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DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A 1/3 SCALE VERTICAL

AXIS WIND TURBINE FOR ELECTRICAL POWERG

Abstract: 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 223.80W.The maximum wind power is considered in the present study.

Keywords: Belt power transmission system; Reynolds number; wind power; wind turbine

INTRODUCTION Wind energy is the kinetic energy associated with the movement of atmospheric air. It has been used for hundreds of years for sailing, grinding grain, and for irrigation. Wind energy systems convert this kinetic energy to more useful forms of power. Wind energy systems for irrigation and milling have been in use since ancient times and since the beginning of the 20th century, it is being used to generate electric power. Windmills for water pumping have been installed in many countries particularly in the rural areas.

Wind turbine is a machine that converts the wind's kinetic energy into rotary mechanical energy, which is then used to do work. In more advanced models, the rotational energy is converted into electricity, the most versatile form of energy, by using a generator (Fitzwater et al., 1996). For thousands of years people have used windmills to pump water or grind grain. Even into the twentieth century tall, slender, multi-vaned wind turbines made entirely of metal were used in American homes and ranches to pump water into the house's plumbing system or into the cattle's watering trough. After World War I, work was begun to develop wind turbines that could produce electricity. Marcellus Jacobs invented a prototype in 1927 that could provide power for a radio and a few lamps but little else. When demand for electricity increased later, Jacobs's small inadequate wind turbines fell out of use. The first large-scale wind turbine built in the United States was conceived by Palmer Cosslett Putnam in 1934; he completed it in 1941. The machine was huge. The tower was 36.6 yards (33.5 meters) high, and its two stainless steel blades had diameters of 58 yards (53 meters). Putnam's wind turbine could produce 1,250 kilowatts of electricity, or enough to meet the needs of a small town (Monett et al., 1994). It was, however, abandoned in 1945 because of mechanical failure. With the

1970s oil embargo, the United States began once more to consider the feasibility of producing cheap electricity from wind turbines. In 1975 the prototype Mod-O was in operation. This was a 100 kilowatt turbine with two 21-yard (19-meter) blades. More prototypes followed (Mod-OA, Mod-1, Mod-2, etc.), each larger and more powerful than the one before.

Currently, the United States Department of Energy is aiming to go beyond 3,200 kilowatts per machine. Many different models of wind turbines exist, the most striking being the vertical-axis Darrieus, which is shaped like an egg beater (Fitzwater et al., 1996). The model most supported by commercial manufacturers,however, is a horizontal-axis turbine, with a capacity of around 100 kilowatts and three blades not more than 33 yards (30 meters) in length. Wind turbines with three blades spin more smoothly and are easier to balance than those with two blades. Also,while larger wind turbines produce more energy, the smaller models are less likely to undergo major mechanical failure, and thus are more economical to maintain. Wind farms have sprung up all over the United States, most notably in California. Wind farms are huge arrays of wind turbines set in areas of favorable wind production. A great number of interconnected wind turbines are necessary in order to produce enough electricity to meet the needs of a sizable population. Currently, 17,000 wind turbines on wind farms owned by several wind energy companies produce 3.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to meet the energy needs of 500,000 homes. A wind turbine consists of three basic parts: the tower, the nacelle, and the rotor blades. The tower is either a steel lattice tower similar to electrical towers or a steel tubular tower with an inside ladder to the nacelle. The first step in constructing a wind turbine is erecting the tower. Although the tower's steel parts are manufactured off site in a factory, they are usually assembled on site. The parts are bolted together before erection, and the tower is kept horizontal until placement. A crane lifts the tower into position, all bolts are tightened, and stability is tested upon completion. Next, the fiberglass nacelle is installed. Its inner workings main drive shaft, gearbox, and blade pitch and yaw controls are assembled mounted onto a base frame at a factory (Hammons, 2004). The nacelle is then bolted around the equipment. At the site, the nacelle is lifted onto the completed tower and bolted into place. In addition, the aerodynamics of a wind turbine at the rotor surface is very much important in aerodynamic fields. The rotor axis is brought to a vertical orientation with a wind vane mounted on a control shaft to orientate the blades with changing wind direction. Using pitch regulation the rotor blades turn around their axis so that the aerodynamic characteristics of the blade and rotor are controlled.The rotor is yaw out of the wind which turns the rotor plane to follow the changing wind direction.The hub is connected to the rotor with rigid bolt connection and the rotational speed of the rotor is fixed relative to the frequency of the grid. The future can only get better for wind turbines.The potential for wind energy is largely untapped. The total amount of electricity that could potentially be generated from wind in the United States has been estimated at 10,777 billion kWh annually (Keith, 2005). These new wind farms demonstrate how wind energy can help to meet the nation’s growing need for affordable, reliable

power. With continued government encouragement to accelerate its development, this increasingly competitive source of renewable energy will provide at least six percent of the nation’s electricity by 2020. Research is now being done to increase the knowledge of wind resources. This involves the testing of more and more areas for the possibility of placing wind farms where the wind is available and strong. Plans are in effect to increase the life span of the machine from five years to 20 to 30 years, improve the efficiency of the blades, provide better controls, develop drive trains that lastlonger, and allow for better surge protection and grounding. The United States Department of Energy has recently set up a schedule to implement the latest research in order to build wind turbines with a higher efficiency rating than is now possible (the efficiency of an ideal wind turbine is 59.3 percent (Milligan & Artig, 1999). That is, 59.3 percent of the wind’s energy can be captured. Turbines in actual use are about 30 percent efficient). The United States Department of Energy has also contracted three corporations to investigate ways to reduce mechanical failure. This project began in the spring of 1992 and will extend to the end of the century. Wind turbines will become more prevalent in upcoming years. The turn of the century should see wind turbines that are properly placed, efficient, durable, and numerous. From the investigation of this wind turbine background, an H-type, vertical axis wind turbine has been designed and built in thermal Laboratory Universiti Industri Selangor that has the capability to self-start. In addition, this turbine has been designed to allow a variety of modifications such as blade profile and pitching to be tested. The first part of the design process, which included research, brainstorming, engineering analysis, turbine design selection, and prototype testing have been incorporated. Using data obtained through proper investigation results, the final full-scale turbine has been designed and built. Wind turbines can be separated into two types based by the axis in which the turbine rotates namely horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) and the vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). HAWT has difficulty operating in near ground, turbulent winds because their yaw and blade bearing need smoother, more laminar wind flows, difficult to install needing very tall and expensive cranes and skilled operators, downwind variants suffer from fatigue and structural failure caused by the turbulence and height can be a safety hazard for low-altitude aircraft. Other than that, the aerodynamics of a horizontal-axis wind turbine is complex. The air flow at the blades is not the same as the airflow far away from the turbine. The very nature of the way in which energy is extracted from the air also causes air to be deflected by the turbine. In addition, the aerodynamics of a wind turbine at the rotor surface includes effects that are rarely seen in other aerodynamic fields. A wide variety of VAWT configurations have been proposed. The Darrieus vertical type wind turbine is the most common and us used extensively for power generation. However, the Darrieus turbine suffered from structural problems as well as a poor energy market. To improve the performance of a wind turbine, this study has been concentrated on design and built an 1/3 scale H-type, vertical axis wind turbine that has the capability to self-start due to the wind flow and efficient performance of the VAWT that could lead to a change in the standard thinking of how wind energy