Vertical wind turbines

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

While there are many more advanced ways of generating energy today, wind turbines used to be used almost everywhere. Of course, they are still used today, but the number has decreased significantly. To understand how they work, it is important to know that wind is a form of solar energy.

General Description

Wind turbines work using wind currents. But why is the wind capable of generating electricity? This phenomenon occurs due to the fact that there is an uneven heating of the earth's atmosphere, the structure of the surface of the planet is irregular, and also because it rotates. Wind turbines, or wind generators, are able to convert the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical energy, which can later be used for some other tasks.

How exactly do these devices generate electricity using normal wind? In fact, everything is quite simple. The principle of operation of such a turbine is directly opposite to the operation of a fan. Under the influence of the force of the wind, the blades of the wind turbine turn, which, in turn, cause the shaft connected to the generator to produce electricity to rotate.

Turbine types

There are several different types of turbines. Engineers distinguish two main categories currently in use. The first category is horizontal-axial and the second category is vertical-axial. The first type of wind turbine has the most common design, which includes two or three blades. Units with three blades work on the principle of "against the wind". The elements themselves are set so that they look into the wind.

One of the largest turbines in the world is GE Wind Energy. The power of this device is 3.6 megawatts. It is worth noting here that the larger the turbine, the more efficient it is. In addition, the benefit-to-price ratio also improves with the size of the aggregate.

Turbine totals

The first indicator by which a device is selected is power. If we take "service" turbines, then their power can start from 100 kW and reach several MW. It is also important to note that both vertical and horizontal wind turbines can be grouped together. Such groups are most commonly referred to as wind farms. The purpose of such sites is the wholesale supply of electricity to the desired object.

If we talk about small single turbines, whose power is less than 100 kW, they are most often used to supply electricity to private houses, telecommunications antennas or to supply energy to water transfer pumps. It should be noted that small turbines can also be used in combination with diesel engines.generators, batteries or solar panels. Such a system is called a hybrid system. They are used in places where there is no other possibility to connect to the electrical network.

Advantages of vertical turbines

At present, the vertical type of devices is much more often used. This is justified by the fact that the vertical type has a number of advantages over the horizontal ones.

On vertical type towers, the load will act more evenly, which makes it easier to create a larger structure in terms of its dimensions. In addition, to install the rotor on this type of turbine, there is no need for additional equipment. An important advantage that increases the efficiency of work is that the blades of vertical turbines can be made twisted - in the form of a spiral. This is very important, because in this case, wind energy will affect them both at the entrance and at the exit, which, of course, increases the efficiency of the installation.

One of the most important advantages of vertical turbines is that when they are installed, there is no point in adjusting the axis to the wind flow. This type of device will work with a stream of wind blowing from either side.

Bolotov wind turbine

This unit stands out from other devices. For normal operation of the turbine, there is no need to adapt it to various weather conditions. The wind power element of this design is able to perceive the wind from any side, without anysetting operations. In addition, this type of station does not require the tower to turn when the wind direction changes. Another advantage of vertical wind turbines (VAWT - wind power plant with a vertical generator shaft) is that they have a special design that allows you to work with wind flows of any power. Operation even during storms is possible. It is possible to choose the number of installation modules. The output power of the turbine will depend on their number. That is, by changing the number of modules, you can change the power of the unit, which is very convenient. Another advantage is that the wind-force structural element is assembled in such a way that it allows high-efficiency conversion of kinetic energy into mechanical energy.

Dimensions of the Biryukov and Blinov wind turbine

This device has a two-story rotor with a diameter of 0.75 m. The height of this element is 2 m. Under the action of a fresh wind, such a rotor was able to completely spin the rotor of an asynchronous shaft with a power of up to 1.2 kW. The turbine could withstand wind force up to 30 m/s without failure.

It is worth talking about why the wind turbine is considered the achievement of two scientists. The thing is that in the 60s. in the USSR, the scientist Biryukov patented a carousel wind generator with KIEV 46%. However, a little later, engineer Blinov was able to use the same design, but with an indicator of 58% KIEV.

Turbineshyperboloid type

The hyperboloid-type wind turbines were based on the ideas of such an engineer as Shukhov Vladimir Grigoryevich.

The features of this type of turbine include the fact that it has a larger working area of the wind flow. If we compare this indicator with other categories of devices, then the hyperboloid type shows results 7-8% better, if we count from the swept area. This indicator is valid for those types in which the working area of \u200b\u200bthe wind flow is vaned. If we compare this type, for example, with Darrieus and Savonius turbines, then the difference will be 40-45%.

The special properties of this category of units also include the fact that they are able to work with upward air flows. It is very productive if you install the generator near a lake, swamp, hillside, etc.

The advantages of such turbines include the fact that the line of contact of the active layer of air, which washes the hyperboloid, will be 1.6 times longer than that of a similar cylinder rotating like a rotary wind generator. Naturally, hence the conclusion that the efficiency will be greater by the same amount.

Flaws

Despite the many advantages and features of these turbines, they also have some disadvantages.

The negative factors include the fact that when the generator blades rotate against wind currents, this type of generator will incur significant losses, which, in turn, will lead to a decrease in work efficiency by about half. The decrease in this indicator is very noticeable if we compare vertical turbines with horizontal ones, which do not have such losses.

Another disadvantage is that the vertical wind generator must be very long. If you place it close to the ground, where the wind speed is much lower than at high altitude, then there may be problems starting the rotor, which needs a push to start working. By itself, it does not start at all. You can, of course, install special towers to raise the blades higher, but the lower part of the rotor will still be too low.

Other disadvantages include the fact that in winter icicles will form on the blades of wind turbines. It is also worth noting the large amount of noise that turbines emit during operation. Some of the installations are even capable of producing harmful infrasound during their operation. It causes vibration, which can cause glass, windows, dishes to rattle.

Fun fact: RimWorld's wind turbines were used as a power source.