Reference:

Sathyajith Mathew
Wind Energy
Fundamentals, Resource Analysis
and Economics
Dr. Sathyajith Mathew
Assistant Professor
& Wind Energy Consultant
Faculty of Engineering, KCAET
Tavanur
Malapuram, Kerala
India
Basic of Wind Energy Conversion
Basic of Wind Energy Conversion
Energy available in wind is basically the kinetic
energy of large masses of air moving over the
earth’s surface.

Blades of the wind turbine receive this kinetic energy,

which is then transformed to mechanical or electrical
forms, depending on our end use.

The efficiency of converting wind to other useful

energy forms greatly depends on the efficiency with
which the rotor interacts with the wind stream. In this
chapter, let us discuss the fundamental principles
involved in this wind energy conversion process.
 Power Avaliable in the Wind Spectra
Consider a wind rotor of cross sectional area A exposed to this wind stream as
shown in Fig. 2.1. The kinetic energy of the air stream available for the turbine
can be expressed as
Power Avaliable in the Wind Spectra
Power Avaliable in the Wind Spectra
 Wind Turbine Power and Torque
Power Coefficient Perbandingan antara daya nyata dan daya teoritis

PT = Daya Turbin

Dan Torsi
 Wind Turbine Power and Torque

Daya yang dihasilkan oleh rotor tergantung pada kecepatan rotor dan kecepatan angin.
Hal ini disebut rasio kecepatan (Speed Ratio) λ.
Wind Turbine Power and Torque
Classification of Wind Turbines
Classification of Wind Turbines
Characteristics of Wind Rotor
2.5 Aerodinamika Turbin Angin
• Aerodinamika berhubungan dengan aspek-
aspek yang terjadi akibat pergerakan benda di
udara.
• Inisiatif awal dalam hal ini lebih mengandalkan
pada industri penerbangan.
• Teori aerodinamis yang dikembangkan untuk
pesawat terbang dan helikopter yang
diadopsi untuk menentukan kinerja turbin
angin.
2.5.1 Airfoil

• Untuk penggunaan energi yang efisien, pisau

(blade) turbin angin modern dibuat dari
bagian airfoil. Fitur sebuah airfoil ditunjukkan
pada Gambar berikut
• Airfoil digunakan untuk turbin angin yang
sebelumnya adalah airfoil penerbangan oleh
NACA (National Advisory Committee for
Aeronautics).
When an airfoil is placed in a wind stream, air passes through both
upper and lower surfaces of the blade. Due to the typical curvature of
the blade, air passing over the upper side has to travel more distance
per unit time than that passing through the lower side. Thus the air
particles at the upper layer move faster. According to the Bernoulli’s
theorem, this should create a low-pressure region at the top of the
airfoil. This pressure difference between the upper and lower surfaces
of the airfoil will result in a force F. The component of this force
perpendicular to the direction of the undisturbed flow is called the lift
force L (Fig. 2.12). The force in the direction of the undisturbed flow is
called the drag force D. The lift force is given by

and the drag force (D) by

where CL and CD are the lift and drag coefficients respectively.

 The angle between the
undisturbed wind direction
and the chord of the airfoil
is known as the angle of
attack (). Lift and drag
forces experienced by an
airfoil is influenced by .
Fig. 2.13 illustrates the
effect of angle of attack on
the lift coefficient
of an airfoil.

Fig. 2.13. Effect of angle of attack on airfoil lift

 Fig. 2.14. Section of a rotating blade

Consider the cross section of the rotating blade of a wind turbine as in

Fig. 2.14. Apart from the wind velocity ‘V’, a point at the section is
subjected to a velocity VT due to the rotation of the rotor as shown in
the figure. Thus the velocity VR experienced at this point is the resultant
of V and VT. VR will have lift and drag components as shown in the
figure. Under this condition, the angle of attack  is the angle between
‘VR’ and the chord line of the airfoil.
• Another factor affecting the lift and drag forces developed by an
airfoil is the Reynolds number. Reynolds number is the ratio
between the gravitational force and the viscous force.
2.5.2 Aerodynamic theories

Different theories are proposed to analyze the

aerodynamics of wind turbines. These theories give an
insight to the behavior of the rotor under varying
operating conditions. Let us discuss some of the
fundamental theories among them, applicable to HAWT
(Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine).
-Axial momentum theory
-Blade element theory
-Strip theory
Axial momentum theory
VT is the velocity at the turbine section. According to the law
of conservation of mass, the mass of air flowing through these
sections is equal. Thus:

The thrust force experienced by the rotor is due to the difference in

momentum of the incoming and outgoing wind, which is given by

As AV =A´V´= ATVT from (2.18), the thrust can be expressed as

The thrust can also be represented as the pressure difference in

the upstream and down stream sides of the rotor. Let pU and pD
be the pressure at the upstream and down stream side of the
rotor respectively. Hence:
Applying the Bernoulli’s equation at the sections and considering
the assumption that the static pressures at sections 1-1 and 2-2 are
equal to the atmospheric pressure p, we get

and

From Eqs. (2.22) and (2.23),

Substituting the above expression (2.24) for (pU –pD) in Eq. (2.21),
Comparing Eqs. (2.20) and (2.25) we get

Thus the velocity of the wind stream at the rotor section is the average
of the velocities at its upstream and downstream sides.

At this stage, we introduce a parameter, termed as the axial induction

factor into our analysis. The axial induction factor “ a “ indicates the
degree with which the wind velocity at the upstream of the rotor is
slowed down by the turbine. Thus

From Eqs. (2.26) and (2.27),

and
As we have seen earlier, the power imparted to the wind turbine is due to
the transfer of kinetic energy from the air to the rotor. The mass flow
through the rotor over a unit time is

Hence the power developed by the turbine due to this transfer of kinetic
energy is

Substituting for VT and V´ from Eqs. (2.28) and (2.29), we get

Comparing Eq. (2.32) with the expression for power coefficient in Eq. (2.8),
we can see that

For Cp to be maximum,

Thus differentiating Eq. (2.33), equating it to zero and solving, we get a=1/3.
Substituting for a in Eq. (2.33), the maximum theoretical power
coefficient of a horizontal axis wind turbine is 16/27 and the maximum
power produced is

This limit for the power coefficient is known as the Betz limit.
Considering the tangential flow behind the rotor, we introduce another
factor termed as the tangential induction factor “ a’ “ in the analysis
such that:

Here  is the induced tangential angular velocity of flow and “ Ω “

is the angular velocity of the rotor. Consider an annular stream tube
of thickness “ dr “ at a distance “ r “ from the root of the blade as
in the figure. Area of this annular element is

Hence, the thrust force experienced by the annular element may be

expressed as
Consider an annular stream tube of thickness dr at a distance r
from the root of the blade as in the figure. Area of this annular
element is

Hence, the thrust force experienced by the annular element may be

expressed as

Similarly, the torque on the annular element can be given by

Fig. 2.16. Rotational wake behind the rotor

The power developed by the rotor is the product of this annulus torque
and angular velocity, integrated over the total blade span. Thus the
power is given by

and the power coefficient is given by