Is it possible to have a mechanism, structure or system, by which wind speed, just before hitting the blades of a wind turbine, could be kept constant or nearly constant irrespective of the wind speed in the surrounding area?
The idea is to keep the wind speed hitting the blades to be somewhat more than the surrounding and as close to constant as possible
Dear Deep
The idea of keeping the wind speed hitting the blades to be somewhat more than or equal to the surrounding is possible. However, to make the constant velocity irrespective the surrounding velocity seems to be difficult.
In the conventional wind turbines, both vertical and horizontal arrangments, the wind velocity hitting the baldes is always lower than the ambient velocity ( surrounding velocity) as the axial induction factor ( resistant effect of the turbine).
By incorporating a diffuser shroud element into the wind machine, it is possible to obtain the velocity hitting the baldes to be higher than the ambient velocity. This is because that the diffuser generates a low pressure zone in its rear part, enhancing the wind mass flow into the inlet of the diffuser ( where the turbine is located ) as a results the velocity increases. Thus , instead of contributing in inceasing the velocity hitting the turbine , the effect of the deceleration of velocity caused by the induction factor can be diminished. Many studies exerimentally and computationally , have shown the effect of the diffuser on the increasing velocity on the wind machine.
In my understanding, until this time no projects or research attempt to make the constant velocity irrespective the surrounding velocity on the wind machine.
Hi Deep,
For applying constant wind to a turbine without any turbulence or shear, you can use the FAST program that is available in NREL website. It is connected to the AeroDyn routine that can calculate normal, tangential, and pitch moment loads on the blades for constant and turbulent wind speeds. You can find more information in these papers:
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/53872.pdf
http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/pdf/10.2514/6.2012-1829
http://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=UAdIipEAAAAJ&citation_for_view=UAdIipEAAAAJ:Tyk-4Ss8FVUC
http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=1858144
http://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/WCEE2012_1608.pdf
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