School of the Built Environment
Renewable Energy & Architecture
Renewable Energy Technology 1 (K1D RE1)
Introduction to Renewables for Engineers (K1B IRE)
Wind Turbine Laboratory
Aim
The aim of this laboratory exercise is to provide an opportunity to examine how the
generating capacity of a wind turbine is related to wind velocity and measure turbine
efficiency.
Apparatus
The experimental set up for the investigation of a wind turbine is shown below.
Wind turbine
Ammeter
I Load
+ (Battery)
-
V
Volt
Meter
Exhaust from wind
tunnel
Figure 1 Experimental set up
Theory
Wind is a source of kinetic energy and turbines are machines designed to convert this
into mechanical energy for driving pumps and fans, generating electricity, etc. The
kinetic energy contained in the wind, Ek, is a function of the air velocity, c, and mass
of air, m, flowing over the turbine given by
Ek = 1/2 mc2 1
The total available power, W, is the energy flowing over the turbine in 1 second. If the
turbine sweeps out an area, A, the mass of air flowing over the blades in one second,
M, will equal
M = Ac 2
Where is the density of air. The power flow, Wk, in the wind is therefore
Wk = 1/2 Ac3 3
The equation for available power is a very useful relationship. It shows that the power
generated by a turbine is proportional to:
1. the area swept out by the blades, A
2. the cube of the wind velocity, c
In practice, turbines are only able to convert a proportion of this available power into
mechanical energy. The theoretical maximum is approx 60% but typical efficiencies
are in the order of 15 to 40%.
The electrical power, We, generated by the turbine connected to a generator can be
found from the voltage, V and the current, I, using
We = VI 4
The turbine generating efficiency can be found from
= We/Wk 5
This will be subject to losses associated with conversion of mechanical energy to
electrical energy and as a consequence will be lower than the values quoted above.
Method
For this lab you will be expected to determine We from the measured current through
and voltage across a battery serving as a load for a small wind turbine. As the load
consumes all of the electricity generated by the turbine, these data will allow you to
find the electrical energy generated. Measurements of the air velocity passing through
the turbine will allow the available power, Wk, to be determined and hence turbine
efficiency, .
You should adopt the following procedure to investigate the performance of the
turbine.
1. The average velocity of the air exiting the wind tunnel has been measured for
a range of fan settings and entered on the data sheet.
2. Mount the turbine on its stand and ensure it is connected to the cable leading
to the electrical load with the correct polarity. Retreat to the test area. Do not
approach the turbine when the fan is running!
3. Set the fan controller to 10%, measure the voltage and current from the
voltmeter and ammeter and record them on the data sheet. Repeat the
procedure for the fan controller settings indicated on the data sheet. For each
controller setting allow a short period of time for the turbine to pick up speed
and for the load to respond to the generated power before taking the readings.
Results
To assist with your understanding of this laboratory, you should perform an analysis
of the data along the lines indicated below.
1. Plot the power (y-axis) against the wind velocity (x-axis) for the turbine. You
should fit a curve through the data (use a 2nd or 3rd order polynomial fit) and
record the relationship between the power and velocity (ie the equation of the
line). Comment on any agreement or otherwise between the measured data and
the theoretical relationship between power generation and wind velocity (ie
equation 3).
2. Compare your power-velocity graph with the one provided by the turbine
manufacturer on this handout. Suggest reasons for any discrepancies.
3. Determine the efficiency of the turbine for the range of wind velocities
examined. (Note: at low wind velocities relatively little electrical energy is
generated – this can result in significant errors when calculating efficiencies.)
140
120
100
80
Power (W)
60
40
20
0
0 5 10 Wind velocity (m/s)
15
Manufacturer's Measured Output Power v Windspeed for a Rutland 913 Turbine
Wind Turbine Data Sheet
Turbine diameter = ………..m. Turbine area = ………..m2
Fan Power Electrical
Controller Wind Velocity (m/s) Voltage Current Flow Power Efficiency
setting
average of 5 readings (V) (A) (W) (W) (%)
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%