Power Quality Measurements of a Horizontal Axial Small Wind Turbine

2017 ◽  
Vol 870 ◽  
pp. 329-334
Author(s):  
Yu Jen Liu ◽  
Yen Chang Chen ◽  
Pei Hsiu Lan ◽  
Tsang Pin Chang

As small wind turbines are increasingly used, the assessments of power quality may thus become paramount. Unlike the large-scale wind turbines which are optional required to perform power quality measurements during production certification stage; however the power quality measurements are often neglected in small wind turbines since they are not requested on the certain of national grid codes at low-voltage distribution system level. Considering the high penetrations of small wind turbines may be connected to the future urban electric network, the paper performs the power quality on-site measurements of a horizontal axle small wind turbines. The issues may include the discussion of measurement system structure, the description of measurement method, and the analysis of wind turbine power characteristic, voltage/current trends, harmonics and flicker phenomena. The measured data collected in the study will valuable for the further analysis of power systems connected with the small wind turbines.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianghai Wu ◽  
Tongguang Wang ◽  
Long Wang ◽  
Ning Zhao

This article presents a framework to integrate and optimize the design of large-scale wind turbines. Annual energy production, load analysis, the structural design of components and the wind farm operation model are coupled to perform a system-level nonlinear optimization. As well as the commonly used design objective levelized cost of energy (LCoE), key metrics of engineering economics such as net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and the discounted payback time (DPT) are calculated and used as design objectives, respectively. The results show that IRR and DPT have the same effect as LCoE since they all lead to minimization of the ratio of the capital expenditure to the energy production. Meanwhile, the optimization for NPV tends to maximize the margin between incomes and costs. These two types of economic metrics provide the minimal blade length and maximal blade length of an optimal blade for a target wind turbine at a given wind farm. The turbine properties with respect to the blade length and tower height are also examined. The blade obtained with economic optimization objectives has a much larger relative thickness and smaller chord distributions than that obtained for high aerodynamic performance design. Furthermore, the use of cost control objectives in optimization is crucial in improving the economic efficiency of wind turbines and sacrificing some aerodynamic performance can bring significant reductions in design loads and turbine costs.


2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Jonathan Blackledge ◽  
◽  
Eugene Coyle ◽  
Derek Kearney ◽  
Eamonn Murphy ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
M. Brennenstuhl ◽  
M. von der Gruen ◽  
S. Harbola ◽  
A. Koukofikis ◽  
R. Padsala ◽  
...  

Abstract. In the face of climate change and the energy transition that the German federal government is aiming for, all renewable energy potentials need to be tapped. Unfortunately, small wind turbines play a niche role in Germany and most other countries despite the fact, that although they offer advantages as e.g. almost seasonal independent energy production in close proximity to the consumer on the same low-voltage grid level. One reason beside the lower wind speeds that can be expected closer to the ground is, that in comparison to PV (photovoltaic), for which good yield forecasts can be made using global radiation measurements from nearby weather stations or online databases, the yield of small wind turbines, especially in urban areas, can only be forecasted using on-site measurements due to the influence of the surrounding buildings and topography. This method is time-consuming and costly. To address this, within this work a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation based visualization framework for the investigation of the small wind turbine potential is presented. In this specific case the energy supply company EnBW is planning to refurbish the “Neuer Stöckach” urban quarter on the former “Stöckach” company site. As part of the redevelopment, a comprehensive energy concept is planned to integrate renewable energies. In this context the integration of small wind turbines into the energy concept is examined according to this new methodology.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 4587
Author(s):  
Kondoh ◽  
Mizuno ◽  
Funamoto

There is significant potential for an increase in the use of kilowatt-class small wind turbines (SWTs) in Japan due to reduced limitations with respect to installation, despite their high cost. At this stage, the Japanese grid code has not been considered sufficiently with respect to grid-connected SWTs, and the addition of fault ride-through (FRT) requirements for SWTs has been requested. Moreover, the FRT of SWTs is challenging to achieve owing to the low inertia constants when compared with those of large-scale wind turbines, which result in significant acceleration of the rotor speed and an increase in the input voltage of the power conditioning system (PCS) during FRT operation. In this study, FRT field tests were conducted on SWT systems against a voltage dip with a duration of ~1 s, and it was confirmed that the SWT systems satisfied the FRT requirements for photovoltaic (PV) systems connected to low-voltage distribution lines in Japan. The behaviors of the rotational speed of the SWTs and the PCS input voltage in an FRT operation were then analyzed, and it was noted that the increase in the PCS input voltage with the overspeed of the turbine can reach the upper limit and make the PCS cease operation, which indicates failure of the FRT. The overvoltage, therefore, requires restriction using a method such as pitch control, furling, and electrical and/or mechanical brakes.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 7263
Author(s):  
Junji Kondoh ◽  
Daisuke Kodaira

It is well known that the output power from small wind turbines (SWTs) fluctuates noticeably more when compared to that from other types of dispersed generators, such as residential photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems. Thus, the degradation of voltage quality, such as flicker emissions, when numerous SWTs are installed in a low-voltage distribution system is a particular concern. Nevertheless, practical examples of flicker emissions from small wind power facilities have not been made public. This paper aims to clarify the characteristics of flicker emissions by SWTs and their severity. The measurement results at the two selected sites indicate that the flicker emissions solely caused by variable-speed SWTs with a total power rating of ~20 kW are notably lower than the upper limit, and they are at their highest when the mean total output power is approximately 3/4 of the total power rating of small wind power facilities.


Author(s):  
Marcus Wiens ◽  
Sebastian Frahm ◽  
Philipp Thomas ◽  
Shoaib Kahn

AbstractRequirements for the design of wind turbines advance facing the challenges of a high content of renewable energy sources in the public grid. A high percentage of renewable energy weaken the grid and grid faults become more likely, which add additional loads on the wind turbine. Load calculations with aero-elastic models are standard for the design of wind turbines. Components of the electric system are usually roughly modeled in aero-elastic models and therefore the effect of detailed electrical models on the load calculations is unclear. A holistic wind turbine model is obtained, by combining an aero-elastic model and detailed electrical model into one co-simulation. The holistic model, representing a DFIG turbine is compared to a standard aero-elastic model for load calculations. It is shown that a detailed modelling of the electrical components e.g., generator, converter, and grid, have an influence on the results of load calculations. An analysis of low-voltage-ride-trough events during turbulent wind shows massive increase of loads on the drive train and effects the tower loads. Furthermore, the presented holistic model could be used to investigate different control approaches on the wind turbine dynamics and loads. This approach is applicable to the modelling of a holistic wind park to investigate interaction on the electrical level and simultaneously evaluate the loads on the wind turbine.


Author(s):  
I. Janajreh ◽  
C. Ghenai

Large scale wind turbines and wind farms continue to evolve mounting 94.1GW of the electrical grid capacity in 2007 and expected to reach 160.0GW in 2010 according to World Wind Energy Association. They commence to play a vital role in the quest for renewable and sustainable energy. They are impressive structures of human responsiveness to, and awareness of, the depleting fossil fuel resources. Early generation wind turbines (windmills) were used as kinetic energy transformers and today generate 1/5 of the Denmark’s electricity and planned to double the current German grid capacity by reaching 12.5% by year 2010. Wind energy is plentiful (72 TW is estimated to be commercially viable) and clean while their intensive capital costs and maintenance fees still bar their widespread deployment in the developing world. Additionally, there are technological challenges in the rotor operating characteristics, fatigue load, and noise in meeting reliability and safety standards. Newer inventions, e.g., downstream wind turbines and flapping rotor blades, are sought to absorb a larger portion of the cost attributable to unrestrained lower cost yaw mechanisms, reduction in the moving parts, and noise reduction thereby reducing maintenance. In this work, numerical analysis of the downstream wind turbine blade is conducted. In particular, the interaction between the tower and the rotor passage is investigated. Circular cross sectional tower and aerofoil shapes are considered in a staggered configuration and under cross-stream motion. The resulting blade static pressure and aerodynamic forces are investigated at different incident wind angles and wind speeds. Comparison of the flow field results against the conventional upstream wind turbine is also conducted. The wind flow is considered to be transient, incompressible, viscous Navier-Stokes and turbulent. The k-ε model is utilized as the turbulence closure. The passage of the rotor blade is governed by ALE and is represented numerically as a sliding mesh against the upstream fixed tower domain. Both the blade and tower cross sections are padded with a boundary layer mesh to accurately capture the viscous forces while several levels of refinement were implemented throughout the domain to assess and avoid the mesh dependence.


Energies ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 579
Author(s):  
Taimoor Asim ◽  
Sheikh Zahidul Islam ◽  
Arman Hemmati ◽  
Muhammad Saif Ullah Khalid

Offshore wind turbines are becoming increasingly popular due to their higher wind energy harnessing capabilities and lower visual pollution. Researchers around the globe have been reporting significant scientific advancements in offshore wind turbines technology, addressing key issues, such as aerodynamic characteristics of turbine blades, dynamic response of the turbine, structural integrity of the turbine foundation, design of the mooring cables, ground scouring and cost modelling for commercial viability. These investigations range from component-level design and analysis to system-level response and optimization using a multitude of analytical, empirical and numerical techniques. With such wide-ranging studies available in the public domain, there is a need to carry out an extensive yet critical literature review on the recent advancements in offshore wind turbine technology. Offshore wind turbine blades’ aerodynamics and the structural integrity of offshore wind turbines are of particular importance, which can lead towards system’s optimal design and operation, leading to reduced maintenance costs. Thus, in this study, our focus is to highlight key knowledge gaps in the scientific investigations on offshore wind turbines’ aerodynamic and structural response. It is envisaged that this study will pave the way for future concentrated efforts in better understanding the complex behavior of these machines.


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