Overview of lectures in this series

Introduction and motors (Oct. 3)

2. Motors and generators (Oct. 10)
3. Distribution and use of electricity (Oct. 17)
4. The wind (Oct. 24)
5. Heat engines 1 (Oct. 31)
6. Heat engines 2 (Nov. 7)
7. Nuclear generation (Nov. 14)
8. Solar power thermal and electric (Nov. 21)
9. Fuel cells (Dec. 5)
10. Summary, Consumption and the future (Dec. 12)
1.

http://kicp.uchicago.edu/~switzer/

The Wind
COMPTON LECTURE 4: OCTOBER 24, 2009
ERIC SWITZER

"In the beginning, being encouraged by one who is into aviation, I have
applied to the insects the laws of resistance for air, and I reached, with
Mr. Sainte-Lague, the conclusion that their flight is impossible. -- Le
Vol Des Insects (Hermann and Cle, Paris, 1934) August Magnan

Resources
Wind Turbine Fundamentals, Technologies,
Application, Economics by E. Hau, Springer
Annual Report on U.S. Wind Power Installation,
Cost, and Performance Trends: 2007 (EERE/DOE
Wiser and Bolinger)

What is wind?
Air: 78% nitrogen, 21%

oxygen + other trace gas

Mean velocity ~1000
mph
Collision rate: few GHz
In what sense is the air
still, then?

What is wind?
Wind is a mass flow

10 mph wind through a door frame = 18 pounds per second.

Intuition about the wind

The wind embodies energy: you can use it to turn

mechanical devices which do work. (On a farm, it

may pump water lifting a mass through some
height)
The wind can produce a force you know this from
trying to stand in a gale.

A catching device

A catching device: power

Power is energy per time:

Power embodied: Area A swept and

velocity cubed.
P ~ Watts and v ~ m/s

A catching device: force

Force induced: Area A swept,

velocity squared and a drag
coefficient Cd (depends on the
object the wind hits)
F ~ Newtons and v ~ m/s

Hand out the window

Drag-type windmill

Can not spin faster

than the wind!

A 9th century Persian-style drag windmill

A hand against the wind?

Mills of La Mancha

Image: wikipedia

Generators why not use the wind?

Connection to lec. 1-3:
A changing magnetic flux induces a voltage

(Faradays induction)

Flux = area*magnetic field (B)*cos(angle)

A modern turbine

Image: wikipedia

Lift-type windmill

Airfoils: lift, drag and stall

Resultant lift

Forces on the Turbine

Can spin faster

than the wind.
Horizontal axis
wind turbine
(HAWT)
Need to yaw to
wind.

Wind Turbines Fundamentals, Technologies, Application, Economics E. Hau, Springer

A hypothetical generator: failure

Idealized flow around a turbine

The same mass of air must flow through each of these surfaces.
Recall: Flow rate is Av
Analogy: a river

The Betz efficiency

Take ratio of extracted to input wind power (an efficiency):

Energy: drives vout to zero

Mass flow: likes vout

Maximum efficiency at vout/vin=1/3.

The real world: turbines are big

Images: wikipedia

Bird deaths in Denmark

Image: Sustainable Energy Without All the Hot Air MacKay

Conversion Efficiency

<0.593

Wind Turbines Fundamentals, Technologies, Application, Economics E. Hau, Springer

Extended momentum theory

Also: tip vortices

Some of the energy of incoming wind goes into a rotating wake

Total efficiency depends on how fast the blades turn.
Wind Turbines Fundamentals, Technologies, Application, Economics E. Hau, Springer

Efficiency as a function of tip speed

4th

blade buys ~1-2% power

Tip speed ratio:

Speed at blade tip
divided by incoming
wind speed.
At low tip speed
ratio, losses from
wake.
A high tip speed,
losses from airfoil
drag.

Wind Turbines Fundamentals, Technologies, Application, Economics E. Hau, Springer

Power control

Small rotors without

blade pitch control
can exploit a passive
stall, where the angle
of attach naturally
reaches stall above
some threshold wind
speed. Can also yaw
out of the wind,
furling.

Wind Turbines Fundamentals, Technologies, Application, Economics E. Hau, Springer

Power curve

Rated

Cut-out
Pitch control

Cut in

Wind Turbines Fundamentals, Technologies, Application, Economics E. Hau, Springer

Wind speed distributions

gusts

Wind Turbines Fundamentals, Technologies, Application, Economics E. Hau, Springer

The graded annual power

Wind Turbines Fundamentals, Technologies, Application, Economics E. Hau, Springer

What is a typical turbine?

Annual Report on U.S. Wind Power Installation, Cost, and Performance Trends: 2007
(EERE/DOE Wiser and Bolinger)

Some statistics

Annual Report on U.S. Wind Power Installation, Cost, and Performance Trends: 2007
(EERE/DOE Wiser and Bolinger)

Net energy flows

25%

eff.

32% eff.

Something to be optimistic about

NCEP

The potential of wind

173,000 TW incident solar power
121,000 TW to the Earths surface
3,600 TW into wind
1200 TW at < 1 km above surface
400 TW on land, 50 TW surface
2 TW sane
Of order 10 TW needed
This is highly optimistic!

"Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes A. V. da Rosa, IPCC 2001

Conclusions
Wind is a flow of mass and embodies power ~ v3
Either drag (historical) or lift (modern) can be used
There is a fundamental (Betz) limit to the efficiency
Moreover, there are limits to how much power you

even want to extract!

Turbines have a standard power curve
Wind speeds vary and imply a graded annual power

My other car is a sphere: lecture 6

Image: wikipedia