Types of Wind

Turbine
Types of Wind Energy Conversion
Devices
1. Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine
i. Horizontal Axis two aerodynamic
blade.
ii. Horizontal axis propeller type
using single blade.
iii. Multiblade water pumping
windmills
iv. Dutch type Windmill
v. Sail type
2. Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
i. The savonius rotor
ii. The darrieus rotor
 A horizontal axis machine has its blades rotating on an axis
parallel to the ground.
 A vertical axis machine has its blades rotating on an axis
perpendicular to the ground.
 There are a number of available designs for both and each type
has certain advantages and disadvantages.
 However, compared with the horizontal axis type, very few
vertical axis machines are available commercially.
Horizontal Axis:
 This is the most common wind turbine design.
 In addition to being parallel to the ground, the axis of blade
rotation is parallel to the wind flow.
 Some machines are designed to operate in an upwind mode,
with the blades upwind of the tower.
 In this case, a tail vane is usually used to keep the blades
facing into the wind.
 Other designs operate in a downwind mode so that the wind
passes the tower before striking the blades.
 Some very large wind turbines use a motor-driven mechanism
that turns the machine in response to a wind direction sensor
mounted on the tower.
 Commonly found horizontal axis wind mills are aero-turbine
mill with 35% efficiency.
Types of Horizontal Axis
wind Turbine
1. Horizontal axis using two aerodynamic blades

In this Rotor drives a generator through a step up gearbox.

The blade rotor is usually designed to be oriented downwind
of the tower.
The components are mounted on a bed plate which is
attached on a pintle at the top of the tower.
This arrangement shown in figure.
The rotor blades are continuously flexed by unsteady
aerodynamic, gravitational and inertia loads, when the machine
is in operation.
If the blades are made of metal, flexing reduces their fatigue
life with rotor, the tower is also subjected to above loads,
which may cause serious damage.
Rotor with more than two say 3 or 4 blades would have
slightly higher power coefficient.
2. Horizontal axis propeller type using single blade

In this, a long blade is

mounted on a rigid hub.
Induction generator and
gearbox are also shown in
figure.
If extremely long blades
(above say 60 m) are
mounted on rigid hub,
large blade root bending
moments may occure due
to tower shadow, gravity
and sudden shifts in wind
direction.
Advantages:
Simple blade controls.
Lower blade weight and costs.
Lower gear box cost.

Disadvantages:
Vibration produced, due to aerodynamic torque.
Unconventional appearance.
Large blade root bending moments.
3. Horizontal axis multibladed type:

In this type blades are

made from sheet metal or
aluminium.
The rotor have high
strength to weight ratios
and have been known to
service hours of
freewheeling operation in
60 km/hr wind.
They have good power
coefficient, high starting
torque and added
advantage of simplicity
and low cost.
4. Horizontal axis wind mill-Dutch type:

It is one of the oldest design .

The blade surfaces are made
from an array of wooden slats
which ‘feather’ at high wind
speeds.
5. Sail type:

Blades are shown in figure.

It is of recent origin.
The blade surfaces are made form cloth, nylon or plastics
arranged as mast and pole or sailwings.
There are also variation in sailwing used.
The horizontal axis types generally have better performance.
They have been used various applications, majors are power
generation and water pumping.