The Power Production Performance Evaluation

Of Blade and Bladeless Windmill

Abdalftah.Hamed1. Ataberk Najafi2

Student,2 Assistant Professor
1

Department of Electric and Electronics Engineering,

Institute of Science and Technology.
Eskisehir Osmangazi University - Eskisehir, Turkey
Email: abdftah1994@gmail.com1, ataberk.najafi@ogu.edu.tr2

Abstract
The production of energy by using renewable energy sources are going depth of the earth.
Production energy by using a traditional blade wind has many advantages and disadvantages
one of them the cost of the capital and maintenance cost and friction loss represents a
negative point. At present, a new approach of capturing wind energy by using bladeless
windmill find a low-priced and safe replacement to conventional windmills. Vortex-
Bladeless is new concept of a wind turbine without blades called vorticity wind turbine
which uses the VIV. The vortex design aims to eliminate and reduce many of the existing
problems in conventional generators and represents a new paradigm of wind energy. Vortex
can be able to operate efficiently at lower wind speeds, so runtime increases. The purpose of
this is study to provide a basic comparison between the conventional wind turbine and
vortex paradigm in harvesting wind energy.

Keywords: Blade windmills, Bladeless windmills, Vortex-bladeless, vortex-induced

vibration, renewable energy source.

Introduction:
Wind energy for many years has been growing for pumping water or grinding corn with
historic designs, known as windmills, constructed from wood, cloth, and stone, now use
alternative to fossil energy to produce electricity, and commonly termed wind turbines
[1][6]. A wind turbine produces mechanical energy and converted into electrical energy by
using electrical induction generators. Hence, there are two ways of producing electric energy
from wind which are through rotational windmills and oscillation windmills [2].
The cost of manufacturing for different parts of the conventional windmill is a very high like
blade design is about 15–20% of wind turbine production cost [3]. Recently, Vortex Bladeless
is a Spanish tech startup company developing a wind turbine without a blade as a new
approach to capturing wind energy. It generates the electric current by using the oscillation
or vibrations produced due to the wind and used it for small-scale generation to produce less
amount of electrical energy and used blade turbine in commercial applications for
effectiveness and efficiency at a larger scale [2]. Also, the maximum size of blade windmill
components is large and evolve maximum swept area compared to bladeless turbine [4].
The aim of this study focuses on a comparison of bladeless and blade windmills component
reliability through time, concerning their technology analyze how their design has advanced
through time, what the main failures are, and which technologies have proven to work. In
addition, conventional windmill is just beginning to emerge as a significant factor for the
future. Hence, Vortex-Bladeless objective and aims to cancellation and reduce many of
existing problems in conventional generators and it is representing a new paradigm of
windmills [5].

Wind Turbine:
Wind-devices work as a reliable energy source in the past 3 decades, they are playing more
important roles and have become major industries for electric power generation and
contribute to global warming by reducing CO2 emission resulting from power generation
[1][6]. The energy capturing techniques developed and designed on the effects and working
principles of thermos-acoustic, magneto-electric, piezo-electric, thermos-electric, or
optoelectric [1].
In the periphery, there are strong industrial and academic researches on developing
windmill harvesters so that ambient energy associated with wind or rainwater may be
harnessed and converted into electrical power. Hence, to meet the increased power demand
and rapid development of electronic equipment there are Several new energy harnessing
technologies have been successfully developed and implemented to achieve this milestone.
However high capital cost and maintenance and running cost and other disadvantages like
dangerous to birds and noisy as we know which coming from blade wind turbine obviously
encouraged the researches finding new ways to improve conventional wind turbines
negative side by a bladeless turbine [7].

Bladeless Wind Turbine:

Vortex is a Bladeless windmill it is a new wind resonance generator that works on the theory
called vortex shedding effect and principle of vortex-induced Vibrations [2]. It harnesses
wind energy by using this phenomenon to generates the electric current by using the
oscillation or vibrations produced with fewer moving parts which cancellation the need for
lubrication and reduces wear and corrosion [7]. It is built of carbon fiber reinforced polymer,
which provides a great stress resistance and it has a smaller energy leak when oscillating to
reduces the usage of raw materials [5].
Currently, small wind turbine uses to produce less amount of electrical energy it is not used
in commercial applications, till now Large-scale windmill requiring several years of
development before it can be considered competitive. In support of this, the offshore
technology turbines installed in the ocean is very promising one of the faced problems is the
Aggressive naval environments, especially the corrosion of mechanical parts of the
windmills [5]. It would seem that absent of gears, bearings in a device capable of capturing
wind energy can also be an important advantage [4][7].
Vortex Bladeless Wind Turbine Model:

Naturally, the design of bladeless wind turbine is quite different from conventional turbine.
Figure (1) shows the different components of Vortex windmill (d) represent base and mast
(b) represent permanent magnet rings and (a) coils and tuning magnets fixed to the mas and
(c) the structure fixed to the ground. Indeed, innovative way to harness energy from wind,
with different and exciting characteristics which makes it a revolution in wind power [5].

Figure 1. Bladeless windmill elements

The performance in the conversion of wind’s kinetic energy into mechanical energy is close
to the principles of the Betz limit [5]. The mast directly interacting with the wind and induce
an oscillatory movement in a body by vortices are known as VIV phenomena [5]. The impact
sound level is nonexistent the oscillation frequency of the equipment below 20Hz [7]. The
frequency of vortex shedding F is proportional to the average velocity of the incident wind
flow v, the inverse of its characteristic length Φ of cylindrical structures [5].

𝑺𝒕 ∗𝑽
F=
𝜱
However, the cylindrical structures Length Φ is obtained by the value from the static
structure’s diameter and oscillation amplitude multiplied by an adjustment factor X which is
Reynolds’ Number dependent (5).
Φ=D+a·X
Vortex shedding frequency F with wind velocity v∞(L/2) In any other section of the mast is
[5]:
𝑺𝒕 ∗𝒗∞ (𝒚)
F(y) =
𝑫(𝒚)−𝒂∗𝑿(𝒚)
However, v∞(y) and X(y) represents the velocity of the fluid and the oscillation amplitude of
the mast at each height y respectively and H is representing the distance between the ground
anchor and the highest part and the displacement in the upper part of the device is γ times
the mast diameter at its lowest part figure (2), as a result [5]:
𝒚−𝑳/𝟐
X(y)= * γ*d
𝑯−𝑳/𝟐
Finally, as the vortex shedding frequency along the whole mast is same, we find D(y)equation
obtain by [5]:
𝒅∗𝒗∞ (𝒚)
D(y)= -a*x(y)
𝒗∞ (𝑳/𝟐)

Figure (2). Evolution of the mast diameter

according to height

There is a strategy to increase the frequency of oscillation by using two pairs of permanent
magnets (b) have been added to the damped harmonic oscillator figure (3). Hence, the
magnetic force that appears between two permanent magnets are inversely proportional to
the square of the average distance between their poles so the frequency obtains by this is an
equation [5]: The oscillation amplitude is:
𝟏 𝒌 𝒄
f (x)= √ − ( )𝟐
𝟐𝝅 𝒎 𝟐𝒎
 Figure (3). Oscillator with a magnetic tuning system
diagram

Blade windmill:

The wind turbine has two types based on the axis in which the turbine rotates [1]. However,
one rotates around a horizontal axis HAWT another type of turbine rotates around a vertical
axis VAWT [6]. The popularity of the HAWT attributed to continued mainstream
development of the HAWT and can be attributed to a Hight tip speed ratio and essay to
controlling the rotor speed [6]. The VAWT has an efficiency enough to competitive HAWT
design and cannot easy to mount them on a tall enough tower to the usefulness of higher and
capture maximum wind energy [1].
Here we concentrate on the HAWT design which is required to face into the wind to obtain
maximum power, this process is called yawing [6]. The turbine is connected to the shaft of
the generator through a gearbox which moves the slow rotation of the blades into a faster
rotation that is more suitable to drive electrical generator effectiveness and efficiency at a
larger scale [1].

HAWT Model:

As shown in the figure (4), the HAWT consists of blades attached to a hub attached to a
driveshaft that conversation rotational energy to the interior of the nacelle and yaw is work
as the orientation of the nacelle which contains the bearing for the driveshaft, transmission,
generator and mechanical brake [6]. Most utility size designs have settled on three blades as
the optimal number. Also, the shape of the rotor blade and their angle of attack proportion
to the direction of wind and effects on the performance of the rotor blade [1].
The wind turbine blade designers have experimented with many different airfoil shapes over
years to design an ideal shape that would perform well in a range of wind speeds taken by
the Bernoulli effect [3]. Even minimum changes in this blade shape can greatly affect the
power output and noise produced by a wind turbine [6].
 Figure (4) HAWT elements
The Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) refers to the ratio between the speed of the tips of the wind
turbine blades and the wind speed. The TSR is related to efficiency, the higher tip speed gives
higher noise levels and requires strong blades, and it is obtained by the equation [1].
TSR=Tip speed of blade/wind speed
wind speed [m/sec] and the rotor tip speed [m/sec].
The optimum TSR for maximum power output can be obtained by the following equation [1]:
TSRmax =𝟒𝝅/𝒏
However, n is the number of blades.
Based on the Betz limit or Betz efficiency which states that the maximum power that can be
obtained, in theory, from the air with an ideal wind turbine can never exceed 59.26 % of the
energy. formulate a mathematical model for the rotor’s design [8].

The power is directly proportional to the swept area and the turbine rotor having the
expression [8]:
FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS FOR WIND TURBINES:

We knew that wind turbine according to wind features can change behavior. However, a start
speed for small wind HAWT is proximity about 4 m/s, and Vortex turbines design for
generating energy at low wind speeds and can reach a synchronism with vortex shedding
from 3 m/s and enter into full resonance a little after [7]. An important factor that needs to
be considered for analyzing wind technology is the output power that the turbine can access
in real conditions. The table below shows the real output and efficiency approach at different
wind speeds of different turbine technologies for average HAWT and Vortex turbines [7].

AVERAGE OUTPUT POWER FOR DIFFERENT

WIND TURBINE

400

200
145
104

100
86

80
72

66

60
44

35
3
0

WIND SPEED 3 WIND SPEED 6 WIND SPEED 7 WIND SPEED 8 NOMINAL SPEED
M/S M/S M/S M/S

Small HAWT Small VAWT Vortex Bladeless

In fact, Wind conditions are changeable consequently wind factors can be explained on the
turbines to understand which are best wind speed ranges and conditions for each
technology. Accordingly, to a new study in the Technical University of Prague show it in the
figure (5) below gives an estimate of the useful production of each turbine family divided by
their nominal output [9]. The main aim is to compare the efficiency of each turbine to the
most common wind speed ranges around the world. The study suggests that those turbines
that reach a higher nominal output usually draw a worse efficiency curve [9]. alternatively,
if the turbine can reach higher maximum power output, it will perform worse in lower winds.
When the turbine can operate efficiently at lower wind speeds, the runtime increases [9].
 Figure (5) Output power for different Windmills
Studies indicate, HAWT and VAWT usually require higher wind speeds to reach their rated
power rather Vortex can respond naturally to common wind speed ranges [7][9]. For these
reasons, we can say that for regions with a common wind it is not feasible to have a wind
turbine that is only capable of giving sufficient power for few times conventional wind
turbines working better in a place that has strong winds all year long.

Discussion:

The rate of wind energy developed founds costly when compared to an existing conventional
wind energy turbine. The cost of manufacturing different parts of the windmill is very high
the transportation of such heavy parts is very costly and risky. Besides, requires places
where wind speed is more Such places are limited. The conventional wind turbine takes a
big area and the impact on birds is expected to be significantly less rather than the sound
that is causing the noise [4].
Over the lifetime of the blade wind turbine, three types of waste have an impact in terms of
CO2 emissions, manufacturing waste, service waste and end-of-life waste, waste generated
during manufacturing and service adds between 16% and 45% of the mass of the wind
turbine blades and this represents a future challenge to continues manufacture this type
[10].
Vortex paradigm has low manufacturing cost to bypass the need for blades which are the
most expensive component 15-20% of conventional wind turbine production cost. However,
manufacturing savings are estimated to be approximately 51% of a conventional wind
turbine production cost [7]. Also, cancellation of mechanical elements which are more
exposed to corrosion and wear and reduction in maintenance costs. Vortex paradigm takes
up a small area and harness around 40% of the wind energy existing in the air which is a
more than credible capacity. Additionally, the impact on birds is expected to be significantly
less, as Vortex does not require the same type or volume of motion like a conventional wind
turbine. The oscillation frequency of the equipment is less than 20 Hz and the sound effect
level is not present which opens the possibility of making future wind farms completely
silent [7]. All of this is features make it highly competitive not only against generations of
alternative or renewable energy but even compared to conventional technologies [5][7].
The first Vortex 3m high and weighed around 10kg produced 100W designed to bring energy
for a location and matching it with solar energy and considered a great solution when solar
cells system is not producing. Also, the second product is a 4kw turbine 13mhigh and weight
less than 100kg perfect for a hybrid system [7].

Conclusion:

Wind energy has the potential to be the primary source of energy in the world. there are
strong industrial and academic researches tapping newer ways of the wind turbine for
renewable energy is gaining momentum in the recent years. The cost and other negative side
effects made conventional wind turbines for using energy in small areas are not suitable.
However, Vortex wind turbines are one of the greatest wind energy harness systems. Aspects
of low maintenance costs and low noise levels make this technology appear to be the best
choice in shared renewable energy installations where safe and secure environments are
essential.
Finally, the comparison between different types of wind turbines to produce energy for the
areas with a common wind is feasible to have a vortex wind turbine. The calculation of the
cost of the vortex generation system relates to the total manufacture, installation,
maintenance, and recycling saving about 51% of the cost of a conventional windmill.
Bladeless wind turbines open the possibility and serve as stepping stones to the future
harness wind energy farms.

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