!WIND ENERGY CONVERSION: THE POTENTIAL OF A NOVEL DUCTED TURBINE FOR RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS!

Navid Goudarzi, Weidong Zhu, and Habib Bahari

ASME 2013 International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition November 15-21, 2013, San Diego, California, USA
Mechanical Engineering Department University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Outline ! Motivation ! Wind Tower Technology Concept ! Mathematical Modeling ! Experimental Tests ! Economics Analysis ! Conclusion

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Motivation - The average LCOE by technology in 2016 in the USA

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Motivation - Comparison of different power sources

Energy Coal Natural Gas Nuclear Photovoltaic solar power Concentrated Solar Power Wind Biomass Geothermal Hydroelectric Ocean CO2 Emission (g/kWh) 1001 469 16 46 22 12 18 45 4 8 Power Base-load Base- & peak-load Base-load Intermittent Intermittent Intermittent Intermittent Base-load Base- & peak-load Base-load Environment Poor OK1 Minimal OK OK Minimal OK2 Minimal Minimal Minimal3 Geographic constraint None None None Yes Yes Yes Some Yes Yes Coastal

1.! Fracking 2.! Some CO2 emission 3.! Marine life impact should be studied

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Motivation Wind power

While renewable energy sources are infinite, their power production in most cases is either intermittent or geographically constrained. !! Nuclear power has safety, health, and security issues; !! Ocean power is strictly limited to coastal areas; !! biomass, hydroelectric, and geothermal powers are directly dependent on the geography; !! solar power is geographically constrained and will not generate enough power due to the amount of sun exposure; !! Most of the time wind is available in urban areas

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Motivation Similar technologies

The Windation Energy system: ! It has a compact design with high energy production. ! it cannot be mounted on any rooftop building and has an extra weight added to the rooftop. The Webster ducted turbine : ! It is designed to link a high pressure zone to a low pressure one through a channel on a side rooftop of a building ! it is limited to buildings with open sides.

The INVELOX system : ! It is a scalable ducted turbine whose fundamental innovation is in eliminating the need for tower-mounted turbines ! A minimum speed ratio of two that is achieved with the omnidirectional INVELOX. ! its large structure does not integrate with the architectural building design and does not minimize the aesthetic issues in urban areas.
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Wind Tower Technology Concept!

!!A Wind Tower uses pressure differentials produced by wind flow around a building to generate electricity. !!A windcatcher assembly directs the flow into the tower; it comes in various designs such as unidirectional, by-directional, and multi-directional. !!The tower structure together with the embedded nozzles inside it will accelerate the flow. !!Different numbers of nozzles together with various inlet and outlet configurations can be employed to obtain an arrangement with an optimum performance at a site. !!Wind power will be converted to mechanical power by using conventional blade or drum-shaped turbines at the outlet of nozzles. !!the rotational mechanical power is converted to electrical power using generators.
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Wind Tower Technology Concept!

Arrangements of diffusers and drum turbines in the Wind Tower: (Left) front-view, and (Right) cross-section view
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Mathematical Modeling
! The efficiency of a Wind Tower is a function of mass flow rate through the tower and the pressure differential across its ends. ! cross-section areas and inflow speeds of A1 and V1 at the duct inlet; A2 and V2 at the nozzle inlet; A3 and V3 at the nozzle outlet before the turbine; and A4 and V4 at the nozzle outlet after the turbine ! It is assumed that the flow density remains constant; the flow is incompressible; the viscosity effects are negligible; the flow is in form of steady flow; the flow is irrotational inside the tower
)!

(a)

(b)

(a)! an unobstructed vertical duct with a nozzle (b)! a vertical duct with a nozzle, and a turbine to capture the wind power

Mathematical Modeling unobstructed duct

The general motion of fluid substance is described by the Navier-Stokes equations is simplified to the Bernoulli equation, not just along the streamlines, but also at any point in the flow direction in the tower:

# "V $ !( + V (% & V ) ) = '%p + % & T + B * "t +

the induced air velocity at the nozzle outlet
V4 = Cv , A

V2 p + gz + = constant 2 !
2( p01 " p4 )

+ 2 g ( Z1 " Z 4 )

If a differential pressure coefficient defined by

k=

p01 " p4
1 !V 2 2 1

the flow velocity at the nozzle outlet is

V4 = V3 = Cv, A kV1

Cv,A the velocity coefficient of the tower at the operating conditions that includes the effect of area changes between the nozzle inlet and outlet *+!

Mathematical Modeling unobstructed duct

(a)

(b)

The values of the velocity ratio V4 /V1 for a range of differential pressure coefficients and velocity coefficients, at two area ratios of (a) 1.0 and (b) 2.0

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Mathematical Modeling vertical duct with a turbine

The changes in the flow velocity after a fan inside the tower due to the pressure drop can be obtained
2( p01 " p4 )

V4 = Cv , A

+ 2 g ( Z1 " Z 4 )

The maximum flow velocity at the nozzle outlet is obtained by

V4max = Cv , A

k
3

V1

The pressure drop and the maximum captured power are

$ 2 kV12 % 1 2 "pT = &kV1 # ( )' = ! kV1 2 3 ) 3 (

!

P=

1 3

!" $

2 kV1

# % A3Cv, A

! A3Cv , A 3 2 3 k V = k V1 3 1 3 3

The power coefficient is

Cp =

2 3 3

Cv , A k

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Mathematical Modeling unobstructed duct

(a)

(b)

The relation between Cp, Cv, and k for a range of differential pressure coefficients and velocity coefficients, at two area ratios of (a) 1.0 and (b) 2.0

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Experimental Tests
! The experimental tests were conducted at 5m above the sea level on the roof of a building with open sides; a temperature of 25 C, and atmospheric pressure. ! The induced air velocity at the top of the tower and the nozzle heights were measured by a Kestrel 4000 velocity sensor that provides the instant and average wind speeds.

The 1/8 scaled Wind Tower prototype: (a)! the complete assembly, (b)! the rooftop windcatcher, and (c)! the top of the tower structure without the wind-catcher assembly *$!

Experimental Tests
The experimental tests were conducted with the following windcatcher and nozzle configurations: a)! Flat-roof four-quadrant windcatcher rooftop configuration: b)! Rotating flat-roof windcatcher rooftop configuration c)! Peak-roof four-quadrant windcatcher rooftop configuration
1.!A single nozzle with a square cross-section at the inlet that gradually changes to a circular cross-section at the outlet; 2.!A single nozzle with a square cross-section at the inlet that gradually changes to a circular cross-section at the outlet and two closed quadrants; 3.!Multiple nozzles with a square cross-section at the inlet that gradually changes to a circular crosssection at the outlet at the upper nozzle and circular cross-sections at the inlet and outlet at the lower one; and 4.!Multiple nozzles with circular cross-sections at the inlet and outlet at the upper nozzle and a square cross-section at the inlet that gradually changes to a circular cross-section at the outlet at the lower one.

Configuration a b c-1 c-2 c-3 c-4

Flow velocity at rooftop, (m/s) 3.51 3.46 2.11 2.2 1.94 1.94

Flow velocity Wind power ratio at nozzle outlet, (m/s) 4.28 1.82 4.68 2.47 2.87 2.51 3.25 3.23 2.36 1.8 2.6 2.39
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Experimental Results VS. Mathematical Model Results

The average wind speed ratio between the rooftop and nozzle outlet from one set of experimental tests was calculated to be 1.36 m/s. Using equations,

V4 max = Cv , A

k
3

= 3 3

3 Cv , A k 2

under the assumption of the pressure coefficient of one at the tower inlet, which is the stagnation pressure coefficient, and with the velocities of V1 and V4 from experimental tests, the velocity coefficient Cv,A and the differential pressure coefficient k were calculated to be 1.90 and 1.53, respectively. The wind speed at the nozzle outlet in another set of experimental tests, with known velocity and differential pressure coefficients obtained from the previous tests, and known inflow wind speeds with an average value of 2.15-2.3 m/s, was calculated to have an average value between 2.96 m/s to 3.16 m/ s.

Hence, the mathematical model gives an accurate result for the single nozzle configurations.

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Economics Analysis Wind Tower Cost

The cost associated with the construction of a Wind Tower with a single or double turbine. This cost depends on the location, operating conditions, the number of nozzles and turbines, and the type of building materials of the Wind Tower.

Item Vertical axis turbines Galvanized Nozzles Four-quadrant peak-rooftop wind-catcher with 1/16thick silver Aluminum sheeting Inverter 8 steel columns 40 panels steel frames Styrofoam Installations TOTAL COSTS

Single Turbine Double Turbine $5,500.00 $11,000.00 $2.250.00 $4,250.00 $8,000.00 $8,000.00 $2,100.00 $2,400.00 $7,000.00 $10,250.00 $37,500.00 $4,200.00 $2,400.00 $7,000.00 $11,750.00 $48,600.00

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Economics Analysis
The electricity costs per kilowatt hour and the total annual cost with the same annual consumption for a US residential household in in three US cities with/without Government Incentive (GI) City Washington D.C. New York Honolulu Annual consumption (kWh) 11280 11280 11280 Price per kWh (US $) 0.136 0.208 0.390 Total annual cost (US $) 1534.08 2346.24 4399.2

The following assumptions are made in estimating the annual electricity cost saving calculations: ! a minimum life time of 30 years, ! a US $250 annual maintenance fee, ! a fixed 30% of the facility cost for the government incentive; and ! using a 2.5 kW generator in all cities. Estimated annual electricity cost savings in three US cities by using the Wind Tower technology City Annual production (kWh) Price per kWh (US $) With GI Without GI Washington D.C. 11280 1244 1148 New York 11280 2056 1960 Honolulu 11280 4109 4013
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Economics Analysis
A minimum electricity rate of US $0.026 is achieved for a single-turbine Wind Tower configuration. Hence, the Years of the Return on Investment (ROI) with current electricity rates, and with/without Government Incentive (GI) can be: City Washington D.C. New York Honolulu ROI with GI (years) 21.1 12.77 6.39 ROI without GI (years) 32.66 19.13 9.34

The government incentives, mass production of Wind Towers, and further improvement in the manufacturing of the Wind Towers will improve the effectiveness of the technology in residential or commercial applications. Also, a more precise wind assessment will help develop more efficient designs with better performance in regions with lower mean wind speeds

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Conclusion
The potential of a novel ducted turbine, called Wind Tower technology is theoretically and experimentally studied. "! A mathematical model is developed to estimate the power production of a Wind Tower. "! A 1/8th-scale Wind Tower prototype, including a four-quadrant peak-rooftop windcatcher and a tower structure with different nozzle and turbine configurations, is designed and fabricated. "! There is a good agreement between the results from the mathematical model and the experimental tests for the peak-roof four-quadrant rooftop configuration with a single nozzle. "! A minimum $0.026 per kilowatt hour electricity generation cost by using the Wind Tower technology shows a quick ROI in most urban areas. This range depends on the operating and environmental conditions, material selection, and the Wind Tower configuration. "! Implementing a Wind Tower technology in a residential areas has such advantages as: ! the ability to be installed in buildings with different sizes and rooftops, ! high power production, ! integrability with architectural building design, ! elimination of bird/bat mortality, and also ! the advantages of being maintenance-free, sustainable, and highly reliable make it a great option for off-grid homes and properties and remote areas for power production.
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Future Research
The results show that the Wind Tower technology is a feasible alternative to the practice of using conventional machines in power generation for residential or commercial applications. however, more research is needed on: "! Mathematical modeling of a turbulent fluid flow; "! The Wind Tower performance at different scales, site specifications, and Wind Tower component geometries; "! Numerical studies of the Wind Tower by performing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to investigate the flow behavior inside the tower at laminar and turbulent conditions.

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