How to Build a Wind Turbine
How to Build a Wind Turbine
A wind turbine is nothing but a simple turbine set up in open space, which utilizes the mechanical energy of air, or wind and converts it to kinetic energy. Either it can make things work by implementation of the kinetic energy to the attached items or it can even convert this energy into electric energy. A windmill is one type of wind turbine, which does direct application of the mechanical energy into machines, pumps and other forcible works. When the energy is used for electricity generation, it can be called a Wind generator.
Important Parameters
Horizontal axis
Turbine dynamics
Axial moment
Angular moment
Rotation and wake rotation
Height of the tower
Number of blades implemented
Rotation control techniques
Furling
Braking - Electrical and mechanical
Turbine size
Raw materials
Setting up the Tempo
While building up the tower and the blades, as in the main equipment of the wind turbine, it is very important to choose the best possible raw materials to build on, which can withstand decay, deterioration and rust in long terms basis. The rotor blades are normally constructed of glass-reinforced plastic that is GRP, with epoxy resin matrix. Sometimes they can be made up of aluminum materials but GRP is the best possible alternative.
However, in primitive time, canvas and wooden materials were previously used as the rotor blade components but they lacked in aerodynamic favoring methods.
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The Axis and Aerodynamics
The axis can be of two types, that is horizontal axis turbine and vertical axis turbine. However, horizontal axes are widely in use in most applications.
Tower Height
It is obviously known that due to less drag and lesser resistance added with lower density of polluting particles in higher altitudes, towers are done at high altitudes. Normally the tower height is two to three times the length of the rotor blades for better stabilization and strength.
Count of Blades
Depending upon the nature of work, efficiency, handling ability, scale of work and budget, reliability and aesthetics; the no. of blades to be implemented are decided.
Control and Braking
The ratio of the wind flowing to the ratio of the speed of the rotor blades is known as speed factor. The speed and torque of the rotation must be controlled in order to optimize efficiency, keeping the genset in proper speed limits, balanced centripetal forces, not to cross the strength limit, to enable proper long-term maintenance, to reduce noise and so on. There are many crucial indispensable factors, which make control as necessary. So controlling methodologies must be properly adopted. By adoption of furling, the speed can be optimized.
By dumping the whole energy, braking can be applied to the wind turbine.
In adopting the above methods, techniques and scientific considerations, one can build the wind turbines easily at proper places. While placing the turbines in multiple numbers, one should also bother about their placements and relative directions.