANSYS CFX software. It is observed that there is an increase in the lift coefficient by 26% for single-element airfoil at analysed conditions. The CFD simulation results were validated with wind tunnel tests. It is also observe that by selecting proper airfoil configuration and blade sizes an increase in lift coefficient can further be achieved

Design of rotor blade for vertical axis wind turbine using double aerofoil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chougule, P.D.; Ratkovich, N.; Kirkegaard, P.H.; Nielsen, Soeren R.K. [Aalborg Univ.. Dept. of Civil Engineering, Aalborg (Denmark)

2012-07-01

Nowadays, small vertical axis wind turbines are receiving more attention compared to horizontal wind turbines due to their suitability in urban use,because they generate less noise, have bird free turbines and lower cost. There are few vertical axis wind turbines design with good power curve. However, the efficiency of power extraction has not been improved. Therefore, an attempt has been made to utilize high lift technology in practice for vertical axis wind turbines in order to improve power efficiency. High lift is obtained by double aerofoil elements mainly used in aeroplane wing design. In this current work, two aerofoils are used to design a rotor blade for a vertical axis wind turbine to improve the power efficiency on the rotor. Double aerofoil blade design consists of a main aerofoil and a slat aerofoil. The parameters related to position and orientation of the slat aerofoil with respect to the main aerofoil defines the high lift. Orientation of slat aerofoil is a parameter of investigation in this paper. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have been used to obtain the aerodynamic characteristics of double aerofoil. The CFD simulations were carried out using Star CCM+ v7.04 (CD-adapco, UK) software. Aerofoils used in this work are selected from standard aerofoil shapes. (Author)

2014 Distributed Wind Market Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orell, A; Foster, N.

2015-08-01

The cover of the 2014 Distributed Wind Market Report.According to the 2014 Distributed Wind Market Report, distributed wind reached a cumulative capacity of almost 1 GW (906 MW) in the United States in 2014, reflecting nearly 74,000 wind turbines deployed across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In total, 63.6 MW of new distributed wind capacity was added in 2014, representing nearly 1,700 units and $170 million in investment across 24 states. In 2014, America's distributed wind energy industry supported a growing domestic industrial base as exports from United States-based small wind turbine manufacturers accounted for nearly 80% of United States-based manufacturers' sales.

A Vertical-Axis Off-Grid Squirrel-Cage Induction Generator Wind Power System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peifeng Xu

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In order to broaden the limited utilization range of wind power and improve the charging and discharging control performance of the storage battery in traditional small wind power generation systems, a wind power system based on a vertical-axis off-grid induction generator is proposed in this paper. The induction generator not only can run in a wide wind speed range but can also assist the vertical-axis wind turbine to realize self-starting at low wind speed. Combined with the maximum power point tracking method, the slip frequency control strategy is employed to regulate the pulse width modulation (PWM converter to control the output power of the proposed system when the wind speed and load change. The charge and discharge of the storage battery is realized by the segmented current-limiting control strategy by means of an electric power unloader device connected to the DC bus. All these implement a balanced and stable operation of the proposed power generation system. The experimental research on the 5.5 kW prototype system is developed, and the corresponding results verify the correctness and feasibility of the system design and control strategy. Some comparison experiments with a magnetic suspension permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG demonstrate the application prospect of the proposed vertical-axis off-grid induction generator wind power system.

Wind direction dependent vertical wind shear and surface roughness parameter in two different coastal environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagavathsingh, A.; Srinivas, C.V.; Baskaran, R.; Venkatraman, B.; Sardar Maran, P.

2016-01-01

Atmospheric boundary layer parameters and surface layer parameterizations are important prerequisites for air pollution dispersion analysis. The turbulent flow characteristics vary at coastal and inland sites where the nuclear facilities are situated. Many pollution sources and their dispersion occur within the roughness sub layer in the lower atmosphere. In this study analysis of wind direction dependence vertical wind shear, surface roughness lengths and surface layer wind condition has been carried out at a coastal and the urban coastal site for the different wind flow regime. The differential response of the near coastal and inland urban site SBL parameters (wind shear, roughness length, etc) was examined as a function of wind direction

Dynamic aeroelastic stability of vertical-axis wind turbines under constant wind velocity

Science.gov (United States)

Nitzsche, Fred

1994-05-01

The flutter problem associated with the blades of a class of vertical-axis wind turbines called Darrieus is studied in detail. The spinning blade is supposed to be initially curved in a particular shape characterized by a state of pure tension at the blade cross section. From this equilibrium position a three-dimensional linear perturbation pattern is superimposed to determine the dynamic aeroelastic stability of the blade in the presence of free wind speed by means of the Floquet-Lyapunov theory for periodic systems.

Modeling wind speed and wind power distributions in Rwanda

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Safari, Bonfils [Department of Physics, National University of Rwanda, P.O. Box 117, Huye District, South Province (Rwanda)

2011-02-15

Utilization of wind energy as an alternative energy source may offer many environmental and economical advantages compared to fossil fuels based energy sources polluting the lower layer atmosphere. Wind energy as other forms of alternative energy may offer the promise of meeting energy demand in the direct, grid connected modes as well as stand alone and remote applications. Wind speed is the most significant parameter of the wind energy. Hence, an accurate determination of probability distribution of wind speed values is very important in estimating wind speed energy potential over a region. In the present study, parameters of five probability density distribution functions such as Weibull, Rayleigh, lognormal, normal and gamma were calculated in the light of long term hourly observed data at four meteorological stations in Rwanda for the period of the year with fairly useful wind energy potential (monthly hourly mean wind speed anti v{>=}2 m s{sup -1}). In order to select good fitting probability density distribution functions, graphical comparisons to the empirical distributions were made. In addition, RMSE and MBE have been computed for each distribution and magnitudes of errors were compared. Residuals of theoretical distributions were visually analyzed graphically. Finally, a selection of three good fitting distributions to the empirical distribution of wind speed measured data was performed with the aid of a {chi}{sup 2} goodness-of-fit test for each station. (author)

Design and analysis of a semi-submersible vertical axis wind turbine

OpenAIRE

Siddique, Muhammad Abu Zafar

2017-01-01

Wind energy are deployed by two types of wind turbines. They are Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) and Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT), classified according to their axis of rotation. In recent years, offshore wind energy playing a vital role in the wind turbine industry due to high intensity of air, less turbulent and comparatively clean and easily employed in large area which is difficult to manage for onshore or near-shore. The advantages of HAWTs are now facing different challenge in ...

Characterization of a new open jet wind tunnel to optimize and test vertical axis wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tourn, Silvana; Pallarès, Jordi; Cuesta, Ildefonso

2017-01-01

Based on the increasing interest in urban environmental technologies, the study of small scale vertical axis wind turbines shows motivating challenges. In this paper, we present the characteristics and potentials of a new open jet wind tunnel. It has a nozzle exit area of 1.5 × 1.5 m2, and it can......%. The detailed characterization of the flow carried out indicates that the wind tunnel can be used to test small scale models of wind turbines....

Experimental characterization of individual pitch controlled vertical axis wind turbine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leblanc, B.P.; Simao Ferreira, C.

2017-01-01

Research into the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) has been progressing over the last few years due to
the large shift in design constraints for large floating offshore wind turbines by leveraging tools and experience
from research beginning in the 1970s and lasting until the HAWT

Dynamic Analysis of a Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Under Emergency Shutdown Using Hydrodynamic Brake

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, K.; Hansen, Martin Otto Laver; Moan, T.

2014-01-01

Emergency shutdown is always a challenge for an operating vertical axis wind turbine. A 5-MW vertical axis wind turbine with a Darrieus rotor mounted on a semi-submersible support structure was examined in this study. Coupled non-linear aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulations of the floating vertical...... axis wind turbine were carried out for emergency shutdown cases over a range of environmental conditions based on correlated wind and wave data. When generator failure happens, a brake should be applied to stop the acceleration of the rotor to prevent the rotor from overspeeding and subsequent disaster...

Aeroelastically coupled blades for vertical axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Paquette, Joshua; Barone, Matthew F.

2016-02-23

Various technologies described herein pertain to a vertical axis wind turbine blade configured to rotate about a rotation axis. The vertical axis wind turbine blade includes at least an attachment segment, a rear swept segment, and optionally, a forward swept segment. The attachment segment is contiguous with the forward swept segment, and the forward swept segment is contiguous with the rear swept segment. The attachment segment includes a first portion of a centroid axis, the forward swept segment includes a second portion of the centroid axis, and the rear swept segment includes a third portion of the centroid axis. The second portion of the centroid axis is angularly displaced ahead of the first portion of the centroid axis and the third portion of the centroid axis is angularly displaced behind the first portion of the centroid axis in the direction of rotation about the rotation axis.

Influences of some parameters on the performance of a small vertical axis wind turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dumitrache Alexandru

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of various parameters on the performance of a straight bladed vertical axis wind turbine, using the vortex model, have been numerically investigated. A vortex model has been used to evaluate the performance of a vertical axis wind turbine, by means of aerodynamic characteristics of different airfoils for Reynolds numbers between 105 and 106. Parameters such as the thickness and the camber of the blade airfoil, the solidity, the type of blade profile, the number of blades and the pitch angle, which influence the power coefficient, CP, and the start-up regime. This study can be used in the designing an optimal vertical axis wind turbine in a specific location, when the prevailed wind regime is known.

Downstream wind flow path diversion and its effects on the performance of vertical axis wind turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maganhar, A.L.

2015-01-01

In the present experimental study efforts have been made to analysis path diversion effect of downstream wind flow on performance of vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). For the blockage of downstream wind flow path at various linear displaced positions, a normal erected flat wall, semi-circular and cylindrical shapes were tested for path diverting geometries. Performance of VAWT in terms of improved rotor speed up to 45% was achieved. (author)

Magnetic Geared Radial Axis Vertical Wind Turbine for Low Velocity Regimes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Wei Teow

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In the 21st century, every country is seeking an alternative source of energy especially the renewable sources. There are considerable developments in the wind energy technology in recent years and in more particular on the vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT as they are modular, less installation cost and portable in comparison with that of the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT systems. The cut-in speed of a conventional wind turbine is 3.5 m/s to 5 m/s. Mechanical geared generators are commonly found in wind technology to step up power conversion to accommodate the needs of the generator. Wind turbine gearboxes suffer from overload problem and frequent maintenance in spite of the high torque density produced. However, an emerging alternative to gearing system is Magnetic Gear (MG as it offers significant advantages such as free from maintenance and inherent overload protection. In this project, numerical analysis is done on designed magnetic gear greatly affects the performance of the generator in terms of voltage generation. Magnetic flux density is distributed evenly across the generator as seen from the uniform sinusoidal output waveform. Consequently, the interaction of the magnetic flux of the permanent magnets has shown no disturbance to the output of the generator as the voltage generated shows uniform waveform despite the rotational speed of the gears. The simulation is run at low wind speed and the results show that the generator starts generating a voltage of 240 V at a wind speed of 1.04 m/s. This shows great improvement in the operating capability of the wind turbine.

Numerical Analysis of a Small-Size Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine Performance and Averaged Flow Parameters Around the Rotor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rogowski Krzysztof

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Small-scale vertical-axis wind turbines can be used as a source of electricity in rural and urban environments. According to the authors’ knowledge, there are no validated simplified aerodynamic models of these wind turbines, therefore the use of more advanced techniques, such as for example the computational methods for fluid dynamics is justified. The paper contains performance analysis of the small-scale vertical-axis wind turbine with a large solidity. The averaged velocity field and the averaged static pressure distribution around the rotor have been also analyzed. All numerical results presented in this paper are obtained using the SST k-ω turbulence model. Computed power coeffcients are in good agreement with the experimental results. A small change in the tip speed ratio significantly affects the velocity field. Obtained velocity fields can be further used as a base for simplified aerodynamic methods.

Modelling Wind for Wind Farm Layout Optimization Using Joint Distribution of Wind Speed and Wind Direction

OpenAIRE

Ju Feng; Wen Zhong Shen

2015-01-01

Reliable wind modelling is of crucial importance for wind farm development. The common practice of using sector-wise Weibull distributions has been found inappropriate for wind farm layout optimization. In this study, we propose a simple and easily implementable method to construct joint distributions of wind speed and wind direction, which is based on the parameters of sector-wise Weibull distributions and interpolations between direction sectors. It is applied to the wind measurement data a...

Brief communication: On the influence of vertical wind shear on the combined power output of two model wind turbines in yaw

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Schottler

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The effect of vertical wind shear on the total power output of two aligned model wind turbines as a function of yaw misalignment of the upstream turbine is studied experimentally. It is shown that asymmetries of the power output of the downstream turbine and the combined power of both with respect to the upstream turbine's yaw misalignment angle can be linked to the vertical wind shear of the inflow.

Wind tunnel study of helical and straight-bladed vertical-axis wind turbine wakes

Science.gov (United States)

Bagheri, Maryam; Araya, Daniel

2017-11-01

It is hypothesized that blade curvature can serve as a passive means to control fluid entrainment and wake recovery in vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) arrays. We test this experimentally in a wind tunnel using two different VAWT configurations, one with straight blades and another with helical blades, keeping all other experimental parameters fixed. A small-scale, commercially available VAWT (15W max power) is used as the baseline wind tunnel model in each case. The commercial VAWT blades are replaced with either straight or helical blades that are 3D-printed extrusions of the same airfoil cross-section. Results from smoke flow visualization, three-component wake velocity measurements, and turbine power data are presented. These results give insight into the potential use of VAWTs with curved blades in utility-scale wind farms.

Analytical Aerodynamic Simulation Tools for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deglaire, Paul

2010-01-01

Wind power is a renewable energy source that is today the fastest growing solution to reduce CO 2 emissions in the electric energy mix. Upwind horizontal axis wind turbine with three blades has been the preferred technical choice for more than two decades. This horizontal axis concept is today widely leading the market. The current PhD thesis will cover an alternative type of wind turbine with straight blades and rotating along the vertical axis. A brief overview of the main differences between the horizontal and vertical axis concept has been made. However the main focus of this thesis is the aerodynamics of the wind turbine blades. Making aerodynamically efficient turbines starts with efficient blades. Making efficient blades requires a good understanding of the physical phenomena and effective simulations tools to model them. The specific aerodynamics for straight bladed vertical axis turbine flow are reviewed together with the standard aerodynamic simulations tools that have been used in the past by blade and rotor designer. A reasonably fast (regarding computer power) and accurate (regarding comparison with experimental results) simulation method was still lacking in the field prior to the current work. This thesis aims at designing such a method. Analytical methods can be used to model complex flow if the geometry is simple. Therefore, a conformal mapping method is derived to transform any set of section into a set of standard circles. Then analytical procedures are generalized to simulate moving multibody sections in the complex vertical flows and forces experienced by the blades. Finally the fast semi analytical aerodynamic algorithm boosted by fast multipole methods to handle high number of vortices is coupled with a simple structural model of the rotor to investigate potential aeroelastic instabilities. Together with these advanced simulation tools, a standard double multiple streamtube model has been developed and used to design several straight bladed

Overview and Design of self-acting pitch control mechanism for vertical axis wind turbine using multi body simulation approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chougule, Prasad; Nielsen, Søren

2014-01-01

Awareness about wind energy is constantly growing in the world. Especially a demand for small scale wind turbine is increasing and various products are available in market. There are mainly two types of wind turbines, horizontal axis wind turbine and vertical axis wind turbines. Horizontal axis wind turbines are suitable for high wind speed whereas vertical axis wind turbines operate relatively low wind speed area. Vertical axis wind turbines are cost effective and simple in construction as compared to the horizontal axis wind turbine. However, vertical axis wind turbines have inherent problem of self-start inability and has low power coefficient as compare to the horizontal axis wind turbine. These two problems can be eliminated by incorporating the blade pitching mechanism. So, in this paper overview of various pitch control systems is discussed and design of self-acting pitch mechanism is given. A pitch control linkage mechanism for vertical axis wind turbine is modeled by multi-body approach using MSC Software. Aerodynamic loads are predicted from a mathematical model based on double multiple stream tube method. An appropriate airfoil which works at low Reynolds number is selected for blade design. It is also focused on commercialization of the vertical axis wind turbine which incorporates the self-acting pitch control system. These aerodynamic load model will be coupled with the multi-body model in future work for optimization of the pitch control linkage mechanism. A 500 Watt vertical axis wind turbine is designed and it is planned to implement the self-acting pitch control mechanism in real model

The Parameters Affect on Power Coefficient Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed Y. Qasim

2012-04-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: This study describes the design of a special type of vertical axis rotor wind turbine with moveable vertically positioned vanes. The novel design increases the torque in the left side of the wind turbine by increasing the drag coefficient. It also reduces the negative torque of the frame which rotates contrary to the wind in the other side. Two different types of models, having different vane shapes (flat vane and cavity shaped vane, were fabricated. Each type consisted of two models with varying number of frames (three and four frames. The models were tested in a wind tunnel with variable wind speed in order to understand the effect of shape, weight, and number of frames on the power coefficient of the wind turbine. ABSTRAK: Di dalam kajian ini, rotor turbin angin berpaksi vertikel sebagai rangka khusus telah direkabentuk dengan lokasi vertikel mudahalih oleh bilah kipas. Rekabentuk ini meningkatkan tork di bahagian kiri turbin angin dengan meningkatkan pekali seretan dan mengurangkan tork negatif rangka yang berputar berlawanan dengan angin pada bahagian lain. Dua jenis model berbentuk berlainan telah difabrikasi (bilah kipas rata dan bilah kipas berbentuk kaviti, dengan setiap jenis mempunyai dua model dengan bilangan rangka yang berlainan (berangka tiga dan berangka empat. Model-model telah diuji di dalam terowong angin dengan kelajuan angin yang berbeza bagi mendapatkan kesan rekabentuk, berat dan bilangan rangka ke atas pekali kuasa.KEYWORDS: design; wind turbine; drag coefficient; vane

Vertical Distribution of Temperature in Transitional Season II and West Monsoon in Western Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

Pranoto, Hikari A. H.; Kunarso; Soeyanto, Endro

2018-02-01

Western Pacific is the water mass intersection from both the Northern Pacific and Southern Pacific ocean. The Western Pacific ocean is warm pool area which formed by several warm surface currents. As a warm pool area and also the water mass intersection, western Pacific ocean becomes an interesting study area. The object of this study is to describe the temperature vertical distribution by mooring buoy and temporally in transitional season II (September - November 2014) and west monsoon (December 2014 - February 2015) in Western Pacific. Vertical temperature and wind speed data that was used in this study was recorded by INA-TRITON mooring instrument and obtained from Laboratory of Marine Survey, BPPT. Supporting data of this study was wind vector data from ECMWF to observe the relation between temperature distribution and monsoon. The quantitative approach was used in this study by processing temperature and wind data from INA-TRITON and interpreted graphically. In the area of study, it was found that in transitional season II the range of sea surface temperature to 500-meter depth was about 8.29 - 29.90 °C while in west monsoon was 8.12 - 29.45 °C. According to the research result, the sea SST of western Pacific ocean was related to monsoonal change with SST and wind speed correlation coefficient was 0.78. While the deep layer temperature was affected by water mass flow which passes through the western Pacific Ocean.

The Distributed Wind Cost Taxonomy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forsyth, Trudy; Jimenez, Tony; Preus, Robert; Tegen, Suzanne; Baring-Gould, Ian

2017-03-28

To date, there has been no standard method or tool to analyze the installed and operational costs for distributed wind turbine systems. This report describes the development of a classification system, or taxonomy, for distributed wind turbine project costs. The taxonomy establishes a framework to help collect, sort, and compare distributed wind cost data that mirrors how the industry categorizes information. The taxonomy organizes costs so they can be aggregated from installers, developers, vendors, and other sources without losing cost details. Developing a peer-reviewed taxonomy is valuable to industry stakeholders because a common understanding the details of distributed wind turbine costs and balance of station costs is a first step to identifying potential high-value cost reduction opportunities. Addressing cost reduction potential can help increase distributed wind's competitiveness and propel the U.S. distributed wind industry forward. The taxonomy can also be used to perform cost comparisons between technologies and track trends for distributed wind industry costs in the future. As an initial application and piloting of the taxonomy, preliminary cost data were collected for projects of different sizes and from different regions across the contiguous United States. Following the methods described in this report, these data are placed into the established cost categories.

Distributed Wind Policy Comparison Tool

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2011-12-01

Power through Policy: 'Best Practices' for Cost-Effective Distributed Wind is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project to identify distributed wind technology policy best practices and to help policymakers, utilities, advocates, and consumers examine their effectiveness using a pro forma model. Incorporating a customized feed from the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), the Web-based Distributed Wind Policy Comparison Tool (Policy Tool) is designed to assist state, local, and utility officials in understanding the financial impacts of different policy options to help reduce the cost of distributed wind technologies. The Policy Tool can be used to evaluate the ways that a variety of federal and state policies and incentives impact the economics of distributed wind (and subsequently its expected market growth). It also allows policymakers to determine the impact of policy options, addressing market challenges identified in the U.S. DOE’s '20% Wind Energy by 2030' report and helping to meet COE targets.

Effective solidity in vertical axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Colin M.; Leftwich, Megan C.

2016-11-01

The flow surrounding vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) is investigated using particle imaging velocimetry (PIV). This is done in a low-speed wind tunnel with a scale model that closely matches geometric and dynamic properties tip-speed ratio and Reynolds number of a full size turbine. Previous results have shown a strong dependance on the tip-speed ratio on the wake structure of the spinning turbine. However, it is not clear whether this is a speed or solidity effect. To determine this, we have measured the wakes of three turbines with different chord-to-diameter ratios, and a solid cylinder. The flow is visualized at the horizontal mid-plane as well as the vertical mid-plane behind the turbine. The results are both ensemble averaged and phase averaged by syncing the PIV system with the rotation of the turbine. By keeping the Reynolds number constant with both chord and diameter, we can determine how each effects the wake structure. As these parameters are varied there are distinct changes in the mean flow of the wake. Additionally, by looking at the vorticity in the phase averaged profiles we can see structural changes to the overall wake pattern.

75 FR 27583 - Job Corps: Final Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for Small Vertical Wind Turbine and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-17

... CFR 11.11(d), gives final notice of the proposed construction of a small vertical axis wind turbine... (FONSI) for Small Vertical Wind Turbine and Solar Installation at the Paul Simon Job Corps Center Located... impact. This notice serves as the Final Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for Small Vertical Wind...

Composition and daytime vertical distribution of the ichthyoplankton assemblage in the Central Cantabrian Sea shelf, during summer: An Eulerian study

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, J. M.; Gonzalez-Pola, C.; Lopez-Urrutia, A.; Nogueira, E.

2011-09-01

During summer, wind driven coastal upwelling dominates in the Central Cantabrian Sea (southern Bay of Biscay). Nevertheless, atmospheric forcing is highly variable and wind pulses may cause noticeable and fast hydrographic responses in the shelf region. In this paper, the composition and vertical distribution of the summer ichthyoplankton assemblage during the daytime at a fixed station, located on the Central Cantabrian Sea shelf, are documented. Also, the impact of a short-time scale hydrographic event on the abundance and structure of the larval fish assemblage is examined. Significant small-scale temporal hydrographic variability was observed. Currents showed changes in speed and direction and significant changes in thermocline depth were also observed. A total of 34 taxa of fish larvae were identified. Engraulis encrasicolus eggs and larvae of the shelf-dwelling species Trachurus trachurus, Capros aper and E. encrasicolus dominated the ichthyoplankton assemblage. The distribution of E. encrasicolus eggs and fish larvae was vertically structured. E. encrasicolus egg concentration increased exponentially towards the surface. Fish larvae showed a subsurface peak of concentration and their vertical distribution was not conditioned by thermocline depths. The short term hydrographic event did not affect the vertical distribution of fish larvae but it accounted for significant temporal changes in larval fish assemblage structure and abundance. Results suggest that temperature and light intensity are important factors in the vertical distribution of fish larvae. They also indicate that the temporal monitoring of the larval fish assemblage in this region requires multiple sampling sites.

Investigation of the effect of inflow turbulence on vertical axis wind turbine wakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chatelain, P; Duponcheel, M; Buffin, S; Caprace, D-G; Winckelmans, G; Bricteux, L; Zeoli, S

2017-01-01

The aerodynamics of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) is inherently unsteady, which leads to vorticity shedding mechanisms due to both the lift distribution along the blade and its time evolution. In this paper, we perform large-scale, fine-resolution Large Eddy Simulations of the flow past Vertical Axis Wind Turbines by means of a state-of-the-art Vortex Particle-Mesh (VPM) method combined with immersed lifting lines. Inflow turbulence with a prescribed turbulence intensity (TI) is injected at the inlet of the simulation either from a precomputed synthetic turbulence field obtained using the Mann algorithm [1] or generated on the-fly using time-correlated synthetic velocity planes. The wake of a standard, medium-solidity, H-shaped machine is simulated for several TI levels. The complex wake development is captured in details and over long distances: from the blades to the near wake coherent vortices, then through the transitional ones to the fully developed turbulent far wake. Mean flow and turbulence statistics are computed over more than 10 diameters downstream of the machine. The sensitivity of the wake topology and decay to the TI and to the operating conditions is then assessed. (paper)

Investigation of the effect of inflow turbulence on vertical axis wind turbine wakes

Science.gov (United States)

Chatelain, P.; Duponcheel, M.; Zeoli, S.; Buffin, S.; Caprace, D.-G.; Winckelmans, G.; Bricteux, L.

2017-05-01

The aerodynamics of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) is inherently unsteady, which leads to vorticity shedding mechanisms due to both the lift distribution along the blade and its time evolution. In this paper, we perform large-scale, fine-resolution Large Eddy Simulations of the flow past Vertical Axis Wind Turbines by means of a state-of-the-art Vortex Particle-Mesh (VPM) method combined with immersed lifting lines. Inflow turbulence with a prescribed turbulence intensity (TI) is injected at the inlet of the simulation either from a precomputed synthetic turbulence field obtained using the Mann algorithm [1] or generated on the-fly using time-correlated synthetic velocity planes. The wake of a standard, medium-solidity, H-shaped machine is simulated for several TI levels. The complex wake development is captured in details and over long distances: from the blades to the near wake coherent vortices, then through the transitional ones to the fully developed turbulent far wake. Mean flow and turbulence statistics are computed over more than 10 diameters downstream of the machine. The sensitivity of the wake topology and decay to the TI and to the operating conditions is then assessed.

Simulation of flow over double-element airfoil and wind tunnel test for use in vertical axis wind turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chougule, Prasad; Nielsen, Søren R.K.

2014-01-01

been made to utilize high lift technology for vertical axis wind turbines in order to improve power efficiency. High lift is obtained by double-element airfoil mainly used in aeroplane wing design. In this current work a low Reynolds number airfoil is selected to design a double-element airfoil blade...... for use in vertical axis wind turbine to improve the power efficiency. Double-element airfoil blade design consists of a main airfoil and a slat airfoil. Orientation of slat airfoil is a parameter of investigation in this paper and air flow simulation over double-element airfoil. With primary wind tunnel...... that there is an increase in the lift coefficient by 26% for single-element airfoil at analysed conditions. The CFD simulation results were validated with wind tunnel tests. It is also observe that by selecting proper airfoil configuration and blade sizes an increase in lift coefficient can further be achieved....

Statistical characterization of high-to-medium frequency mesoscale gravity waves by lidar-measured vertical winds and temperatures in the MLT

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xian; Chu, Xinzhao; Li, Haoyu; Chen, Cao; Smith, John A.; Vadas, Sharon L.

2017-09-01

We present the first statistical study of gravity waves with periods of 0.3-2.5 h that are persistent and dominant in the vertical winds measured with the University of Colorado STAR Na Doppler lidar in Boulder, CO (40.1°N, 105.2°W). The probability density functions of the wave amplitudes in temperature and vertical wind, ratios of these two amplitudes, phase differences between them, and vertical wavelengths are derived directly from the observations. The intrinsic period and horizontal wavelength of each wave are inferred from its vertical wavelength, amplitude ratio, and a designated eddy viscosity by applying the gravity wave polarization and dispersion relations. The amplitude ratios are positively correlated with the ground-based periods with a coefficient of 0.76. The phase differences between the vertical winds and temperatures (φW -φT) follow a Gaussian distribution with 84.2±26.7°, which has a much larger standard deviation than that predicted for non-dissipative waves ( 3.3°). The deviations of the observed phase differences from their predicted values for non-dissipative waves may indicate wave dissipation. The shorter-vertical-wavelength waves tend to have larger phase difference deviations, implying that the dissipative effects are more significant for shorter waves. The majority of these waves have the vertical wavelengths ranging from 5 to 40 km with a mean and standard deviation of 18.6 and 7.2 km, respectively. For waves with similar periods, multiple peaks in the vertical wavelengths are identified frequently and the ones peaking in the vertical wind are statistically longer than those peaking in the temperature. The horizontal wavelengths range mostly from 50 to 500 km with a mean and median of 180 and 125 km, respectively. Therefore, these waves are mesoscale waves with high-to-medium frequencies. Since they have recently become resolvable in high-resolution general circulation models (GCMs), this statistical study provides an important

Numerical Investigation of the Tip Vortex of a Straight-Bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine with Double-Blades

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanzhao Yang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Wind velocity distribution and the vortex around the wind turbine present a significant challenge in the development of straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs. This paper is intended to investigate influence of tip vortex on wind turbine wake by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD simulations. In this study, the number of blades is two and the airfoil is a NACA0021 with chord length of c = 0.265 m. To capture the tip vortex characteristics, the velocity fields are investigated by the Q-criterion iso-surface (Q = 100 with shear-stress transport (SST k-ω turbulence model at different tip speed ratios (TSRs. Then, mean velocity, velocity deficit and torque coefficient acting on the blade in the different spanwise positions are compared. The wind velocities obtained by CFD simulations are also compared with the experimental data from wind tunnel experiments. As a result, we can state that the wind velocity curves calculated by CFD simulations are consistent with Laser Doppler Velocity (LDV measurements. The distribution of the vortex structure along the spanwise direction is more complex at a lower TSR and the tip vortex has a longer dissipation distance at a high TSR. In addition, the mean wind velocity shows a large value near the blade tip and a small value near the blade due to the vortex effect.

Some design aspects of high-speed vertical-axis wind turbines

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Templin, R. J; South, P

1977-01-01

... (rotor height to diameter ratio, solidity, number of blades, etc.) for high-speed vertical-axis wind turbines from kilowatt to megawatt sizes and shows that very large turbines are theoretically feasible...

An LES study of vertical-axis wind turbine wakes aerodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Abkar, Mahdi; Dabiri, John O.

2016-11-01

In this study, large-eddy simulation (LES) combined with a turbine model is used to investigate the structure of the wake behind a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT). In the simulations, a recently developed minimum dissipation model is used to parameterize the subgrid-scale stress tensor, while the turbine-induced forces are modeled with an actuator-line technique. The LES framework is first tested in the simulation of the wake behind a model straight-bladed VAWT placed in the water channel, and then used to study the wake structure downwind of a full-scale VAWT sited in the atmospheric boundary layer. In particular, the self-similarity of the wake is examined, and it is found that the wake velocity deficit is well characterized by a two-dimensional elliptical Gaussian distribution. By assuming a self-similar Gaussian distribution of the velocity deficit, and applying mass and momentum conservation, an analytical model is developed and tested to predict the maximum velocity deficit downwind of the turbine.

Efficiency of the DOMUS 750 vertical-axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Hallock, Kyle; Rasch, Tyler; Ju, Guoqiang; Alonso-Marroquin, Fernando

2017-06-01

The aim of this paper is to present some preliminary results on the efficiency of a wind turbine for an off-grid housing unit. To generate power, the unit uses a photovoltaic solar array and a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT). The existing VAWT was analysed to improve efficiency and increase power generation. There were found to be two main sources of inefficiency: 1. the 750W DC epicyclic generator performed poorly in low winds, and 2. the turbine blades wobbled, allowing for energy loss due to off-axis rotation. A 12V DC permanent magnet alternator was chosen that met the power requirements of the housing unit and would generate power at lower wind speeds. A support bracket was designed to prevent the turbine blades from wobbling.

Evaluating winds and vertical wind shear from Weather Research and Forecasting model forecasts using seven planetary boundary layer schemes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Draxl, Caroline; Hahmann, Andrea N.; Pena Diaz, Alfredo

2014-01-01

with different PBL parameterizations at one coastal site over western Denmark. The evaluation focuses on determining which PBL parameterization performs best for wind energy forecasting, and presenting a validation methodology that takes into account wind speed at different heights. Winds speeds at heights...... regarding wind energy at these levels partly depends on the formulation and implementation of planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterizations in these models. This study evaluates wind speeds and vertical wind shears simulated by theWeather Research and Forecasting model using seven sets of simulations...

Comparison of aerodynamic models for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferreira, C. Simão; Aagaard Madsen, Helge; Barone, M.

2014-01-01

Multi-megawatt Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) are experiencing an increased interest for floating offshore applications. However, VAWT development is hindered by the lack of fast, accurate and validated simulation models. This work compares six different numerical models for VAWTS: a multiple...

Innovative Design of a Darrieus Straight Bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine by using Multi Element Airfoil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chougle, Prasad Devendra

. Mainly, there is the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) and vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). HAWTs are more popular than VAWTs due to failure of VAWT commercialization during the late of 1980s on a large scale. However, in recent research work it has been documented that VAWTs are more economical......, and the wind tunnel testing of double-element airfoil is performed. It is found that the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil increased considerably by delaying the angle of stall. These two facts are very suitable for vertical axis wind turbine since they operate in a larger range of angle of attack......, ±40_, compared to the horizontal axis wind turbines which operate in the range of attack, ±15_. A new design of vertical axis wind turbine is then proposed, and aerodynamic performance is evaluated based on double multiple stream tube methods. The performance parameters are almost doubled compared...

A Free Wake Numerical Simulation for Darrieus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Performance Prediction

Science.gov (United States)

Belu, Radian

2010-11-01

In the last four decades, several aerodynamic prediction models have been formulated for the Darrieus wind turbine performances and characteristics. We can identified two families: stream-tube and vortex. The paper presents a simplified numerical techniques for simulating vertical axis wind turbine flow, based on the lifting line theory and a free vortex wake model, including dynamic stall effects for predicting the performances of a 3-D vertical axis wind turbine. A vortex model is used in which the wake is composed of trailing stream-wise and shedding span-wise vortices, whose strengths are equal to the change in the bound vortex strength as required by the Helmholz and Kelvin theorems. Performance parameters are computed by application of the Biot-Savart law along with the Kutta-Jukowski theorem and a semi-empirical stall model. We tested the developed model with an adaptation of the earlier multiple stream-tube performance prediction model for the Darrieus turbines. Predictions by using our method are shown to compare favorably with existing experimental data and the outputs of other numerical models. The method can predict accurately the local and global performances of a vertical axis wind turbine, and can be used in the design and optimization of wind turbines for built environment applications.

Energy and exergy efficiency comparison of horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pope, K.; Dincer, I.; Naterer, G.F. [Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario (Canada)

2010-09-15

In this paper, an energy and exergy analysis is performed on four different wind power systems, including both horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines. Significant variability in turbine designs and operating parameters are encompassed through the selection of systems. In particular, two airfoils (NACA 63(2)-215 and FX 63-137) commonly used in horizontal axis wind turbines are compared with two vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs). A Savonius design and Zephyr VAWT benefit from operational attributes in wind conditions that are unsuitable for airfoil type designs. This paper analyzes each system with respect to both the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The aerodynamic performance of each system is numerically analyzed by computational fluid dynamics software, FLUENT. A difference in first and second law efficiencies of between 50 and 53% is predicted for the airfoil systems, whereas 44-55% differences are predicted for the VAWT systems. Key design variables are analyzed and the predicted results are discussed. The exergetic efficiency of each wind turbine is studied for different geometries, design parameters and operating conditions. It is shown that the second law provides unique insight beyond a first law analysis, thereby providing a useful design tool for wind power development. (author)

Large Eddy Simulation of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine wakes; Part II: effects of inflow turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Duponcheel, Matthieu; Chatelain, Philippe; Caprace, Denis-Gabriel; Winckelmans, Gregoire

2017-11-01

The aerodynamics of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) is inherently unsteady, which leads to vorticity shedding mechanisms due to both the lift distribution along the blade and its time evolution. Large-scale, fine-resolution Large Eddy Simulations of the flow past Vertical Axis Wind Turbines have been performed using a state-of-the-art Vortex Particle-Mesh (VPM) method combined with immersed lifting lines. Inflow turbulence with a prescribed turbulence intensity (TI) is injected at the inlet of the simulation from a precomputed synthetic turbulence field obtained using the Mann algorithm. The wake of a standard, medium-solidity, H-shaped machine is simulated for several TI levels. The complex wake development is captured in details and over long distances: from the blades to the near wake coherent vortices, then through the transitional ones to the fully developed turbulent far wake. Mean flow and turbulence statistics are computed over more than 10 diameters downstream of the machine. The sensitivity of the wake topology and decay to the TI level is assessed.

Distributed Wind Energy in Idaho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gardner, John [Boise State Univ., ID (United States); Johnson, Kathryn [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); Haynes, Todd [Boise State Univ., ID (United States); Seifert, Gary [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2009-01-31

This project is a research and development program aimed at furthering distributed wind technology. In particular, this project addresses some of the barriers to distributed wind energy utilization in Idaho.

The effect of pitch angle on the performance of a vertical-axis wind turbine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rezaeiha, A.; Kalkman, I.M.; Blocken, B.; Borg, R.P.; Gauci, P.; Staines, C.S.

2016-01-01

Wind energy is a highly promising resource to approach a sustainable built environment. Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) offer the advantage of omni-directional operation over horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT). This makes them ideal for utilization in urban environments which are characterized

Mixture distributions of wind speed in the UAE

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, J.; Ouarda, T.; Lee, T. S.

2013-12-01

Wind speed probability distribution is commonly used to estimate potential wind energy. The 2-parameter Weibull distribution has been most widely used to characterize the distribution of wind speed. However, it is unable to properly model wind speed regimes when wind speed distribution presents bimodal and kurtotic shapes. Several studies have concluded that the Weibull distribution should not be used for frequency analysis of wind speed without investigation of wind speed distribution. Due to these mixture distributional characteristics of wind speed data, the application of mixture distributions should be further investigated in the frequency analysis of wind speed. A number of studies have investigated the potential wind energy in different parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Mixture distributional characteristics of wind speed were detected from some of these studies. Nevertheless, mixture distributions have not been employed for wind speed modeling in the Arabian Peninsula. In order to improve our understanding of wind energy potential in Arabian Peninsula, mixture distributions should be tested for the frequency analysis of wind speed. The aim of the current study is to assess the suitability of mixture distributions for the frequency analysis of wind speed in the UAE. Hourly mean wind speed data at 10-m height from 7 stations were used in the current study. The Weibull and Kappa distributions were employed as representatives of the conventional non-mixture distributions. 10 mixture distributions are used and constructed by mixing four probability distributions such as Normal, Gamma, Weibull and Extreme value type-one (EV-1) distributions. Three parameter estimation methods such as Expectation Maximization algorithm, Least Squares method and Meta-Heuristic Maximum Likelihood (MHML) method were employed to estimate the parameters of the mixture distributions. In order to compare the goodness-of-fit of tested distributions and parameter estimation methods for

Analysis of conditions favourable for small vertical axis wind turbines between building passages in urban areas of Sweden

Science.gov (United States)

Awan, Muhammad Rizwan; Riaz, Fahid; Nabi, Zahid

2017-05-01

This paper presents the analysis of installing the vertical axis wind turbines between the building passages on an island in Stockholm, Sweden. Based on the idea of wind speed amplification due to the venture effect in passages, practical measurements were carried out to study the wind profile for a range of passage widths in parallel building passages. Highest increment in wind speed was observed in building passages located on the periphery of sland as wind enters from free field. Wind mapping was performed in the island to choose the most favourable location to install the vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT). Using the annual wind speed data for location and measured amplification factor, energy potential of the street was calculated. This analysis verified that small vertical axis wind turbines can be installed in the passage centre line provided that enough space is provided for traffic and passengers.

Numerical simulation on a straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine with auxiliary blade

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Y.; Zheng, Y. F.; Feng, F.; He, Q. B.; Wang, N. X.

2016-08-01

To improve the starting performance of the straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (SB-VAWT) at low wind speed, and the output characteristics at high wind speed, a flexible, scalable auxiliary vane mechanism was designed and installed into the rotor of SB-VAWT in this study. This new vertical axis wind turbine is a kind of lift-to-drag combination wind turbine. The flexible blade expanded, and the driving force of the wind turbines comes mainly from drag at low rotational speed. On the other hand, the flexible blade is retracted at higher speed, and the driving force is primarily from a lift. To research the effects of the flexible, scalable auxiliary module on the performance of SB-VAWT and to find its best parameters, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical calculation was carried out. The calculation result shows that the flexible, scalable blades can automatic expand and retract with the rotational speed. The moment coefficient at low tip speed ratio increased substantially. Meanwhile, the moment coefficient has also been improved at high tip speed ratios in certain ranges.

On the aerodynamics of a vertical axis wind turbine wake : An experimental and numerical study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tescione, G.

2016-01-01

THE recent trend in wind energy industry, with the increasing deployment of offshore wind farms, has revived the interest in the concept of a vertical axis wind turbine. The scientific, technological and economical challenges of the next generation of wind turbines indicate that a transformative

2016 Distributed Wind Market Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orrell, Alice C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Foster, Nikolas F. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Morris, Scott L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Horner, Juliet S. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2017-08-07

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) annual Distributed Wind Market Report provides stakeholders with statistics and analysis of the distributed wind market, along with insight into its trends and characteristics.

Benchmarking U.S. Small Wind Costs with the Distributed Wind Taxonomy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orrell, Alice C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Poehlman, Eric A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2017-10-04

The objective of this report is to benchmark costs for small wind projects installed in the United States using a distributed wind taxonomy. Consequently, this report is a starting point to help expand the U.S. distributed wind market by informing potential areas for small wind cost-reduction opportunities and providing a benchmark to track future small wind cost-reduction progress.

A Numerical Study on a Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine with Inclined Arms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agostino De Marco

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This work focuses on a particular type of vertical-axis wind turbine, in which a number of inclined arms with airfoil-shaped cross-sections are mounted to connect the principal blades to their hub. While the majority of the known studies on vertical-axis turbines is devoted to the role of principal blades, in most of the cases without taking into account other parts of the wind turbine, the objective of this work is to investigate the effect of uncommon arm geometries, such as the inclined arms. The inclined arms are known to have a potentially beneficial role in the power extraction from the wind current but, due to the complexity of the phenomena, the investigation on aerodynamics of this type of turbine is often impossible through analytical models, such as blade-element momentum theory. It turns out that adequate studies can only be carried out by wind tunnel experiments or CFD simulations. This work presents a methodical CFD study on how inclined arms can be used on a selected wind turbine configuration to harvest additional power from the wind. The turbine configuration, geometry, and some fundamental definitions are introduced first. Then an in-depth CFD analysis is presented and discussed.

Distributed Wind Policy Comparison Tool Guidebook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-11-01

Power through Policy: 'Best Practices' for Cost-Effective Distributed Wind is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project to identify distributed wind technology policy best practices and to help policymakers, utilities, advocates, and consumers examine their effectiveness using a pro forma model. Incorporating a customized feed from the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), the Web-based Distributed Wind Policy Comparison Tool (Policy Tool) is designed to assist state, local, and utility officials in understanding the financial impacts of different policy options to help reduce the cost of distributed wind technologies. The Policy Tool can be used to evaluate the ways that a variety of federal and state policies and incentives impact the economics of distributed wind (and subsequently its expected market growth). It also allows policymakers to determine the impact of policy options, addressing market challenges identified in the U.S. DOE's '20% Wind Energy by 2030' report and helping to meet COE targets.

Estimation of mesospheric vertical winds from a VHF meteor radar at King Sejong Station, Antarctica (62.2S, 58.8W)

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Y.; Lee, C.; Kim, J.; Jee, G.

2013-12-01

For the first time, vertical winds near the mesopause region were estimated from radial velocities of meteor echoes detected by a VHF meteor radar at King Sejong Station (KSS) in 2011 and 2012. Since the radar usually detects more than a hundred echoes every hour in an altitude bin of 88 - 92 km, much larger than other radars, we were able to fit measured radial velocities of these echoes with a 6 component model that consists of horizontal winds, spatial gradients of horizontal winds and vertical wind. The conventional method of deriving horizontal winds from meteor echoes utilizes a 2 component model, assuming that vertical winds and spatial gradients of horizontal winds are negligible. We analyzed the radar data obtained for 8400 hours in 2012 and 8100 hours in 2011. We found that daily mean values of vertical winds are mostly within +/- 1 m/s, whereas those of zonal winds are a few tens m/s mostly eastward. The daily mean vertical winds sometimes stay positive or negative for more than 20 days, implying that the atmosphere near the mesopause experiences episodically a large scale low and high pressure environments, respectively, like the tropospheric weather system. By conducting Lomb-normalized periodogram analysis, we also found that the vertical winds have diurnal, semidiurnal and terdiurnal tidal components with about equal significance, in contrast to horizontal winds that show a dominant semidiurnal one. We will discuss about uncertainties of the estimated vertical wind and possible reasons of its tidal and daily variations.

Distributed Wind Market Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forsyth, T.; Baring-Gould, I.

2007-11-01

Distributed wind energy systems provide clean, renewable power for on-site use and help relieve pressure on the power grid while providing jobs and contributing to energy security for homes, farms, schools, factories, private and public facilities, distribution utilities, and remote locations. America pioneered small wind technology in the 1920s, and it is the only renewable energy industry segment that the United States still dominates in technology, manufacturing, and world market share. The series of analyses covered by this report were conducted to assess some of the most likely ways that advanced wind turbines could be utilized apart from large, central station power systems. Each chapter represents a final report on specific market segments written by leading experts in this field. As such, this document does not speak with one voice but rather a compendium of different perspectives, which are documented from a variety of people in the U.S. distributed wind field.

A Comparison on the Dynamics of a Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine on Three Different Floating Support Structures

OpenAIRE

Borg, Michael; Collu, Maurizio

2014-01-01

To increase the competitiveness of offshore wind energy in the global energy market, it is necessary to identify optimal offshore wind turbine configurations to deliver the lowest cost of energy. For deep waters where floating wind turbines are the feasible support structure option, the vertical axis wind turbine concept might prove to be one of these optimal configurations. This paper carries out a preliminary investigation into the dynamics of a vertical axis wind turbine coupled with three...

Frequency-domain characteristics of aerodynamic loads of offshore floating vertical axis wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borg, Michael; Collu, M.

2015-01-01

The re-emerging interest in vertical axis wind turbines for floating offshore applications has led to a need to investigate the relatively complex dynamics of such floating offshore structures. Through the use of a coupled model of dynamics this article investigates the frequency......-domain characteristics of floating vertical axis wind turbine aerodynamic loads. The impact of platform induced motion on aerodynamic loads is discussed in detail, with results indicating an increase in aerodynamic loads of several orders of magnitude over the range of frequencies usually containing significant wave...

Taylor dispersion in wind-driven current

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Gang; Wang, Ping; Jiang, Wei-Quan; Zeng, Li; Li, Zhi; Chen, G. Q.

2017-12-01

Taylor dispersion associated with wind-driven currents in channels, shallow lakes and estuaries is essential to hydrological environmental management. For solute dispersion in a wind-driven current, presented in this paper is an analytical study of the evolution of concentration distribution. The concentration moments are intensively derived for an accurate presentation of the mean concentration distribution, up to the effect of kurtosis. The vertical divergence of concentration is then deduced by Gill's method of series expansion up to the fourth order. Based on the temporal evolution of the vertical concentration distribution, the dispersion process in the wind-driven current is concretely characterized. The uniform shear leads to a special symmetrical distribution of mean concentration free of skewness. The non-uniformity of vertical concentration is caused by convection and smeared out gradually by the effect of diffusion, but fails to disappear even at large times.

Steady and Unsteady Analysis of NACA 0018 Airfoil in Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rogowski, Krzysztof; Hansen, Martin Otto Laver; Maronski, Ryszard

2018-01-01

Numerical results are presented for aerodynamic unsteady and steady airfoil characteristtcs of the NACA 0018 airfoil of a two-dimensional vertical-axis wind turbine. A geometrical model of the Darrieus-type wind turbine and the rotor operating parameters used for nurnerieal simulation are taken...

Evaluation of small wind turbines in distributed arrangement as sustainable wind energy option for Barbados

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishop, Justin D.K.; Amaratunga, Gehan A.J.

2008-01-01

The island of Barbados is 99% dependent on fossil fuel imports to satisfy its energy needs, which is unsustainable. This study proposes a 10 MW distributed wind energy scheme using micro wind turbines (WT) of horizontal (HAWT) and vertical axis (VAWT) configurations. These units are rated less than 500 W, and the scheme is hereafter referred to as mWT10. mWT10 is compared to the proposed 10 MW medium WT farm by the Barbados Light and Power Company (BL and P). The economic bottom line is the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The results highlight the BL and P proposal as the best economic option at BDS$0.19 per kWh, while that of both mWT10 configurations exceeds the conventional cost of BDS$0.25 by two to nine times. This is attributed to significantly higher relative installation and operational costs. However, the financial gap between mWT10 LCOE and the retail price of electricity is much smaller due to a large fuel surcharge passed on to each customer. Annual additional benefits of using wind energy include: greenhouse gas emissions savings of 6-23 kt of carbon dioxide; and anavoided fuel costs of BDS$1.5-5.3 million. The distributed mWT10 using HAWTs competes directly with the BL and P farm, however, it provides these benefits without the visual or ecological impacts of the larger machines. Conversely, VAWTs have features that favour a visually discrete and widely repeatable scheme but suffer relatively high costs. Therefore, this study illustrates the great potential of small wind turbines to be competitive with conventional wind farms, thus challenging the small wind industry to meet its potential by producing reliable and robust machines at lower cost

Variable speed control for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Galinos, Christos; Larsen, Torben J.

A robust variable speed control for vertical axis wind turbine applications is implemented. It is a PI rotor speed controller based on an induction generator model operated at variable frequency. The generator dynamics are approximated by a first order differential equation with a prescribed slip....... In order to allow variability in the rotor speed an inverter is assumed which changes the nominal generator speed. Below rated power the optimum tip speed ratio is tracked, while above the power is constrained to rated. The wind speed which is needed in the control it is considered as a known signal...... the Inflow project. The investigation of the VAWT performance under different control parameters such as the PI gains has been performed by Christos Galinos. Deterministic and turbulent wind speed steps of 2 m/s from 6 m/s to 24 m/s and back to 12 m/s are applied. The controller gives smooth transient...

Wake structure of a single vertical axis wind turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Posa, Antonio; Parker, Colin M.; Leftwich, Megan C.; Balaras, Elias

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The wake structure of an isolated Vertical Axis Wind Turbine is studied by both Particle Imaging Velocimetry and Large Eddy Simulation. • The wake structure is investigated for two values of tip speed ratio, TSR_1=1.35 and TSR_2=2.21. • A displacement of the momentum deficit towards the windward side is verified in the wake. • Higher turbulence and coherence is observed on the leeward side of the wake, due to the upwind stall of the blades. • Coherence in the wake core, associated to the downwind stall, decays quickly downstream. - Abstract: The wake structure behind a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is both measured in a wind tunnel using particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) and computed with large-eddy simulation (LES). Geometric and dynamic conditions are closely matched to typical applications of VAWTs (Re_D ∼ 1.8 × 10"5). The experiments and computations were highly coordinated with continuous two-way feedback to produce the most insightful results. Good qualitative agreement is seen between the computational and experimental results. The dependence of the wake structure on the tip speed ratio, TSR, is investigated, showing higher asymmetry and larger vortices at the lower rotational speed, due to stronger dynamic stall phenomena. Instantaneous, ensemble-averaged and phase-averaged fields are discussed, as well as the dynamics of coherent structures in the rotor region and downstream wake.

PREDICTION OF POWER GENERATION OF SMALL SCALE VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINE USING FUZZY LOGIC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Altab Hossain

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Renewable energy from the wind turbine has been focused for the alternative source of power generation due to the following advances of the of the wind turbine. Firstly, the wind turbine is highly efficient and eco-friendly. Secondly, the turbine has the ability to response for the changeable power generation based on the wind velocity and structural framework. However, the competitive efficiency of the wind turbine is necessary to successfully alternate the conventional power sources. The most relevant factor which affects the overall efficiency of the wind turbine is the wind velocity and the relative turbine dimensions. Artificial intelligence systems are widely used technology that can learn from examples and are able to deal with non-linear problems. Compared with traditional approach, fuzzy logic approach is more efficient for the representation, manipulation and utilization. Therefore, the primary purpose of this work was to investigate the relationship between wind turbine power generation and wind velocity, and to illustrate how fuzzy expert system might play an important role in prediction of wind turbine power generation. The main purpose of the measurement over the small scaled prototype vertical axis wind turbine for the wind velocity is to predict the performance of full scaled H-type vertical axis wind turbine. Prediction of power generation at the different wind velocities has been tested at the Thermal Laboratory of Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Industri Selangor (UNISEL and results concerning the daily prediction have been obtained.

PREDICTION OF POWER GENERATION OF SMALL SCALE VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINE USING FUZZY LOGIC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Altab Md. Hossain

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Renewable energy from the wind turbine has been focused for the alternative source of power generation due to the following advances of the of the wind turbine. Firstly, the wind turbine is highly efficient and eco-friendly. Secondly, the turbine has the ability to response for the changeable power generation based on the wind velocity and structural framework. However, the competitive efficiency of the wind turbine is necessary to successfully alternate the conventional power sources. The most relevant factor which affects the overall efficiency of the wind turbine is the wind velocity and the relative turbine dimensions. Artificial intelligence systems are widely used technology that can learn from examples and are able to deal with non-linear problems. Compared with traditional approach, fuzzy logic approach is more efficient for the representation, manipulation and utilization. Therefore, the primary purpose of this work was to investigate the relationship between wind turbine power generation and wind velocity, and to illustrate how fuzzy expert system might play an important role in prediction of wind turbine power generation. The main purpose of the measurement over the small scaled prototype vertical axis wind turbine for the wind velocity is to predict the performance of full scaled H-type vertical axis wind turbine. Prediction of power generation at the different wind velocities has been tested at the Thermal Laboratory of Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Industri Selangor (UNISEL and results concerning the daily prediction have been obtained.

Wind Tunnel Tests for Wind Pressure Distribution on Gable Roof Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Gable roof buildings are widely used in industrial buildings. Based on wind tunnel tests with rigid models, wind pressure distributions on gable roof buildings with different aspect ratios were measured simultaneously. Some characteristics of the measured wind pressure field on the surfaces of the models were analyzed, including mean wind pressure, fluctuating wind pressure, peak negative wind pressure, and characteristics of proper orthogonal decomposition results of the measured wind pressure field. The results show that extremely high local suctions often occur in the leading edges of longitudinal wall and windward roof, roof corner, and roof ridge which are the severe damaged locations under strong wind. The aspect ratio of building has a certain effect on the mean wind pressure coefficients, and the effect relates to wind attack angle. Compared with experimental results, the region division of roof corner and roof ridge from AIJ2004 is more reasonable than those from CECS102:2002 and MBMA2006.The contributions of the first several eigenvectors to the overall wind pressure distributions become much bigger. The investigation can offer some basic understanding for estimating wind load distribution on gable roof buildings and facilitate wind-resistant design of cladding components and their connections considering wind load path. PMID:24082851

Vertical distribution of pelagic photosynthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyngsgaard, Maren Moltke

chlorophyll maxima (DCM) to be a general feature in the ocean. Today, it is generally accepted that DCMs occur in most of our oceans still, despite this empirical knowledge, subsurface primary production is still largely ignored in marine science. The work included in this PhD examines the vertical...... each of the three regions combined with 15 years of survey data for the Baltic Sea transition zone. Overall, the results of this PhD work show that the vertical distribution of phytoplankton and their activity is important for the understanding, dynamics and functioning of pelagic ecosystems. It, thus......, emphasizes that future research and modelling exercises aimed at improving understanding of pelagic ecosystems and their role in the global ocean should include a consideration of the vertical heterogeneity in phytoplankton distributions and activity....

Effect of pitch angle on power performance and aerodynamics of a vertical axis wind turbine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rezaeiha, A.; Kalkman, I.; Blocken, B.J.E.

2017-01-01

Due to growing interest in wind energy harvesting offshore as well as in the urban environment, vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have recently received renewed interest. Their omni-directional capability makes them a very interesting option for use with the frequently varying wind directions

Orthogonal Analysis Based Performance Optimization for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Song

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Geometrical shape of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT is composed of multiple structural parameters. Since there are interactions among the structural parameters, traditional research approaches, which usually focus on one parameter at a time, cannot obtain performance of the wind turbine accurately. In order to exploit overall effect of a novel VAWT, we firstly use a single parameter optimization method to obtain optimal values of the structural parameters, respectively, by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD method; based on the results, we then use an orthogonal analysis method to investigate the influence of interactions of the structural parameters on performance of the wind turbine and to obtain optimization combination of the structural parameters considering the interactions. Results of analysis of variance indicate that interactions among the structural parameters have influence on performance of the wind turbine, and optimization results based on orthogonal analysis have higher wind energy utilization than that of traditional research approaches.

Numerical modeling and preliminary validation of drag-based vertical axis wind turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krysiński Tomasz

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this article is to verify and validate the mathematical description of the airflow around a wind turbine with vertical axis of rotation, which could be considered as representative for this type of devices. Mathematical modeling of the airflow around wind turbines in particular those with the vertical axis is a problematic matter due to the complex nature of this highly swirled flow. Moreover, it is turbulent flow accompanied by a rotation of the rotor and the dynamic boundary layer separation. In such conditions, the key aspects of the mathematical model are accurate turbulence description, definition of circular motion as well as accompanying effects like centrifugal force or the Coriolis force and parameters of spatial and temporal discretization. The paper presents the impact of the different simulation parameters on the obtained results of the wind turbine simulation. Analysed models have been validated against experimental data published in the literature.

A 34-meter VAWT (Vertical Axis Wind Turbine) point design

Science.gov (United States)

Ashwill, T. D.; Berg, D. E.; Dodd, H. M.; Rumsey, M. A.; Sutherland, H. J.; Veers, P. S.

The Wind Energy Division at Sandia National Laboratories recently completed a point design based on the 34-m Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) Test Bed. The 34-m Test Bed research machine incorporates several innovations that improve Darrieus technology, including increased energy production, over previous machines. The point design differs minimally from the Test Bed; but by removing research-related items, its estimated cost is substantially reduced. The point design is a first step towards a Test-Bed-based commercial machine that would be competitive with conventional sources of power in the mid-1990s.

Wind Power in Electrical Distribution Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Zhe

2013-01-01

Recent years, wind power is experiencing a rapid growth, large number of wind turbines/wind farms have been installed and connected to power systems. In addition to the large centralised wind farms connected to transmission grids, many distributed wind turbines and wind farms are operated as dist...

Wind profile modelling using WAsP and "tall" wind measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Floors, Rogier Ralph; Kelly, Mark C.; Troen, Ib

2015-01-01

extrapolations (the wind profile) this is done using the Weibull distribution and the geostrophic drag law. Wind lidar measurements obtained during the ’Tall wind’ campaign at three different sites are used to evaluate the assumptions and equations that are used in the WAsP vertical extrapolation strategy...

Observations of the vertical distributions of summertime atmospheric pollutants and the corresponding ozone production in Shanghai, China

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Chengzhi; Liu, Cheng; Wang, Shanshan; Chan, Ka Lok; Gao, Yang; Huang, Xin; Su, Wenjing; Zhang, Chengxin; Dong, Yunsheng; Fan, Guangqiang; Zhang, Tianshu; Chen, Zhenyi; Hu, Qihou; Su, Hang; Xie, Zhouqing; Liu, Jianguo

2017-12-01

Ground-based multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) and lidar measurements were performed in Shanghai, China, during May 2016 to investigate the vertical distribution of summertime atmospheric pollutants. In this study, vertical profiles of aerosol extinction coefficient, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde (HCHO) concentrations were retrieved from MAX-DOAS measurements using the Heidelberg Profile (HEIPRO) algorithm, while vertical distribution of ozone (O3) was obtained from an ozone lidar. Sensitivity study of the MAX-DOAS aerosol profile retrieval shows that the a priori aerosol profile shape has significant influences on the aerosol profile retrieval. Aerosol profiles retrieved from MAX-DOAS measurements with Gaussian a priori profile demonstrate the best agreements with simultaneous lidar measurements and vehicle-based tethered-balloon observations among all a priori aerosol profiles. Tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs) measured with MAX-DOAS show a good agreement with OMI satellite observations with a Pearson correlation coefficient (R) of 0.95. In addition, measurements of the O3 vertical distribution indicate that the ozone productions do not only occur at surface level but also at higher altitudes (about 1.1 km). Planetary boundary layer (PBL) height and horizontal and vertical wind field information were integrated to discuss the ozone formation at upper altitudes. The results reveal that enhanced ozone concentrations at ground level and upper altitudes are not directly related to horizontal and vertical transportation. Similar patterns of O3 and HCHO vertical distributions were observed during this campaign, which implies that the ozone productions near the surface and at higher altitudes are mainly influenced by the abundance of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the lower troposphere.

Vertical-axis wind turbine development in Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Templin, R. J.; Rangi, R. S.

1983-12-01

Recent Canadian progress in the development of the curved-blade Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) is described. Cooperation between government, industry and power utilities in the conduct of field trials, over several years, has demonstrated improved performance and reliability of grid-coupled turbines of this type. The rated power of the VAWTs currently under test ranges from 30 kW, in a wind/diesel powerplant, to 230 kW, in an installation on an island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Progress has also been made in understanding the basic aerodynamic behavior of the VAWT and theoretical methods for performance and load prediction have correspondingly improved. A brief description is given of 'Project EOLE', a cooperative project between the federal government and the utility Hydro-Quebec to develop and test, during the next two to three years, a 4 MW VAWT prototype, which will be coupled to the power grid at a location on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.

On the Weibull distribution for wind energy assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Batchvarova, Ekaterina; Gryning, Sven-Erik

2014-01-01

-term measurements performed by a wind lidar, the vertical profile of the shape parameter will be discussed for a sub-urban site, a coastal site and a marine site. The profile of the shape parameter was found to be substantially different over land and sea. A parameterization of the vertical behavior of the shape...

Performance characteristics of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) under transient conditions

OpenAIRE

Colley, Gareth; Mishra, Rakesh

2011-01-01

The present work investigates the performance characteristics of a novel Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) for use in the urban environment. Here the performance of the wind turbine has been analyzed experimentally using a full scale prototype measuring 2.0m diameter and 1.0m in height. The turbine was located at the exit of a 0.6m x 0.6m wind tunnel section and was subjected to a jet flow. The performance output from the turbine has been obtained using a torque transducer unit which provides...

Modal analysis of a small vertical axis wind turbine (Type DARRIEUS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion NILA

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This paper reports a brief study on free vibration analysis for determining parameters such as natural frequencies and mode shapes for vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT for an urban application. This study is focused on numerical work using available finite element software. For further understanding of the wind turbine dynamic analysis, two vibration parameters of dynamic response have been studied, namely natural frequencies and mode shapes.Block Lanczos method has been used to analyze the natural frequency while wind turbine mode shapes have been utilized because of their accuracy and faster solution. In this problem 12 modes of structure have been extracted.

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A 1/3 SCALE VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINE FOR ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Altab Md. Hossain

2007-12-01

Full Text Available This research describes the electrical power generation in Malaysia by the measurement of wind velocity acting on the wind turbine technology. The primary purpose of the measurement over the 1/3 scaled prototype vertical axis wind turbine for the wind velocity is to predict the performance of full scaled H-type vertical axis wind turbine. The electrical power produced by the wind turbine is influenced by its two major part, wind power and belt power transmission system. The blade and the drag area system are used to determine the powers of the wind that can be converted into electric power as well as the belt power transmission system. In this study both wind power and belt power transmission system has been considered. A set of blade and drag devices have been designed for the 1/3 scaled wind turbine at the Thermal Laboratory of Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Industri Selangor (UNISEL. Test has been carried out on the wind turbine with the different wind velocities of 5.89 m/s, 6.08 m/s and 7.02 m/s. From the experiment, the wind power has been calculated as 132.19 W, 145.40 W and 223.80 W. The maximum wind power is considered in the present study.

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A 1/3 SCALE VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINE FOR ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Altab Hossain

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This research describes the electrical power generation in Malaysia by the measurement of wind velocity acting on the wind turbine technology. The primary purpose of the measurement over the 1/3 scaled prototype vertical axis wind turbine for the wind velocity is to predict the performance of full scaled H-type vertical axis wind turbine. The electrical power produced by the wind turbine is influenced by its two major part, wind power and belt power transmission system. The blade and the drag area system are used to determine the powers of the wind that can be converted into electric power as well as the belt power transmission system. In this study both wind power and belt power transmission system has been considered. A set of blade and drag devices have been designed for the 1/3 scaled wind turbine at the Thermal Laboratory of Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Industri Selangor (UNISEL. Test has been carried out on the wind turbine with the different wind velocities of 5.89 m/s, 6.08 m/s and 7.02 m/s. From the experiment, the wind power has been calculated as 132.19 W, 145.40 W and 223.80 W. The maximum wind power is considered in the present study.

Vibrational analysis of vertical axis wind turbine blades

Science.gov (United States)

Kapucu, Onur

The goal of this research is to derive a vibration model for a vertical axis wind turbine blade. This model accommodates the affects of varying relative flow angle caused by rotating the blade in the flow field, uses a simple aerodynamic model that assumes constant wind speed and constant rotation rate, and neglects the disturbance of wind due to upstream blade or post. The blade is modeled as elastic Euler-Bernoulli beam under transverse bending and twist deflections. Kinetic and potential energy equations for a rotating blade under deflections are obtained, expressed in terms of assumed modal coordinates and then plugged into Lagrangian equations where the non-conservative forces are the lift and drag forces and moments. An aeroelastic model for lift and drag forces, approximated with third degree polynomials, on the blade are obtained assuming an airfoil under variable angle of attack and airflow magnitudes. A simplified quasi-static airfoil theory is used, in which the lift and drag coefficients are not dependent on the history of the changing angle of attack. Linear terms on the resulting equations of motion will be used to conduct a numerical analysis and simulation, where numeric specifications are modified from the Sandia-17m Darrieus wind turbine by Sandia Laboratories.

A study of rotor and platform design trade-offs for large-scale floating vertical axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Griffith, D. Todd; Paquette, Joshua; Barone, Matthew; Goupee, Andrew J.; Fowler, Matthew J.; Bull, Diana; Owens, Brian

2016-09-01

Vertical axis wind turbines are receiving significant attention for offshore siting. In general, offshore wind offers proximity to large populations centers, a vast & more consistent wind resource, and a scale-up opportunity, to name a few beneficial characteristics. On the other hand, offshore wind suffers from high levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and in particular high balance of system (BoS) costs owing to accessibility challenges and limited project experience. To address these challenges associated with offshore wind, Sandia National Laboratories is researching large-scale (MW class) offshore floating vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs). The motivation for this work is that floating VAWTs are a potential transformative technology solution to reduce offshore wind LCOE in deep-water locations. This paper explores performance and cost trade-offs within the design space for floating VAWTs between the configurations for the rotor and platform.

Georges Darrieus, inventor of vertical axis wind-turbines; Georges Darrieus, pere des eoliennes a axe vertical

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rogier, E.

2000-10-01

This article is a short biography of the French man Georges Darrieus (1888-1979) who invented the vertical wind turbine. G.Darrieus can be considered as the first industrial researcher in France, he was a double authority in sciences and in industry machinery. He presented more than 50 patterns and wrote about 700 scientific and technological articles.

Aeroelastic Stability Investigations for Large-scale Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2 P O Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM, 87185 (United States))" data-affiliation=" (Senior Member of Technical Staff, Analytical Structural Dynamics Sandia National Laboratories2 P O Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM, 87185 (United States))" >Owens, B C; 2 P O Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM, 87185 (United States))" data-affiliation=" (Principal Member of Technical Staff, Wind Energy Technologies Sandia National Laboratories2 P O Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM, 87185 (United States))" >Griffith, D T

2014-01-01

The availability of offshore wind resources in coastal regions, along with a high concentration of load centers in these areas, makes offshore wind energy an attractive opportunity for clean renewable electricity production. High infrastructure costs such as the offshore support structure and operation and maintenance costs for offshore wind technology, however, are significant obstacles that need to be overcome to make offshore wind a more cost-effective option. A vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) rotor configuration offers a potential transformative technology solution that significantly lowers cost of energy for offshore wind due to its inherent advantages for the offshore market. However, several potential challenges exist for VAWTs and this paper addresses one of them with an initial investigation of dynamic aeroelastic stability for large-scale, multi-megawatt VAWTs. The aeroelastic formulation and solution method from the BLade Aeroelastic STability Tool (BLAST) for HAWT blades was employed to extend the analysis capability of a newly developed structural dynamics design tool for VAWTs. This investigation considers the effect of configuration geometry, material system choice, and number of blades on the aeroelastic stability of a VAWT, and provides an initial scoping for potential aeroelastic instabilities in large-scale VAWT designs

Aeroelastic Stability Investigations for Large-scale Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Owens, B. C.; Griffith, D. T.

2014-06-01

The availability of offshore wind resources in coastal regions, along with a high concentration of load centers in these areas, makes offshore wind energy an attractive opportunity for clean renewable electricity production. High infrastructure costs such as the offshore support structure and operation and maintenance costs for offshore wind technology, however, are significant obstacles that need to be overcome to make offshore wind a more cost-effective option. A vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) rotor configuration offers a potential transformative technology solution that significantly lowers cost of energy for offshore wind due to its inherent advantages for the offshore market. However, several potential challenges exist for VAWTs and this paper addresses one of them with an initial investigation of dynamic aeroelastic stability for large-scale, multi-megawatt VAWTs. The aeroelastic formulation and solution method from the BLade Aeroelastic STability Tool (BLAST) for HAWT blades was employed to extend the analysis capability of a newly developed structural dynamics design tool for VAWTs. This investigation considers the effect of configuration geometry, material system choice, and number of blades on the aeroelastic stability of a VAWT, and provides an initial scoping for potential aeroelastic instabilities in large-scale VAWT designs.

Vertical axis wind turbine wake in boundary layer flow in a wind tunnel

Science.gov (United States)

Rolin, Vincent; Porté-Agel, Fernando

2016-04-01

A vertical axis wind turbine is placed in a boundary layer flow in a wind tunnel, and its wake is investigated. Measurements are performed using an x-wire to measure two components of velocity and turbulence statistics in the wake of the wind turbine. The study is performed at various heights and crosswind positions in order to investigate the full volume of the wake for a range of tip speed ratios. The velocity deficit and levels of turbulence in the wake are related to the performance of the turbine. The asymmetric incoming boundary layer flow causes the rate of recovery in the wake to change as a function of height. Higher shear between the wake and unperturbed flow occurs at the top edge of the wake, inducing stronger turbulence and mixing in this region. The difference in flow relative to the blades causes the velocity deficit and turbulence level to change as a function of crosswind position behind the rotor. The relative difference diminishes with increasing tip speed ratio. Therefore, the wake becomes more homogeneous as tip speed ratio increases.

2015 Distributed Wind Market Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orrell, Alice C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Foster, Nikolas A.F. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Homer, Juliet S. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Morris, Scott L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2016-08-17

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) annual Distributed Wind Market Report provides stakeholders with statistics and analysis of the market along with insights into its trends and characteristics. By providing a comprehensive overview of the distributed wind market, this report can help plan and guide future investments and decisions by industry, utilities, federal and state agencies, and other interested parties.

Vertical axis wind turbines : past initiatives and future prospects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Islam, M.; Fartaj, A.; Ting, D. [Windsor Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering

2003-08-01

Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) are the two categories of modern wind turbines used for producing electricity and pumping water. While their popularity declined in the 1970s and 1980s to more economical fossil fuel resources, many countries have expressed a renewed interest in wind power in response to environmental concerns and energy security. Renewable energy sources supply more than 14 per cent of the total global energy demand, and wind energy plays the biggest role. In 2002, more than $7 billion was invested in wind technology. Canada has been a leader in VAWT technology. In 1966, Engineers at the Low Speed Aerodynamics Laboratory of the National Research Council devised a VAWT configuration with non-adjustable hoop-shaped airfoils that had greater efficiency that conventional high-solidity VAWT. In the early 1980s, a multi-megawatt VAWT was built in Quebec under the auspices of the EOLE project. The EOLE is the largest VAWT in the world. In 1980, Canada's national Atlantic Wind Test Site was developed for the purpose of testing and developing wind technology. Research at this facility has focused on dynamically soft Darrieus rotors, a concept which can reduce structural loads. Early development has shown that although VAWT is slightly less efficient than HAWT, it can be built larger and more cost effectively. This paper presents the outstanding features of VAWT products including the Solwind SW 10/4800 series VAWT, the Chinook 2000 wind turbine, the Ropatec Windrotor, the Windside Turbine, the VAWTEX, the Windstar VAWT, and Windtec. 19 refs., 13 figs.

Design of multi-energy Helds coupling testing system of vertical axis wind power system

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Q.; Yang, Z. X.; Li, G. S.; Song, L.; Ma, C.

2016-08-01

The conversion efficiency of wind energy is the focus of researches and concerns as one of the renewable energy. The present methods of enhancing the conversion efficiency are mostly improving the wind rotor structure, optimizing the generator parameters and energy storage controller and so on. Because the conversion process involves in energy conversion of multi-energy fields such as wind energy, mechanical energy and electrical energy, the coupling effect between them will influence the overall conversion efficiency. In this paper, using system integration analysis technology, a testing system based on multi-energy field coupling (MEFC) of vertical axis wind power system is proposed. When the maximum efficiency of wind rotor is satisfied, it can match to the generator function parameters according to the output performance of wind rotor. The voltage controller can transform the unstable electric power to the battery on the basis of optimizing the parameters such as charging times, charging voltage. Through the communication connection and regulation of the upper computer system (UCS), it can make the coupling parameters configure to an optimal state, and it improves the overall conversion efficiency. This method can test the whole wind turbine (WT) performance systematically and evaluate the design parameters effectively. It not only provides a testing method for system structure design and parameter optimization of wind rotor, generator and voltage controller, but also provides a new testing method for the whole performance optimization of vertical axis wind energy conversion system (WECS).

Introducing a system of wind speed distributions for modeling properties of wind speed regimes around the world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Christopher; Schindler, Dirk; Laible, Jessica; Buchholz, Alexander

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Evaluation of statistical properties of 10,016 empirical wind speed distributions. • Analysis of the shape of empirical wind speed distributions by L-moment ratios. • Introduction of a new system of wind speed distributions (Swd). • Random forests classification of the most appropriate distribution. • Comprehensive goodness of Swd fit evaluation on a global scale. - Abstract: Accurate modeling of empirical wind speed distributions is a crucial step in the estimation of average wind turbine power output. For this purpose, the Weibull distribution has often been fitted to empirical wind speed distributions. However, the Weibull distribution has been found to be insufficient to reproduce many wind speed regimes existing around the world. Results from previous studies demonstrate that numerous one-component distributions as well as mixture distributions provide a better goodness-of-fit to empirical wind speed distributions than the Weibull distribution. Moreover, there is considerable interest to apply a single system of distributions that can be utilized to reproduce the large majority of near-surface wind speed regimes existing around the world. Therefore, a system of wind speed distributions was developed that is capable of reproducing the main characteristics of existing wind speed regimes. The proposed system consists of two one-component distributions (Kappa and Wakeby) and one mixture distribution (Burr-Generalized Extreme Value). A random forests classifier was trained in order to select the most appropriate of these three distributions for each of 10,016 globally distributed empirical wind speed distributions. The shape of the empirical wind speed distributions was described by L-moment ratios. The L-moment ratios were used as predictor variables for the random forests classifier. The goodness-of-fit of the system of wind speed distributions was evaluated according to eleven goodness-of-fit metrics, which were merged into one

Analysis of the upper-truncated Weibull distribution for wind speed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kantar, Yeliz Mert; Usta, Ilhan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Upper-truncated Weibull distribution is proposed to model wind speed. • Upper-truncated Weibull distribution nests Weibull distribution as special case. • Maximum likelihood is the best method for upper-truncated Weibull distribution. • Fitting accuracy of upper-truncated Weibull is analyzed on wind speed data. - Abstract: Accurately modeling wind speed is critical in estimating the wind energy potential of a certain region. In order to model wind speed data smoothly, several statistical distributions have been studied. Truncated distributions are defined as a conditional distribution that results from restricting the domain of statistical distribution and they also cover base distribution. This paper proposes, for the first time, the use of upper-truncated Weibull distribution, in modeling wind speed data and also in estimating wind power density. In addition, a comparison is made between upper-truncated Weibull distribution and well known Weibull distribution using wind speed data measured in various regions of Turkey. The obtained results indicate that upper-truncated Weibull distribution shows better performance than Weibull distribution in estimating wind speed distribution and wind power. Therefore, upper-truncated Weibull distribution can be an alternative for use in the assessment of wind energy potential

Aerodynamic Optimization of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine with Trailing Edge Flap

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ertem, Sercan; Ferreira, Carlos Simao; Gaunaa, Mac

2016-01-01

Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) are competitive concepts for very large scale (10-20 MW)floating ofshore applications. Rotor circulation control (loading control) opens a wide design space to enhance the aerodynamic and operational features of VAWT. The modied linear derivation of the Actuator...

The Dermond vertical axis wind turbine : a suitable solution for remote sites; L'eolienne a axe vertical Dermond : une eolienne particulierement bien adaptee aux milieux isoles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martel, P. [Genivar, Montreal, PQ (Canada); Dery, J. [Dermond Inc., Ada, MI (United States)

2005-07-01

A new prototype of a 100 kW truncated Darrieus type vertical axis wind turbine was put into service at the University of Quebec in Abitibi-Temiscamingue. The prototype was developed by Dermond Inc., a subsidiary of Mckenzie Bay International, and has been connected to the internal power distribution network at the University since October 2004. The Dermond turbine is well suited for isolated communities in northern Canada and is an important part of power management that competes with other small autonomous diesel powered systems. In addition to its simple and reliable mechanics, the innovative turbine is easy to install and maintain. It is omni-directional, and as such, is always oriented towards the wind. It is also equipped with an advanced electronic control system that addresses the problem of power quality in small autonomous networks. Since its installation, the prototype has met its performance targets and Dermond Inc. plans to market a new 200 kW wind turbine in 2006 with improved characteristics. Dermond Inc. is confident that this technology can penetrate the markets of remote areas, including northern communities and islands. This paper described the origins of the vertical axis technology and how Dermond Inc. improved upon it to include the possibility of integrating other energy sources or energy storage for additional power gains. 8 figs.

Environmental drivers of vertical distribution in diapausing Calanus copepods in the Northwest Atlantic

Science.gov (United States)

Krumhansl, Kira A.; Head, Erica J. H.; Pepin, Pierre; Plourde, Stéphane; Record, Nicholas R.; Runge, Jeffrey A.; Johnson, Catherine L.

2018-03-01

Copepods of the genus Calanus play a critical trophic role in the North Atlantic ecosystems, where they serve as an important source of energy-rich food for fish and marine mammals, including the endangered North Atlantic right whale. As a strategy for coping with unfavorable near-surface conditions, Calanus enter diapause and migrate to deep water in late summer and fall after feeding and accumulating lipid stores in spring and summer. In order to assess the most important physical drivers of vertical distribution of diapausing Calanus, we synthesized existing depth-stratified abundance data of Calanus finmarchicus and Calanus hyperboreus from the Northwest Atlantic continental shelf and slope regions, spanning Newfoundland in the northeast to the Gulf of Maine in the southwest. Bottom depth strongly constrained the depth and shape of vertical distributions, with distributions becoming deeper and less compact as bottom depth increased. Diapausing Calanus, observed across a broad range of temperature (T) and in-situ density (σ) conditions (T = -1.0 to 14.4 °C, σ = 25.3-28.1 kg m-3), tended to distribute at depths with the coldest temperatures locally available. Over the shelf, diapausing Calanus in the GOM and SS generally did not have access to temperatures considered optimal for diapause (<5 °C), in many cases occurring at temperatures well above this threshold. Diapausing Calanus in both habitats were most commonly below the Cold Intermediate Layer (CIL), a feature formed through wind-driven mixing during the winter, but this effect was more obvious over the shelf than in slope waters. Our analysis highlights key differences in the vertical distributions of diapausing Calanus over the shelf vs. the slope, having regional implications for ecological dynamics and population persistence in the face of warming temperatures. In general, understanding factors that influence vertical distributions of diapausing Calanus will allow us to more accurately predict how

Modelling Wind for Wind Farm Layout Optimization Using Joint Distribution of Wind Speed and Wind Direction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feng, Ju; Shen, Wen Zhong

2015-01-01

Reliable wind modelling is of crucial importance for wind farm development. The common practice of using sector-wise Weibull distributions has been found inappropriate for wind farm layout optimization. In this study, we propose a simple and easily implementable method to construct joint distribu...

Investigation of the vertical nitrogen dioxide distribution above a frequented street

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malissa, H; Juette, W; Alidad, I

1975-01-01

Knowledge of the vertical nitrogen dioxide concentration profile in the atmosphere within a street canyon would enable the estimation of pollutant concentrations in street site living or working rooms and furthermore the calculation of pollutant concentrations at ground level from data measured at roof levels by means of long-line remote sensing methods. A formula was therefore derived under simplified conditions and examined by simultaneous measurements of the nitrogen dioxide concentration, wind velocity, and wind direction at roof level and ground level. The data thus obtained were average values for half an hour. The knowledge of the local vertical wind profile and the influence of the traffic density in neighboring urban areas is essential for the calculation. The verification of the derived model shows a correlation coefficient of r equals 0.88 between calculated and measured data.

Numerical study on aerodynamic damping of floating vertical axis wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheng, Zhengshun; Aagaard Madsen, Helge; Gao, Zhen

2016-01-01

Harvesting offshore wind energy resources using floating vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) has attracted an increasing interest in recent years. Due to its potential impact on fatigue damage, the aerodynamic damping should be considered in the preliminary design of a floating VAWT based...... on the frequency domain method. However, currently the study on aerodynamic damping of floating VAWTs is very limited. Due to the essential difference in aerodynamic load characteristics, the aerodynamic damping of a floating VAWT could be different from that of a floating horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT...... to four were considered. The aerodynamic damping under steady and turbulent wind conditions were estimated using fully coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic time domain simulations. It is found that the aerodynamic damping ratio of the considered floating VAWTs ranges from 1.8% to 5.3%. Moreover...

Wind tunnel testing of scaled models of a newly developed Darrieus-style vertical axis wind turbine with auxiliary straight blades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scungio, M.; Arpino, F.; Focanti, V.; Profili, M.; Rotondi, M.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Wind tunnel investigations of Darrieus-style VAWT with auxiliary blades have been made. • Results have been compared with those from standard Darrieus VAWT. • Static and dynamic power and torque coefficients were measured and evaluated. • The auxiliary airfoils have demonstrated to give more torque at the lower wind speeds. • The proposed VAWT configuration is able to work in a wide range of wind speeds. - Abstract: Renewable sources of energy, needed because of the increasing price of fossil derivatives, global warming and energy market instabilities, have led to an increasing interest in wind energy. Among the different typologies, small scale Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) present the greatest potential for off grid power generation at low wind speeds. In the present work, wind tunnel investigations about the performance of an innovative configuration of straight-blades Darrieus-style vertical axis micro wind turbine, specifically developed for small scale energy conversion at low wind speeds, has been made on scaled models. The micro turbine under investigation consists of three pairs of airfoils. Each pair consists of a main and auxiliary airfoil with different chord lengths. A standard Darrieus configuration, consisting of three single airfoils, was also tested for comparison. The experiments were conducted in a closed circuit open chamber wind tunnel facility available at the Laboratory of Industrial Measurements (LaMI) of the University of Cassino and Lazio Meridionale (UNICLAM). Measured data were reported in terms of dimensionless power and torque coefficients for dynamic performance analysis and static torque coefficient for static performance analysis. The adoption of auxiliary airfoils has demonstrated to give more dynamic torque at the lower wind speeds with respect to a standard Darrieus rotor, resulting in better performance for all the wind speeds considered. In terms of dynamic power coefficient, the standard Darrieus

Conceptual Design of a Floating Support Structure and Mooring System for a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berthelsen, Petter Andreas; Fylling, Ivar; Vita, Luca

2012-01-01

This paper deals with the conceptual design of a floating support structure and mooring system for a 5MW vertical axis offshore wind turbine. The work is carried out as part of the DeepWind project, where the main objective is to investigate the feasibility of a floating vertical axis offshore wind...... turbine. The DeepWind concept consists of a Darrieus rotor mounted on a spar buoy support structure. The conceptual design is carried out in an iterative process, involving the different subcomponents. The present work is part of the first design iteration and the objective is to find a feasible floating...... support structure and mooring system for the DeepWind concept. The conceptual design is formulated as an optimization problem: Starting with an initial configuration, the optimization procedure tries to find a cheaper solution while satisfying a set of design requirements. This approach utilizes available...

Mean vertical wind in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere region (80–120 km deduced from the WINDII observations on board UARS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Fauliot

1997-09-01

Full Text Available The WINDII interferometer placed on board the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite measures temperature and wind from the O(1S green-line emission in the Earth's mesosphere and lower thermosphere. It is a remote-sensing instrument providing the horizontal wind components. In this study, the vertical winds are derived using the continuity equation. Mean wind annually averaged at equinoxes and solstices is shown. Ascendance and subsidence to the order of 1–2 cm s–1 present a seasonal occurrence at the equator and tropics. Zonal Coriolis acceleration and adiabatic heating and cooling rate associated to the mean meridional and vertical circulations are evaluated. The line emission rate measured together with the horizontal wind shows structures in altitude and latitude correlated with the meridional and vertical wind patterns. The effect of wind advection is discussed.

Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2018-02-27

The Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) is a periodic solicitation through the U.S. Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) is a periodic solicitation through the U.S. Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Manufacturers of small and medium wind turbines are awarded cost-shared grants via a competitive process to optimize their designs, develop advanced manufacturing processes, and perform turbine testing. The goals of the CIP are to make wind energy cost competitive with other distributed generation technology and increase the number of wind turbine designs certified to national testing standards. This fact sheet describes the CIP and funding awarded as part of the project.ufacturers of small and medium wind turbines are awarded cost-shared grants via a competitive process to optimize their designs, develop advanced manufacturing processes, and perform turbine testing. The goals of the CIP are to make wind energy cost competitive with other distributed generation technology and increase the number of wind turbine designs certified to national testing standards. This fact sheet describes the CIP and funding awarded as part of the project.

Effect of number of blades on aerodynamic forces on a straight-bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Qing'an; Maeda, Takao; Kamada, Yasunari; Murata, Junsuke; Furukawa, Kazuma; Yamamoto, Masayuki

2015-01-01

Small wind turbine performance and safety standard for straight-bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) have not been developed in the world because of the lack of fundament experimental data. This paper focuses on the evaluation of aerodynamic forces depending on several numbers of blades in wind tunnel experiment. In the present study, the test airfoil of blade is symmetry airfoil of NACA 0021 and the number of blades is from two to five. Pressure acting on the surface of rotor blade is measured during rotation by multiport pressure devices and transmitted to a stationary system through wireless LAN. And then, the aerodynamic forces (tangential force, normal force et al.) are discussed as a function of azimuth angle, achieving a quantitative analysis of the effect of numbers of blades. Finally, the loads are compared with the experimental data of six-component balance. As a result, it is clarified that the power coefficient decreases with the increase of numbers of blades. Furthermore, the power which is absorbed from wind by wind turbine mainly depends on upstream region of azimuth angle of θ = 0°∼180°. In this way, these results are very important for developing the simple design equations and applications for straight-bladed VAWT. - Highlights: • Aerodynamic forces are measured by not only torque meter but also six-component balance. • The pressure distribution on the surface of rotor blade is directly measured by multiport pressure devices. • The power coefficient decreases with the increase of numbers of blades. • The fluctuation amplitudes from six-component balance show larger value than the results of pressure distribution.

Mean vertical wind in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere region (80–120 km deduced from the WINDII observations on board UARS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Fauliot

Full Text Available The WINDII interferometer placed on board the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite measures temperature and wind from the O(¹S green-line emission in the Earth's mesosphere and lower thermosphere. It is a remote-sensing instrument providing the horizontal wind components. In this study, the vertical winds are derived using the continuity equation. Mean wind annually averaged at equinoxes and solstices is shown. Ascendance and subsidence to the order of 1–2 cm s^–1 present a seasonal occurrence at the equator and tropics. Zonal Coriolis acceleration and adiabatic heating and cooling rate associated to the mean meridional and vertical circulations are evaluated. The line emission rate measured together with the horizontal wind shows structures in altitude and latitude correlated with the meridional and vertical wind patterns. The effect of wind advection is discussed.

Computational Fluid Dynamics based Fault Simulations of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Kyoo-seon; Asim, Taimoor; Mishra, Rakesh

2012-01-01

Due to depleting fossil fuels and a rapid increase in the fuel prices globally, the search for alternative energy sources is becoming more and more significant. One of such energy source is the wind energy which can be harnessed with the use of wind turbines. The fundamental principle of wind turbines is to convert the wind energy into first mechanical and then into electrical form. The relatively simple operation of such turbines has stirred the researchers to come up with innovative designs for global acceptance and to make these turbines commercially viable. Furthermore, the maintenance of wind turbines has long been a topic of interest. Condition based monitoring of wind turbines is essential to maintain continuous operation of wind turbines. The present work focuses on the difference in the outputs of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) under different operational conditions. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique has been used for various blade configurations of a VAWT. The results indicate that there is significant degradation in the performance output of wind turbines as the number of blades broken or missing from the VAWT increases. The study predicts the faults in the blades of VAWTs by monitoring its output.

Model improvements for evaluating the effect of tower tilting on the aerodynamics of a vertical axis wind turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, K.; Hansen, Martin Otto Laver; Moan, T.

2015-01-01

If a vertical axis wind turbine is mounted offshore on a semi-submersible, the pitch motion of the platform will dominate the static pitch and dynamic motion of the platform and wind turbine such that the effect of tower tilting on the aerodynamics of the vertical axis wind turbine should...... be investigated to more accurately predict the aerodynamic loads. This paper proposes certain modifications to the double multiple-streamtube (DMS) model to include the component of wind speed parallel to the rotating shaft. The model is validated against experimental data collected on an H-Darrieus wind turbine...... in skewed flow conditions. Three different dynamic stall models are also integrated into the DMS model: Gormont's model with the adaptation of Strickland, Gormont's model with the modification of Berg and the Beddoes-Leishman dynamic stall model. Both the small Sandia 17m wind turbine and the large DeepWind...

Performance testing of a small vertical-axis wind turbine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bravo, R.; Tullis, S.; Ziada, S. [McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2007-07-01

Full-scale wind tunnel testing of a prototype 3.5 kW vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) was conducted in a low speed wind tunnel in Ottawa. The tests were conducted to determine nominal power curves as well as the system's structural integrity, safety and operational characteristics. Dimensionless power curves were used to assess the relation between the wind turbine's rotary speed and the produced power for various wind speeds. Tests began at the lowest wind speed and revolutions per minute (RPM) and were gradually increased. A proximity sensor was used to determine the passing frequency of spaced bolts. The aerodynamic performance of the turbine was evaluated using a servo-controlled mechanical variable load with a disc brake calliper and electro-hydraulic servo-actuator. A load cell was used to measure torque produced by the turbine. An active closed loop speed control system was used to regulate the rotary speed of the turbine. The system used a high gain proportional control law to guarantee stability. Calculated power was based on the average rotary speed measurement. Results of the study suggested that the dimensional power performance of the turbine could be predicted from the curve for all rotary speeds and for wind speeds between 8 and 16 m/s. The maximum power coefficient of 0.3 occurred at a tip speed ratio of 1.6. Test results demonstrated that the turbine reached its rated power at 14 m/s. However, the range of tip speed ratios for power production were lower than the range for most other small VAWT. 2 refs., 3 figs.

Distributionally robust hydro-thermal-wind economic dispatch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Yue; Wei, Wei; Liu, Feng; Mei, Shengwei

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A two-stage distributionally robust hydro-thermal-wind model is proposed. • A semi-definite programing equivalent and its algorithm are developed. • Cases that demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model are included. - Abstract: With the penetration of wind energy increasing, uncertainty has become a major challenge in power system dispatch. Hydro power can change rapidly and is regarded as one promising complementary energy resource to mitigate wind power fluctuation. Joint scheduling of hydro, thermal, and wind energy is attracting more and more attention nowadays. This paper proposes a distributionally robust hydro-thermal-wind economic dispatch (DR-HTW-ED) method to enhance the flexibility and reliability of power system operation. In contrast to the traditional stochastic optimization (SO) and adjustable robust optimization (ARO) method, distributionally robust optimization (DRO) method describes the uncertain wind power output by all possible probability distribution functions (PDFs) with the same mean and variance recovered from the forecast data, and optimizes the expected operation cost in the worst distribution. Traditional DRO optimized the random parameter in entire space, which is sometimes contradict to the actual situation. In this paper, we restrict the wind power uncertainty in a bounded set, and derive an equivalent semi-definite programming (SDP) for the DR-HTW-ED using S-lemma. A delayed constraint generation algorithm is suggested to solve it in a tractable manner. The proposed DR-HTW-ED is compared with the existing ARO based hydro-thermal-wind economic dispatch (AR-HTW-ED). Their respective features are shown from the perspective of computational efficiency and conservativeness of dispatch strategies.

Noise Emission of a 200 kW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erik Möllerström

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The noise emission from a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT has been investigated. A noise measurement campaign on a 200 kW straight-bladed VAWT has been conducted, and the result has been compared to a semi-empirical model for turbulent-boundary-layer trailing edge (TBL-TE noise. The noise emission from the wind turbine was measured, at wind speed 8 m/s, 10 m above ground, to 96.2 dBA. At this wind speed, the turbine was stalling as it was run at a tip speed lower than optimal due to constructional constraints. The noise emission at a wind speed of 6 m/s, 10 m above ground was measured while operating at optimum tip speed and was found to be 94.1 dBA. A comparison with similar size horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs indicates a noise emission at the absolute bottom of the range. Furthermore, it is clear from the analysis that the turbulent-boundary-layer trailing-edge noise, as modeled here, is much lower than the measured levels, which suggests that other mechanisms are likely to be important, such as inflow turbulence.

Vertical axis wind rotors: Status and potential. [energy conversion efficiency and aerodynamic characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Vance, W.

1973-01-01

The design and application of a vertical axis wind rotor is reported that operates as a two stage turbine wherein the wind impinging on the concave side is circulated through the center of the rotor to the back of the convex side, thus decreasing what might otherwise be a high negative pressure region. Successful applications of this wind rotor to water pumps, ship propulsion, and building ventilators are reported. Also shown is the feasibility of using the energy in ocean waves to drive the rotor. An analysis of the impact of rotor aspect ratio on rotor acceleration shows that the amount of venting between rotor vanes has a very significant effect on rotor speed for a given wind speed.

Counter-rotating vortex pairs in the wake of a vertical axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Rolin, Vincent; Porté-Agel, Fernando

2017-04-01

Despite the rising popularity of vertical axis wind turbines, or VAWTs, the wakes behind these machines is much less well understood than those behind horizontal axis wind turbines, or HAWTs. A thorough understanding of wakes is important as they can cause turbines in wind farms to produce less power than anticipated and increase the fatigue loading on turbines due to vibrations. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the wake behind a vertical axis wind turbine in atmospheric flow stereo-PIV is implemented in a boundary-layer wind tunnel to produce snapshots of the 3-component velocity field in the wake at various downstream positions. The boundaries of the wake are readily observed due to the high velocity gradients and turbulence present here. Two pairs of counter-rotating vortices similar to those in the wake of yawed HAWTs are also observed. An examination of the momentum fluxes behind the turbine demonstrates that the mean flow induced by these vortices entrains a large quantity of momentum from the unperturbed boundary layer flow above the wake. This effect proves to play an even more significant role than turbulence in reintroducing momentum into the wake. In order to comprehend why the VAWT produces these vortices we modify the double-multiple stream-tube model typically used to predict VAWT performance to incorporate crosswind forces. The similarity between VAWT and yawed HAWT wakes is found not to be coincidental as both cases feature rotors which exert a lateral thrust on the incoming wind which leads to the creation of counter-rotating vortex pairs.

Vertical distribution of meiofauna on reflective sandy beaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariana de Oliveira Martins

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Extreme physical conditions usually limit the meiofauna occurrence and distribution in highly hydrodynamic environments such as reflective beaches. Despite sediment grains of the upper layers being constantly resuspended and deposited, the high energy of the swash zone besides depositing coarse sediments allows an ample vertical distribution of meiofaunal organisms. The effect of physical, chemical and sediment variables on the vertical distribution of meiofaunal organims and nematodes was analysed on two reflective exposed beaches. Sampling was conducted at three sampling points on each beach in the swash zone. The sediment collected was divided into four 10-cm strata (0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm, 30-40 cm. The statistical differences between strata due to factors previously established (i.e. meiofaunal composition, density of most abundant taxa were tested using a hierarchical PERMANOVA applied under similarity and euclidian distances. An inverse relation among average grain size, content of organic matter and sediment sorting was evident. Coarser sediment characterized the upper layers, while at deeper layers the sediment was very poorly sorted and presented a higher content of organic matter. A similar pattern in the vertical distribution of meiofaunal and nematofaunal composition and density was detected. The lowest densities were associated with the first stratum (0-10 cm, highly affected by hydrodynamics. The vertical distribution of organisms was statistically different only when the interaction among factors was considered. This result suggests that zonation and vertical distribution of meiofaunal organisms are determined by the within-beach variability.

Design and Aero-elastic Simulation of a 5MW Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vita, Luca; Schmidt Paulsen, Uwe; Aagaard Madsen, Helge

2013-01-01

This paper deals with the design of a 5MW floating offshore Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT). The design is based on a new offshore wind turbine concept (DeepWind concept), consisting of a Darrieus rotor mounted on a spar buoy support structure, which is anchored to the sea bed with mooring lines......-DTU. The numerical simulations take into account the fully coupled aerodynamic and hydrodynamic loads on the structure, due to wind, waves and currents. The turbine is tested in operative conditions, at different sea states, selected according to the international offshore standards. The research is part...... of the European project DeepWind (2010-2014), which has been financed by the European Union (FP7-Future Emerging Technologies)....

Distributed Wind Cost Reduction: Learning from Solar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tegen, Suzanne

2016-02-23

The distributed wind energy industry can learn several lessons from the solar industry regarding reducing soft costs. Suzanne Tegen presented this overview at the 2016 Distributed Wind Energy Association Business Conference in Washington, D.C., on February 23, 2016.

Structural Dynamic Analysis of Semi-Submersible Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremiah Ishie

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The strong and stable wind at offshore locations and the increasing demand for energy have made the application of wind turbines in deeper water surge. A novel concept of a 5 MW baseline Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (FVAWT and a 5 MW optimised FVAWT with the DeepWind Darrieus rotor and the optimised DeepWind Darrieus rotor, respectively, were studied extensively. The structural responses, fatigue damages, platform global motions and mooring line dynamics of the FVAWTs were investigated comprehensively during normal operating conditions under steady wind and turbulent wind conditions, using a coupled non-linear aero-hydro-servo-elastic code (the Simo-Riflex-DMS code which was developed by Wang et al. for modeling FVAWTs. This coupled code incorporates the models for the turbulent wind field, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, structural dynamics, and generator controller. The simulation is performed in a fully coupled manner in time domain. The comparison of responses under different wind conditions were used to demonstrate the effect of turbulence on both FVAWTs dynamic responses. The turbulent wind condition has the advantage of reducing the 2P effects. Furthermore, comparative studies of the FVAWTs responses were undertaken to explore the advantages of adopting the optimised 5 MW DeepWind Darrieus rotor over the baseline model. The results identified the 5 MW optimised FVAWT to having: lower Fore-Aft (FA but higher lower Side-Side (SS bending moments of structural components; lower motions amplitude; lower short-term fatigue equivalent loads and a further reduced 2P effects.

Simulation of Lightning Overvoltage Distribution on Stator Windings of Wind Turbine Generators

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LIU Rong; LIU Xue-zhong; WANG Ying; LI Dan-dan

2011-01-01

This paper analyzes lightning surge on the stator windings of wind turbine generators. The path of lightning in the wind turbines was analyzed. An equivalent circuit model for megawatt direct-driven wind turbine system was developed, in which high-frequency distributed parameters of the blade conducts, tower, power cables and stator windings of generator were calculated based on finite element method, and the models of converter, grounding, loads, surge protection devices and power grid were established. The voltage distribution along stator windings, when struck by lightning with 10/350 ~ts wave form and different amplitude current between 50 kA and 200 kA, was simulated u- sing electro-magnetic transient analysis method. The simulated results show that the highest coil-to-core voltage peak appears on the last coil or near the neutral of stator windings, and the voltage distribution along the windings is non- uniform initially. The voltage drops of each coil fall from first to last coil, and the highest voltage drop appears on the first coil. The insulation damage may occur on the windings under lightning overvoltage. The surge arresters can re- strain the lightning surge in effect and protect the insulation. The coil-to-core voltage in the end of windings is nearly 19.5 kV under the 200 kA lightning current without surge arresters on the terminal of generator, but is only 2.7 kV with arresters.

Numerical results in a vertical wind axis turbine with relative rotating blades

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bayeul-Laine, Annie-Claude; Dockter, Aurore; Simonet, Sophie; Bois, Gerard [Arts et Metiers PARISTECH (France)

2011-07-01

The use of wind energy to produce electricity through wind turbines has spread world-wide. The quantity of electricity produced is affected by numerous factors such as wind speed and direction and turbine design; the aim of this paper is to assess the influence of different blades on the performance of a turbine. This study was performed on a turbine in which the blades have a rotating movement, each around its own axis and around the turbine's axis. Unsteady simulations were carried out with several blade stagger angles and one wind speed and 2 different blade geometries were used for 4 rotational speeds. Results showed that the studied turbine gave better performance than vertical axis wind turbines and that blade sketch, blade speed ratios, and blade stagger angle were important influences on the performance. This study showed that this kind of turbine has the potential to achieve good performance but that further work needs to be done.

Optimal placement of horizontal - and vertical - axis wind turbines in a wind farm for maximum power generation using a genetic algorithm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Xiaomin; Agarwal, Ramesh [Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, Washington University in St. Louis, Jolley Hall, Campus Box 1185, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri, 63130 (United States)

2012-07-01

In this paper, we consider the Wind Farm layout optimization problem using a genetic algorithm. Both the Horizontal –Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) and Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) are considered. The goal of the optimization problem is to optimally position the turbines within the wind farm such that the wake effects are minimized and the power production is maximized. The reasonably accurate modeling of the turbine wake is critical in determination of the optimal layout of the turbines and the power generated. For HAWT, two wake models are considered; both are found to give similar answers. For VAWT, a very simple wake model is employed.

Wake Flow Simulation of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Under the Influence of Wind Shear

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza, Victor; Goude, Anders

2017-05-01

The current trend of the wind energy industry aims for large scale turbines installed in wind farms. This brings a renewed interest in vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) since they have several advantages over the traditional Horizontal Axis Wind Tubines (HAWTs) for mitigating the new challenges. However, operating VAWTs are characterized by complex aerodynamics phenomena, presenting considerable challenges for modeling tools. An accurate and reliable simulation tool for predicting the interaction between the obtained wake of an operating VAWT and the flow in atmospheric open sites is fundamental for optimizing the design and location of wind energy facility projects. The present work studies the wake produced by a VAWT and how it is affected by the surface roughness of the terrain, without considering the effects of the ambient turbulence intensity. This study was carried out using an actuator line model (ALM), and it was implemented using the open-source CFD library OpenFOAM to solve the governing equations and to compute the resulting flow fields. An operational H-shaped VAWT model was tested, for which experimental activity has been performed at an open site north of Uppsala-Sweden. Different terrains with similar inflow velocities have been evaluated. Simulated velocity and vorticity of representative sections have been analyzed. Numerical results were validated using normal forces measurements, showing reasonable agreement.

Vertical axis wind turbine drive train transient dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Clauss, D. B.; Carne, T. G.

1982-01-01

Start up of a vertical axis wind turbine causes transient torque oscillations in the drive train with peak torques which may be over two and one half times the rated torque of the turbine. A computer code, based on a lumped parameter model of the drive train, was developed and tested for the low cost 17 meter turbine; the results show excellent agreement with field data. The code was used to predict the effect of a slip clutch on transient torque oscillations. It was demonstrated that a slip clutch located between the motor and brake can reduce peak torques by thirty eight percent.

Analysis of wind speed distributions: Wind distribution function derived from minimum cross entropy principles as better alternative to Weibull function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kantar, Yeliz Mert; Usta, Ilhan

2008-01-01

In this study, the minimum cross entropy (MinxEnt) principle is applied for the first time to the wind energy field. This principle allows the inclusion of previous information of a wind speed distribution and covers the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) principle, which is also discussed by Li and Li and Ramirez as special cases in their wind power study. The MinxEnt probability density function (pdf) derived from the MinxEnt principle are used to determine the diurnal, monthly, seasonal and annual wind speed distributions. A comparison between MinxEnt pdfs defined on the basis of the MinxEnt principle and the Weibull pdf on wind speed data, which are taken from different sources and measured in various regions, is conducted. The wind power densities of the considered regions obtained from Weibull and MinxEnt pdfs are also compared. The results indicate that the pdfs derived from the MinxEnt principle fit better to a variety of measured wind speed data than the conventionally applied empirical Weibull pdf. Therefore, it is shown that the MinxEnt principle can be used as an alternative method to estimate both wind distribution and wind power accurately

Double-multiple streamtube model for studying vertical-axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Paraschivoiu, Ion

1988-08-01

This work describes the present state-of-the-art in double-multiple streamtube method for modeling the Darrieus-type vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT). Comparisons of the analytical results with the other predictions and available experimental data show a good agreement. This method, which incorporates dynamic-stall and secondary effects, can be used for generating a suitable aerodynamic-load model for structural design analysis of the Darrieus rotor.

3D CFD Analysis of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Alaimo

2015-04-01

Full Text Available To analyze the complex and unsteady aerodynamic flow associated with wind turbine functioning, computational fluid dynamics (CFD is an attractive and powerful method. In this work, the influence of different numerical aspects on the accuracy of simulating a rotating wind turbine is studied. In particular, the effects of mesh size and structure, time step and rotational velocity have been taken into account for simulation of different wind turbine geometries. The applicative goal of this study is the comparison of the performance between a straight blade vertical axis wind turbine and a helical blade one. Analyses are carried out through the use of computational fluid dynamic ANSYS® Fluent® software, solving the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS equations. At first, two-dimensional simulations are used in a preliminary setup of the numerical procedure and to compute approximated performance parameters, namely the torque, power, lift and drag coefficients. Then, three-dimensional simulations are carried out with the aim of an accurate determination of the differences in the complex aerodynamic flow associated with the straight and the helical blade turbines. Static and dynamic results are then reported for different values of rotational speed.

Design and analysis of a small-scale vertical-axis wind turbine for rooftop power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abraham, J.P.; Mowry, G.S.; Erickson, R.A.

2009-01-01

This paper described a fluid flow model of a 2-blade vertical axis wind turbine designed for use in crowded urban and rooftop environments. The turbine featured a contoured blade developed to maximize rotational velocity and minimize drag forces. The model was used to determine the turbine's rotational velocities in a range of wind speeds. The analysis included a numerical simulation of air flow across the cup faces at all circumferential locations in order to determine pressure and drag forces. A rigid body dynamic analysis was then conducted to determine the rotational velocity of the turbine. Mass, momentum and turbulence closure equations were presented. Results of the study demonstrated that a turbine rotation rate of 137 rpm was achieved at wind velocities of 30 miles per hour. Wind speeds of 20 and 10 miles per hour resulted in rotational velocities of 91 and 43 rpm. It was concluded that the model can be used to predict the angular velocity of the vertical turbine system. 13 refs., 11 figs

Adjoint Airfoil Optimization of Darrieus-Type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Fuchs, Roman; Nordborg, Henrik

2012-11-01

We present the feasibility of using an adjoint solver to optimize the torque of a Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). We start with a 2D cross section of a symmetrical airfoil and restrict us to low solidity ratios to minimize blade vortex interactions. The adjoint solver of the ANSYS FLUENT software package computes the sensitivities of airfoil surface forces based on a steady flow field. Hence, we find the torque of a full revolution using a weighted average of the sensitivities at different wind speeds and angles of attack. The weights are computed analytically, and the range of angles of attack is given by the tip speed ratio. Then the airfoil geometry is evolved, and the proposed methodology is evaluated by transient simulations.

Observations of the vertical distributions of summertime atmospheric pollutants and the corresponding ozone production in Shanghai, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Xing

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Ground-based multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS and lidar measurements were performed in Shanghai, China, during May 2016 to investigate the vertical distribution of summertime atmospheric pollutants. In this study, vertical profiles of aerosol extinction coefficient, nitrogen dioxide (NO2 and formaldehyde (HCHO concentrations were retrieved from MAX-DOAS measurements using the Heidelberg Profile (HEIPRO algorithm, while vertical distribution of ozone (O3 was obtained from an ozone lidar. Sensitivity study of the MAX-DOAS aerosol profile retrieval shows that the a priori aerosol profile shape has significant influences on the aerosol profile retrieval. Aerosol profiles retrieved from MAX-DOAS measurements with Gaussian a priori profile demonstrate the best agreements with simultaneous lidar measurements and vehicle-based tethered-balloon observations among all a priori aerosol profiles. Tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs measured with MAX-DOAS show a good agreement with OMI satellite observations with a Pearson correlation coefficient (R of 0.95. In addition, measurements of the O3 vertical distribution indicate that the ozone productions do not only occur at surface level but also at higher altitudes (about 1.1 km. Planetary boundary layer (PBL height and horizontal and vertical wind field information were integrated to discuss the ozone formation at upper altitudes. The results reveal that enhanced ozone concentrations at ground level and upper altitudes are not directly related to horizontal and vertical transportation. Similar patterns of O3 and HCHO vertical distributions were observed during this campaign, which implies that the ozone productions near the surface and at higher altitudes are mainly influenced by the abundance of volatile organic compounds (VOCs in the lower troposphere.

A new vertical axis wind turbine design for urban areas

Science.gov (United States)

Frunzulica, Florin; Cismilianu, Alexandru; Boros, Alexandru; Dumitrache, Alexandru; Suatean, Bogdan

2016-06-01

In this paper we aim at developing the model of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) with the short-term goal of physically realising this turbine to operate at a maximmum power of 5 kW. The turbine is designed for household users in the urban or rural areas and remote or isolated residential areas (hardly accsessible). The proposed model has a biplane configuration on each arm of the VAWT (3 × 2 = 6 blades), allowing for increased performance of the turbine at TSR between 2 and 2.5 (urban area operation) compared to the classic vertical axis turbines. Results that validate the proposed configuration as well as passive control methods to increase the performance of the classic VAWTs are presented.

Structure design and experimental appraisal of the drag force type vertical axis wind turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dong Keon; Keum, Jong Yoon; Yoon, Soon Hyun

2006-01-01

Experiments were conducted to estimate the performance of drag force type vertical axis wind turbine with an opening-shutting rotor. It was operated by the difference in drag force generated on both sides of the blades. The rotational speed was measured by a tachometer in a wind tunnel and the tunnel wind speed was measured by using a pitot-static tube and a micro manometer. The performance test for a prototype was accomplished by calculating power, power coefficient, torque coefficient from the measurement of torque and rpm by a dynamometer controller. Various design parameters, such as the number of blades(B), blade aspect ratio(W/R), angle of blades(α) and drag coefficient acting on a blade, were considered for optimal conditions. At the experiment of miniature model, maximum efficiency was found at N=15, α=60 .deg. and W/R=0.32. The measured test variables were power, torque, rotational speed, and wind speeds. The data presented are in the form of power and torque coefficients as a function of tip-speed ratio V/U. Maximum power was found in case of Ω=0.33, when the power and torque coefficient were 0.14 and 0.37 respectively. Comparing model test with prototype test, similarity law by advance ratio for vertical axis wind turbine was confirmed

Characterization of aerodynamic performance of vertical axis wind turbines : impact of operational parameters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rezaeiha, Abdolrahim; Montazeri, Hamid; Blocken, Bert

2018-01-01

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have received growing interest for off-shore application and in the urban environments mainly due to their omni-directional capability, scalability, robustness, low noise and costs. However, their aerodynamic performance is still not comparable with their

Mt. Graham: optical turbulence vertical distribution with standard and high resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Masciadri, Elena; Stoesz, Jeff; Hagelin, Susanna; Lascaux, Franck

2010-07-01

A characterization of the optical turbulence vertical distribution and all the main integrated astroclimatic parameters derived from the C2N and the wind speed profiles above Mt. Graham is presented. The statistic includes measurements related to 43 nights done with a Generalized Scidar (GS) used in standard configuration with a vertical resolution of ~1 km on the whole 20-22 km and with the new technique (HVR-GS) in the first kilometer. The latter achieves a resolution of ~ 20-30 m in this region of the atmosphere. Measurements done in different periods of the year permit us to provide a seasonal variation analysis of the C2N. A discretized distribution of the typical C2N profiles useful for the Ground Layer Adaptive Optics (GLAO) simulations is provided and a specific analysis for the LBT Laser Guide Star system ARGOS case is done including the calculation of the 'gray zones' for J, H and K bands. Mt. Graham confirms to be an excellent site with median values of the seeing without dome contribution equal to 0.72", the isoplanatic angle equal to 2.5" and the wavefront coherence time equal to 4.8 msec. We provide a cumulative distribution of the percentage of turbulence developed below H* where H* is included in the (0,1 km) range. We find that 50% of the whole turbulence develops in the first 80 m from the ground. The turbulence decreasing rate is very similar to what has been observed above Mauna Kea.

THEORETICAL ASPECTS AND NUMERICAL MODELLING FOR LONG TERM PREDICTION OF ABL AND WIND DISTRIBUTION IN POWER FARM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RADULESCU V.

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The paper is structured in seven parts, the last for few conclusions and finally some references. It is based on concrete measurements and observation during around 2 years. First is presented an introduction of the actual situation. In part two are mentioned the methods and hypotheses in evaluation of wind velocity distribution in boundary layers for atmospheric air, taking into account the roughness of ground surfaces. It is mentioned a concrete area, south part of Moldova. In third part is presented a solution for the geodetic model and finally are selected the altimetry solution. In chapter four is determined the influence of air density, temperature and pressure on wind turbine functioning. In the next chapters are presented the numerical model with special boundary conditions, taking into account different value of roughness and finally the obtained results. It is also estimated velocity variation during day-night. Finally is presented the vertical distribution of horizontal wind velocity for a wind farm, obviously important due the power of turbine (around 3 MW each one. Some conclusions and references are also mentioned.

Alignment of stress, mean wind, and vertical gradient of the velocity vector

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berg, Jacob; Mann, Jakob; Patton, E.G.

2012-01-01

In many applications in the atmospheric surface layer the turbulent-viscosity hypothesis is applied, i.e. the stress vector can be described through the vertical gradient of velocity. In the atmospheric surface layer, where the Coriolis force and baroclinic effects are considered negligible......, this is supposedly a good approximation. High resolution large-eddy simulation (LES) data show that it is indeed the case. Through analysis of WindCube lidar measurements accompanied by sonic measurements we show that this is, on the other hand, rarely the case in the real atmosphere. This might indicate that large...... of atmospheric boundary layer modeling. The measurements are from the Danish wind turbine test sites at Høvsøre. With theWindCube lidar we are able to reach heights of 250 meters and hence capture the entire atmospheric surface layer both in terms of wind speed and the direction of the mean stress vector....

Visualization by PIV of dynamic stall on a vertical axis wind turbine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ferreira, C.J.S.; Kuik, van G.A.M.; Bussel, van G.J.W.; Scarano, F.

2009-01-01

The aerodynamic behavior of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is analyzed by means of 2D particle image velocimetry (PIV), focusing on the development of dynamic stall at different tip speed ratios. The VAWT has an unsteady aerodynamic behavior due to the variation with the azimuth angle ¿ of the

Computational analysis of vertical axis wind turbine arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Bremseth, J.; Duraisamy, K.

2016-10-01

Canonical problems involving single, pairs, and arrays of vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are investigated numerically with the objective of understanding the underlying flow structures and their implications on energy production. Experimental studies by Dabiri (J Renew Sustain Energy 3, 2011) suggest that VAWTs demand less stringent spacing requirements than their horizontal axis counterparts and additional benefits may be obtained by optimizing the placement and rotational direction of VAWTs. The flowfield of pairs of co-/counter-rotating VAWTs shows some similarities with pairs of cylinders in terms of wake structure and vortex shedding. When multiple VAWTs are placed in a column, the extent of the wake is seen to spread further downstream, irrespective of the direction of rotation of individual turbines. However, the aerodynamic interference between turbines gives rise to regions of excess momentum between the turbines which lead to significant power augmentations. Studies of VAWTs arranged in multiple columns show that the downstream columns can actually be more efficient than the leading column, a proposition that could lead to radical improvements in wind farm productivity.

Simulation study on vertically distributed multi-channel tangential interferometry for KSTAR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nam, Y U; Juhn, J W

2012-01-01

Interferometry is powerful and reliable diagnostics which measures line-integrated electron density. Since this technique only measures an averaged value over whole probing line, a multi-channel scheme is used for an analysis for spatial distribution and variation of electron density. Typical setups of the multi-channel measurement are schemes of radially distributed vertical lines, vertically distributed horizontal lines and horizontally distributed tangential lines. In Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research, a vertically distributed multi-channel tangential interferometry is planned instead of above typical schemes due to limitation of complex in-vessel geometry and narrow diagnostics port through cryostat. Total 5-channels will be vertically placed as symmetric with the mid-plain. One of the characteristic features of the vertically distributed channels is that each channel is viewing different poloidal angle, while the horizontally distributed channels are viewing different toroidal angle. This scheme also can be used on an investigation of the up-down asymmetry and the vertical oscillation of plasma. Simulation has been performed and the result will be discussed to verify the possibility and the estimated effectiveness of the scheme on this paper.

CFD modeling of a vertical-axis wind turbine for efficiency improvement and climate change mitigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ajedegba, J.O.; Rosen, M.A.; Naterer, G.F.; Tsang, E.

2009-01-01

Wind power can help mitigate climate change. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used here to simulate and analyze the Zephyr vertical axis wind turbine and to assess how it reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Fluid flow through the turbine is simulated to predict its performance. A multiple reference frame model capability of CFD is used to express the turbine power output as a function of the wind free stream velocity and the rotor rotational speed. The results suggest the wind turbine could significantly reduce energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions in urban and rural settings relative to conventional power systems. (author)

Ground-Based Remote or In Situ Measurement of Vertical Profiles of Wind in the Lower Troposphere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clifton, Andrew; Newman, Jennifer

2017-02-24

Knowledge of winds in the lower troposphere is essential for a range of applications, including weather forecasting, transportation, natural hazards, and wind energy. This presentation focuses on the measurement of vertical profiles of wind in the lower troposphere for wind energy applications. This presentation introduces the information that wind energy site development and operations require, how it used, and the benefits and problems of current measurements from in-situ measurements and remote sensing. The development of commercial Doppler wind lidar systems over the last 10 years are shown, along with the lessons learned from this experience. Finally, potential developments in wind profiling aimed at reducing uncertainty and increasing data availability are introduced.

Distributed Wind Resource Assessment: State of the Industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fields, Jason [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Tinnesand, Heidi [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Baring-Gould, Ian [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-06-01

In support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind and Water Power Technologies Office (WWPTO) goals, researchers from DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) are investigating the Distributed Wind Resource Assessment (DWRA) process, which includes pre-construction energy estimation as well as turbine site suitability assessment. DWRA can have a direct impact on the Wind Program goals of maximizing stakeholder confidence in turbine performance and safety as well as reducing the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). One of the major components of the LCOE equation is annual energy production. DWRA improvements can maximize the annual energy production, thereby lowering the overall LCOE and improving stakeholder confidence in the distributed wind technology sector by providing more accurate predictions of power production. Over the long term, one of the most significant benefits of a more defined DWRA process could be new turbine designs, tuned to site-specific characteristics that will help the distributed wind industry follow a similar trajectory to the low-wind-speed designs in the utility-scale industry sector. By understanding the wind resource better, the industry could install larger rotors, capture more energy, and as a result, increase deployment while lowering the LCOE. a direct impact on the Wind Program goals of maximizing stakeholder confidence in turbine performance and safety as well as reducing the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). One of the major components of the LCOE equation is annual energy production. DWRA improvements can maximize the annual energy production, thereby lowering the overall LCOE and improving stakeholder confidence in the distributed wind technology sector by providing more accurate predictions of power production. Over the long term, one of the most significant benefits of a more defined DWRA process could be new turbine designs, tuned to site-specific characteristics that

Aerodynamic Interactions between Pairs of Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Brownstein, Ian; Dabiri, John

2017-11-01

Increased power production has been observed in downstream vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) when positioned offset from the wake of upstream turbines. This effect was found to exist in both laboratory and field environments with pairs of co- and counter-rotating turbines. It is hypothesized that the observed power production enhancement is due to flow acceleration adjacent to the upstream turbine caused by bluff body blockage, which increases the incident freestream velocity on appropriately positioned downstream turbines. This type of flow acceleration has been observed in computational and laboratory studies of VAWTs and will be further investigated here using 3D-PTV measurements around pairs of laboratory-scale VAWTs. These measurements will be used to understand the mechanisms behind the performance enhancement effect and seek to determine optimal separation distances and angles between turbines based on turbine design parameters. These results will lead to recommendations for optimizing the power production of VAWT wind farms which utilize this effect.

Anomalous polymer collapse winding angle distributions

Science.gov (United States)

Narros, A.; Owczarek, A. L.; Prellberg, T.

2018-03-01

In two dimensions polymer collapse has been shown to be complex with multiple low temperature states and multi-critical points. Recently, strong numerical evidence has been provided for a long-standing prediction of universal scaling of winding angle distributions, where simulations of interacting self-avoiding walks show that the winding angle distribution for N-step walks is compatible with the theoretical prediction of a Gaussian with a variance growing asymptotically as Clog N . Here we extend this work by considering interacting self-avoiding trails which are believed to be a model representative of some of the more complex behaviour. We provide robust evidence that, while the high temperature swollen state of this model has a winding angle distribution that is also Gaussian, this breaks down at the polymer collapse point and at low temperatures. Moreover, we provide some evidence that the distributions are well modelled by stretched/compressed exponentials, in contradistinction to the behaviour found in interacting self-avoiding walks. Dedicated to Professor Stu Whittington on the occasion of his 75th birthday.

Experimental study of the effect of a slat angle on double-element airfoil and application in vertical axis wind turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chougule, Prasad; Rosendahl, Lasse; Nielsen, Søren R.K.

2015-01-01

A design of double-element airfoil is proposed for its use in the vertical axis wind turbine. The double-element airfoil system consists of a main airfoil and a slat airfoil. The design parameters of the double-element airfoil system are given by the position and orientation of the trailing edge......-element airfoil system designed in this paper. Further, the performance of new design of a vertical axis wind turbine shows considerable increase in the power coefficient and the total power output as compared to the reference wind turbine...

Wind tunnel study of a vertical axis wind turbine in a turbulent boundary layer flow

Science.gov (United States)

Rolin, Vincent; Porté-Agel, Fernando

2015-04-01

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are in a relatively infant state of development when compared to their cousins the horizontal axis wind turbines. Very few studies have been carried out to characterize the wake flow behind VAWTs, and virtually none to observe the influence of the atmospheric boundary layer. Here we present results from an experiment carried out at the EPFL-WIRE boundary-layer wind tunnel and designed to study the interaction between a turbulent boundary layer flow and a VAWT. Specifically we use stereoscopic particle image velocimetry to observe and quantify the influence of the boundary layer flow on the wake generated by a VAWT, as well as the effect the VAWT has on the boundary layer flow profile downstream. We find that the wake behind the VAWT is strongly asymmetric, due to the varying aerodynamic forces on the blades as they change their position around the rotor. We also find that the wake adds strong turbulence levels to the flow, particularly on the periphery of the wake where vortices and strong velocity gradients are present. The boundary layer is also shown to cause greater momentum to be entrained downwards rather than upwards into the wake.

Vertical-axis wind turbine experiments at full dynamic similarity

Science.gov (United States)

Duvvuri, Subrahmanyam; Miller, Mark; Brownstein, Ian; Dabiri, John; Hultmark, Marcus

2017-11-01

This study presents results from pressurized (upto 200 atm) wind tunnel tests of a self-spinning 5-blade model Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT). The model is geometrically similar (scale ratio 1:22) to a commercially available VAWT, which has a rotor diameter of 2.17 meters and blade span of 3.66 meters, and is used at the Stanford university field lab. The use of pressurized air as working fluid allows for the unique ability to obtain full dynamic similarity with field conditions in terms of matched Reynolds numbers (Re), tip-speed ratios (λ), and Mach number (M). Tests were performed across a wide range of Re and λ, with the highest Re exceeding the maximum operational field Reynolds number (Remax) by a factor of 3. With an extended range of accessible Re conditions, the peak turbine power efficiency was seen to occur roughly at Re = 2 Remax and λ = 1 . Beyond Re > 2 Remax the turbine performance is invariant in Re for all λ. A clear demonstration of Reynolds number invariance for an actual full-scale wind turbine lends novelty to this study, and overall the results show the viability of the present experimental technique in testing turbines at field conditions.

Factors affecting the vertical distribution of eggs [HELP 34

OpenAIRE

Sundby, Svein

1990-01-01

The spatia1 distribution of eggs and larvae is a function of the properties of the ambient water, i.e. the density, current and turbulent diffusion, and of the physical properties of the eggs, i.e. the buoyancy and dimension. The study of the vertical distribution is the first step to understanding the horizontal transport of eggs and larvae. Two models for the vertical distribution of eggs are applied to demonstrate how the physical and biological conditions influence th...

Theoretical derivation of wind power probability distribution function and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altunkaynak, Abdüsselam; Erdik, Tarkan; Dabanlı, İsmail; Şen, Zekai

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Derivation of wind power stochastic characteristics are standard deviation and the dimensionless skewness. ► The perturbation is expressions for the wind power statistics from Weibull probability distribution function (PDF). ► Comparisons with the corresponding characteristics of wind speed PDF abides by the Weibull PDF. ► The wind power abides with the Weibull-PDF. -- Abstract: The instantaneous wind power contained in the air current is directly proportional with the cube of the wind speed. In practice, there is a record of wind speeds in the form of a time series. It is, therefore, necessary to develop a formulation that takes into consideration the statistical parameters of such a time series. The purpose of this paper is to derive the general wind power formulation in terms of the statistical parameters by using the perturbation theory, which leads to a general formulation of the wind power expectation and other statistical parameter expressions such as the standard deviation and the coefficient of variation. The formulation is very general and can be applied specifically for any wind speed probability distribution function. Its application to two-parameter Weibull probability distribution of wind speeds is presented in full detail. It is concluded that provided wind speed is distributed according to a Weibull distribution, the wind power could be derived based on wind speed data. It is possible to determine wind power at any desired risk level, however, in practical studies most often 5% or 10% risk levels are preferred and the necessary simple procedure is presented for this purpose in this paper.

Barotropic response in a lake to wind-forcing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Wang

2001-03-01

Full Text Available We report results gained with a three-dimensional, semi-implicit, semi-spectral model of the shallow water equations on the rotating Earth that allowed one to compute the wind-induced motion in lakes. The barotropic response to unidirectional, uniform winds, Heaviside in time, is determined in a rectangular basin with constant depth, and in Lake Constance, for different values and vertical distributions of the vertical eddy viscosities. It is computationally demonstrated that both the transitory oscillating, as well as the steady state current distribution, depends strongly upon the absolute value and vertical shape of the vertical eddy viscosity. In particular, the excitation and attenuation in time of the inertial waves, the structure of the Ekman spiral, the thickness of the Ekman layer, and the exact distribution and magnitude of the upwelling and downwelling zones are all significantly affected by the eddy viscosities. Observations indicate that the eddy viscosities must be sufficiently small so that the oscillatory behaviour can be adequately modelled. Comparison of the measured current-time series at depth in one position of Lake Constance with those computed on the basis of the measured wind demonstrates fair agreement, including the rotation-induced inertial oscillation.Key words. Oceanography: general (limnology – Oceanography: physical (Coriolis effects; general circulation

Barotropic response in a lake to wind-forcing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Wang

Full Text Available We report results gained with a three-dimensional, semi-implicit, semi-spectral model of the shallow water equations on the rotating Earth that allowed one to compute the wind-induced motion in lakes. The barotropic response to unidirectional, uniform winds, Heaviside in time, is determined in a rectangular basin with constant depth, and in Lake Constance, for different values and vertical distributions of the vertical eddy viscosities. It is computationally demonstrated that both the transitory oscillating, as well as the steady state current distribution, depends strongly upon the absolute value and vertical shape of the vertical eddy viscosity. In particular, the excitation and attenuation in time of the inertial waves, the structure of the Ekman spiral, the thickness of the Ekman layer, and the exact distribution and magnitude of the upwelling and downwelling zones are all significantly affected by the eddy viscosities. Observations indicate that the eddy viscosities must be sufficiently small so that the oscillatory behaviour can be adequately modelled. Comparison of the measured current-time series at depth in one position of Lake Constance with those computed on the basis of the measured wind demonstrates fair agreement, including the rotation-induced inertial oscillation.

Key words. Oceanography: general (limnology – Oceanography: physical (Coriolis effects; general circulation

Estimation of power in low velocity vertical axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Sampath, S. S.; Shetty, Sawan; Chithirai Pon Selvan, M.

2015-06-01

The present work involves in the construction of a vertical axis wind turbine and the determination of power. Various different types of turbine blades are considered and the optimum blade is selected. Mechanical components of the entire setup are built to obtain maximum rotation per minute. The mechanical energy is converted into the electrical energy by coupling coaxially between the shaft and the generator. This setup produces sufficient power for consumption of household purposes which is economic and easily available.

A short review of recent research activities for characterization of aerodynamic optimization of vertical axis wind turbines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rezaeiha, A.; Kalkman, I.; Blocken, B.J.E.

2017-01-01

There is a growing interest in wind energy harvesting in the built environment. Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) seem to represent an ideal candidate for this purpose due to their omni-directional operation. However, as a result of a comparatively small amount of research on VAWTs during the last

Effect of the number of blades on the dynamics of floating straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheng, Zhengshun; Aagaard Madsen, Helge; Gao, Zhen

2017-01-01

Floating vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are promising solutions for exploiting the wind energy resource in deep waters due to their potential cost-of-energy reduction. The number of blades is one of the main concerns when designing a VAWT for offshore application. In this paper, the effect...

Aerodynamic characteristics of an oscillating airfoil. [For Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wickens, R H

1986-03-01

Results are reported from wind tunnel tests to study the effects of dynamic aerodynamics on the efficiency of a NACA 0018 airfoil used on a Darreius vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). The topic is of interest because of uncontrolled pitching which occurs during operation and which produces stall, turbulence and separation effects that reduce efficiency. Present stream-tube theory and axial momentum models are not applicable in the unstable regimes. The wind tunnel tests were conducted with a 45 m/sec flow with an Re of 1.5 million. The situation mimicked typical wind turbine operational conditions. The airfoil was mounted on a hydraulic actuator to allow it to rotate about its quarter-chord location and to control the extent and frequency of oscillations. Data were also gathered on the performance in a steady flow for comparative purposes. Summary data are provided on the static and total pressures over a complete cycle of oscillation, and related to the angles of attack, time of onset of stall, and the lift and drag coefficients. The limitations of the study with regard to the absence of consideration of the flow acceleration experienced by an advancing blade are noted. 13 references.

An improved AVC strategy applied in distributed wind power system

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Y. N.; Liu, Q. H.; Song, S. Y.; Mao, W.

2016-08-01

Traditional AVC strategy is mainly used in wind farm and only concerns about grid connection point, which is not suitable for distributed wind power system. Therefore, this paper comes up with an improved AVC strategy applied in distributed wind power system. The strategy takes all nodes of distribution network into consideration and chooses the node having the most serious voltage deviation as control point to calculate the reactive power reference. In addition, distribution principles can be divided into two conditions: when wind generators access to network on single node, the reactive power reference is distributed according to reactive power capacity; when wind generators access to network on multi-node, the reference is distributed according to sensitivity. Simulation results show the correctness and reliability of the strategy. Compared with traditional control strategy, the strategy described in this paper can make full use of generators reactive power output ability according to the distribution network voltage condition and improve the distribution network voltage level effectively.

Spatial and temporal patterns of global onshore wind speed distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Yuyu; Smith, Steven J

2013-01-01

Wind power, a renewable energy source, can play an important role in electrical energy generation. Information regarding wind energy potential is important both for energy related modeling and for decision-making in the policy community. While wind speed datasets with high spatial and temporal resolution are often ultimately used for detailed planning, simpler assumptions are often used in analysis work. An accurate representation of the wind speed frequency distribution is needed in order to properly characterize wind energy potential. Using a power density method, this study estimated global variation in wind parameters as fitted to a Weibull density function using NCEP/climate forecast system reanalysis (CFSR) data over land areas. The Weibull distribution performs well in fitting the time series wind speed data at most locations according to R 2 , root mean square error, and power density error. The wind speed frequency distribution, as represented by the Weibull k parameter, exhibits a large amount of spatial variation, a regionally varying amount of seasonal variation, and relatively low decadal variation. We also analyzed the potential error in wind power estimation when a commonly assumed Rayleigh distribution (Weibull k = 2) is used. We find that the assumption of the same Weibull parameter across large regions can result in non-negligible errors. While large-scale wind speed data are often presented in the form of mean wind speeds, these results highlight the need to also provide information on the wind speed frequency distribution. (letter)

Design of h-Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Parra, Teresa; Vega, Carmen; Gallegos, A.; Uzarraga, N. C.; Castro, F.

2015-05-01

Numerical simulation is used to predict the performance of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) H-Darrieus. The rotor consists of three straight blades with shape of aerofoil of the NACA family attached to a rotating vertical shaft. The influence of the solidity is tested to get design tendencies. The mesh has two fluid volumes: one sliding mesh for the rotor where the rotation velocity is established while the other is the environment of the rotor. Bearing in mind the overall flow is characterized by important secondary flows, the turbulence model selected was realizable k-epsilon with non-equilibrium wall functions. Conservation equations were solved with a Third-Order Muscl scheme using SIMPLE to couple pressure and velocity. During VAWT operation, the performance depends mainly on the relative motion of the rotating blade and has a fundamental period which depends both on the rate of rotation and the number of blades. The transient study is necessary to characterise the hysteresis phenomenon. Hence, more than six revolutions get the periodic behaviour. Instantaneous flows provide insight about wake structure interaction. Time averaged parameters let obtain the characteristic curves of power coefficient.

Design of h-Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parra Teresa

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Numerical simulation is used to predict the performance of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT H-Darrieus. The rotor consists of three straight blades with shape of aerofoil of the NACA family attached to a rotating vertical shaft. The influence of the solidity is tested to get design tendencies. The mesh has two fluid volumes: one sliding mesh for the rotor where the rotation velocity is established while the other is the environment of the rotor. Bearing in mind the overall flow is characterized by important secondary flows, the turbulence model selected was realizable k-epsilon with non-equilibrium wall functions. Conservation equations were solved with a Third-Order Muscl scheme using SIMPLE to couple pressure and velocity. During VAWT operation, the performance depends mainly on the relative motion of the rotating blade and has a fundamental period which depends both on the rate of rotation and the number of blades. The transient study is necessary to characterise the hysteresis phenomenon. Hence, more than six revolutions get the periodic behaviour. Instantaneous flows provide insight about wake structure interaction. Time averaged parameters let obtain the characteristic curves of power coefficient.

Idealized models of the joint probability distribution of wind speeds

Science.gov (United States)

Monahan, Adam H.

2018-05-01

The joint probability distribution of wind speeds at two separate locations in space or points in time completely characterizes the statistical dependence of these two quantities, providing more information than linear measures such as correlation. In this study, we consider two models of the joint distribution of wind speeds obtained from idealized models of the dependence structure of the horizontal wind velocity components. The bivariate Rice distribution follows from assuming that the wind components have Gaussian and isotropic fluctuations. The bivariate Weibull distribution arises from power law transformations of wind speeds corresponding to vector components with Gaussian, isotropic, mean-zero variability. Maximum likelihood estimates of these distributions are compared using wind speed data from the mid-troposphere, from different altitudes at the Cabauw tower in the Netherlands, and from scatterometer observations over the sea surface. While the bivariate Rice distribution is more flexible and can represent a broader class of dependence structures, the bivariate Weibull distribution is mathematically simpler and may be more convenient in many applications. The complexity of the mathematical expressions obtained for the joint distributions suggests that the development of explicit functional forms for multivariate speed distributions from distributions of the components will not be practical for more complicated dependence structure or more than two speed variables.

Optimal wind energy penetration in power systems: An approach based on spatial distribution of wind speed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zolfaghari, Saeed; Riahy, Gholam H.; Abedi, Mehrdad; Golshannavaz, Sajjad

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Chronological wind speeds at distinct locations of the wind farm are not the same. • Spatial distribution of wind speed affects wind farm’s output power expectation. • Neglecting wind speed’s spatial doubt leads to mistake in wind energy penetration. • Scenario-based method can be used for effective wind capacity penetration level. - Abstract: Contributing in power system expansions, the present study establishes an efficient scheme for optimal integration of wind energy resources. The proposed approach highly concerns the spatial distribution of wind speed at different points of a wind farm. In mathematical statements, a suitable probability distribution function (PDF) is well-designed for representing such uncertainties. In such conditions, it is likely to have dissimilar output powers for individual and identical wind turbines. Thus, the overall aggregated PDF of a wind farm remarkably influences the critical parameters including the expected power and energy, capacity factor, and the reliability metrics such as loss of load expectation (LOLE) and expected energy not supplied (EENS). Furthermore, the proposed approach is deployed for optimal allocation of wind energy in bulk power systems. Hence, two typical test systems are numerically analyzed to interrogate the performance of the proposed approach. The conducted survey discloses an over/underestimation of harvestable wind energy in the case of overlooking spatial distributions. Thus, inaccurate amounts of wind farm’s capacity factor, output power, energy and reliability indices might be estimated. Meanwhile, the number of wind turbines may be misjudged to be installed. However, the proposed approach yields in a fair judgment regarding the overall performance of the wind farm. Consequently, a reliable penetration level of wind energy to the power system is assured. Extra discussions are provided to deeply assess the promising merits of the founded approach.

Retrieving Vertical Air Motion and Raindrop Size Distributions from Vertically Pointing Doppler Radars

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, C. R.; Chandra, C. V.

2017-12-01

The vertical evolution of falling raindrops is a result of evaporation, breakup, and coalescence acting upon those raindrops. Computing these processes using vertically pointing radar observations is a two-step process. First, the raindrop size distribution (DSD) and vertical air motion need to be estimated throughout the rain shaft. Then, the changes in DSD properties need to be quantified as a function of height. The change in liquid water content is a measure of evaporation, and the change in raindrop number concentration and size are indicators of net breakup or coalescence in the vertical column. The DSD and air motion can be retrieved using observations from two vertically pointing radars operating side-by-side and at two different wavelengths. While both radars are observing the same raindrop distribution, they measure different reflectivity and radial velocities due to Rayleigh and Mie scattering properties. As long as raindrops with diameters greater than approximately 2 mm are in the radar pulse volumes, the Rayleigh and Mie scattering signatures are unique enough to estimate DSD parameters using radars operating at 3- and 35-GHz (Williams et al. 2016). Vertical decomposition diagrams (Williams 2016) are used to explore the processes acting on the raindrops. Specifically, changes in liquid water content with height quantify evaporation or accretion. When the raindrops are not evaporating, net raindrop breakup and coalescence are identified by changes in the total number of raindrops and changes in the DSD effective shape as the raindrops. This presentation will focus on describing the DSD and air motion retrieval method using vertical profiling radar observations from the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) central facility in Northern Oklahoma.

Developments in blade shape design for a Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Ashwill, T. D.; Leonard, T. M.

1986-09-01

A new computer program package has been developed that determines the troposkein shape for a Darrieus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Blade with any geometrical configuration or rotation rate. This package allows users to interact and develop a buildable blade whose shape closely approximates the troposkein. Use of this package can significantly reduce flatwise mean bending stresses in the blade and increase fatigue life.

Recent Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine aerodynamical experiments at Sandia National Laboratories

Science.gov (United States)

Klimas, P. C.

1981-01-01

Experiments contributing to the understanding of the aerodynamics of airfoils operating in the vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) environment are described. These experiments are ultimately intended to reduce VAWT cost of energy and increase system reliability. They include chordwise pressure surveys, circumferential blade acceleration surveys, effects of blade camber, pitch and offset, blade blowing, and use of sections designed specifically for VAWT application.

Aerodynamic modeling of floating vertical axis wind turbines using the actuator cylinder flow method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheng, Zhengshun; Aagaard Madsen, Helge; Gao, Zhen

2016-01-01

Recently the interest in developing vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) for offshore application has been increasing. Among the aerodynamic models of VAWTs, double multi-streamtube (DMST) and actuator cylinder (AC) models are two favorable methods for fully coupled modeling and dynamic analysis...

Generation of the lower-thermospheric vertical wind estimated with the EISCAT KST radar at high latitudes during periods of moderate geomagnetic disturbance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Oyama

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Lower-thermospheric winds at high latitudes during moderately-disturbed geomagnetic conditions were studied using data obtained with the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT Kiruna-Sodankylä-Tromsø (KST ultrahigh frequency (UHF radar system on 9–10 September 2004. The antenna-beam configuration was newly designed to minimize the estimated measurement error of the vertical neutral-wind speed in the lower thermosphere. This method was also available to estimate the meridional and zonal components. The vertical neutral-wind speed at 109 km, 114 km, and 120 km heights showed large upward motions in excess of 30 m s−1 in association with an ionospheric heating event. Large downward speeds in excess of −30 m s−1 were also observed before and after the heating event. The meridional neutral-wind speed suddenly changed its direction from equatorward to poleward when the heating event began, and then returned equatorward coinciding with a decrease in the heating event. The magnetometer data from northern Scandinavia suggested that the center of the heated region was located about 80 km equatorward of Tromsø. The pressure gradient caused the lower-thermospheric wind to accelerate obliquely upward over Tromsø in the poleward direction. Acceleration of the neutral wind flowing on a vertically tilted isobar produced vertical wind speeds larger by more than two orders of magnitude than previously predicted, but still an order of magnitude smaller than observed speeds.

Generation of the lower-thermospheric vertical wind estimated with the EISCAT KST radar at high latitudes during periods of moderate geomagnetic disturbance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Oyama

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Lower-thermospheric winds at high latitudes during moderately-disturbed geomagnetic conditions were studied using data obtained with the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT Kiruna-Sodankylä-Tromsø (KST ultrahigh frequency (UHF radar system on 9–10 September 2004. The antenna-beam configuration was newly designed to minimize the estimated measurement error of the vertical neutral-wind speed in the lower thermosphere. This method was also available to estimate the meridional and zonal components. The vertical neutral-wind speed at 109 km, 114 km, and 120 km heights showed large upward motions in excess of 30 m s⁻¹ in association with an ionospheric heating event. Large downward speeds in excess of −30 m s⁻¹ were also observed before and after the heating event. The meridional neutral-wind speed suddenly changed its direction from equatorward to poleward when the heating event began, and then returned equatorward coinciding with a decrease in the heating event. The magnetometer data from northern Scandinavia suggested that the center of the heated region was located about 80 km equatorward of Tromsø. The pressure gradient caused the lower-thermospheric wind to accelerate obliquely upward over Tromsø in the poleward direction. Acceleration of the neutral wind flowing on a vertically tilted isobar produced vertical wind speeds larger by more than two orders of magnitude than previously predicted, but still an order of magnitude smaller than observed speeds.

Evaluating Maximum Wind Energy Exploitation in Active Distribution Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Siano, Pierluigi; Chen, Peiyuan; Chen, Zhe

2010-01-01

The increased spreading of distributed and renewable generation requires moving towards active management of distribution networks. In this paper, in order to evaluate maximum wind energy exploitation in active distribution networks, a method based on a multi-period optimal power flow (OPF......) analysis is proposed. Active network management schemes such as coordinated voltage control, energy curtailment and power factor control are integrated in the method in order to investigate their impacts on the maximization of wind energy exploitation. Some case studies, using real data from a Danish...... distribution system, confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method in evaluating the optimal applications of active management schemes to increase wind energy harvesting without costly network reinforcement for the connection of wind generation....

Horizontal and vertical winds and temperatures in the equatorial thermosphere: measurements from Natal, Brazil during August-September 1982

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biondi, M.A.

1985-01-01

Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of Doppler shifts and widths of the 630.0 nm nightglow line have been used to determine the neutral winds and temperatures in the equatorial thermosphere over Natal, Brazil during August-September 1982. During this period, in the early night (2130 U.T.) the average value of the horizontal wind vector was 95 m s -1 at 100 0 azimuth, and the temperature varied from a low of 950 K during geomagnetically quiet conditions to a high of approx. 1400 K during a storm (6 September). The meridional winds were small, -1 , and the eastward zonal winds reached a maximum value 1-3 h after sunset, in qualitative agreement with TGCM predictions. On 26 August, an observed persistent convergence in the horizontal meridional flow was accompanied by a downward vertical velocity and an increase in the thermospheric temperature measured overhead. Oscillations with periods of 40-45 min in both the zonal and vertical wind velocities were observed during the geomagnetic storm of 6 September, suggesting gravity wave modulation of the equatorial thermospheric flow. (author)

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL SCALE VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINES USED IN HARBOURS AND SHORE AREAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

IONESCU Raluca Dora

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The paper aims to analyse the wind turbine solutions implemented in harbours and on shore areas. Also a thorough study of the blade design solutions for small power Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs has been conducted, with their advantages and disadvantages, in order to find the best solution that minimises the loads and helps with the self-starting capabilities of the wind turbine. First are presented all the solutions, next are discussed several research results for each solution and, in the end, a combination of solutions is chosen for our new small power VAWT with a pre-dimensioning analysis.

Effects of distributing wind energy generation over Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giebel, G [Risoe National Lab., Wind Energy and Atmospheric Physics Dept., Roskilde (Denmark)

1999-03-01

Using data from 60 meteorological stations distributed all over Europe in conjunction with the National Grid Model (NGM) from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, the effects of the large-scale distribution of wind energy generation are studied. In some regions of Europe, wind energy already covers a significant proportion of the electricity demand. But the intermittence of the wind resource is always a limiting factor when penetration levels are high. Studies for single countries have shown that distributing the generation over a large area reduces the variability of the output and hence makes wind energy more appealing to utilities, since the stability requirement of the network are easier to fulfil. The data are analysed in terms of absolute highs and lows, temporal and spatial correlations. To assess the financial benefits, the NGM is used to evaluate the match of electricity demand and generation as well as the possibel savings of fossil fuel in an electricity grid incorporating various capacities of wind energy generation. To assess the value of wind energy on a trans-national scale, the European plant mix is modelled, and the NGM is used to simulate the scheduling of these plants in the presence of different penetrations of wind energy. (au) EU-JOULE-3. 11 refs.

A review on computational fluid dynamic simulation techniques for Darrieus vertical axis wind turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghasemian, Masoud; Ashrafi, Z. Najafian; Sedaghat, Ahmad

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A review on CFD simulation technique for Darrieus wind turbines is provided. • Recommendations and guidelines toward reliable and accurate simulations are presented. • Different progresses in CFD simulation of Darrieus wind turbines are addressed. - Abstract: The global warming threats, the presence of policies on support of renewable energies, and the desire for clean smart cities are the major drives for most recent researches on developing small wind turbines in urban environments. VAWTs (vertical axis wind turbines) are most appealing for energy harvesting in the urban environment. This is attributed due to structural simplicity, wind direction independency, no yaw mechanism required, withstand high turbulence winds, cost effectiveness, easier maintenance, and lower noise emission of VAWTs. This paper reviews recent published works on CFD (computational fluid dynamic) simulations of Darrieus VAWTs. Recommendations and guidelines are presented for turbulence modeling, spatial and temporal discretization, numerical schemes and algorithms, and computational domain size. The operating and geometrical parameters such as tip speed ratio, wind speed, solidity, blade number and blade shapes are fully investigated. The purpose is to address different progresses in simulations areas such as blade profile modification and optimization, wind turbine performance augmentation using guide vanes, wind turbine wake interaction in wind farms, wind turbine aerodynamic noise reduction, dynamic stall control, self-starting characteristics, and effects of unsteady and skewed wind conditions.

Assessing the Future of Distributed Wind: Opportunities for Behind-the-Meter Projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lantz, Eric [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sigrin, Benjamin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Gleason, Michael [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Preus, Robert [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Baring-Gould, Ian [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-11-01

Wind power is one of the fastest growing sources of new electricity generation in the United States. Cumulative installed capacity was more than 74,000 megawatts (MW) at year-end 2015 and wind power supplied 4.7% of total 2015 U.S. electricity generation. Despite the growth of the wind power industry, the distributed wind market has remained limited. Cumulative installations of distributed wind through 2015 totaled 934 MW. This first-of-a-kind exploratory analysis characterizes the future opportunity for behind-the-meter distributed wind, serving primarily rural or suburban homes, farms, and manufacturing facilities. This work focuses only on the grid-connected, behind-the-meter subset of the broader distributed wind market. We estimate this segment to be approximately half of the 934 MW of total installed distributed wind capacity at year-end 2015. Potential from other distributed wind market segments including systems installed in front of the meter (e.g., community wind) and in remote, off-grid locations is not assessed in this analysis and therefore, would be additive to results presented here. These other distributed wind market segments are not considered in this initial effort because of their relatively unique economic and market attributes.

2012 Market Report on U.S. Wind Technologies in Distributed Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orrell, Alice C.; Flowers, L. T.; Gagne, M. N.; Pro, B. H.; Rhoads-Weaver, H. E.; Jenkins, J. O.; Sahl, K. M.; Baranowski, R. E.

2013-08-06

At the end of 2012, U.S. wind turbines in distributed applications reached a 10-year cumulative installed capacity of more than 812 MW from more than 69,000 units across all 50 states. In 2012 alone, nearly 3,800 wind turbines totaling 175 MW of distributed wind capacity were documented in 40 states and in the U.S. Virgin Islands, with 138 MW using utility-scale turbines (i.e., greater than 1 MW in size), 19 MW using mid-size turbines (i.e., 101 kW to 1 MW in size), and 18.4 MW using small turbines (i.e., up to 100 kW in size). Distributed wind is defined in terms of technology application based on a wind project’s location relative to end-use and power-distribution infrastructure, rather than on technology size or project size. Distributed wind systems are either connected on the customer side of the meter (to meet the onsite load) or directly to distribution or micro grids (to support grid operations or offset large loads nearby). Estimated capacity-weighted average costs for 2012 U.S. distributed wind installations was $2,540/kW for utility-scale wind turbines, $2,810/kW for mid-sized wind turbines, and $6,960/kW for newly manufactured (domestic and imported) small wind turbines. An emerging trend observed in 2012 was an increased use of refurbished turbines. The estimated capacity-weighted average cost of refurbished small wind turbines installed in 2012 was $4,080/kW. As a result of multiple projects using utility-scale turbines, Iowa deployed the most new overall distributed wind capacity, 37 MW, in 2012. Nevada deployed the most small wind capacity in 2012, with nearly 8 MW of small wind turbines installed in distributed applications. In the case of mid-size turbines, Ohio led all states in 2012 with 4.9 MW installed in distributed applications. State and federal policies and incentives continued to play a substantial role in the development of distributed wind projects. In 2012, U.S. Treasury Section 1603 payments and grants and loans from the U

Wind distribution and capacity factor estimation for wind turbines in the coastal region of South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayodele, T.R.; Jimoh, A.A.; Munda, J.L.; Agee, J.T.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We evaluate capacity factor of some commercially available wind turbines. ► Wind speed in the sites studied can best be modelled using Weibull distribution. ► Site WM05 has the highest wind power potential while site WM02 has the lowest. ► More wind power can be harnessed during the day period compared to the night. ► Turbine K seems to be the best turbine for the coastal region of South Africa. - Abstract: The operating curve parameters of a wind turbine should match the local wind regime optimally to ensure maximum exploitation of available energy in a mass of moving air. This paper provides estimates of the capacity factor of 20 commercially available wind turbines, based on the local wind characteristics of ten different sites located in the Western Cape region of South Africa. Ten-min average time series wind-speed data for a period of 1 year are used for the study. First, the wind distribution that best models the local wind regime of the sites is determined. This is based on root mean square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R 2 ) which are used to test goodness of fit. First, annual, seasonal, diurnal and peak period-capacity factor are estimated analytically. Then, the influence of turbine power curve parameters on the capacity factor is investigated. Some of the key results show that the wind distribution of the entire site can best be modelled statistically using the Weibull distribution. Site WM05 (Napier) presents the highest capacity factor for all the turbines. This indicates that this site has the highest wind power potential of all the available sites. Site WM02 (Calvinia) has the lowest capacity factor i.e. lowest wind power potential. This paper can assist in the planning and development of large-scale wind power-generating sites in South Africa.

Structural design of the Sandia 34-M Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Berg, D. E.

Sandia National Laboratories, as the lead DOE laboratory for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) development, is currently designing a 34-meter diameter Darrieus-type VAWT. This turbine will be a research test bed which provides a focus for advancing technology and validating design and fabrication techniques in a size range suitable for utility use. Structural data from this machine will allow structural modeling to be refined and verified for a turbine on which the gravity effects and stochastic wind loading are significant. Performance data from it will allow aerodynamic modeling to be refined and verified. The design effort incorporates Sandia's state-of-the-art analysis tools in the design of a complete machine. The analytic tools used in this design are discussed and the conceptual design procedure is described.

MEP family of wind speed distribution function and comparison with the empirical Weibull distribution. Paper no. IGEC-1-156

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, M.; Li, X.

2005-01-01

The probabilistic distribution of wind speed is one of the important wind characteristics for the assessment of wind energy potential and for the performance of wind energy conversion systems, as well as for the structural and environmental design and analysis. In this study, an exponential family of distribution functions has been developed for the description of the probabilistic distribution of wind speed, and comparison with the wind speed data taken from different sources and measured at different geographical locations in the world has been made. This family of distributions is developed by introducing a pre-exponential term to the theoretical distribution derived from the Maximum Entropy Principle (MEP). The statistical analysis parameter based on the wind power density is used as the suitability judgement for the distribution functions. It is shown that the MEP-type distributions not only agree better with a variety of the measured wind speed data than the conventionally used empirical Weibull distribution, but also can represent the wind power density much more accurately. Therefore, the MEP-type distributions are more suitable for the assessment of the wind energy potential and the performance of wind energy conversion systems. (author)

Study of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine for Energy Harvester in A Fishing Boat

Science.gov (United States)

Budi, E. M.; Banjarnahor, D. A.; Hanifan, M.

2017-07-01

The wind speed in the southern beach of West Java Indonesia is quite promising for wind energy harvesting. A field survey reported that the wind speed reached 10 m/s, while the average recorded in a year is about 4.7 m/s. In this study, two vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) were compared to be used in that area through calculation as well as experiments. The experiments measured that the turbines can produce about 7.82W and 2.33W of electricity respectively. These experiments are compared with theoretical calculation to obtain the performance of both turbines used. The coefficient of performance (cp) experimentally is 0.09 for Turbine 1 (hybrid Savonius-Darrieus rotor) and 0.14 for Turbine 2 (Savonius rotor). While, rotor’s mechanical performance Cpr, obtained theoritically through calculation, is 0.36 for Turbine 1 and 0.12 for Turbine 2. These results are analysed from mechanical and electrical view.

The distribution of wind power forecast errors from operational systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hodge, Bri-Mathias; Ela, Erik; Milligan, Michael

2011-07-01

Wind power forecasting is one important tool in the integration of large amounts of renewable generation into the electricity system. Wind power forecasts from operational systems are not perfect, and thus, an understanding of the forecast error distributions can be important in system operations. In this work, we examine the errors from operational wind power forecasting systems, both for a single wind plant and for an entire interconnection. The resulting error distributions are compared with the normal distribution and the distribution obtained from the persistence forecasting model at multiple timescales. A model distribution is fit to the operational system forecast errors and the potential impact on system operations highlighted through the generation of forecast confidence intervals. (orig.)

Electromagnetic Calculation of Combined Earthing System with Ring Earth Electrode and Vertical Rods for Wind Turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Fujii, Toshiaki; Yasuda, Yoh; Ueda, Toshiaki

With the worldwide spread of wind turbine installations, various problems such as landscape issues, bird strikes and grid connections have arisen. Protection of wind turbines from lightning is cited as one of the main problems. Wind turbines are often struck by lightning because of their open-air locations, such as in mountainous areas, and their special configuration and very-high construction. Especially, low-voltage and control circuits can fail or suffer burnout while blades can incur serious damage if struck by lightning. Wind turbine failures caused by lightning strikes account for approximately 25% of all failures. The problem is regarded as a global one that needs immediate resolution. It is important to understand the impedance characteristics of wind turbine earthing systems from the viewpoint of lightning protection. A report from IEC TR61400-24 recommends a “ring earth electrode”. This was originally defined in IEC 61024 (currently revised and re-numbered as IEC 62305), where such an electrode is recommended to reduce touch and step voltages in households and buildings. IEC TR61400-24 also recommended additional electrodes of vertical or horizontal rods. However, these concepts have not been fully discussed from the viewpoint of its application to wind turbines. To confirm the effect of a combination of a ring earth electrode and additional vertical rods for protection of a wind turbine, this report uses the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method to present an electromagnetic transient analysis on such a wind turbine earthing system. The results show that an optimal combination can be arranged from viewpoints of lightning protection and construction cost. Thus, this report discusses how to establish a quantitative design methodology of the wind turbine earthing system to provide effective lightning protection.

Dynamic Analysis of Darrieus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Rotors

Science.gov (United States)

Lobitz, D. W.

1981-01-01

The dynamic response characteristics of the vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) rotor are important factors governing the safety and fatigue life of VAWT systems. The principal problems are the determination of critical rotor speeds (resonances) and the assessment of forced vibration response amplitudes. The solution to these problems is complicated by centrifugal and Coriolis effects which can have substantial influence on rotor resonant frequencies and mode shapes. The primary tools now in use for rotor analysis are described and discussed. These tools include a lumped spring mass model (VAWTDYN) and also finite-element based approaches. The accuracy and completeness of current capabilities are also discussed.

Numerical study on aerodynamic damping of floating vertical axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Zhengshun; Aagaard Madsen, Helge; Gao, Zhen; Moan, Torgeir

2016-09-01

Harvesting offshore wind energy resources using floating vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) has attracted an increasing interest in recent years. Due to its potential impact on fatigue damage, the aerodynamic damping should be considered in the preliminary design of a floating VAWT based on the frequency domain method. However, currently the study on aerodynamic damping of floating VAWTs is very limited. Due to the essential difference in aerodynamic load characteristics, the aerodynamic damping of a floating VAWT could be different from that of a floating horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). In this study, the aerodynamic damping of floating VAWTs was studied in a fully coupled manner, and its influential factors and its effects on the motions, especially the pitch motion, were demonstrated. Three straight-bladed floating VAWTs with identical solidity and with a blade number varying from two to four were considered. The aerodynamic damping under steady and turbulent wind conditions were estimated using fully coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic time domain simulations. It is found that the aerodynamic damping ratio of the considered floating VAWTs ranges from 1.8% to 5.3%. Moreover, the aerodynamic damping is almost independent of the rotor azimuth angle, and is to some extent sensitive to the blade number.

The impact of inertial forces on morphing wind turbine blade in vertical axis configuration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butbul, Jonathan; MacPhee, David; Beyene, Asfaw

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A novel flexible VAWT has been experimentally tested alongside numerically simulations. • Using FEA and CFD, direction of blade bending was predicted from inertial and aerodynamic forces. • High-speed camera footage has been used to validate the model. • The flexible VAWT was found to self-start in the majority of tests, while the rigid one did not. • It is suggested that flexible VAWTs can have improved performance in part-load applications. - Abstract: A novel flexible blade concept with the ability to morph and geometrically adapt to changing flow conditions has been proposed to improve part-load performance of horizontal-axis wind turbines. The extension of these benefits to a vertical axis wind turbine would make wind technology a more competitive player in the energy market. Both flexible and rigid wind turbine rotor blades for vertical axis application were modeled, designed, manufactured and tested. Their performances were tested in a low speed wind tunnel. The predicted magnitude and direction of blade morph was validated using a high speed camera as well as finite element analysis. The comparative results of straight rigid and straight morphing blades show that the coefficient of performance greatly depends on the tip speed ratio. Overall, the morphing blade has better performance at low RPMs, but the rigid blade performed better at high RPMs. It was observed that the flexible blade self-started in the majority of the experiments. At high RPM, the centrifugal force overwhelmed the lift force, bending the flexible blade out of phase in an undesired direction increasing drag and therefore reducing the coefficient of performance

Self-similarity and flow characteristics of vertical-axis wind turbine wakes: an LES study

Science.gov (United States)

Abkar, Mahdi; Dabiri, John O.

2017-04-01

Large eddy simulation (LES) is coupled with a turbine model to study the structure of the wake behind a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT). In the simulations, a tuning-free anisotropic minimum dissipation model is used to parameterise the subfilter stress tensor, while the turbine-induced forces are modelled with an actuator line technique. The LES framework is first validated in the simulation of the wake behind a model straight-bladed VAWT placed in the water channel and then used to study the wake structure downwind of a full-scale VAWT sited in the atmospheric boundary layer. In particular, the self-similarity of the wake is examined, and it is found that the wake velocity deficit can be well characterised by a two-dimensional multivariate Gaussian distribution. By assuming a self-similar Gaussian distribution of the velocity deficit, and applying mass and momentum conservation, an analytical model is developed and tested to predict the maximum velocity deficit downwind of the turbine. Also, a simple parameterisation of VAWTs for LES with very coarse grid resolutions is proposed, in which the turbine is modelled as a rectangular porous plate with the same thrust coefficient. The simulation results show that, after some downwind distance (x/D ≈ 6), both actuator line and rectangular porous plate models have similar predictions for the mean velocity deficit. These results are of particular importance in simulations of large wind farms where, due to the coarse spatial resolution, the flow around individual VAWTs is not resolved.

Design and fabrication of a low-cost Darrieus vertical-axis wind-turbine system, volume 2

Science.gov (United States)

1983-03-01

The fabrication, installation, and checkout of 100-kW 17 meter vertical axis wind turbines is described. Turbines are Darrieus-type VAWIs with rotors 17 meters and 25.15 meters in height. They can produce 100 kW of electric power at a cost of energy as low as 3 cents per kWh, in an 18-mph wind regime using 12% annualized costs. Four turbines were produced; three are installed and are operable. Contract results are documented.

Hourly temporal distribution of wind

Science.gov (United States)

Deligiannis, Ilias; Dimitriadis, Panayiotis; Koutsoyiannis, Demetris

2016-04-01

The wind process is essential for hydrometeorology and additionally, is one of the basic renewable energy resources. Most stochastic forecast models are limited up to daily scales disregarding the hourly scale which is significant for renewable energy management. Here, we analyze hourly wind timeseries giving emphasis on the temporal distribution of wind within the day. We finally present a periodic model based on statistical as well as hydrometeorological reasoning that shows good agreement with data. Acknowledgement: This research is conducted within the frame of the undergraduate course "Stochastic Methods in Water Resources" of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). The School of Civil Engineering of NTUA provided moral support for the participation of the students in the Assembly.

Flow measurement behind a pair of vertical-axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Colin M.; Hummels, Raymond; Leftwich, Megan C.

2017-11-01

The wake from a pair of vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) is measured using particle imaging velocimetry (PIV). The VAWT models are mounted in a low-speed wind tunnel and driven using a motor control system. The rotation of the turbines is synced using a proportional controller that allows the turbine's rotational position to be set relative to each other. The rotation of the turbines is also synced with the PIV system for taking phase averaged results. The VAWTs are tested for both co- and counter-rotating cases over a range of relative phase offsets. Time averaged and phase averaged results are measured at the horizontal mid-plane in the near wake. The time-averaged results compare the bulk wake profiles from the pair of turbines. Phase averaged results look at the vortex interactions in the near wake of the turbines. By changing the phase relation between the turbines we can see the impact of the structure interactions in both the phase and time averaged results.

Small scale wind energy harvesting with maximum power tracking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joaquim Azevedo

2015-07-01

Full Text Available It is well-known that energy harvesting from wind can be used to power remote monitoring systems. There are several studies that use wind energy in small-scale systems, mainly with wind turbine vertical axis. However, there are very few studies with actual implementations of small wind turbines. This paper compares the performance of horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines for energy harvesting on wireless sensor network applications. The problem with the use of wind energy is that most of the time the wind speed is very low, especially at urban areas. Therefore, this work includes a study on the wind speed distribution in an urban environment and proposes a controller to maximize the energy transfer to the storage systems. The generated power is evaluated by simulation and experimentally for different load and wind conditions. The results demonstrate the increase in efficiency of wind generators that use maximum power transfer tracking, even at low wind speeds.

Effect of the shaft on the aerodynamic performance of urban vertical axis wind turbines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rezaeiha, A.; Kalkman, I.; Montazeri, H.; Blocken, B.J.E.

2017-01-01

The central shaft is an inseparable part of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). For small turbines such as those typically used in urban environments, the shaft could operate in the subcritical regime, resulting in large drag and considerable aerodynamic power loss. The current study aims to (i)

Speed and Torque Control Strategies for Loss Reduction of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Argent, Michael; McDonald, Alasdair; Leithead, Bill; Giles, Alexander

2016-09-01

This paper builds on the work into modelling the generator losses for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines from their intrinsic torque cycling to investigate the effects of aerodynamic inefficiencies caused by the varying rotational speed resulting from different torque control strategies to the cyclic torque. This is achieved by modelling the wake that builds up from the rotation of the VAWT rotor to investigate how the wake responds to a changing rotor speed and how this in turn affects the torque produced by the blades as well as the corresponding change in generator losses and any changes to the energy extracted by the wind turbine rotor.

Blade Simulation of Small H-Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Based on Optimal Wind Power Coefficient%风能利用系数最优小型H型垂直轴风力机叶片模拟

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

郭兴文; 刘颖波; 邱勇

2012-01-01

A two-dimensional CFD model of the external flow-field for a 1kW H-vertical axis wind turbine is established by using the software of Flunent. The sliding mesh technique and the SST k -to turbulent model are adopted. The model is intended to study the impact of different lengths of chord and different shapes of airfoil on the wind power coefficient for the H-vertical axis wind turbine. By fixing the Gurney flap of different heights on the tail of blade, the efficiency improvement of wind power coefficient is studied, and the curve of wind power coefficient for the H-vertical axis wind turbine with the tip-speed under different situations is derived. The results show that the blade of NACA 0018 with the chord length of 300mm is relatively suitable for an H-vertical axis wind turbine. The H-vertical axis wind turbine works more effectively at a tip-speed ratio from 2.5 to 3.5. The wind power coefficient of H-vertical axis wind turbine is able to be increased 3% by using the Gurney flap with flap height equaled to 1% of chord length and tip-speed ratio of 2.8.%采用移动网格技术,选用SST(剪切力传输)k-ω湍流模型,建立了1kW功率的H型垂直轴风力机风轮外流场CFD模型,研究了不同叶片翼型、不同弦长和翼尾加装Gurney襟翼对风力机风能利用系数的影响.结果表明,300mm弦长的NACA 0018翼型较为适合H型垂直轴风力机；在尖速比为2.5-3.5时,H型垂直轴风力机的工作效率较高；尖速比为2.8时,高度为1％弦长的Gurney襟翼翼型能够提高风能利用系数3％.

Development and Evaluation of an Aerodynamic Model for a Novel Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Concept

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Shires

2013-05-01

Full Text Available There has been a resurgence of interest in the development of vertical axis wind turbines which have several inherent attributes that offer some advantages for offshore operations, particularly their scalability and low over-turning moments with better accessibility to drivetrain components. This paper describes an aerodynamic performance model for vertical axis wind turbines specifically developed for the design of a novel offshore V-shaped rotor with multiple aerodynamic surfaces. The model is based on the Double-Multiple Streamtube method and includes a number of developments for alternative complex rotor shapes. The paper compares predicted results with measured field data for five different turbines with both curved and straight blades and rated powers in the range 100–500 kW. Based on these comparisons, the paper proposes modifications to the Gormont dynamic stall model that gives improved predictions of rotor power for the turbines considered.

Simulating dynamic stall in a two-dimensional vertical-axis wind turbine: Verification and validation with particle image velocimetry data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ferreira, C.J.S.; Zuijlen, van A.H.; Bijl, H.; Bussel, van G.J.W.; Kuik, van G.A.M.

2010-01-01

The implementation of wind energy conversion systems in the built environment has renewed the interest and the research on Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs). The VAWT has an inherent unsteady aerodynamic behavior due to the variation of angle of attack and perceived velocity with azimuth angle.

Large Eddy Simulation of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Wakes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sina Shamsoddin

2014-02-01

Full Text Available In this study, large eddy simulation (LES is combined with a turbine model to investigate the wake behind a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT in a three-dimensional turbulent flow. Two methods are used to model the subgrid-scale (SGS stresses: (a the Smagorinsky model; and (b the modulated gradient model. To parameterize the effects of the VAWT on the flow, two VAWT models are developed: (a the actuator swept-surface model (ASSM, in which the time-averaged turbine-induced forces are distributed on a surface swept by the turbine blades, i.e., the actuator swept surface; and (b the actuator line model (ALM, in which the instantaneous blade forces are only spatially distributed on lines representing the blades, i.e., the actuator lines. This is the first time that LES has been applied and validated for the simulation of VAWT wakes by using either the ASSM or the ALM techniques. In both models, blade-element theory is used to calculate the lift and drag forces on the blades. The results are compared with flow measurements in the wake of a model straight-bladed VAWT, carried out in the Institute de Méchanique et Statistique de la Turbulence (IMST water channel. Different combinations of SGS models with VAWT models are studied, and a fairly good overall agreement between simulation results and measurement data is observed. In general, the ALM is found to better capture the unsteady-periodic nature of the wake and shows a better agreement with the experimental data compared with the ASSM. The modulated gradient model is also found to be a more reliable SGS stress modeling technique, compared with the Smagorinsky model, and it yields reasonable predictions of the mean flow and turbulence characteristics of a VAWT wake using its theoretically-determined model coefficient.

Proceedings of the Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine Technology Workshop, Albuquerque, New Mexico, May 18--20, 1976

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1976-07-01

Separate abstracts are included for twenty-nine of the thirty papers presented concerning vertical axis wind turbines. One paper has previously been abstracted and included in the ERDA Energy Data Base and Energy Research Abstracts journal.

2013 Distributed Wind Market Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orrell, Alice C.; Rhoads-Weaver, H. E.; Flowers, Larry T.; Gagne, Matthew N.; Pro, Boyd H.; Foster, Nikolas AF

2014-08-20

The purpose of this report is to quantify and summarize the 2013 U.S. distributed wind market to help plan and guide future investments and decisions by industry stakeholders, utilities, state and federal agencies, and other interested parties.

Experimental data on load test and performance parameters of a LENZ type vertical axis wind turbine in open environment condition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seralathan Sivamani

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Performance and load testing data of a three bladed two stage LENZ type vertical axis wind turbine from the experiments conducted in an open environment condition at Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai (location 23.2167°N, 72.6833°E are presented here. Low-wind velocity ranging from 2 to 11 m/s is available everywhere irrespective of climatic seasons and this data provides the support to the researchers using numerical tool to validate and develop an enhanced Lenz type design. Raw data obtained during the measurements are processed and presented in the form so as to compare with other typical outputs. The data is measured at different wind speeds prevalent in the open field condition ranging from 3 m/s to 9 m/s. Keywords: Vertical axis wind turbine, Lenz type, Performance, Two-stage, Open environment measurement

Stochastic dynamic response analysis of a floating vertical-axis wind turbine with a semi-submersible floater

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Kai; Moan, Torgeir; Hansen, Martin Otto Laver

2016-01-01

Floating vertical-axis wind turbines (FVAWTs) provide the potential for utilizing offshore wind resources in moderate and deep water because of their economical installation and maintenance. Therefore, it is important to assess the performance of the FVAWT concept. This paper presents a stochastic...... on the response is demonstrated by comparing the floating wind turbine with the equivalent land-based wind turbine. Additionally, by comparing the behaviour of FVAWTs with flexible and rigid rotors, the effect of rotor flexibility is evaluated. Furthermore, the FVAWT is also investigated in the parked condition...... dynamic response analysis of a 5MW FVAWT based on fully coupled nonlinear time domain simulations. The studied FVAWT, which is composed of a Darrieus rotor and a semi-submersible floater, is subjected to various wind and wave conditions. The global motion, structural response and mooring line tension...

CFD ANALYSIS OF THE AIR FLOW AROUND THE BLADES OF THE VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammed Musab Gavgali

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of calculations of flow around the vertical axis wind turbine. Three-dimensional calculations were performed using ANSYS Fluent. They were made at steady-state conditions for a wind speed of 3 m/s for 4 angular settings of the three-bladed rotor. The purpose of the calculations was to determine the values of the aerodynamic forces acting on the individual blades and to present the pressure contours on the surface of turbine rotor blades. The calculations were made for 4 rotor angular settings.

Panel method for the wake effects on the aerodynamics of vertical-axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Goyal, Udit; Rempfer, Dietmar

2011-11-01

A formulation based on the panel method is implemented for studying the unsteady aerodynamics of straight-bladed vertical-axis wind turbines. A combination of source and vortex distributions is used to represent an airfoil in Darrieus type motion. Our approach represents a low-cost computational technique that takes into account the dynamic changes in angle of attack of the blade during a cycle. A time-stepping mechanism is introduced for the wake convection, and its effects on the aerodynamic forces on the blade are discussed. The focus of the study is to describe the effect of the trailing wakes on the upstream flow conditions and coefficient of performance of the turbines. Results show a decrease in Cp until the wake structure develops and assumes a quasi-steady behavior. A comparison with other models such as single and multiple streamtubes is discussed, and optimization of the blade pitch angle is performed to increase the instantaneous torque and hence the power output from the turbine.

Overcoming technical and market barriers for distributed wind applications : reaching the mainstream

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhoads-Weaver, H.; Forsyth, T.

2006-01-01

Technical and market barriers for distributed wind applications were reviewed. A renewable energy survey has recently suggested that while less than 10 per cent of survey respondents had installed wind turbines, 40 per cent indicated that they plan to use wind energy on-site in the future. It is estimated that global annual sales of wind systems have the potential to reach $110 million by 2010 under ideal conditions. Distributed wind market growth areas include residential grid-connected sites, schools, public facilities and farms, business and industry. Grid-connected wind projects are expected to grow from less than 5 per cent of the total small wind market to over 20 per cent by 2020. However, without a federal investment tax credit, more modest growth is anticipated. Drivers of the distributed wind market were identified as financial incentives and programs; favorable policies and regulations; and increasing retail electricity rates and loads. Challenges and barriers to distributed wind market growth included economics; lack of performance standards and ratings; difficult interconnection processes; prohibitive zoning rules; low manufacturing volumes; and low consumer awareness. While there has been a 5-fold increase in photovoltaics (PV) sales in the United States since 2000, small wind turbines sales have only grown by approximately 70 per cent over the same period. Market increases in distributed wind systems are anticipated with the introduction of hybrid wind/PV systems. Improved designs for small and mid-sized turbines, rotors and towers may help to overcome barriers to wind energy growth. Technology developments in remote-monitored controllers and improved computer tools for analyzing project economics may also help to overcome market barriers. However, significant cost reductions are needed to stimulate widespread market acceptance of distributed wind. It was concluded that distributed wind is well-positioned to play an important role in supplying clean

Fish schooling as a basis for vertical axis wind turbine farm design.

Science.gov (United States)

Whittlesey, Robert W; Liska, Sebastian; Dabiri, John O

2010-09-01

Most wind farms consist of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) due to the high power coefficient (mechanical power output divided by the power of the free-stream air through the turbine cross-sectional area) of an isolated turbine. However when in close proximity to neighboring turbines, HAWTs suffer from a reduced power coefficient. In contrast, previous research on vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) suggests that closely spaced VAWTs may experience only small decreases (or even increases) in an individual turbine's power coefficient when placed in close proximity to neighbors, thus yielding much higher power outputs for a given area of land. A potential flow model of inter-VAWT interactions is developed to investigate the effect of changes in VAWT spatial arrangement on the array performance coefficient, which compares the expected average power coefficient of turbines in an array to a spatially isolated turbine. A geometric arrangement based on the configuration of shed vortices in the wake of schooling fish is shown to significantly increase the array performance coefficient based upon an array of 16 x 16 wind turbines. The results suggest increases in power output of over one order of magnitude for a given area of land as compared to HAWTs.

Fish schooling as a basis for vertical axis wind turbine farm design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whittlesey, Robert W; Liska, Sebastian; Dabiri, John O

2010-01-01

Most wind farms consist of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) due to the high power coefficient (mechanical power output divided by the power of the free-stream air through the turbine cross-sectional area) of an isolated turbine. However when in close proximity to neighboring turbines, HAWTs suffer from a reduced power coefficient. In contrast, previous research on vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) suggests that closely spaced VAWTs may experience only small decreases (or even increases) in an individual turbine's power coefficient when placed in close proximity to neighbors, thus yielding much higher power outputs for a given area of land. A potential flow model of inter-VAWT interactions is developed to investigate the effect of changes in VAWT spatial arrangement on the array performance coefficient, which compares the expected average power coefficient of turbines in an array to a spatially isolated turbine. A geometric arrangement based on the configuration of shed vortices in the wake of schooling fish is shown to significantly increase the array performance coefficient based upon an array of 16 x 16 wind turbines. The results suggest increases in power output of over one order of magnitude for a given area of land as compared to HAWTs.

Shaping the distribution of vertical velocities of antihydrogen in GBAR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dufour, G.; Lambrecht, A.; Reynaud, S. [CNRS, ENS, UPMC, Laboratoire Kastler-Brossel, Paris (France); Debu, P. [CEA-Saclay, Institut de Recherche sur les lois Fondamentales de l' Univers, Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Nesvizhevsky, V.V. [Institut Max von Laue-Paul Langevin, Grenoble (France); Voronin, A.Yu. [P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation)

2014-01-15

GBAR is a project aiming at measuring the freefall acceleration of gravity for antimatter, namely antihydrogen atoms (H). The precision of this timing experiment depends crucially on the dispersion of initial vertical velocities of the atoms as well as on the reliable control of their distribution.We propose to use a new method for shaping the distribution of the vertical velocities of H, which improves these factors simultaneously. The method is based on quantum reflection of elastically and specularly bouncing H with small initial vertical velocity on a bottom mirror disk, and absorption of atoms with large initial vertical velocities on a top rough disk.We estimate statistical and systematic uncertainties, and we show that the accuracy for measuring the free fall acceleration g of H could be pushed below 10{sup -3} under realistic experimental conditions. (orig.)

Shaping the distribution of vertical velocities of antihydrogen in GBAR

CERN Document Server

Dufour, G.; Lambrecht, A.; Nesvizhevsky, V.V.; Reynaud, S.; Voronin, A.Yu.

2014-01-30

GBAR is a project aiming at measuring the free fall acceleration of gravity for antimatter, namely antihydrogen atoms ($\\overline{\\mathrm{H}}$). Precision of this timing experiment depends crucially on the dispersion of initial vertical velocities of the atoms as well as on the reliable control of their distribution. We propose to use a new method for shaping the distribution of vertical velocities of $\\overline{\\mathrm{H}}$, which improves these factors simultaneously. The method is based on quantum reflection of elastically and specularly bouncing $\\overline{\\mathrm{H}}$ with small initial vertical velocity on a bottom mirror disk, and absorption of atoms with large initial vertical velocities on a top rough disk. We estimate statistical and systematic uncertainties, and show that the accuracy for measuring the free fall acceleration $\\overline{g}$ of $\\overline{\\mathrm{H}}$ could be pushed below $10^{-3}$ under realistic experimental conditions.

DOE-EPRI distributed wind Turbine Verification Program (TVP III)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGowin, C.; DeMeo, E. [Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA (United States); Calvert, S. [Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)] [and others

1997-12-31

In 1992, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiated the Utility Wind Turbine Verification Program (TVP). The goal of the program is to evaluate prototype advanced wind turbines at several sites developed by U.S. electric utility companies. Two six MW wind projects have been installed under the TVP program by Central and South West Services in Fort Davis, Texas and Green Mountain Power Corporation in Searsburg, Vermont. In early 1997, DOE and EPRI selected five more utility projects to evaluate distributed wind generation using smaller {open_quotes}clusters{close_quotes} of wind turbines connected directly to the electricity distribution system. This paper presents an overview of the objectives, scope, and status of the EPRI-DOE TVP program and the existing and planned TVP projects.

Development of a 5.5 m diameter vertical axis wind turbine, phase 3

Science.gov (United States)

Dekitsch, A.; Etzler, C. C.; Fritzsche, A.; Lorch, G.; Mueller, W.; Rogalla, K.; Schmelzle, J.; Schuhwerk, W.; Vollan, A.; Welte, D.

1982-06-01

In continuation of development of a 5.5 m diameter vertical axis windmill that consists in conception, building, and wind tunnel testing, a Darrieus rotor windpowered generator feeding an isolated network under different wind velocity conditions and with optimal energy conversion efficiency was designed built, and field tested. The three-bladed Darrieus rotor tested in the wind tunnel was equiped with two variable pitch Savonius rotors 2 m in diameter. By means of separate measures of the aerodynamic factors and the energy consumption, effect of revisions and optimizations on different elements was assessed. Pitch adjustement of the Savonius blades, lubrication of speed reducer, rotor speed at cut-in of generator field excitation, time constant of field excitation, stability conditions, switch points of ohmic resistors which combined with a small electric battery simulated a larger isolated network connected with a large storage battery, were investigated. Fundamentals for the economic series production of windpowered generators with Darrieus rotors for the control and the electric conversion system are presented.

Mathematical Model to estimate the wind power using four-parameter Burr distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Sanming; Wang, Zhijie; Pan, Zhaoxu

2018-03-01

When the real probability of wind speed in the same position needs to be described, the four-parameter Burr distribution is more suitable than other distributions. This paper introduces its important properties and characteristics. Also, the application of the four-parameter Burr distribution in wind speed prediction is discussed, and the expression of probability distribution of output power of wind turbine is deduced.

Vertical velocity and turbulence aspects during Mistral events as observed by UHF wind profilers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.-L. Caccia

2004-11-01

Full Text Available The general purpose of this paper is to experimentally study mesoscale dynamical aspects of the Mistral in the coastal area located at the exit of the Rhône-valley. The Mistral is a northerly low-level flow blowing in southern France along the Rhône-valley axis, located between the French Alps and the Massif Central, towards the Mediterranean Sea. The experimental data are obtained by UHF wind profilers deployed during two major field campaigns, MAP (Mesoscale Alpine Program in autumn 1999, and ESCOMPTE (Expérience sur Site pour COntraindre les Modèles de Pollution atmosphériques et de Transports d'Emission in summer 2001. Thanks to the use of the time evolution of the vertical profile of the horizontal wind vector, recent works have shown that the dynamics of the Mistral is highly dependent on the season because of the occurrence of specific synoptic patterns. In addition, during summer, thermal forcing leads to a combination of sea breeze with Mistral and weaker Mistral due to the enhanced friction while, during autumn, absence of convective turbulence leads to substantial acceleration as low-level jets are generated in the stably stratified planetary boundary layer. At the exit of the Rhône valley, the gap flow dynamics dominates, whereas at the lee of the Alps, the dynamics is driven by the relative contribution of "flow around" and "flow over" mechanisms, upstream of the Alps. This paper analyses vertical velocity and turbulence, i.e. turbulent dissipation rate, with data obtained by the same UHF wind profilers during the same Mistral events. In autumn, the motions are found to be globally and significantly subsident, which is coherent for a dry, cold and stable flow approaching the sea, and the turbulence is found to be of pure dynamical origin (wind shears and mountain/lee wave breaking, which is coherent with non-convective situations. In summer, due to the ground heating and to the interactions with thermal circulation, the

Vertical velocity and turbulence aspects during Mistral events as observed by UHF wind profilers

Science.gov (United States)

Caccia, J.; Guénard, V.; Benech, B.; Campistron, B.; Drobinski, P.

2004-11-01

The general purpose of this paper is to experimentally study mesoscale dynamical aspects of the Mistral in the coastal area located at the exit of the Rhône-valley. The Mistral is a northerly low-level flow blowing in southern France along the Rhône-valley axis, located between the French Alps and the Massif Central, towards the Mediterranean Sea. The experimental data are obtained by UHF wind profilers deployed during two major field campaigns, MAP (Mesoscale Alpine Program) in autumn 1999, and ESCOMPTE (Expérience sur Site pour COntraindre les Modèles de Pollution atmosphériques et de Transports d'Emission) in summer 2001. Thanks to the use of the time evolution of the vertical profile of the horizontal wind vector, recent works have shown that the dynamics of the Mistral is highly dependent on the season because of the occurrence of specific synoptic patterns. In addition, during summer, thermal forcing leads to a combination of sea breeze with Mistral and weaker Mistral due to the enhanced friction while, during autumn, absence of convective turbulence leads to substantial acceleration as low-level jets are generated in the stably stratified planetary boundary layer. At the exit of the Rhône valley, the gap flow dynamics dominates, whereas at the lee of the Alps, the dynamics is driven by the relative contribution of "flow around" and "flow over" mechanisms, upstream of the Alps. This paper analyses vertical velocity and turbulence, i.e. turbulent dissipation rate, with data obtained by the same UHF wind profilers during the same Mistral events. In autumn, the motions are found to be globally and significantly subsident, which is coherent for a dry, cold and stable flow approaching the sea, and the turbulence is found to be of pure dynamical origin (wind shears and mountain/lee wave breaking), which is coherent with non-convective situations. In summer, due to the ground heating and to the interactions with thermal circulation, the vertical motions are

Vertical velocity and turbulence aspects during Mistral events as observed by UHF wind profilers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caccia, J.L.; Guenard, V. [LSEET, CNRS/Univ. de Toulon, La Garde (France); Benech, B.; Campistron, B. [CRA/LA, CNRS/Obs. Midi-Pyrenees, Campistrous (France); Drobinski, P. [IPSL/SA, CNRS/Univ. de Paris VI, Paris (France)

2004-07-01

The general purpose of this paper is to experimentally study mesoscale dynamical aspects of the Mistral in the coastal area located at the exit of the Rhone-valley. The Mistral is a northerly low-level flow blowing in southern France along the Rhone-valley axis, located between the French Alps and the Massif Central, towards the Mediterranean Sea. The experimental data are obtained by UHF wind profilers deployed during two major field campaigns, MAP (mesoscale alpine program) in autumn 1999, and ESCOMPTE (Experience sur Site pour COntraindre les Modeles de Pollution atmospheriques et de Transports d'Emission) in summer 2001. Thanks to the use of the time evolution of the vertical profile of the horizontal wind vector, recent works have shown that the dynamics of the Mistral is highly dependent on the season because of the occurrence of specific synoptic patterns. In addition, during summer, thermal forcing leads to a combination of sea breeze with Mistral and weaker Mistral due to the enhanced friction while, during autumn, absence of convective turbulence leads to substantial acceleration as low-level jets are generated in the stably stratified planetary boundary layer. At the exit of the Rhone valley, the gap flow dynamics dominates, whereas at the lee of the Alps, the dynamics is driven by the relative contribution of ''flow around'' and ''flow over'' mechanisms, upstream of the Alps. This paper analyses vertical velocity and turbulence, i.e. turbulent dissipation rate, with data obtained by the same UHF wind profilers during the same Mistral events. In autumn, the motions are found to be globally and significantly subsident, which is coherent for a dry, cold and stable flow approaching the sea, and the turbulence is found to be of pure dynamical origin (wind shears and mountain/lee wave breaking), which is coherent with non-convective situations. In summer, due to the ground heating and to the interactions with

Integrating wind turbines into the Orcas Island distribution system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zaininger, H.W. [Zaininger Engineering Co., Roseville, CA (United States)

1998-09-01

This research effort consists of two years of wind data collection and analysis to investigate the possibility of strategically locating a megawatt (MW) scale wind farm near the end of an Orcas Power and light Company (OPALCO) 25-kilovolt (kV) distribution circuit to defer the need to upgrade the line to 69 kV. The results of this study support the results of previous work in which another year of wind data and collection was performed. Both this study and the previous study show that adding a MW-scale wind farm at the Mt. Constitution site is a feasible alternative to upgrading the OPALCO 25-kV distribution circuit to 69 kV.

Creating a benchmark of vertical axis wind turbines in dynamic stall for validating numerical models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castelein, D.; Ragni, D.; Tescione, G.

2015-01-01

An experimental campaign using Particle Image Velocimetry (2C-PIV) technique has been conducted on a H-type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) to create a benchmark for validating and comparing numerical models. The turbine is operated at tip speed ratios (TSR) of 4.5 and 2, at an average chord...

An appraisal of wind speed distribution prediction by soft computing methodologies: A comparative study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petković, Dalibor; Shamshirband, Shahaboddin; Anuar, Nor Badrul; Saboohi, Hadi; Abdul Wahab, Ainuddin Wahid; Protić, Milan; Zalnezhad, Erfan; Mirhashemi, Seyed Mohammad Amin

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Probabilistic distribution functions of wind speed. • Two parameter Weibull probability distribution. • To build an effective prediction model of distribution of wind speed. • Support vector regression application as probability function for wind speed. - Abstract: The probabilistic distribution of wind speed is among the more significant wind characteristics in examining wind energy potential and the performance of wind energy conversion systems. When the wind speed probability distribution is known, the wind energy distribution can be easily obtained. Therefore, the probability distribution of wind speed is a very important piece of information required in assessing wind energy potential. For this reason, a large number of studies have been established concerning the use of a variety of probability density functions to describe wind speed frequency distributions. Although the two-parameter Weibull distribution comprises a widely used and accepted method, solving the function is very challenging. In this study, the polynomial and radial basis functions (RBF) are applied as the kernel function of support vector regression (SVR) to estimate two parameters of the Weibull distribution function according to previously established analytical methods. Rather than minimizing the observed training error, SVR p oly and SVR r bf attempt to minimize the generalization error bound, so as to achieve generalized performance. According to the experimental results, enhanced predictive accuracy and capability of generalization can be achieved using the SVR approach compared to other soft computing methodologies

Wind Power Forecasting Error Distributions: An International Comparison

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hodge, Bri-Mathias; Lew, Debra; Milligan, Michael

2012-01-01

Wind power forecasting is essential for greater penetration of wind power into electricity systems. Because no wind forecasting system is perfect, a thorough understanding of the errors that may occur is a critical factor for system operation functions, such as the setting of operating reserve...... levels. This paper provides an international comparison of the distribution of wind power forecasting errors from operational systems, based on real forecast data. The paper concludes with an assessment of similarities and differences between the errors observed in different locations....

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OPERATING PARAMETERS OF THE VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINE FOR THE SELECTED WIND SPEED

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zbigniew Czyż

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The article presents the results of examining a wind turbine on the vertical axis of rotation. The study was conducted in an open circuit wind tunnel Gunt HM 170 in the laboratory of the Department of Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics and Aviation Propulsion Systems in Lublin University of Technology. The subject of research was a rotor based on the patent PL 219985. The research object in the form of rotor consists of blades capable of altering the surface of the active area (receiving kinetic energy of the wind. The study was performed on appropriately scaled and geometrically similar models with maintaining, relevant to the type of research, the criterion numbers. Research objects in the form of rotors with different angles of divergence of blades were made using a 3D powder printer ZPrinter® 450. The results of the research conducted were carried out at the selected flow velocity of 6.5 m/s for three angles of divergence, ie. 30°, 60°, and 90° at variable rotational speed. The applied research station allows braking of the turbine to the required speed, recording velocity and torque, which allows to obtain characteristics of torque and power as a function of rotor speed.

Global carbon monoxide vertical distributions from spaceborne high-resolution FTIR nadir measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Barret

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the first global distributions of CO vertical profiles retrieved from a thermal infrared FTS working in the nadir geometry. It is based on the exploitation of the high resolution and high quality spectra measured by the Interferometric Monitor of Greenhouse gases (IMG which flew onboard the Japanese ADEOS platform in 1996-1997. The retrievals are performed with an algorithm based on the Optimal Estimation Method (OEM and are characterized in terms of vertical sensitivity and error budget. It is found that most of the IMG measurements contain between 1.5 and 2.2 independent pieces of information about the vertical distribution of CO from the lower troposphere to the upper troposphere-lower stratosphere (UTLS. The retrievals are validated against coincident NOAA/CMDL in situ surface measurements and NDSC/FTIR total columns measurements. The retrieved global distributions of CO are also found to be in good agreement with the distributions modeled by the GEOS-CHEM 3D CTM, highlighting the ability of IMG to capture the horizontal as well as the vertical structure of the CO distributions.

Towards accurate performance prediction of a vertical axis wind turbine operating at different tip speed ratios

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rezaeiha, A.; Kalkman, I.; Blocken, B.J.E.

2017-01-01

Accurate prediction of the performance of a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) using CFD simulation requires the employment of a sufficiently fine azimuthal increment (dθ) combined with a mesh size at which essential flow characteristics can be accurately resolved. Furthermore, the domain size needs

Tropospheric weather influenced by solar wind through atmospheric vertical coupling downward control

Science.gov (United States)

Prikryl, Paul; Bruntz, Robert; Tsukijihara, Takumi; Iwao, Koki; Muldrew, Donald B.; Rušin, Vojto; Rybanský, Milan; Turňa, Maroš; Šťastný, Pavel

2018-06-01

Occurrence of severe weather in the context of solar wind coupling to the magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere (MIA) system is investigated. It is observed that significant snowfall, wind and heavy rain, particularly if caused by low pressure systems in winter, tend to follow arrivals of high-speed solar wind. Previously published statistical evidence that explosive extratropical cyclones in the northern hemisphere tend to occur within a few days after arrivals of high-speed solar wind streams from coronal holes (Prikryl et al., 2009, 2016) is corroborated for the southern hemisphere. Cases of severe weather events are examined in the context of the magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere (MIA) coupling. Physical mechanism to explain these observations is proposed. The leading edge of high-speed solar wind streams is a locus of large-amplitude magneto-hydrodynamic waves that modulate Joule heating and/or Lorentz forcing of the high-latitude lower thermosphere generating medium-scale atmospheric gravity waves that propagate upward and downward through the atmosphere. Simulations of gravity wave propagation in a model atmosphere using the Transfer Function Model (Mayr et al., 1990) reveal that propagating waves originating in the lower thermosphere can excite a spectrum of gravity waves in the lower atmosphere. In spite of significantly reduced amplitudes but subject to amplification upon reflection in the upper troposphere, these gravity waves can provide a lift of unstable air to release instabilities in the troposphere and initiate convection to form cloud/precipitation bands. It is primarily the energy provided by release of latent heat that leads to intensification of storms. These results indicate that vertical coupling in the atmosphere exerts downward control from solar wind to the lower atmospheric levels influencing tropospheric weather development.

Vertical distributions of particulate plutonium in the western North Pacific Ocean

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okubo, Ayako; Zheng, Jian; Aono, Tatsuo; Kaeriyama, Hideki; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Yamada, Masatoshi; Kusakabe, Masashi

2007-01-01

We examined the vertical distributions of 239+240 Pu activity and 240 Pu / 239 Pu atom ratio in particles collected by large volume water in-situ pump in the western North Pacific Ocean (off Rokkasho, Japan). This is the first information of vertical distribution of plutonium activity and Plutonium atom ratio in small particle (1-70 μm) and large particle (>70 μm). (author)

Statistical study of chorus wave distributions in the inner magnetosphere using Ae and solar wind parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Aryan, Homayon; Yearby, Keith; Balikhin, Michael; Agapitov, Oleksiy; Krasnoselskikh, Vladimir; Boynton, Richard

2014-08-01

Energetic electrons within the Earth's radiation belts represent a serious hazard to geostationary satellites. The interactions of electrons with chorus waves play an important role in both the acceleration and loss of radiation belt electrons. The common approach is to present model wave distributions in the inner magnetosphere under different values of geomagnetic activity as expressed by the geomagnetic indices. However, it has been shown that only around 50% of geomagnetic storms increase flux of relativistic electrons at geostationary orbit while 20% causes a decrease and the remaining 30% has relatively no effect. This emphasizes the importance of including solar wind parameters such as bulk velocity (V), density (n), flow pressure (P), and the vertical interplanetary magnetic field component (Bz) that are known to be predominately effective in the control of high energy fluxes at the geostationary orbit. Therefore, in the present study the set of parameters of the wave distributions is expanded to include the solar wind parameters in addition to the geomagnetic activity. The present study examines almost 4 years (1 January 2004 to 29 September 2007) of Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Field Fluctuation data from Double Star TC1 combined with geomagnetic indices and solar wind parameters from OMNI database in order to present a comprehensive model of wave magnetic field intensities for the chorus waves as a function of magnetic local time, L shell (L), magnetic latitude (λm), geomagnetic activity, and solar wind parameters. Generally, the results indicate that the intensity of chorus emission is not only dependent upon geomagnetic activity but also dependent on solar wind parameters with velocity and southward interplanetary magnetic field Bs (Bz < 0), evidently the most influential solar wind parameters. The largest peak chorus intensities in the order of 50 pT are observed during active conditions, high solar wind velocities, low solar wind densities, high

Wind-Wave Effects on Vertical Mixing in Chesapeake Bay, USA: comparing observations to second-moment closure predictions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, A. W.; Sanford, L. P.; Scully, M. E.

2016-12-01

Coherent wave-driven turbulence generated through wave breaking or nonlinear wave-current interactions, e.g. Langmuir turbulence (LT), can significantly enhance the downward transfer of momentum, kinetic energy, and dissolved gases in the oceanic surface layer. There are few observations of these processes in the estuarine or coastal environments, where wind-driven mixing may co-occur with energetic tidal mixing and strong density stratification. This presents a major challenge for evaluating vertical mixing parameterizations used in modeling estuarine and coastal dynamics. We carried out a large, multi-investigator study of wind-driven estuarine dynamics in the middle reaches of Chesapeake Bay, USA, during 2012-2013. The center of the observational array was an instrumented turbulence tower with both atmospheric and marine turbulence sensors as well as rapidly sampled temperature and conductivity sensors. For this paper, we examined the impacts of surface gravity waves on vertical profiles of turbulent mixing and compared our results to second-moment turbulence closure predictions. Wave and turbulence measurements collected from the vertical array of Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters (ADVs) provided direct estimates of the dominant terms in the TKE budget and the surface wave field. Observed dissipation rates, TKE levels, and turbulent length scales are compared to published scaling relations and used in the calculation of second-moment nonequilibrium stability functions. Results indicate that in the surface layer of the estuary, where elevated dissipation is balanced by vertical divergence in TKE flux, existing nonequilibrium stability functions underpredict observed eddy viscosities. The influences of wave breaking and coherent wave-driven turbulence on modeled and observed stability functions will be discussed further in the context of turbulent length scales, TKE and dissipation profiles, and the depth at which the wave-dominated turbulent transport layer

Design Loads on Platforms on Offshore wind Turbine Foundations with Respect to Vertical Wave Run-up

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damsgaard, Mathilde L.; Gravesen, Helge; Andersen, Thomas Lykke

2007-01-01

reduction in the loads by up to 75%. Furthermore it is indicated, that the fact that offshore wind turbines often are placed on limited water depths thereby increasing the amount of (nearly) breaking waves, seems to increase the run-up height and thereby the pressures on the structure.......Experiences have shown that the vertical run-up generated by waves meeting the offshore wind turbine foundations, can result in rather vigorous loads on appurtenances and platform structures. This study aims to provide a qualitative method of determining run-up height and the following loads...

CFD simulations of power coefficients for an innovative Darrieus style vertical axis wind turbine with auxiliary straight blades

Science.gov (United States)

Arpino, F.; Cortellessa, G.; Dell'Isola, M.; Scungio, M.; Focanti, V.; Profili, M.; Rotondi, M.

2017-11-01

The increasing price of fossil derivatives, global warming and energy market instabilities, have led to an increasing interest in renewable energy sources such as wind energy. Amongst the different typologies of wind generators, small scale Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) present the greatest potential for off grid power generation at low wind speeds. In the present work, Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations were performed in order to investigate the performance of an innovative configuration of straight-blades Darrieus-style vertical axis micro wind turbine, specifically developed for small scale energy conversion at low wind speeds. The micro turbine under investigation is composed of three pairs of airfoils, consisting of a main and auxiliary blades with different chord lengths. The simulations were made using the open source finite volume based CFD toolbox OpenFOAM, considering different turbulence models and adopting a moving mesh approach for the turbine rotor. The simulated data were reported in terms of dimensionless power coefficients for dynamic performance analysis. The results from the simulations were compared to the data obtained from experiments on a scaled model of the same VAWT configuration, conducted in a closed circuit open chamber wind tunnel facility available at the Laboratory of Industrial Measurements (LaMI) of the University of Cassino and Lazio Meridionale (UNICLAM). From the proposed analysis, it was observed that the most suitable model for the simulation of the performances of the micro turbine under investigation is the one-equation Spalart-Allmaras, even if under the conditions analysed in the present work and for TSR values higher than 1.1, some discrepancies between numerical and experimental data can be observed.

Distributed Electrical Power Generation: Summary of Alternative Available Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

2003-09-01

Vertical axis wind turbines are far less common than horizontal turbines . The only such turbine manufactured commercially at any volume is the Darrieus ...work reviews and describes various distributed generation technologies, including fuel cells, microturbines, wind turbines , photovoltaic arrays, and...12 3 Wind Turbines

Wind stress, curl and vertical velocity in the Bay of Bengal during southwest monsoon, 1984

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Babu, M.T.; Heblekar, A.K.; Murty, C.S.

Wind distribution observed during southwest monsoon of 1984 has used to derive the mean wind stress for the season at every 1 degree square grid and curl over the Bay of Bengal. Two regions of maximum wind stress are present over the Bay of Bengal...

Spatial Distribution of Estimated Wind-Power Royalties in West Texas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Brannstrom

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Wind-power development in the U.S. occurs primarily on private land, producing royalties for landowners through private contracts with wind-farm operators. Texas, the U.S. leader in wind-power production with well-documented support for wind power, has virtually all of its ~12 GW of wind capacity sited on private lands. Determining the spatial distribution of royalty payments from wind energy is a crucial first step to understanding how renewable power may alter land-based livelihoods of some landowners, and, as a result, possibly encourage land-use changes. We located ~1700 wind turbines (~2.7 GW on 241 landholdings in Nolan and Taylor counties, Texas, a major wind-development region. We estimated total royalties to be ~$11.5 million per year, with mean annual royalty received per landowner per year of $47,879 but with significant differences among quintiles and between two sub-regions. Unequal distribution of royalties results from land-tenure patterns established before wind-power development because of a “property advantage,” defined as the pre-existing land-tenure patterns that benefit the fraction of rural landowners who receive wind turbines. A “royalty paradox” describes the observation that royalties flow to a small fraction of landowners even though support for wind power exceeds 70 percent.

A comparison between the dynamics of horizontal and vertical axis offshore floating wind turbines.

Science.gov (United States)

Borg, M; Collu, M

2015-02-28

The need to further exploit offshore wind resources in deeper waters has led to a re-emerging interest in vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) for floating foundation applications. However, there has been little effort to systematically compare VAWTs to the more conventional horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). This article initiates this comparison based on prime principles, focusing on the turbine aerodynamic forces and their impact on the floating wind turbine static and dynamic responses. VAWTs generate substantially different aerodynamic forces on the support structure, in particular, a potentially lower inclining moment and a substantially higher torque than HAWTs. Considering the static stability requirements, the advantages of a lower inclining moment, a lower wind turbine mass and a lower centre of gravity are illustrated, all of which are exploitable to have a less costly support structure. Floating VAWTs experience increased motion in the frequency range surrounding the turbine [number of blades]×[rotational speed] frequency. For very large VAWTs with slower rotational speeds, this frequency range may significantly overlap with the range of wave excitation forces. Quantitative considerations are undertaken comparing the reference NREL 5 MW HAWT with the NOVA 5 MW VAWT. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Vertical velocity and turbulence aspects during Mistral events as observed by UHF wind profilers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.-L. Caccia

2004-11-01

Full Text Available The general purpose of this paper is to experimentally study mesoscale dynamical aspects of the Mistral in the coastal area located at the exit of the Rhône-valley. The Mistral is a northerly low-level flow blowing in southern France along the Rhône-valley axis, located between the French Alps and the Massif Central, towards the Mediterranean Sea. The experimental data are obtained by UHF wind profilers deployed during two major field campaigns, MAP (Mesoscale Alpine Program in autumn 1999, and ESCOMPTE (Expérience sur Site pour COntraindre les Modèles de Pollution atmosphériques et de Transports d'Emission in summer 2001.

Thanks to the use of the time evolution of the vertical profile of the horizontal wind vector, recent works have shown that the dynamics of the Mistral is highly dependent on the season because of the occurrence of specific synoptic patterns. In addition, during summer, thermal forcing leads to a combination of sea breeze with Mistral and weaker Mistral due to the enhanced friction while, during autumn, absence of convective turbulence leads to substantial acceleration as low-level jets are generated in the stably stratified planetary boundary layer. At the exit of the Rhône valley, the gap flow dynamics dominates, whereas at the lee of the Alps, the dynamics is driven by the relative contribution of "flow around" and "flow over" mechanisms, upstream of the Alps. This paper analyses vertical velocity and turbulence, i.e. turbulent dissipation rate, with data obtained by the same UHF wind profilers during the same Mistral events.

In autumn, the motions are found to be globally and significantly subsident, which is coherent for a dry, cold and stable flow approaching the sea, and the turbulence is found to be of pure dynamical origin (wind shears and mountain/lee wave breaking, which is coherent with non-convective situations.

Vertical distribution and migration of euphausiid species in the Red Sea

KAUST Repository

Wiebe, Peter H.; Bucklin, Ann; Kaartvedt, Stein; Rø stad, Anders; Blanco-Bercial, Leocadio

2016-01-01

We addressed how the extreme environmental conditions of the Red Sea impact or alter patterns of vertical distribution and vertical migration of five euphausiid species that are known from other oceans. Euphausia diomedeae was abundant and performed

Numerical and Computational Analysis of a New Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, Named KIONAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eleni Douvi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper concentrates on a new configuration for a wind turbine, named KIONAS. The main purpose is to determine the performance and aerodynamic behavior of KIONAS, which is a vertical axis wind turbine with a stator over the rotor and a special feature in that it can consist of several stages. Notably, the stator is shaped in such a way that it increases the velocity of the air impacting the rotor blades. Moreover, each stage’s performance can be increased with the increase of the total number of stages. The effects of wind velocity, the various numbers of inclined rotor blades, the rotor diameter, the stator’s shape and the number of stages on the performance of KIONAS were studied. A FORTRAN code was developed in order to predict the power in several cases by solving the equations of continuity and momentum. Subsequently, further knowledge on the flow field was obtained by using a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics code. Based on the results, it can be concluded that higher wind velocities and a greater number of blades produce more power. Furthermore, higher performance was found for a stator with curved guide vanes and for a KIONAS configuration with more stages.

Rotor instrumentation circuits for the Sandia 34-meter vertical axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Sutherland, Herbert J.; Stephenson, William A.

1988-07-01

Sandia National Laboratories has erected a research oriented, 34-meter diameter, Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine near Bushland, Texas, which has been designated the Sandia 34-m VAWT Test Bed. To meet present and future research needs, the machine was equipped with a large array of sensors. This manuscript details the sensors initially placed on the rotor, their respective instrumentation circuits, and the provisions incorporated into the design of the rotor instrumentation circuits for future research. This manuscript was written as a reference manual for the rotor instrumentation of the Test Bed.

Kinematics of a vertical axis wind turbine with a variable pitch angle

Science.gov (United States)

Jakubowski, Mateusz; Starosta, Roman; Fritzkowski, Pawel

2018-01-01

A computational model for the kinematics of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is presented. A H-type rotor turbine with a controlled pitch angle is considered. The aim of this solution is to improve the VAWT productivity. The discussed method is related to a narrow computational branch based on the Blade Element Momentum theory (BEM theory). The paper can be regarded as a theoretical basis and an introduction to further studies with the application of BEM. The obtained torque values show the main advantage of using the variable pitch angle.

Effect of moment of inertia to H type vertical axis wind turbine aerodynamic performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, C X; Li, S T

2013-01-01

The main aerodynamic performances (out power out power coefficient torque torque coefficient and so on) of H type Vertical Axis wind Turbine (H-VAWT) which is rotating machinery will be impacted by moment of inertia. This article will use NACA0018 airfoil profile to analyze that moment of inertia through impact performance of H type VAWT by utilizing program of Matlab and theory of Double-Multiple Streamtube. The results showed that the max out power coefficient was barely impacted when moment of inertia is changed in a small area,but the lesser moment of inertia's VAWT needs a stronger wind velocity to obtain the max out power. The lesser moment of inertia's VAWT has a big out power coefficient, torque coefficient and out power before it gets to the point of max out power coefficient. Out power coefficient, torque and torque coefficient will obviously change with wind velocity increased for VAWT of the lesser moment of inertia

Turbulence and feeding behaviour affect the vertical distributions of Oithona similis and Microsetella norwegica

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maar, M.; Visser, Andre; Nielsen, Torkel Gissel

2006-01-01

The small copepods Oithona similis and Microsetella norwegica are often numerically abundant and widely distributed, but the factors controlling their vertical distributions and role in carbon cycling are yet unknown. Here we examined the vertical distributions of copepods during spring and summer...

Stochastic Evaluation of Maximum Wind Installation in a Radial Distribution Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Peiyuan; Bak-Jensen, Birgitte; Chen, Zhe

2011-01-01

This paper proposes an optimization algorithm to find the maximum wind installation in a radial distribution network. The algorithm imposes a limit on the amount of wind energy that can be curtailed annually. The algorithm implements the wind turbine reactive power control and wind energy...... curtailment using sensitivity factors. The optimization is integrated with Monte Carlo simulation to account for the stochastic behavior of load demand and wind power generation. The proposed algorithm is tested on a real 20 kV Danish distribution system in Støvring. It is demonstrated that the algorithm...... executes reactive compensation and energy curtailment sequentially in an effective and efficient manner....

Facing the challenges of distribution systems operation with high wind power penetration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Das, Kaushik; Altin, Müfit; Hansen, Anca Daniela

2017-01-01

power flow in 60kV distribution networks through controlling the ability of wind power plants (WPPs) to generate or absorb reactive power. This paper aims to understand the characteristics of a distribution network with high penetration of distributed generation. A detailed analysis of the active...... and reactive power flows in a real distribution network under different wind and load conditions based on actual measurements is performed in order to understand the correlation between the consumption, wind power production, and the network losses. Conclusive remarks are presented, briefly expressing......This paper addresses the challenges associated with the operation of a distribution system with high penetration of wind power. The paper presents some preliminary investigations of an ongoing Danish research work, which has as main objective to reduce the network losses by optimizing the reactive...

A Straight-bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine with a Directed Guide Vane Row-Effect of Guide Vane Geometry on the Performance-

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Manabu TAKAO; Hideki KUMA; Takao MAEDA; Yasunari KAMADA; Michiaki OKI; Atsushi MINODA

2009-01-01

The objective of this study is to show the effect of guide vane geometry on the performance. In order to over-come the disadvantages of vertical axis wind turbine, a straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (S-VAWT) with a directed guide vane row has been proposed and tested by the authors. According to previous studies, it was clarified that the performance of the turbine can be improved by means of the directed guide vane row. However, the guide vane geometry of S-VAWT has not been optimized so far. In order to clarify the effect of guide vane geometry, the effects of setting angle and gap between rotor blade and guide vane on power coefficient and start-ing characteristic were investigated in the experiments. The experimental study of the proposed wind turbine was carded out by a wind tunnel. The wind tunnel with a diameter of 1.8m is open jet type. The wind velocity is 8 m/s in the experiments. The rotor has three straight blades with a profile of NACA0018 and a chord length of 100 mm, a diameter of 0.6 m and a blade height of 0.7 m. The guide vane row consists of 3 arc plates.

Vertical gust response prediction of cable-stayed bridges in yawed wind; Shachokyo no shafu ni yoru enchoku gust oto no yosoku

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamura, S.; Nagamachi, K.; Kawai, Y. [Kawasaki Steel Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Kimura, K.; Fujino, Y. [The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan). Faculty of Engineering; Tanaka, H.

1996-03-01

This paper outlines the vertical gust response analysis method in a yawed wind, gives an analytic example, and compares the experimental result with the analytic result to investigate the application of an analysis method and the validity of assumption and approximation. The vertical gust response to two cable-stayed bridges under construction in a yawed wind was predicted by applying assumption and approximation to the gust response prediction method in a yawed wind with the cantilever model having a plate cross-section manipulated. In this case, the wind velocity component perpendicular to the leading edge was defined as an effective wind velocity, and a bridge axis and the component perpendicular to a bridge axis were separately calculated in response. Moreover, some aerodynamic coefficients of a bridge girder cross-section were approximately obtained from the characteristics of the flat blades with same aspect ratio. The obtained analytic result was compared with the wind tunnel test result based on all bridge models. The result showed that the former almost coincides with the latter, the assumption and approximation of this time are verified in validity, and this analysis method can be used for cable-stayed bridges under construction. 10 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs.

Navy-New Hampshire Wind Energy Program.

Science.gov (United States)

1979-11-01

wind use for both the MOD-2 and Darrieus wind turbine -generators when located on these peaks. lIT...Horizontal Axis WECS 10 2-4 Darrieus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine 12 2-5 Alcoa Design for 500 kW Vertical Axis WECS 13 3-1 Fraction of Wind Observations... Turbines In 1925, G.J.M. Darrieus patented the concept of a vertical axis wind turbine . Today, the Darrieus design has evolved to a fixed-pitch

Voltage distribution in tapered winding of tesla-transformer during discharge process of PFL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xin Jiaqi; Chang Anbi; Li Mingjia; Kang Qiang

2007-01-01

The operation principle of integral construction of Tesla transformer and PFL was investigated in Tesla-transformer-type accelerator. Experiment was carried out on Tesla transformer's secondary winding to study the impulse voltage distribution while PFL was discharging. The regularities of turn-ground voltage distribution and interturn voltage distribution were summarized. Voltage distribution within PFL was calculated and it was compared with the experimental result. Structural winding of parallel coils in the head, parallel coils in the end and shading ring were used to improve voltage distribution and that was testified by experiment. The results indicate that taper winding doesn't effect electric field within PFL, the turn-ground voltage appears linearly, the interturn voltage fluctuates seriously and it is the biggest in head of winding. The three optimized methods help to depress oscillation, the structural winding of parallel coils in the head decreases the interturn voltage in head of winding remark-ably and the parallel coils in the end decrease the interturn voltage in the end. (authors)

Assessment of the Economic Potential of Distributed Wind in Colorado, Minnesota, and New York

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCabe, Kevin [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sigrin, Benjamin O. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Lantz, Eric J. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Mooney, Meghan E. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-01-03

This work seeks to identify current and future spatial distributions of economic potential for behind-the-meter distributed wind, serving primarily rural or suburban homes, farms, and manufacturing facilities in Colorado, Minnesota, and New York. These states were identified by technical experts based on their current favorability for distributed wind deployment. We use NREL's Distributed Wind Market Demand Model (dWind) (Lantz et al. 2017; Sigrin et al. 2016) to identify and rank counties in each of the states by their overall and per capita potential. From this baseline assessment, we also explore how and where improvements in cost, performance, and other market sensitivities affect distributed wind potential.

Experimental and Computational Investigations of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Enclosed with Flanged Diffuser

Science.gov (United States)

Surya Raj, G.; Sangeetha, N.; Prince, M.

2018-02-01

Generation of wind energy is a must to meet out additional demand. To meet out the additional demand several long term plans were considered now being taken up for generation of energy for the fast developing industries. Detailed researches were since taken up to improve the efficiency of such vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). In this work VAWT with diffuser and without diffuser arrangement are considered for experimental and analysis. Five diffusers were since provided around its blades of VAWT which will be placed inside a pentagon shaped fabricated structure. In this power output of the diffuser based VAWT arrangement were studied in both numerical and experimental methods and related with that of a bared VAWT. Finally, it was found that the output power of diffuser based VAWT generates approximately two times than that of bared VAWT.

Distributed Low-Complexity Controller for Wind Power Plant in Derated Operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Biegel, Benjamin; Madjidian, Daria; Spudic, Vedrana

2013-01-01

We consider a wind power plant of megawatt wind turbines operating in derated mode. When operating in this mode, the wind power plant controller is free to distribute power set-points to the individual turbines, as long as the total power demand is met. In this work, we design a controller...... that exploits this freedom to reduce the fatigue on the turbines in the wind power plant. We show that the controller can be designed in a decentralized manner, such that each wind turbine is equipped with a local low-complexity controller relying only on few measurements and little communication. As a basis...... for the controller design, a linear wind turbine model is constructed and verified in an operational wind power plant of megawatt turbines. Due to limitations of the wind power plant available for tests, it is not possible to implement the developed controller; instead the final distributed controller is evaluated...

Energy dissipation through wind-generated breaking waves

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZHANG Shuwen; CAO Ruixue; XIE Lingling

2012-01-01

Wave breaking is an important process that controls turbulence properties and fluxes of heat and mass in the upper oceanic layer.A model is described for energy dissipation per unit area at the ocean surface attributed to wind-generated breaking waves,in terms of ratio of energy dissipation to energy input,windgenerated wave spectrum,and wave growth rate.Also advanced is a vertical distribution model of turbulent kinetic energy,based on an exponential distribution method.The result shows that energy dissipation rate depends heavily on wind speed and sea state.Our results agree well with predictions of previous works.

Three-dimensional Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation of a two-bladed vertical axis wind turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lei, Hang; Zhou, Dai; Bao, Yan; Li, Ye; Han, Zhaolong

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation and polyhedral mesh are utilized. • Power coefficient and wake velocity are compared between experiments and simulations. • Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation shows more vortices under dynamic stall. • Different scales of flow separations are distinguished by these two models. - Abstract: The aerodynamic performance of a two-bladed vertical axis wind turbine is investigated using the turbulence model of the Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation and the polyhedral mesh. The sliding mesh technique is used to simulate the rotation of the rotor. Meanwhile, the results obtained by the shear stress transport k-ω model are presented as contrast. Then, the simulated power coefficients at different tip speed ratios and the wake velocity are validated by comparison with the experimental data from available literature. It is shown that the power coefficients and wake velocity predicted by the Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation are closer to the experimental data than those by the shear stress transport k-ω model. The pressure distributions predicted by the two turbulence models show different degrees of discrepancies in different scales of flow separation. By comparing the vorticity magnitude graphs, the Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation is found to be able to capture more exquisite vortices after the flow separations. Limited by its inherent ability, the shear stress transport k-ω model predicts vortices that are less realistic than those of Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation. Hence, it may cause some errors in predicting the pressure distributions, especially when the blades suffer dynamic stall. It is demonstrated that the Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation is regarded as a reliable model to analyze the aerodynamic performance of vertical axis wine turbines.

Effect of the number of blades and solidity on the performance of a vertical axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Delafin, PL; Nishino, T.; Wang, L.; Kolios, A.

2016-09-01

Two, three and four bladed ϕ-shape Vertical Axis Wind Turbines are simulated using a free-wake vortex model. Two versions of the three and four bladed turbines are considered, one having the same chord length as the two-bladed turbine and the other having the same solidity as the two-bladed turbine. Results of the two-bladed turbine are validated against published experimental data of power coefficient and instantaneous torque. The effect of solidity on the power coefficient is presented and the instantaneous torque, thrust and lateral force of the two-, three- and four-bladed turbines are compared for the same solidity. It is found that increasing the number of blades from two to three significantly reduces the torque, thrust and lateral force ripples. Adding a fourth blade further reduces the ripples except for the torque at low tip speed ratio. This work aims to help choosing the number of blades during the design phase of a vertical axis wind turbine.

Application of Circulation Controlled Blades for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Velissarios Kourkoulis

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The blades of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT rotor see an inconsistent angle of attack through its rotation. Consequently, VAWT blades generally use symmetrical aerofoils with a lower lift-to-drag ratio than cambered aerofoils tailored to maximise horizontal axis wind turbine rotor performance. This paper considers the feasibility of circulation controlled (CC VAWT blades, using a tangential air jet to provide lift and therefore power augmentation. However CC blade sections require a higher trailing-edge thickness than conventional sections giving rise to additional base drag. The choice of design parameters is a compromise between lift augmentation, additional base drag as well as the power required to pump the air jet. Although CC technology has been investigated for many years, particularly for aerospace applications, few researchers have considered VAWT applications. This paper considers the feasibility of the technology, using Computational Fluid Dynamics to evaluate a baseline CC aerofoil with different trailing-edge ellipse shapes. Lift and drag increments due to CC are considered within a momentum based turbine model to determine net power production. The study found that for modest momentum coefficients significant net power augmentation can be achieved with a relatively simple aerofoil geometry if blowing is controlled through the blades rotation.

Reactive power balance in a distribution network with wind farms and CHPS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Torsten; Nielsen, John Eli; Hylle, Per

2007-01-01

In Denmark, a large part of the electricity is generated by wind turbines and combined heat and power plants. Most of them are connected to the distribution systems. In periods with high wind speeds, large flows of reactive power have been observed between the 150kV and the 60 kV systems. The tra......In Denmark, a large part of the electricity is generated by wind turbines and combined heat and power plants. Most of them are connected to the distribution systems. In periods with high wind speeds, large flows of reactive power have been observed between the 150kV and the 60 kV systems....... The transfer of reactive power reduces the capacity of the lines, causes thermal losses and can in some cases reduce the voltage stability margin of the system. To identify the origin of the problem, an actual distribution system with a high penetration of wind power and distributed generation has been...

A method of calculation on the airloading of vertical axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Azuma, A.; Kimura, S.

A new method of analyzing the aerodynamic characteristics of the Darrieus Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) by applying the local circulation method is described. The validity of this method is confirmed by analyzing the air load acting on a curved blade. The azimuthwise variation of spanwise airloading, torque, and longitudinal forces are accurately calculated for a variety of operational conditions. The results are found to be in good agreement with experimental ones obtained elsewhere. It is concluded that the present approach can calculate the aerodynamic characteristics of the VAWT with much less computational time than that used by the free vortex model.

Aerodynamics and Motion Performance of the H-Type Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Guo

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Aerodynamics and motion performance of the floating vertical wind turbine (VAWT were studied in this paper, where the wind turbine was H-type and the floating foundation was truss spar type. Based on the double-multiple-stream-tube theory, the formulae were deduced to calculate the aerodynamic loads acting on the wind turbine considering the motions of the floating foundation. The surge-heave-pitch nonlinear coupling equations of the H-type floating VAWT were established. Aerodynamics and motion performance of a 5 MW H-type floating VAWT was studied, and the effect of the floating foundation motions on the aerodynamic loads was analyzed. It is shown that the motions of the floating foundation on the aerodynamics cannot be ignored. The motion of the H-type floating VAWT was also compared with that of the Φ-type floating VAWT: they have the same floating foundation, rated output power, mooring system and total displacement. The results show that the H-type floating VAWT has better motion performance, and the mean values of surge, heave and pitch of the H-type floating VAWT are much smaller comparing with the Φ-type floating VAWT.

Comprehensive evaluation of wind speed distribution models: A case study for North Dakota sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Junyi; Erdem, Ergin; Li Gong; Shi Jing

2010-01-01

Accurate analysis of long term wind data is critical to the estimation of wind energy potential for a candidate location and its nearby area. Investigating the wind speed distribution is one critical task for this purpose. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation on probability density functions for the wind speed data from five representative sites in North Dakota. Besides the popular Weibull and Rayleigh distributions, we also include other distributions such as gamma, lognormal, inverse Gaussian, and maximum entropy principle (MEP) derived probability density functions (PDFs). Six goodness-of-fit (GOF) statistics are used to determine the appropriate distributions for the wind speed data for each site. It is found that no particular distribution outperforms others for all five sites, while Rayleigh distribution performs poorly for most of the sites. Similar to other models, the performances of MEP-derived PDFs in fitting wind speed data varies from site to site. Also, the results demonstrate that MEP-derived PDFs are flexible and have the potential to capture other possible distribution patterns of wind speed data. Meanwhile, different GOF statistics may generate inconsistent ranking orders of fit performance among the candidate PDFs. In addition, one comprehensive metric that combines all individual statistics is proposed to rank the overall performance for the chosen statistical distributions.

Numerical investigation on aerodynamic performance of a novel vertical axis wind turbine with adaptive blades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Ying; Sun, Xiaojing; Dong, Xiaohua; Zhu, Bing; Huang, Diangui; Zheng, Zhongquan

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A novel vertical axis wind turbine with deformed blades is designed. • The universal tendency of power characteristics for simulated turbine is found. • The whole flow field of different turbines from the aspect of vortex is analyzed. • The tracking analysis of vortex at different positions for a blade is conducted. • The aerodynamic performance of turbine with three deformed blades is analyzed. - Abstract: In this paper, a novel Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine was designed whose blade can be deformed automatically into a desired geometry and thus achieve a better aerodynamic performance. A series of numerical simulations were conducted by utilizing the United Computational Fluid Dynamics code. Firstly, analysis and comparison of the performance of undeformed and deformed blades for the rotors having different blades were conducted. Then, the power characteristics of each simulated turbine were summarized and a universal tendency was found. Secondly, investigation on the effect of blade number and solidity on the power performance of Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine with deformable and undeformable blades was carried out. The results indicated that compared to conventional turbines with same solidity, the maximum percentage increase in power coefficient that the low solidity turbine with three deformable blades can achieve is about 14.56%. When solidity is high and also turbine operates at low tip speed ratio of less than the optimum value, the maximum power coefficient increase for the turbines with two and four deformable blades are 7.51% and 8.07%, respectively. However, beyond the optimal tip speed ratio, the power improvement of the turbine using the deformable blades seems not significant and even slightly worse than the conventional turbines. The last section studied the transient behavior of vortex and turbulent flow structures around the deformable rotor blade to explore the physical mechanism of improving aerodynamic

Post-midnight equatorial irregularity distributions and vertical drift velocity variations during solstices

Science.gov (United States)

Su, S.-Y.; Liu, C. H.; Chao, C.-K.

2018-04-01

Longitudinal distributions of post-midnight equatorial ionospheric irregularity occurrences observed by ROCSAT-1 (1st satellite of the Republic of China) during moderate to high solar activity years in two solstices are studied with respect to the vertical drift velocity and density variations. The post-midnight irregularity distributions are found to be similar to the well-documented pre-midnight ones, but are different from some published distributions taken during solar minimum years. Even though the post-midnight ionosphere is sinking in general, longitudes of frequent positive vertical drift and high density seems to coincide with the longitudes of high irregularity occurrences. Large scatters found in the vertical drift velocity and density around the dip equator in different ROCSAT-1 orbits indicate the existence of large and frequent variations in the vertical drift velocity and density that seem to be able to provide sufficient perturbations for the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability to cause the irregularity occurrences. The need of seeding agents such as gravity waves from atmospheric convective clouds to initiate the Rayleigh-Taylor instability may not be necessary.

Guy cable design and damping for vertical axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Carne, T. G.

1981-01-01

Guy cables are frequently used to support vertical axis wind turbines since guying the turbine reduces some of the structural requirements on the tower. The guys must be designed to provide both the required strength and the required stiffness at the top of the turbine. The axial load which the guys apply to the tower, bearings, and foundations is an undesirable consequence of using guys to support the turbine. Limiting the axial load so that it does not significantly affect the cost of the turbine is an important objective of the cable design. The lateral vibrations of the cables is another feature of the cable design which needs to be considered. These aspects of the cable design are discussed, and a technique for damping cable vibrations was mathematically analyzed and demonstrated with experimental data.

Impact of Utility-Scale Distributed Wind on Transmission-Level System Operations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brancucci Martinez-Anido, C.; Hodge, B. M.

2014-09-01

This report presents a new renewable integration study that aims to assess the potential for adding distributed wind to the current power system with minimal or no upgrades to the distribution or transmission electricity systems. It investigates the impacts of integrating large amounts of utility-scale distributed wind power on bulk system operations by performing a case study on the power system of the Independent System Operator-New England (ISO-NE).

A comparison of two fully coupled codes for integrated dynamic analysis of floating vertical axis wind turbines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koppenol, Boy; Cheng, Zhengshun; Gao, Zhen; Simao Ferreira, C.; Moan, T; Tande, John Olav Giæver; Kvamsdal, Trond; Muskulus, Michael

2017-01-01

This paper presents a comparison of two state-of-the-art codes that are capable of modelling floating vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) in fully coupled time-domain simulations, being the HAWC2 by DTU and the SIMO-RIFLEX-AC code by NTNU/MARINTEK. The comparative study focusses on the way

Effect of Vertical Canopy Architecture on Transpiration, Thermoregulation and Carbon Assimilation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tirtha Banerjee

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Quantifying the impact of natural and anthropogenic disturbances such as deforestation, forest fires and vegetation thinning among others on net ecosystem—atmosphere exchanges of carbon dioxide, water vapor and heat—is an important aspect in the context of modeling global carbon, water and energy cycles. The absence of canopy architectural variation in horizontal and vertical directions is a major source of uncertainty in current climate models attempting to address these issues. This manuscript demonstrates the importance of considering the vertical distribution of foliage density by coupling a leaf level plant biophysics model with analytical solutions of wind flow and light attenuation in a horizontally homogeneous canopy. It is demonstrated that plant physiological response in terms of carbon assimilation, transpiration and canopy surface temperature can be widely different for two canopies with the same leaf area index (LAI but different leaf area density distributions, under several conditions of wind speed, light availability, soil moisture availability and atmospheric evaporative demand.

Weibull Wind-Speed Distribution Parameters Derived from a Combination of Wind-Lidar and Tall-Mast Measurements Over Land, Coastal and Marine Sites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gryning, Sven-Erik; Floors, Rogier Ralph; Peña, Alfredo

2016-01-01

Wind-speed observations from tall towers are used in combination with observations up to 600 m in altitude from a Doppler wind lidar to study the long-term conditions over suburban (Hamburg), rural coastal (Høvsøre) and marine (FINO3) sites. The variability in the wind field among the sites is ex...... of the vertical profile of the shape parameter fits well with observations over land, coastal regions and over the sea. An applied model for the dependence of the reversal height on the surface roughness is in good agreement with the observations over land....

Vertical Load Distribution for Cloud Computing via Multiple Implementation Options

Science.gov (United States)

Phan, Thomas; Li, Wen-Syan

Cloud computing looks to deliver software as a provisioned service to end users, but the underlying infrastructure must be sufficiently scalable and robust. In our work, we focus on large-scale enterprise cloud systems and examine how enterprises may use a service-oriented architecture (SOA) to provide a streamlined interface to their business processes. To scale up the business processes, each SOA tier usually deploys multiple servers for load distribution and fault tolerance, a scenario which we term horizontal load distribution. One limitation of this approach is that load cannot be distributed further when all servers in the same tier are loaded. In complex multi-tiered SOA systems, a single business process may actually be implemented by multiple different computation pathways among the tiers, each with different components, in order to provide resilience and scalability. Such multiple implementation options gives opportunities for vertical load distribution across tiers. In this chapter, we look at a novel request routing framework for SOA-based enterprise computing with multiple implementation options that takes into account the options of both horizontal and vertical load distribution.

On mean wind and turbulence profile measurements from ground-based wind lidars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Torben

2009-01-01

Two types of wind lidar?s have become available for ground-based vertical mean wind and turbulence profiling. A continuous wave (CW) wind lidar, and a pulsed wind lidar. Although they both are build upon the same recent 1.55 μ telecom fibre technology, they possess fundamental differences between...... their temporal and spatial resolution capabilities. A literature review of the two lidar systems spatial and temporal resolution characteristics will be presented, and the implication for the two lidar types vertical profile measurements of mean wind and turbulence in the lower atmospheric boundary layer...

Vertical distribution of (241)Pu in the southern Baltic Sea sediments.

Science.gov (United States)

Strumińska-Parulska, Dagmara I

2014-12-15

The vertical distribution of plutonium (241)Pu in marine sediments can assist in determining the deposition history and sedimentation process of analyzed regions. In addition, (241)Pu/(239+240)Pu activity ratio could be used as a sensitive fingerprint for radioactive source identification. The present preliminary studies on vertical distribution of (241)Pu in sediments from four regions of the southern Baltic Sea are presented. The distribution of (241)Pu was not uniform and depended on sediment geomorphology and depth as well as location. The highest concentrations of plutonium were found in the surface layers of all analyzed sediments and originated from the Chernobyl accident. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation in a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) system

Science.gov (United States)

Kao, Jui-Hsiang; Tseng, Po-Yuan

2018-01-01

The objective of this paper is to describe the application of CFD (Computational fluid dynamics) technology in the matching of turbine blades and generator to increase the efficiency of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). A VAWT is treated as the study case here. The SST (Shear-Stress Transport) k-ω turbulence model with SIMPLE algorithm method in transient state is applied to solve the T (torque)-N (r/min) curves of the turbine blades at different wind speed. The T-N curves of the generator at different CV (constant voltage) model are measured. Thus, the T-N curves of the turbine blades at different wind speed can be matched by the T-N curves of the generator at different CV model to find the optimal CV model. As the optimal CV mode is selected, the characteristics of the operating points, such as tip speed ratio, revolutions per minute, blade torque, and efficiency, can be identified. The results show that, if the two systems are matched well, the final output power at a high wind speed of 9-10 m/s will be increased by 15%.

Analysis of wind energy generation possibilities with various rotor types at disadvantageous wind condition zones

Science.gov (United States)

Bieniek, Andrzej

2017-10-01

The paper describe possibilities of energy generation using various rotor types but especially with multi-blade wind engine operates in the areas with unfavourable wind condition. The paper presents also wind energy conversion estimation results presented based on proposed solution of multi-blade wind turbine of outer diameter of 4 m. Based on the wind distribution histogram from the disadvantage wind condition zones (city of Basel) and taking into account design and estimated operating indexes of the considered wind engine rotor an annual energy generation was estimated. Also theoretical energy generation using various types of wind turbines operates at disadvantage wind conditions zones were estimated and compared. The conducted analysis shows that introduction of multi-blade wind rotor instead of the most popular 3- blades or vertical axis rotors results of about 5% better energy generation. Simultaneously there are energy production also at very disadvantages wind condition at wind speed lower then 4 m s-1. Based on considered construction of multi-blade wind engine the rise of rotor mounting height from 10 to 30 m results with more then 300 % better results in terms of electric energy generation.

Analysis of wind energy generation possibilities with various rotor types at disadvantageous wind condition zones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bieniek Andrzej

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper describe possibilities of energy generation using various rotor types but especially with multi-blade wind engine operates in the areas with unfavourable wind condition. The paper presents also wind energy conversion estimation results presented based on proposed solution of multi-blade wind turbine of outer diameter of 4 m. Based on the wind distribution histogram from the disadvantage wind condition zones (city of Basel and taking into account design and estimated operating indexes of the considered wind engine rotor an annual energy generation was estimated. Also theoretical energy generation using various types of wind turbines operates at disadvantage wind conditions zones were estimated and compared. The conducted analysis shows that introduction of multi-blade wind rotor instead of the most popular 3- blades or vertical axis rotors results of about 5% better energy generation. Simultaneously there are energy production also at very disadvantages wind condition at wind speed lower then 4 ms-1. Based on considered construction of multi-blade wind engine the rise of rotor mounting height from 10 to 30 m results with more then 300 % better results in terms of electric energy generation.

Perspectives on an NWCC/NREL Assessment of Distributed Wind

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parsons, B. (National Renewable Energy Laboratory); Cohen, J. (Princeton Energy Resources International, LLC); DeMeo, E. (Renewable Energy Consulting Services, Inc.)

2000-09-13

During 1998 and 1999, the National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC) conducted an assessment of distributed wind power. The project team was led by Princeton Economic Research, Inc., now known as Princeton Energy Resources International (PERI). Financial support was provided by the US Department of Energy (DOE) through the wind energy program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Project oversight and review were provided by NWCC's Distributed Working Group. The overall objective for the NWCC assessment was to enhance understanding of business, policy, and technical issues associated with the deployment of wind-electric generating systems in the distributed-generation mode. In general, that mode is defined by placement of the generation close to customers-in contrast to large, distant central stations-and by electrical interconnection to the local distribution system-in contrast to higher voltage electrical transmission systems. As a follow-up to the assessment, NWCC intends to prepare a consensus-based issue brief that summarizes its findings and highlights the major results and conclusions for each stakeholder sector. This brief will also identify key action steps that could be undertaken by each stakeholder sector to facilitate the growth of distributed wind. The aim of this paper is to provide input to the NWCC for its consideration in developing the issue brief. Accordingly, this paper is in no way an NWCC consensus document. However, the authors hope to assist in the issue-brief preparation process by providing a starting point for NWCC's consideration. One of the authors, Joseph Cohen, led the team that performed the NWCC assessment. The other two were involved in management of the assessment effort on behalf of the contracting organizations and are active members of the NWCC. They feel the perspectives offered in this paper are well-grounded in the findings of the assessment research

Analysis of vertical wind direction and speed gradients for data from the met. mast at Høvsøre

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cariou, Nicolas; Wagner, Rozenn; Gottschall, Julia

The task of this project has been to study the vertical gradient of the wind direction from experimental data obtained with different measurement instruments at the Høvsøre test site, located at the west coast of Denmark. The major part of the study was based on data measured by wind vanes mounted...... at a meteorological (met.) mast. These measurements enabled us to make an analysis of the variation of the direction with altitude, i.e. the wind direction shear. For this purpose, four years of wind direction measurements at two heights (60 m and 100 m) were analysed with special respect to the diurnal and seasonal...... variations of the direction gradient. The location of the test site close to the sea allowed for an investigation of specific trends for offshore and onshore winds, dependent on the considered wind direction sector. Furthermore, a comparison to lidar measurements showed the existence of an offset between...

Differences in vertical and horizontal distribution of fish larvae and zooplankton, related to hydrography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Höffle, Hannes; Nash, Richard D.M.; Falkenhaug, Tone

2013-01-01

Planktonic fish larvae have little influence on their horizontal distribution, while they are able to control their vertical position in the water column. While prey and light are among the factors with an apparent influence on the vertical distribution, the effects of other factors are less clea...

Development, construction and testing of a vertical axis 200 kW wind turbine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1974-12-20

It is proposed to design and develop a large vertical axis wind turbine that will generate economically 200 kilowatts of power at a wind speed of about 30 miles per hour. The scope of this proposal is to carry out studies, build, erect and test an electrical power generation plant that will feed into existing power grids. Preliminary technical studies indicate that the power of the turbine increases with the third power of the the wind speed. The rotor power loading should be as high as the prevailing winds allow; thus it would always be advisable to let the rotor run at as high an rpm as the economics will allow. For turbines up to about 100 ft in diameter, an extruded blade seems to be the best solution for economic rotor design. A 300 ft/s runaway tip speed seems to be acceptable as an rpm limit. Structurally, it is advantageous to increase the blade airfoil section to 18%. The proposed program has a very high probability of success in that each element of the total system involves a very low technical risk. The manufacturing methods rely on existing technology, and preliminary research indicates that readily available commercial materials can be used. There will be no involvement with highly stressed, fatigue-sensitive components. The total unit energy cost will be about fifty percent less for the proposed 90 ft. turbine than for the 15 ft. turbine produced for the National Research Council. 8 figs., 12 tabs.

Final Technical Report Power through Policy: "Best Practices" for Cost-Effective Distributed Wind

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rhoads-Weaver, Heather; Gagne, Matthew; Sahl, Kurt; Orrell, Alice; Banks, Jennifer

2012-02-28

Power through Policy: 'Best Practices' for Cost-Effective Distributed Wind is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project to identify distributed wind technology policy best practices and to help policymakers, utilities, advocates, and consumers examine their effectiveness using a pro forma model. Incorporating a customized feed from the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), the Web-based Distributed Wind Policy Comparison Tool (Policy Tool) is designed to assist state, local, and utility officials in understanding the financial impacts of different policy options to help reduce the cost of distributed wind technologies. The project's final products include the Distributed Wind Policy Comparison Tool, found at www.windpolicytool.org, and its accompanying documentation: Distributed Wind Policy Comparison Tool Guidebook: User Instructions, Assumptions, and Case Studies. With only two initial user inputs required, the Policy Tool allows users to adjust and test a wide range of policy-related variables through a user-friendly dashboard interface with slider bars. The Policy Tool is populated with a variety of financial variables, including turbine costs, electricity rates, policies, and financial incentives; economic variables including discount and escalation rates; as well as technical variables that impact electricity production, such as turbine power curves and wind speed. The Policy Tool allows users to change many of the variables, including the policies, to gauge the expected impacts that various policy combinations could have on the cost of energy (COE), net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and the simple payback of distributed wind projects ranging in size from 2.4 kilowatts (kW) to 100 kW. The project conducted case studies to demonstrate how the Policy Tool can provide insights into 'what if' scenarios and also allow the current status of incentives to be examined or defended when

The development of a prototype facility for a large diameter vertical axis wind turbine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1975-01-01

A proposal is made in this document for the design, construction, assembly and test of a demonstration wind turbine generator system. The specific objective of the program will be to demonstrate that the proposed system satisfies the need for cheap power generation at those remote meteorological stations which currently rely exclusively on fossil fuel that must be transported to the site at great cost. It intends to demonstrate that a large vertical axis wind turbine system is within the current state-of-art, is practical and is economically attractive. The program will include a conceptual design phase, a detail design phase, a construction and assembly phase at a selected site and a demonstration phase during which data will be gathered on operation at this large scale. A theory of operation of the proposed design is included. 4 refs., 3 figs.

THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TWO DIFFERENT STATISTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS USED TO ESTIMATE THE WIND ENERGY POTENTIAL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet KURBAN

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the wind energy potential of the region is analyzed with Weibull and Reyleigh statistical distribution functions by using the wind speed data measured per 15 seconds in July, August, September, and October of 2005 at 10 m height of 30-m observation pole in the wind observation station constructed in the coverage of the scientific research project titled "The Construction of Hybrid (Wind-Solar Power Plant Model by Determining the Wind and Solar Potential in the Iki Eylul Campus of A.U." supported by Anadolu University. The Maximum likelihood method is used for finding the parameters of these distributions. The conclusion of the analysis for the months taken represents that the Weibull distribution models the wind speeds better than the Rayleigh distribution. Furthermore, the error rate in the monthly values of power density computed by using the Weibull distribution is smaller than the values by Rayleigh distribution.

Uncertainties of the 50-year wind from short time series using generalized extreme value distribution and generalized Pareto distribution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsén, Xiaoli Guo; Mann, Jakob; Rathmann, Ole

2015-01-01

This study examines the various sources to the uncertainties in the application of two widely used extreme value distribution functions, the generalized extreme value distribution (GEVD) and the generalized Pareto distribution (GPD). The study is done through the analysis of measurements from...... as a guideline for applying GEVD and GPD to wind time series of limited length. The data analysis shows that, with reasonable choice of relevant parameters, GEVD and GPD give consistent estimates of the return winds. For GEVD, the base period should be chosen in accordance with the occurrence of the extreme wind...

Spatial Vertical Directionality and Correlation of Low-Frequency Ambient Noise in Deep Ocean Direct-Arrival Zones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiulong Yang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Wind-driven and distant shipping noise sources contribute to the total noise field in the deep ocean direct-arrival zones. Wind-driven and distant shipping noise sources may significantly and simultaneously affect the spatial characteristics of the total noise field to some extent. In this work, a ray approach and parabolic equation solution method were jointly utilized to model the low-frequency ambient noise field in a range-dependent deep ocean environment by considering their calculation accuracy and efficiency in near-field wind-driven and far-field distant shipping noise fields. The reanalysis databases of National Center of Environment Prediction (NCEP and Volunteer Observation System (VOS were used to model the ambient noise source intensity and distribution. Spatial vertical directionality and correlation were analyzed in three scenarios that correspond to three wind speed conditions. The noise field was dominated by distant shipping noise sources when the wind speed was less than 3 m/s, and then the spatial vertical directionality and vertical correlation of the total noise field were nearly consistent with those of distant shipping noise field. The total noise field was completely dominated by near field wind generated noise sources when the wind speed was greater than 12 m/s at 150 Hz, and then the spatial vertical correlation coefficient and directionality pattern of the total noise field was approximately consistent with that of the wind-driven noise field. The spatial characteristics of the total noise field for wind speeds between 3 m/s and 12 m/s were the weighted results of wind-driven and distant shipping noise fields. Furthermore, the spatial characteristics of low-frequency ambient noise field were compared with the classical Cron/Sherman deep water noise field coherence function. Simulation results with the described modeling method showed good agreement with the experimental measurement results based on the vertical line

Spatial Vertical Directionality and Correlation of Low-Frequency Ambient Noise in Deep Ocean Direct-Arrival Zones

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Qiulong; Yang, Kunde; Cao, Ran; Duan, Shunli

2018-01-01

Wind-driven and distant shipping noise sources contribute to the total noise field in the deep ocean direct-arrival zones. Wind-driven and distant shipping noise sources may significantly and simultaneously affect the spatial characteristics of the total noise field to some extent. In this work, a ray approach and parabolic equation solution method were jointly utilized to model the low-frequency ambient noise field in a range-dependent deep ocean environment by considering their calculation accuracy and efficiency in near-field wind-driven and far-field distant shipping noise fields. The reanalysis databases of National Center of Environment Prediction (NCEP) and Volunteer Observation System (VOS) were used to model the ambient noise source intensity and distribution. Spatial vertical directionality and correlation were analyzed in three scenarios that correspond to three wind speed conditions. The noise field was dominated by distant shipping noise sources when the wind speed was less than 3 m/s, and then the spatial vertical directionality and vertical correlation of the total noise field were nearly consistent with those of distant shipping noise field. The total noise field was completely dominated by near field wind generated noise sources when the wind speed was greater than 12 m/s at 150 Hz, and then the spatial vertical correlation coefficient and directionality pattern of the total noise field was approximately consistent with that of the wind-driven noise field. The spatial characteristics of the total noise field for wind speeds between 3 m/s and 12 m/s were the weighted results of wind-driven and distant shipping noise fields. Furthermore, the spatial characteristics of low-frequency ambient noise field were compared with the classical Cron/Sherman deep water noise field coherence function. Simulation results with the described modeling method showed good agreement with the experimental measurement results based on the vertical line array deployed near

Global Distribution and Vertical Structure of Clouds Revealed by CALIPSO

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Y.; Minnis, P.; Winker, D.; Huang, J.; Sun-Mack, S.; Ayers, K.

2007-12-01

Understanding the effects of clouds on Earth's radiation balance, especially on longwave fluxes within the atmosphere, depends on having accurate knowledge of cloud vertical location within the atmosphere. The Cloud- Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite mission provides the opportunity to measure the vertical distribution of clouds at a greater detail than ever before possible. The CALIPSO cloud layer products from June 2006 to June 2007 are analyzed to determine the occurrence frequency and thickness of clouds as functions of time, latitude, and altitude. In particular, the latitude-longitude and vertical distributions of single- and multi-layer clouds and the latitudinal movement of cloud cover with the changing seasons are examined. The seasonal variablities of cloud frequency and geometric thickness are also analyzed and compared with similar quantities derived from the Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) using the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) cloud retrieval algorithms. The comparisons provide an estimate of the errors in cloud fraction, top height, and thickness incurred by passive algorithms.

Probabilistic distributions of wind velocity for the evaluation of the wind power potential; Distribuicoes probabilisticas de velocidades do vento para avaliacao do potencial energetico eolico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vendramini, Elisa Zanuncio

1986-10-01

The theoretical model of wind speed distributions allow valuable information about the probability of events relative to the variable in study eliminating the necessity of a new experiment. The most used distributions has been the Weibull and the Rayleigh. These distributions are examined in the present investigation, as well as the exponential, gamma, chi square and lognormal distributions. Three years of hourly averages wind data recorded from a anemometer setting at the city of Ataliba Leonel, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, were used. Using wind speed distribution the theoretical relative frequency was calculated from the distributions which have been examined. Results from the Kolmogorov - Smirnov test allow to conclude that the lognormal distribution fit better the wind speed data, followed by the gamma and Rayleigh distributions. Using the lognormal probability density function the yearly energy output from a wind generator installed in the side was calculated. 30 refs, 4 figs, 14 tabs

Analysing the impact of reflectance distributions and well geometries on vertical surface daylight levels in atria for overcast skies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Du, Jiangtao; Sharples, Steve [School of Architecture, University of Sheffield, Crookesmoor Building, Conduit Road, Sheffield S10 1FL (United Kingdom)

2010-07-15

This study investigated the impacts of different diffuse reflectance distributions and well geometries on vertical daylight factors and vertical internally reflected components in atria. Two forms of reflectance distribution patterns of wall surface were examined: horizontal and vertical reflectance band variation. The square atrium models studied have a broader WI range of 0.25-2.0, which represent shallow, medium and high atria. Radiance, a powerful package based on backward ray tracing technique, was used for the simulations of vertical daylight levels. The results show that different reflectance distributions of square atrium walls do have an impact on the vertical daylight factors and vertical internally reflected components under overcast sky condition. The impact relates to the orientation of the band with different reflectance distributions on the wall. Compared with the vertical band surface, the horizontal band surface has a much more complicated effect. The horizontal distributions of the reflectances significantly affects the vertical daylight levels at the locations more than 30% atrium height on the wall. For an atrium with a height more than 1/2 the width, the effect tends to increase with the increasing well index. The vertical distributions of the reflectance, nevertheless, do not substantially take effect on the vertical daylight levels in atria except for some special reflectance distribution patterns. (author)

Performance Evaluation of the Multi-stage Tower-type Vertical-axis Wind Turbine%多层塔式H型立轴风机的性能分析

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

高振勋; 蒋崇文; 唐金龙; 王德宝

2011-01-01

The main ideal of the multi-stage tower type vertical-axis wind turbine is to utilize the superposition of multi group H-type vertical-axis wind turbines to generate power, and fully use the wind energy in different altitude, which is beneficial for the large-scale development of modern wind turbine. The performance compari sons between the multi-stage tower-type vertical-axis wind turbine and traditional wind turbine were performed on many aspects. It was pointed out that the multi-stage tower-type vertical-axis wind turbine can have many advantages, such as easy-machining blades, high power efficiency, avoidance of the yawing system, reasonable structure loading, and low manufacture/maintenance cost. However, some disadvantages exist, such as the aerodynamic drag brought in by the blade supporting structure, complicated tower construction, and incremental requirement for gearbox and shaft joint. Overall considering, the multi stage tower-type vertical-axis wind turbine has extensive prospect of market applications.%多层塔式立轴风机的核心思想是将多组H型立轴风机分层叠加组合发电，结构简单性能优异，非常适合大容量的风电机组，符合现代风机向大型化发展的方向。对多层塔式立轴风机与传统风机的多方面性能进行了对比，指出多层塔式立轴风机具有风能利用率高、叶片制造简单、无需偏航系统、结构载荷合理、制造维护成本低等诸多优点，但也存在一些缺点，如叶片支撑结构会引入气动阻力、塔架设计较复杂、需要多组齿轮箱及联轴器等。总体分析表明，多层塔式立轴风机的方案在技术上和经济上是可行的。

Aerodynamic performance of a small vertical axis wind turbine using an overset grid method

Science.gov (United States)

Bangga, Galih; Solichin, Mochammad; Daman, Aida; Sa'adiyah, Devy; Dessoky, Amgad; Lutz, Thorsten

2017-08-01

The present paper aims to asses the aerodynamic performance of a small vertical axis wind turbine operating at a small wind speed of 5 m/s for 6 different tip speed ratios (λ=2-7). The turbine consists of two blades constructed using the NACA 0015 airfoil. The study is carried out using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods employing an overset grid approach. The (URANS) SST k - ω is used as the turbulence model. For the preliminary study, simulations of the NACA 0015 under static conditions for a broad range of angle of attack and a rotating two-bladed VAWT are carried out. The results are compared with available measurement data and a good agreement is obtained. The simulations demonstrate that the maximum power coefficient attained is 0.45 for λ=4. The aerodynamic loads hysteresis are presented showing that the dynamic stall effect decreases with λ.

Nitrogen vertical distribution by canopy reflectance spectrum in winter wheat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, W J; Yang, Q Y; Peng, D L; Huang, L S; Zhang, D Y; Yang, G J

2014-01-01

Nitrogen is a key factor for plant photosynthesis, ecosystem productivity and leaf respiration. Under the condition of nitrogen deficiency, the crop shows the nitrogen deficiency symptoms in the bottom leaves, while excessive nitrogen will affect the upper layer leaves first. Thus, timely measurement of vertical distribution of foliage nitrogen content is critical for growth diagnosis, crop management and reducing environmental impact. This study presents a method using bi-directional reflectance difference function (BRDF) data to invert foliage nitrogen vertical distribution. We developed upper-layer nitrogen inversion index (ULNI), middle-layer nitrogen inversion index (MLNI) and bottom-layer nitrogen inversion index (BLNI) to reflect foliage nitrogen inversion at upper layer, middle layer and bottom layer, respectively. Both ULNI and MLNI were made by the value of the ratio of Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ration Index to the second Modified Triangular Vegetation Index (MCARI/MTVI2) referred to as canopy nitrogen inversion index (CNII) in this study at ±40° and ±50°, and at ±30° and ±40° view angles, respectively. The BLNI was composed by the value of nitrogen reflectance index (NRI) at ±20° and ±30° view angles. These results suggest that it is feasible to measure foliage nitrogen vertical-layer distribution in a large scale by remote sensing

Wake Effects on Lifetime Distribution in DFIG-based Wind Farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tian, Jie; Zhou, Dao; Su, Chi

2017-01-01

With the increasing size of the wind farms, the impact of the wake effect on the energy yields and lifetime consumption of wind turbine can no longer be neglected. In this paper, the affecting factors like the wind speed and wind direction are investigated in terms of the single wake and multiple...... wakes. As the power converter is the most fragile component among the turbine system, its lifetime estimation can be calculated seen from the thermal stress of the power semiconductor. On the basis of the relationship of the power converter in a 5 MW Doubly-Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) wind turbine...... system and the wind speed, the lifetime consumption of the individual turbine in a 10-turbine and an 80-turbine wind farms can be calculated by considering the real distributions of the wind speed and direction. It can be seen that there is significant lifetime difference among individual turbines...

Wind power plant for electricity generation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Landsiedel, E

1978-11-09

The invention concerns a wind power plant which rotates on a vertical axis and is suitable for the generation of electricity. This wind power machine with a vertical axis can be mounted at any height, so that it can catch the wind on the vertical axis of rotation. Further, it does not have to be turned into the direction of the wind and fixed. The purpose of the invention is to obtain equal load on the structure due to the vertical axis. The purpose of the invention is fulfilled by having the wind vanes fixed above one another from the bottom to the top in 6 different directions. The particular advantage of the invention lies in the fact that the auxiliary blades can bring the other blades to the operating position in good time, due to their particular method of fixing.

Fitting a mixture of von Mises distributions in order to model data on wind direction in Peninsular Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masseran, N.; Razali, A.M.; Ibrahim, K.; Latif, M.T.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • We suggest a simple way for wind direction modeling using the mixture of von Mises distribution. • We determine the most suitable probability model for wind direction regime in Malaysia. • We provide the circular density plots to show the most prominent directions of wind blows. - Abstract: A statistical distribution for describing wind direction provides information about the wind regime at a particular location. In addition, this information complements knowledge of wind speed, which allows researchers to draw some conclusions about the energy potential of wind and aids the development of efficient wind energy generation. This study focuses on modeling the frequency distribution of wind direction, including some characteristics of wind regime that cannot be represented by a unimodal distribution. To identify the most suitable model, a finite mixture of von Mises distributions were fitted to the average hourly wind direction data for nine wind stations located in Peninsular Malaysia. The data used were from the years 2000 to 2009. The suitability of each mixture distribution was judged based on the R 2 coefficient and the histogram plot with a density line. The results showed that the finite mixture of the von Mises distribution with H number of components was the best distribution to describe the wind direction distributions in Malaysia. In addition, the circular density plots of the suitable model clearly showed the most prominent directions of wind blows than the other directions

Vertical distribution of living mangrove foraminifera from KwaZulu ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Previous intertidal foraminiferal studies have predominantly focused on assemblages in surface sediments (0–1 cm), with the rationale that surface assemblages reflect the modern-day environment. Foraminifera live infaunally and therefore there is a need to document the infaunal vertical distribution of living foraminifera to ...

Wind power engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Musgrove, P J

1977-02-10

The device is a wind-power engine with vertical axis and with one or several wings with airfoil profile fixed on a frame which is pivoted at the vertical axis. Each wing forms at least on one part of its length an angle of inclination with the vertical. The angle increases under the influence of the centrifugal force when the r.p.m. exceed a normal operation range. This method helps to reduce mechanical loads occurring with high wind speeds without requiring a complicated construction.

Use of finite mixture distribution models in the analysis of wind energy in the Canarian Archipelago

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carta, Jose Antonio; Ramirez, Penelope

2007-01-01

The statistical characteristics of hourly mean wind speed data recorded at 16 weather stations located in the Canarian Archipelago are analyzed in this paper. As a result of this analysis we see that the typical two parameter Weibull wind speed distribution (W-pdf) does not accurately represent all wind regimes observed in that region. However, a Singly Truncated from below Normal Weibull mixture distribution (TNW-pdf) and a two component mixture Weibull distribution (WW-pdf) developed here do provide very good fits for both unimodal and bimodal wind speed frequency distributions observed in that region and offer less relative errors in determining the annual mean wind power density. The parameters of the distributions are estimated using the least squares method, which is resolved in this paper using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. The suitability of the distributions is judged from the probability plot correlation coefficient plot R 2 , adjusted for degrees of freedom. Based on the results obtained, we conclude that the two mixture distributions proposed here provide very flexible models for wind speed studies and can be applied in a widespread manner to represent the wind regimes in the Canarian archipelago and in other regions with similar characteristics. The TNW-pdf takes into account the frequency of null winds, whereas the WW-pdf and W-pdf do not. It can, therefore, better represent wind regimes with high percentages of null wind speeds. However, calculation of the TNW-pdf is markedly slower

A numerical analysis to evaluate Betz's Law for vertical axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Thönnißen, F.; Marnett, M.; Roidl, B.; Schröder, W.

2016-09-01

The upper limit for the energy conversion rate of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) is known as the Betz limit. Often this limit is also applied to vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT). However, a literature review reveals that early analytical and recent numerical approaches predicted values for the maximum power output of VAWTs close to or even higher than the Betz limit. Thus, it can be questioned whether the application of Betz's Law to VAWTs is justified. To answer this question, the current approach combines a free vortex model with a 2D inviscid panel code to represent the flow field of a generic VAWT. To ensure the validity of the model, an active blade pitch control system is used to avoid flow separation. An optimal pitch curve avoiding flow separation is determined for one specific turbine configuration by applying an evolutionary algorithm. The analysis yields a net power output that is slightly (≈6%) above the Betz limit. Besides the numerical result of an increased energy conversion rate, especially the identification of two physical power increasing mechanisms shows, that the application of Betz's Law to VAWTs is not justified.

Minimalistic models of the vertical distribution of roots under stochastic hydrological forcing

Science.gov (United States)

Laio, Francesco

2014-05-01

The assessment of the vertical root profile can be useful for multiple purposes: the partition of water fluxes between evaporation and transpiration, the evaluation of root soil reinforcement for bioengineering applications, the influence of roots on biogeochemical and microbial processes in the soil, etc. In water-controlled ecosystems the shape of the root profile is mainly determined by the soil moisture availability at different depths. The long term soil water balance in the root zone can be assessed by modeling the stochastic incoming and outgoing water fluxes, influenced by the stochastic rainfall pulses and/or by the water table fluctuations. Through an ecohydrological analysis one obtains that in water-controlled ecosystems the vertical root distribution is a decreasing function with depth, whose parameters depend on pedologic and climatic factors. The model can be extended to suitably account for the influence of the water table fluctuations, when the water table is shallow enough to exert an influence on root development, in which case the vertical root distribution tends to assume a non-monotonic form. In order to evaluate the validity of the ecohydrological estimation of the root profile we have tested it on a case study in the north of Tuscany (Italy). We have analyzed data from 17 landslide-prone sites: in each of these sites we have assessed the pedologic and climatic descriptors necessary to apply the model, and we have measured the mean rooting depth. The results show a quite good matching between observed and modeled mean root depths. The merit of this minimalistic approach to the modeling of the vertical root distribution relies on the fact that it allows a quantitative estimation of the main features of the vertical root distribution without resorting to time- and money-demanding measuring surveys.

Low order physical models of vertical axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, Anna; Dabiri, John; Koseff, Jeffrey

2016-11-01

In order to examine the ability of low-order physical models of vertical axis wind turbines to accurately reproduce key flow characteristics, experiments were conducted on rotating turbine models, rotating solid cylinders, and stationary porous flat plates (of both uniform and non-uniform porosities). From examination of the patterns of mean flow, the wake turbulence spectra, and several quantitative metrics, it was concluded that the rotating cylinders represent a reasonably accurate analog for the rotating turbines. In contrast, from examination of the patterns of mean flow, it was found that the porous flat plates represent only a limited analog for rotating turbines (for the parameters examined). These findings have implications for both laboratory experiments and numerical simulations, which have previously used analogous low order models in order to reduce experimental/computational costs. NSF GRF and SGF to A.C; ONR N000141211047 and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Grant GBMF2645 to J.D.; and the Bob and Norma Street Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at Stanford University.

Comparison of aerodynamic models for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, C Simão; Madsen, H Aagaard; Barone, M; Roscher, B; Deglaire, P; Arduin, I

2014-01-01

Multi-megawatt Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) are experiencing an increased interest for floating offshore applications. However, VAWT development is hindered by the lack of fast, accurate and validated simulation models. This work compares six different numerical models for VAWTS: a multiple streamtube model, a double-multiple streamtube model, the actuator cylinder model, a 2D potential flow panel model, a 3D unsteady lifting line model, and a 2D conformal mapping unsteady vortex model. The comparison covers rotor configurations with two NACA0015 blades, for several tip speed ratios, rotor solidity and fixed pitch angle, included heavily loaded rotors, in inviscid flow. The results show that the streamtube models are inaccurate, and that correct predictions of rotor power and rotor thrust are an effect of error cancellation which only occurs at specific configurations. The other four models, which explicitly model the wake as a system of vorticity, show mostly differences due to the instantaneous or time averaged formulation of the loading and flow, for which further research is needed

Blade pitch optimization methods for vertical-axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Kozak, Peter

Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) offer an inherently simpler design than horizontal-axis machines, while their lower blade speed mitigates safety and noise concerns, potentially allowing for installation closer to populated and ecologically sensitive areas. While VAWTs do offer significant operational advantages, development has been hampered by the difficulty of modeling the aerodynamics involved, further complicated by their rotating geometry. This thesis presents results from a simulation of a baseline VAWT computed using Star-CCM+, a commercial finite-volume (FVM) code. VAWT aerodynamics are shown to be dominated at low tip-speed ratios by dynamic stall phenomena and at high tip-speed ratios by wake-blade interactions. Several optimization techniques have been developed for the adjustment of blade pitch based on finite-volume simulations and streamtube models. The effectiveness of the optimization procedure is evaluated and the basic architecture for a feedback control system is proposed. Implementation of variable blade pitch is shown to increase a baseline turbine's power output between 40%-100%, depending on the optimization technique, improving the turbine's competitiveness when compared with a commercially-available horizontal-axis turbine.

Comparison of aerodynamic models for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Simão Ferreira, C.; Aagaard Madsen, H.; Barone, M.; Roscher, B.; Deglaire, P.; Arduin, I.

2014-06-01

Multi-megawatt Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) are experiencing an increased interest for floating offshore applications. However, VAWT development is hindered by the lack of fast, accurate and validated simulation models. This work compares six different numerical models for VAWTS: a multiple streamtube model, a double-multiple streamtube model, the actuator cylinder model, a 2D potential flow panel model, a 3D unsteady lifting line model, and a 2D conformal mapping unsteady vortex model. The comparison covers rotor configurations with two NACA0015 blades, for several tip speed ratios, rotor solidity and fixed pitch angle, included heavily loaded rotors, in inviscid flow. The results show that the streamtube models are inaccurate, and that correct predictions of rotor power and rotor thrust are an effect of error cancellation which only occurs at specific configurations. The other four models, which explicitly model the wake as a system of vorticity, show mostly differences due to the instantaneous or time averaged formulation of the loading and flow, for which further research is needed.

Numerical Analysis and Geometry Optimisation of Vertical Vane of Room Air-conditioner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al-Obaidi Abdulkareem Sh. Mahdi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Vertical vanes of room air-conditioners are used to control and direct cold air. This paper aims to study vertical vane as one of the parameters that affect the efficiency of dissipating cold air to a given space. The vertical vane geometry is analysed and optimised for lower production cost using CFD. The optimised geometry of the vertical vane should have the same or increased efficiency of dissipating cold air and have lesser mass compared to the existing original design. The existing original design of vertical vane is simplified and analysed by using ANSYS Fluent. Efficiency of wind direction is define as how accurate the direction of airflow coming out from vertical vane. In order to calculate the efficiency of wind direction, 15° and 30° rotation of vertical vane inside room air-conditioner are simulated. The efficiency of wind direction for 15° rotation of vertical vane is 57.81% while efficiency of wind direction for 30° rotation of vertical vane is 47.54%. The results of the efficiency of wind direction are used as base reference for parametric study. The parameters investigated for optimisation of vertical vane are focused at length of long span, tip chord and short span. The design of 15% decreased in vane surface area at tip chord is the best optimised design of vertical vane because the efficiency of wind direction is the highest as 60.32%.

Vertical Distribution Characteristics of PM2.5 Observed by a Mobile Vehicle Lidar in Tianjin, China in 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Lihui; Dong, Yunsheng; Zhang, Tianshu; Liu, Cheng; Liu, Wenqing; Xie, Zhouqing; Xiang, Yan; Zhang, Yi; Chen, Zhenyi; Fan, Guangqiang; Zhang, Leibo; Liu, Yang; Shi, Yuchen; Shu, Xiaowen

2018-02-01

We present mobile vehicle lidar observations in Tianjin, China during the spring, summer, and winter of 2016. Mobile observations were carried out along the city border road of Tianjin to obtain the vertical distribution characteristics of PM2.5. Hygroscopic growth was not considered since relative humidity was less than 60% during the observation experiments. PM2.5 profile was obtained with the linear regression equation between the particle extinction coefficient and PM2.5 mass concentration. In spring, the vertical distribution of PM2.5 exhibited a hierarchical structure. In addition to a layer of particles that gathered near the ground, a portion of particles floated at 0.6-2.5-km height. In summer and winter, the fine particles basically gathered below 1 km near the ground. In spring and summer, the concentration of fine particles in the south was higher than that in the north because of the influence of south wind. In winter, the distribution of fine particles was opposite to that measured during spring and summer. High concentrations of PM2.5 were observed in the rural areas of North Tianjin with a maximum of 350 μg m-3 on 13 December 2016. It is shown that industrial and ship emissions in spring and summer and coal combustion in winter were the major sources of fine particles that polluted Tianjin. The results provide insights into the mechanisms of haze formation and the effects of meteorological conditions during haze-fog pollution episodes in the Tianjin area.

Vertical-axial component wind turbine with a high coefficient using for wind energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yersin, Ch. Sh.; Manatbev, R.K.; Yersina, A. K.; Tulepbergenov, A. K.

2012-01-01

The report presents the results of research and development on of promising wind units carousel type with a high ratio utilization of wind energy. This devices use a well-known invention – the wind turbine Darrieus. The rotation of the turbine is due to the action of ascensional power to aerodynamic well-streamlined symmetrical about the chord wing profiles of NASA, which are working wind turbine blades. The shaft rotation can be connected with the working blades of one of two ways: using the “swings” or the way “troposkino”. Darrieus turbine has a ratio utilization of wind energy xmax=045. Despite the fact that this is a good indicator of the efficiency of the turbine working, the proposed option allows us to significantly increase the value of this coefficient. The bases methodology of this research is a method of technical and technological research and development design of prospective wind energy construction (WES). Key words: wind turbine, the blade, coefficient utilization of wind energy

The Influence of Soil Moisture and Wind on Rainfall Distribution and Intensity in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, R. David; Lynn, Barry H.; Boone, Aaron; Tao, Wei-Kuo

1998-01-01

Land surface processes play a key role in water and energy budgets of the hydrological cycle. For example, the distribution of soil moisture will affect sensible and latent heat fluxes, which in turn may dramatically influence the location and intensity of precipitation. However, mean wind conditions also strongly influence the distribution of precipitation. The relative importance of soil moisture and wind on rainfall location and intensity remains uncertain. Here, we examine the influence of soil moisture distribution and wind distribution on precipitation in the Florida peninsula using the 3-D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud model Coupled with the Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE) land surface model. This study utilizes data collected on 27 July 1991 in central Florida during the Convection and Precipitation Electrification Experiment (CaPE). The idealized numerical experiments consider a block of land (the Florida peninsula) bordered on the east and on the west by ocean. The initial soil moisture distribution is derived from an offline PLACE simulation, and the initial environmental wind profile is determined from the CaPE sounding network. Using the factor separation technique, the precise contribution of soil moisture and wind to rainfall distribution and intensity is determined.

Soil deflation analyses from wind erosion events

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lenka Lackóová

2015-09-01

Full Text Available There are various methods to assess soil erodibility for wind erosion. This paper focuses on aggregate analysis by a laser particle sizer ANALYSETTE 22 (FRITSCH GmbH, made to determine the size distribution of soil particles detached by wind (deflated particles. Ten soil samples, trapped along the same length of the erosion surface (150–155 m but at different wind speeds, were analysed. The soil was sampled from a flat, smooth area without vegetation cover or soil crust, not affected by the impact of windbreaks or other barriers, from a depth of maximum 2.5 cm. Prior to analysis the samples were prepared according to the relevant specifications. An experiment was also conducted using a device that enables characterisation of the vertical movement of the deflated material. The trapped samples showed no differences in particle size and the proportions of size fractions at different hourly average wind speeds. It was observed that most of particles travelling in saltation mode (size 50–500 μm – 58–70% – moved vertically up to 26 cm above the soil surface. At greater heights, particles moving in suspension mode (floating in the air; size < 100 μm accounted for up to 90% of the samples. This result suggests that the boundary between the two modes of the vertical movement of deflated soil particles lies at about 25 cm above the soil surface.

Model tests of wind turbine with a vertical axis of rotation type Lenz 2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zwierzchowski Jaroslaw

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A building design of vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT was presented in the article. The construction and operating principle of a wind turbine were described therein. Two VAWT turbine models were compared, i.a. Darrieus and Lenz2, taking their strengths and weaknesses into consideration. 3D solid models of turbine components were presented with the use of SolidWorks software. Using CFD methods, the air flow on two aerodynamic fins, symmetrical and asymmetrical, at different angles of attack were tested. On the basis of flow simulation conducted in FlowSimulation, an asymmetrical fin was chosen as the one showing greater load bearing capacities. Due to the uncertainty of trouble-free operation of Darrieus turbine on construction elements creating the basis thereof, a 3D model of Lenz2 turbine was constructed, which is more reliable and makes turbine self-start possible. On the basis of the research, components were designed and technical docu mentation was compiled.

Model tests of wind turbine with a vertical axis of rotation type Lenz 2

Science.gov (United States)

Zwierzchowski, Jaroslaw; Laski, Pawel Andrzej; Blasiak, Slawomir; Takosoglu, Jakub Emanuel; Pietrala, Dawid Sebastian; Bracha, Gabriel Filip; Nowakowski, Lukasz

A building design of vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) was presented in the article. The construction and operating principle of a wind turbine were described therein. Two VAWT turbine models were compared, i.a. Darrieus and Lenz2, taking their strengths and weaknesses into consideration. 3D solid models of turbine components were presented with the use of SolidWorks software. Using CFD methods, the air flow on two aerodynamic fins, symmetrical and asymmetrical, at different angles of attack were tested. On the basis of flow simulation conducted in FlowSimulation, an asymmetrical fin was chosen as the one showing greater load bearing capacities. Due to the uncertainty of trouble-free operation of Darrieus turbine on construction elements creating the basis thereof, a 3D model of Lenz2 turbine was constructed, which is more reliable and makes turbine self-start possible. On the basis of the research, components were designed and technical docu mentation was compiled.

垂直轴风力发电机叶片气动性能研究%The research of the vertical-axis wind turbine blade's aerodynamic performance

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

戴湘晖; 徐海波

2011-01-01

性能优越的垂直轴风力发电机正越来越受到关注.优良的风叶是使垂直风力发电机获得最大风能利用系数和良好经济效益的基础.垂直风力发电机叶型的气动性能研究是当前叶片设计的重要内容.利用ANSYS FLUENT12.0对NACA4412、FX76MPl2、DU86-137-25以及C型四种不同叶片的气动性能进行了仿真和分析,得出C型叶片相对其他三种叶片有着更好的气动性能,能为垂直风力发电机叶片的设计起到指导作用.%Now researchers of many countries are paying more and more attention to the vertical-axis wind turbine for its superexcellent perfrmance. Excellent wind turbine blade is the foundation to get the most wind power coefficient and economic efficiency of the vertical-axis wind turbine. Research the aerodynamic performance of the vertical-axis wind turbine blade is the important content of the blade design at present. Use ANSYS FLUENT12.0 to simulate and analysis the aerodynamic performance of four different kinds of blades such as NACA4412,FX76MP12,DU86-137-25 and C,and conclude the C-shaped blade with a better aerodynamic performance compared with other three kinds of blades. The conclusion can play a guiding role in the design of the vertical-axis wind turbine blade.

Vertical distribution of Martian aerosols from SPICAM/Mars-Express limb observations

Science.gov (United States)

Fedorova, A.; Korablev, O.; Bertaux, J.-L.; Rodin, A.; Perrier, S.; Moroz, V. I.

Limb spectroscopic observations provide invaluable information about vertical distribution of main atmospheric components in the Martian atmosphere, in particular vertical distribution and structure of aerosols, which play an important role in the heat balance of the planet. Only limited set of successful limb spectroscopic observations have been carried out on Mars so far, including those by MGS/TES spectrometer and Thermoscan and Auguste experiments of Phobos mission. Currently SPICAM instrument onboard Mars-Express spacecraft has accomplished several sequences of limb observations. First analysis of limb sounding data received by SPICAM IR and UV channels, which imply the presence of fine, deep, optically thin aerosol fraction extended over broad range of altitudes, is presented.

Vertical distribution and fluxes of ammonia at Great Dun Fell

Science.gov (United States)

Sutton, M. A.; Perthue, E.; Fowler, D.; Storeton-West, R. L.; Cape, J. N.; Arends, B. G.; Möls, J. J.

As part of the study of the ammonia budget over Great Dun Fell, measurements of fluxes of gaseous ammonia (NH 3) with the hill surface (grass moorland and blanket bog) were made using micrometeorological techniques, to provide information on NH 3 removal by the hill surface and on vertical concentration gradients. Measurements of vertical concentration, χ, profiles of NH 3 concentration were coupled with turbulent diffusivities to determine fluxes, Fg deposition velocities, and canopy resistances, Rc to uptake by the ground. Consistent with published measurements for this site, NH 3 was generally found to deposit efficiently to the vegetation canopy, with mean Rc of 5 and 27 s m - for example days shown. However, short periods of NH 3 emission from the moorland were also observed at small χ (cloud processing: depletion of χ by in-cloud reaction would be expected to favour NH 3 emission from down-wind agricultural land and moorland, though emission from the hill itself during immersion in cloud is unlikely. Comparison of two measurement techniques to determine air concentrations (batch wet rotating denuder, inlet 0.5 m height; continuous wet denuder, inlets 0.3, 2 m heights) showed acceptable agreement, although because vertical concentration gradients were large (small Rc) the height of sampling had a substantial effect. Vertical gradients are also relevant to the use of the measured concentrations as estimates of NH 3 in the air mass passing over the hill, for modelling atmospheric budgets. Where NH 3 deposition occurs at the maximum rate, concentrations measured at 1 m require a 35% correction in neutral conditions when scaling to a reference height of 10 m.

Vertical distribution of major photosynthetic picoeukaryotic groups in stratified marine waters

KAUST Repository

Cabello, Ana M.

2016-03-14

Photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEs) are fundamental contributors to oceanic primary production and form diverse communities dominated by prymnesiophytes, chlorophytes, pelagophytes and chrysophytes. Here, we studied the vertical distribution of these major groups in two offshore regions of the northern Iberian Peninsula during summer stratification. We performed a fine-scale vertical sampling (every ∼2 m) across the DCM and used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to determine the PPE composition and to explore the possible segregation of target groups in the light, nutrient and temperature gradients. Chlorophytes, pelagophytes and prymnesiophytes, in this order of abundance, accounted for the total PPEs recorded by flow cytometry in the Avilés canyon, and for more than half in the Galicia Bank, whereas chrysophytes were undetected. Among the three detected groups, often the prymnesiophytes were dominant in biomass. In general, all groups were present throughout the water column with abundance peaks around the DCM, but their distributions differed: pelagophytes were located deeper than the other two groups, chlorophytes presented two peaks and prymnesiophytes exhibited surface abundances comparable to those at the DCM. This study offers first indications that the vertical distribution of different PPE groups is heterogeneous within the DCM. © 2016 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Efficient Extraction of High Centrality Vertices in Distributed Graphs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumbhare, Alok [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Frincu, Marc [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Raghavendra, Cauligi S. [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Prasanna, Viktor K. [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

2014-09-09

Betweenness centrality (BC) is an important measure for identifying high value or critical vertices in graphs, in variety of domains such as communication networks, road networks, and social graphs. However, calculating betweenness values is prohibitively expensive and, more often, domain experts are interested only in the vertices with the highest centrality values. In this paper, we first propose a partition-centric algorithm (MS-BC) to calculate BC for a large distributed graph that optimizes resource utilization and improves overall performance. Further, we extend the notion of approximate BC by pruning the graph and removing a subset of edges and vertices that contribute the least to the betweenness values of other vertices (MSL-BC), which further improves the runtime performance. We evaluate the proposed algorithms using a mix of real-world and synthetic graphs on an HPC cluster and analyze its strengths and weaknesses. The experimental results show an improvement in performance of upto 12x for large sparse graphs as compared to the state-of-the-art, and at the same time highlights the need for better partitioning methods to enable a balanced workload across partitions for unbalanced graphs such as small-world or power-law graphs.

Design, Analysis, Hybrid Testing and Orientation Control of a Floating Platform with Counter-Rotating Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Kanner, Samuel Adam Chinman

The design and operation of two counter-rotating vertical-axis wind turbines on a floating, semi-submersible platform is studied. The technology, called the Multiple Integrated and Synchronized Turbines (MIST) platform has the potential to reduce the cost of offshore wind energy per unit of installed capacity. Attached to the platform are closely-spaced, counter-rotating turbines, which can achieve a higher power density per planform area because of synergistic interaction effects. The purpose of the research is to control the orientation of the platform and rotational speeds of the turbines by modifying the energy absorbed by each of the generators of the turbines. To analyze the various aspects of the platform and wind turbines, the analysis is drawn from the fields of hydrodynamics, electromagnetics, aerodynamics and control theory. To study the hydrodynamics of the floating platform in incident monochromatic waves, potential theory is utilized, taking into account the slow-drift yaw motion of the platform. Steady, second-order moments that are spatially dependent (i.e., dependent on the platform's yaw orientation relative to the incident waves) are given special attention since there are no natural restoring yaw moment. The aerodynamics of the counter-rotating turbines are studied in collaboration with researchers at the UC Berkeley Mathematics Department using a high-order, implicit, large-eddy simulation. An element flipping technique is utilized to extend the method to a domain with counter-rotating turbines and the effects from the closely-spaced turbines is compared with existing experimental data. Hybrid testing techniques on a model platform are utilized to prove the controllability of the platform in lieu of a wind-wave tank. A 1:82 model-scale floating platform is fabricated and tested at the UC Berkeley Physical-Model Testing Facility. The vertical-axis wind turbines are simulated by spinning, controllable actuators that can be updated in real-time of

Vertical distribution of ectomycorrhizal fungal taxa in a podzol profile

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rosling, A.; Landeweert, R.; Lindahl, B.D.; Larsson, K.H.; Kuyper, T.W.; Taylor, A.F.S.; Finlay, R.F.

2003-01-01

Studies of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in forest soils are usually restricted to the uppermost organic horizons. Boreal forest podzols are highly stratified and little is known about the vertical distribution of ectomycorrhizal communities in the underlying mineral horizons. Ectomycorrhizal

Electric Circuit Model for the Aerodynamic Performance Analysis of a Three-Blade Darrieus-Type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine: The Tchakoua Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pierre Tchakoua

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The complex and unsteady aerodynamics of vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs pose significant challenges for simulation tools. Recently, significant research efforts have focused on the development of new methods for analysing and optimising the aerodynamic performance of VAWTs. This paper presents an electric circuit model for Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbine (DT-VAWT rotors. The novel Tchakoua model is based on the mechanical description given by the Paraschivoiu double-multiple streamtube model using a mechanical‑electrical analogy. Model simulations were conducted using MATLAB for a three-bladed rotor architecture, characterized by a NACA0012 profile, an average Reynolds number of 40,000 for the blade and a tip speed ratio of 5. The results obtained show strong agreement with findings from both aerodynamic and computational fluid dynamics (CFD models in the literature.

Aeroelastic equations of motion of a Darrieus vertical-axis wind-turbine blade

Science.gov (United States)

Kaza, K. R. V.; Kvaternik, R. G.

1979-01-01

The second-degree nonlinear aeroelastic equations of motion for a slender, flexible, nonuniform, Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbine blade which is undergoing combined flatwise bending, edgewise bending, torsion, and extension are developed using Hamilton's principle. The blade aerodynamic loading is obtained from strip theory based on a quasi-steady approximation of two-dimensional incompressible unsteady airfoil theory. The derivation of the equations has its basis in the geometric nonlinear theory of elasticity and the resulting equations are consistent with the small deformation approximation in which the elongations and shears are negligible compared to unity. These equations are suitable for studying vibrations, static and dynamic aeroelastic instabilities, and dynamic response. Several possible methods of solution of the equations, which have periodic coefficients, are discussed.

Influence of the Arctic Oscillation on the vertical distribution of clouds as observed by the A-Train constellation of satellites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Devasthale

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the Arctic Oscillation (AO, the dominant mode of natural variability over the northerly high latitudes, on the spatial (horizontal and vertical distribution of clouds in the Arctic. To that end, we use a suite of sensors onboard NASA's A-Train satellites that provide accurate observations of the distribution of clouds along with information on atmospheric thermodynamics. Data from three independent sensors are used (AQUA-AIRS, CALIOP-CALIPSO and CPR-CloudSat covering two time periods (winter half years, November through March, of 2002–2011 and 2006–2011, respectively along with data from the ERA-Interim reanalysis.

We show that the zonal vertical distribution of cloud fraction anomalies averaged over 67–82° N to a first approximation follows a dipole structure (referred to as "Greenland cloud dipole anomaly", GCDA, such that during the positive phase of the AO, positive and negative cloud anomalies are observed eastwards and westward of Greenland respectively, while the opposite is true for the negative phase of AO. By investigating the concurrent meteorological conditions (temperature, humidity and winds, we show that differences in the meridional energy and moisture transport during the positive and negative phases of the AO and the associated thermodynamics are responsible for the conditions that are conducive for the formation of this dipole structure. All three satellite sensors broadly observe this large-scale GCDA despite differences in their sensitivities, spatio-temporal and vertical resolutions, and the available lengths of data records, indicating the robustness of the results. The present study also provides a compelling case to carry out process-based evaluation of global and regional climate models.

A Note on the Effect of Wind Waves on Vertical Mixing in Franks Tract, Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicole L. Jones

2008-06-01

Full Text Available A one-dimensional numerical model that simulates the effects of whitecapping waves was used to investigate the importance of whitecapping waves to vertical mixing at a 3-meter-deep site in Franks Tract in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta over an 11-day period. Locally-generated waves of mean period approximately 2 s were generated under strong wind conditions; significant wave heights ranged from 0 to 0.3 m. A surface turbulent kinetic energy flux was used to model whitecapping waves during periods when wind speeds > 5 m s-1 (62% of observations. The surface was modeled as a wind stress log-layer for the remaining 38% of the observations. The model results demonstrated that under moderate wind conditions (5–8 m s-1 at 10 m above water level, and hence moderate wave heights, whitecapping waves provided the dominant source of turbulent kinetic energy to only the top 10% of the water column. Under stronger wind (> 8 m s-1, and hence larger wave conditions, whitecapping waves provided the dominant source of turbulent kinetic energy over a larger portion of the water column; however, this region extended to the bottom half of the water column for only 7% of the observation period. The model results indicated that phytoplankton concentrations close to the bed were unlikely to be affected by the whitecapping of waves, and that the formation of concentration boundary layers due to benthic grazing was unlikely to be disrupted by whitecapping waves. Furthermore, vertical mixing of suspended sediment was unlikely to be affected by whitecapping waves under the conditions experienced during the 11-day experiment. Instead, the bed stress provided by tidal currents was the dominant source of turbulent kinetic energy over the bottom half of the water column for the majority of the 11-day period.

Development of a site analysis tool for distributed wind projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaw, Shawn [The Cadmus Group, Inc., Waltham MA (United States)

2012-02-28

The Cadmus Group, Inc., in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Encraft, was awarded a grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a site analysis tool for distributed wind technologies. As the principal investigator for this project, Mr. Shawn Shaw was responsible for overall project management, direction, and technical approach. The product resulting from this project is the Distributed Wind Site Analysis Tool (DSAT), a software tool for analyzing proposed sites for distributed wind technology (DWT) systems. This user-friendly tool supports the long-term growth and stability of the DWT market by providing reliable, realistic estimates of site and system energy output and feasibility. DSAT-which is accessible online and requires no purchase or download of software-is available in two account types; Standard: This free account allows the user to analyze a limited number of sites and to produce a system performance report for each; and Professional: For a small annual fee users can analyze an unlimited number of sites, produce system performance reports, and generate other customizable reports containing key information such as visual influence and wind resources. The tool’s interactive maps allow users to create site models that incorporate the obstructions and terrain types present. Users can generate site reports immediately after entering the requisite site information. Ideally, this tool also educates users regarding good site selection and effective evaluation practices.

Dependence of the wind climate of Ireland on the direction distribution of geostrophic wind; Die Abhaengigkeit des Windklimas von Irland von der Richtungsverteilung des geostrophischen Windes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frank, H.P. [Forskningcenter Risoe, Roskilde (Denmark). Afdelingen for Vindenergi og Atmosfaerefysik

1998-01-01

The wind climate of Ireland is calculated using the Karlsruhe Atmospheric Mesoscale Model KAMM. The dependence of the simulated wind energy on the direction distribution of geostrophic wind is studied. As geostrophic winds from the south-west are most frequent, sites on the north-west coast are particularly suited for wind power stations. In addition, geostrophic wind increases from the south-east to the north-west. (orig.) [Deutsch] Das Windklima von Irland wurde mit dem Karlsruher Atmosphaerischen Mesoskaligen Modell KAMM berechnet. Hier wird die Abhaengigkeit der simultierten Windenergie von der Richtungsverteilung des geostrophischen Windes untersucht. Da geostrophische Winde aus Suedwest am haeufigsten vorkommen, eignet sich besonders die Nordwestkueste als Standort fuer Windkraftanlagen. Zusaetzlich nimmt auch der mittlere geostrophische Wind von Suedost nach Nordwest zu. (orig.)

Distributed Model Predictive Control for Active Power Control of Wind Farm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Haoran; Wu, Qiuwei; Rasmussen, Claus Nygaard

2014-01-01

This paper presents the active power control of a wind farm using the Distributed Model Predictive Controller (D- MPC) via dual decomposition. Different from the conventional centralized wind farm control, multiple objectives such as power reference tracking performance and wind turbine load can...... be considered to achieve a trade-off between them. Additionally, D- MPC is based on communication among the subsystems. Through the interaction among the neighboring subsystems, the global optimization could be achieved, which significantly reduces the computation burden. It is suitable for the modern large......-scale wind farm control....

Measurements of noise immission from wind turbines at receptor locations: Use of a vertical microphone board to improve the signal-to-noise ratio

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fegeant, Olivier

1999-01-01

The growing interest in wind energy has increased the need of accuracy in wind turbine noise immission measurements and thus, the need of new measurement techniques. This paper shows that mounting the microphone on a vertical board improves the signal-to-noise ratio over the whole frequency range compared to the free microphone technique. Indeed, the wind turbine is perceived two times noisier by the microphone due to the signal reflection by the board while, in addition, the wind noise is reduced. Furthermore, the board shielding effect allows the measurements to be carried out in the presence of reflecting surfaces such as building facades

Vertical distribution and in situ feeding of marine particle-grazers in relation to their food, the microplankton

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Napp, J.M.

1986-01-01

A cruise was completed to measure the vertical distributions of plant biomass, growth, size and species composition, nutritional content and the zooplankton biomass and species composition. There were no consistent differences in the size spectra of particles between the regions of highest plant biomass and highest growth rates. Species known to be noxious or distasteful to the zooplankton were not members of either assemblage. The nutritional content of the particulate matter was greatest at the plant biomass maximum. Thus there was no evidence that the region of higher plant growth rates was a better place for zooplankton to feed. The diurnal distribution of zooplankton biomass was not consistently related to the vertical distributions of plant biomass, primary productivity, or productivity/chlorophyll. At night, the vertical distribution of zooplankton biomass was consistently related to the vertical distribution of plant biomass. There were species whose vertical distributions were consistently related to either the vertical distribution of plant biomass or productivity/chlorophyll a but not primary productivity, contrary to the observations of others. The total grazing pressure, measured in situ with a new design of grazing chamber and an isotopic carrier which labels the particulate matter day and night, indicated that the daily production of plant carbon was much greater than its rate of removal by the grazers. Thus, it is not necessary for the grazer biomass maximum to be located above the chlorophyll a maximum in order for that feature to persist

Climate Impacts of CALIPSO-Guided Corrections to Black Carbon Aerosol Vertical Distributions in a Global Climate Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovilakam, Mahesh; Mahajan, Salil; Saravanan, R.; Chang, Ping

2017-01-01

Here, we alleviate the bias in the tropospheric vertical distribution of black carbon aerosols (BC) in the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM4) using the Cloud-Aerosol and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO)-derived vertical profiles. A suite of sensitivity experiments are conducted with 1x, 5x, and 10x the present-day model estimated BC concentration climatology, with (corrected, CC) and without (uncorrected, UC) CALIPSO-corrected BC vertical distribution. The globally averaged top of the atmosphere radiative flux perturbation of CC experiments is ~8–50% smaller compared to uncorrected (UC) BC experiments largely due to an increase in low-level clouds. The global average surface temperature increases, the global average precipitation decreases, and the ITCZ moves northward with the increase in BC radiative forcing, irrespective of the vertical distribution of BC. Further, tropical expansion metrics for the poleward extent of the Northern Hemisphere Hadley cell (HC) indicate that simulated HC expansion is not sensitive to existing model biases in BC vertical distribution.

Design and fabrication of a low cost Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine system: Phase 2, volume 1: Executive summary

Science.gov (United States)

1983-03-01

Described is the successful fabrication, installation, and checkout of 100 kW 17 meter Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs). The turbines are Darrieus-type VAWTs with rotors 17 meters (55 feet) in diameter and 25.15 meters (83 feet) in height. They can produce 100 kW of electric power at a cost of energy as low as 3 cents per kWh, in an 18 mph wind regime using 12% annualized costs. Four turbines were produced; three are installed and are operable at: (1) Wind Systems Test Center, Rocky Flats, Colorado; (2) the US Department of Agriculture Conservation and Production Research Center at Bushland, Texas; and (3) Tisbury Water Authority, Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The fourth turbine is stored at Bushland, Texas awaiting selection of an erection site.

A Remote Sensing Approach to Estimate Vertical Profile Classes of Phytoplankton in a Eutrophic Lake

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kun Xue

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The extension and frequency of algal blooms in surface waters can be monitored using remote sensing techniques, yet knowledge of their vertical distribution is fundamental to determine total phytoplankton biomass and understanding temporal variability of surface conditions and the underwater light field. However, different vertical distribution classes of phytoplankton may occur in complex inland lakes. Identification of the vertical profile classes of phytoplankton becomes the key and first step to estimate its vertical profile. The vertical distribution profile of phytoplankton is based on a weighted integral of reflected light from all depths and is difficult to determine by reflectance data alone. In this study, four Chla vertical profile classes (vertically uniform, Gaussian, exponential and hyperbolic were found to occur in three in situ vertical surveys (28 May, 19–24 July and 10–12 October in a shallow eutrophic lake, Lake Chaohu. We developed and validated a classification and regression tree (CART to determine vertical phytoplankton biomass profile classes. This was based on an algal bloom index (Normalized Difference algal Bloom Index, NDBI applied to both in situ remote sensing reflectance (Rrs and MODIS Rayleigh-corrected reflectance (Rrc data in combination with data of local wind speed. The results show the potential of retrieving Chla vertical profiles information from integrated information sources following a decision tree approach.

Implementation and application of the actuator line model by OpenFOAM for a vertical axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Riva, L.; Giljarhus, K.-E.; Hjertager, B.; Kalvig, S. M.

2017-12-01

University of Stavanger has started The Smart Sustainable Campus & Energy Lab project, to gain knowledge and facilitate project based education in the field of renewable and sustainable energy and increase the research effort in the same area. This project includes the future installation of a vertical axis wind turbine on the campus roof. A newly developed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model by OpenFOAM have been implemented to study the wind behavior over the building and the turbine performance. The online available wind turbine model case from Bachant, Goude and Wosnik from 2016 is used as the starting point. This is a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) case set up that uses the Actuator Line Model. The available test case considers a water tank with controlled external parameters. Bachant et al.’s model has been modified to study a VAWT in the atmospheric boundary layer. Various simulations have been performed trying to verify the models use and suitability. Simulation outcomes help to understand the impact of the surroundings on the turbine as well as its reaction to parameters changes. The developed model can be used for wind energy and flow simulations for both onshore and offshore applications.

Is tropospheric weather influenced by solar wind through atmospheric vertical coupling downward control?

Science.gov (United States)

Prikryl, Paul; Tsukijihara, Takumi; Iwao, Koki; Muldrew, Donald B.; Bruntz, Robert; Rušin, Vojto; Rybanský, Milan; Turňa, Maroš; Šťastný, Pavel; Pastirčák, Vladimír

2017-04-01

(Prikryl et al., Ann. Geophys., 27, 31-57, 2009). It is primarily the energy provided by release of latent heat that leads to intensification of storms. These results indicate that vertical coupling in the atmosphere exerts downward control from solar wind to the lower atmospheric levels influencing tropospheric weather development.

Vertical distribution of 241Pu in the southern Baltic Sea sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strumińska-Parulska, Dagmara I.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The unique study on 241 Pu in sediments from the southern Baltic Sea was presented. • 241 Pu was determined using alpha spectrometry by indirect method. • The biggest amount of 241 Pu existed in the surface layers of all analyzed sediments. • The highest 241 Pu amount comes from the Chernobyl accident. - Abstract: The vertical distribution of plutonium 241 Pu in marine sediments can assist in determining the deposition history and sedimentation process of analyzed regions. In addition, 241 Pu/ 239+240 Pu activity ratio could be used as a sensitive fingerprint for radioactive source identification. The present preliminary studies on vertical distribution of 241 Pu in sediments from four regions of the southern Baltic Sea are presented. The distribution of 241 Pu was not uniform and depended on sediment geomorphology and depth as well as location. The highest concentrations of plutonium were found in the surface layers of all analyzed sediments and originated from the Chernobyl accident

Vertical Distribution of Pasteuria penetrans Parasitizing Meloidogyne incognita on Pittosporum tobira in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Baidoo, Richard; Mengistu, Tesfamariam Mekete; Brito, Janete A; McSorley, Robert; Stamps, Robert H; Crow, William T

2017-09-01

Pasteuria penetrans is considered as the primary agent responsible for soil suppressiveness to root-knot nematodes widely distributed in many agricultural fields. A preliminary survey on a Pittosporum tobira field where the grower had experienced a continuous decline in productivity caused by Meloidogyne incognita showed that the nematode was infected with Pasteuria penetrans . For effective control of the nematode, the bacterium and the host must coexist in the same root zone. The vertical distribution of Pasteuria penetrans and its relationship with the nematode host in the soil was investigated to identify (i) the vertical distribution of P. penetrans endospores in an irrigated P. tobira field and (ii) the relationship among P. penetrans endospore density, M. incognita J2 population density, and host plant root distribution over time. Soil bioassays revealed that endospore density was greater in the upper 18 cm of the top soil compared with the underlying depths. A correlation analysis showed that the endospore density was positively related to the J2 population density and host plant root distribution. Thus, the vertical distribution of P. penetrans was largely dependent on its nematode host which in turn was determined by the distribution of the host plant roots. The Pasteuria was predominant mostly in the upper layers of the soil where their nematode host and the plant host roots are abundant, a factor which may be a critical consideration when using P. penetrans as a nematode biological control agent.

Numerical simulation of the vertical migration of Microcystis (cyanobacteria colonies based on turbulence drag

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongru Zhao

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The vertical migration and accumulation of Microcystis is an important process in water blooms, and colony migration is influenced by colony size and wind-wave disturbance. The vertical migration of Microcystis colonies in turbulence can be simulated in a numerical model. In this study, we model such migration by coupling the colony size and hydrodynamics, including the gravity, colony buoyancy, and the viscous drag force of turbulence. The turbulence intensity was represented by the turbulent kinetic energy (KZ; the larger the KZ, the stronger the wind-wave disturbance. The simulated vertical distribution of Microcystis well agreed with the measured values in a laboratory experiment indicating that our model can simulate the vertical distribution of Microcystis under different hydrodynamic conditions. We also found a size-dependent critical turbulent kinetic energy (TKZ, such that if the turbulent kinetic energy of water exceeds the critical value (i.e., KZ > TKZ, the colonies sink under the drag forces of turbulence; conversely, if KZ < TKZ, the colonies can overcome the turbulent mixing and float. The TKZ of each colony was linearly related to colony diameter. The model is crucial for prediction and prevention of water blooms. The simulated threshold turbulent kinetic energy, at which water blooms disappear in Lake Taihu (a large freshwater lake in the Yangtze Delta, Jiangsu Province, China, was 55.5 cm2 s−2. 

Vertical distribution of radionuclides in soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bikit, I.; Slivka, J.; Krmar, M.; Chonkic, Lj.; Veskovic, M.; Hadzhic, V.

1990-01-01

Pedological profiles were opened at selected representative locations on different geomorphic types and in certain soil layers down to 3 m depth. The mechanical composition, hydro physical and chemical features were studied. The vertical distribution of naturally occurring radionuclides and 137 Cs was analyzed during 1988 and 1989. The parameter alpha of the exponential dependence of activity concentration vs. depth were calculated for the three soil types, as well as the activity concentration of 137 Cs at depths of 1 and 3 m. The extent of 137 Cs migration was evaluated at these depths and it is shown that the coefficient α is proportional to the reciprocal of the time elapsed from the surface contamination. (author)

Effect of Blade Pitch Angle on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Straight-bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Based on Experiments and Simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanzhao Yang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The blade pitch angle has a significant influence on the aerodynamic characteristics of horizontal axis wind turbines. However, few research results have revealed its impact on the straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (Sb-VAWT. In this paper, wind tunnel experiments and CFD simulations were performed at the Sb-VAWT to investigate the effect of different blade pitch angles on the pressure distribution on the blade surface, the torque coefficient, and the power coefficient. In this study, the airfoil type was NACA0021 with two blades. The Sb-VAWT had a rotor radius of 1.0 m with a spanwise length of 1.2 m. The simulations were based on the k-ω Shear Stress Transport (SST turbulence model and the wind tunnel experiments were carried out using a high-speed multiport pressure device. As a result, it was found that the maximum pressure difference on the blade surface was obtained at the blade pitch angle of β = 6° in the upstream region. However, the maximum pressure coefficient was shown at the blade pitch angle of β = 8° in the downstream region. The torque coefficient acting on a single blade reached its maximum value at the blade pitch angle of β = 6°. As the tip speed ratio increased, the power coefficient became higher and reached the optimum level. Subsequently, further increase of the tip speed ratio only led to a quick reversion of the power coefficient. In addition, the results from CFD simulations had also a good agreement with the results from the wind tunnel experiments. As a result, the blade pitch angle did not have a significant influence on the aerodynamic characteristics of the Sb-VAWT.

Application of wind-profiling radar data to the analysis of dust weather in the Taklimakan Desert.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Minzhong; Wei, Wenshou; Ruan, Zheng; He, Qing; Ge, Runsheng

2013-06-01

The Urumqi Institute of Desert Meteorology of the China Meteorological Administration carried out an atmospheric scientific experiment to detect dust weather using a wind-profiling radar in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert in April 2010. Based on the wind-profiling data obtained from this experiment, this paper seeks to (a) analyze the characteristics of the horizontal wind field and vertical velocity of a breaking dust weather in a desert hinterland; (b) calculate and give the radar echo intensity and vertical distribution of a dust storm, blowing sand, and floating dust weather; and (c) discuss the atmosphere dust counts/concentration derived from the wind-profiling radar data. Studies show that: (a) A wind-profiling radar is an upper-air atmospheric remote sensing system that effectively detects and monitors dust. It captures the beginning and ending of a dust weather process as well as monitors the sand and dust being transported in the air in terms of height, thickness, and vertical intensity. (b) The echo intensity of a blowing sand and dust storm weather episode in Taklimakan is about -1~10 dBZ while that of floating dust -1~-15 dBZ, indicating that the dust echo intensity is significantly weaker than that of precipitation but stronger than that of clear air. (c) The vertical shear of horizontal wind and the maintenance of low-level east wind are usually dynamic factors causing a dust weather process in Taklimakan. The moment that the low-level horizontal wind field finds a shear over time, it often coincides with the onset of a sand blowing and dust storm weather process. (d) When a blowing sand or dust storm weather event occurs, the atmospheric vertical velocity tends to be of upward motion. This vertical upward movement of the atmosphere supported with a fast horizontal wind and a dry underlying surface carries dust particles from the ground up to the air to form blown sand or a dust storm.

Winds and the distribution of nearshore phytoplankton in a stratified lake.

Science.gov (United States)

Cyr, Hélène

2017-10-01

The distribution of phytoplankton in lakes is notoriously patchy and dynamic, but wind-driven currents and algal buoyancy/motility are thought to determine where algae accumulate. In this study, nearshore phytoplankton were sampled from different parts of a lake basin twice a day for 4-5 consecutive days, in the spring and in late summer, to test whether short-term changes in phytoplankton biomass and community composition can be predicted from wind-driven currents. On windy days, phytoplankton biomass was higher at downwind than at upwind nearshore sites, and the magnitude of this difference increased linearly with increasing wind speed. However, contrary to the generally assumed downwind phytoplankton aggregations, these differences were mostly due to upwelling activity and the dilution of phytoplankton at upwind nearshore sites. The distribution of individual taxa was also related to wind speed, but only during late stratification (except for cryptophytes), and these relationships were consistent with the buoyancy and motility of each group. On windy days, large diatoms and cyanobacteria concentrated upwind, neutrally buoyant taxa (green algae, small diatoms) were homogeneously distributed, and motile taxa (cryptophytes, chrysophytes, dinoflagellates) concentrated downwind. Predictable differences in the biomass and composition of phytoplankton communities could affect the efficiency of trophic transfers in nearshore areas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The development and testing of a novel cross axis wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Chong, W. T.; Muzammil, W. K.; Gwani, M.; Wong, K. H.; Fazlizan, A.; Wang, C. T.; Poh, S. C.

2016-06-01

A novel cross axis wind turbine (CAWT) which comprises of a cross axis blades arrangement was presented and investigated experimentally. The CAWT is a new type of wind turbine that extracts wind energy from airflow coming from the horizontal and vertical directions. The wind turbine consists of three vertical blades and six horizontal blades arranged in a cross axis orientation. Hubs in the middle of the CAWT link the horizontal and vertical blades through connectors to form the CAWT. The study used a 45° deflector to guide the oncoming airflow upward (vertical wind direction). The results from the study showed that the CAWT produced significant improvements in power output and rotational speed performance compared to a conventional straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT).

An Optimization Framework for Load and Power Distribution in Wind Farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Soleimanzadeh, Maryam; Wisniewski, Rafal; Kanev, Stoyan

2012-01-01

The aim of this paper is to develop a controller for wind farms to optimize the load and power distribution. In this regard, the farm controller calculates the power reference signals for individual wind turbine controllers such that the sum of the power references tracks the power demanded...... by a system operator. Moreover, the reference signals are determined to reduce the load acting on wind turbines at low frequencies. Therefore, a trade-off is made for load and power control, which is formulated as an optimization problem. Afterwards, the optimization problem for the wind farm modeled...

High-efficiency wind turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Hein, L. A.; Myers, W. N.

1980-01-01

Vertical axis wind turbine incorporates several unique features to extract more energy from wind increasing efficiency 20% over conventional propeller driven units. System also features devices that utilize solar energy or chimney effluents during periods of no wind.

A sampling device for counting insect egg clusters and measuring vertical distribution of vegetation

Science.gov (United States)

Robert L. Talerico; Robert W., Jr. Wilson

1978-01-01

The use of a vertical sampling pole that delineates known volumes and position is illustrated and demonstrated for counting egg clusters of N. sertifer. The pole can also be used to estimate vertical and horizontal coverage, distribution or damage of vegetation or foliage.

Fatigue distribution optimization for offshore wind farms using intelligent agent control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Rongyong; Shen, Wen Zhong; Knudsen, Torben

2012-01-01

with its neighbouring downwind turbines and organizes them adaptively into a wind delivery group along the wind direction. The agent attributes and the event structure are designed on the basis of the intelligent agent theory by using the unified modelling language. The control strategy of the intelligent......A novel control approach is proposed to optimize the fatigue distribution of wind turbines in a large‐scale offshore wind farm on the basis of an intelligent agent theory. In this approach, each wind turbine is considered to be an intelligent agent. The turbine at the farm boundary communicates...... coefficient for every wind turbine. The optimization is constrained such that the average fatigue for every turbine is smaller than what would be achieved by conventional dispatch and such that the total power loss of the wind farm is restricted to a few percent of the total power. This intelligent agent...