Performance of a Small Scale Turbine in an Urban Environment A thesis submitted for the degree of Master in Science In Energy Systems and the Environment Author: Antonio Luque Supervisor: Dr Andrew Grant University of Strathclyde Department of Mechanical Engineering September 2009 University of Strathclyde September 2009 The copyright of this dissertation belongs to the author under the terms of the United Kingdom Copyright Acts as qualified by University of Strathclyde Regulation 3.49. Due acknowledgement must always be made of the use of any material contained in, or derived from, this dissertation. Antonio Luque P 2 University of Strathclyde September 2009 Acknowledgments On the completion of this project, there are a number of people whom the author feels indebt for their help. First, I would like to thank to my supervisor Dr. Andrew Grant, Dr Paul Strachan and Dr. Olimpo Anaya Lara and for their time, advice, and assistance during this thesis work. I also wish to thank the Mackintosh Environmental Architecture Research Unit (MEARU), especially to Tim Sharpe who is the representative of MEARU. I would also like to extend my thanks to a number of persons from Proven S.L., who patiently assisted me by answering my questions and providing me a view of the Proven wind turbine. I would like to thank Professor Juanjo, and Professor Josep Clua “Duc de Montblanc”, they taught me how to study and also Dr. Rafael Pindado . I would especially like to thank Christopher and Claire Hyland and especially Tricia and Mikel, whom without their assistance I could not write this report. I would like to especially thank my friends, Carlos Garcia “el Russo”, Noé Perez “el Madero”, Rubén Rodriguez “Trato truco”, Paquito espejo, Daniel Visiga, Rubén Pérez “chiruka”, Lupin, David Vegas “el Vasco” and all my university friends that without their support I could not finish this degree. Finally special regards to my mother, who died in October of 1998. Antonio Luque P 3 University of Strathclyde September 2009 ABSTRACT This dissertation focuses on a small scale wind turbine in an urban environment. Significant under-performance had been suspected for some time, and this was confirmed by an examination of recorded data. The aim of the project was to identify the possible causes. The initial investigation concentrated on a detailed examination of the roof-top site of the turbine and an adjacent weather station. From this, and a mapping of tall buildings in the immediate area, an indication of the likely effects of wind direction on turbine performance was obtained. However a detailed analysis of performance data revealed no discernible directional sensitivity. Unfortunately the data sets available covered a very limited period and it was not possible to trace the history of the turbine’s performance since its installation. Recent records suggest that it is failing to reach the correct speed of rotation to produce its rated power. A number of possible causes are examined. The difficulties of monitoring and controlling wind turbines in an urban environment are discussed, and recommendations for remedial action in this particular case are made. Antonio Luque P 4 University of Strathclyde September 2009 Table of Contents Glossary ............................................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1 ..................................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 8 1.1 History....................................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Newberry Tower Wind Turbine Project ................................................................................. 10 Chapter 2 ................................................................................................................... 16 2. Literature Review ..................................................................................................................... 16 2.1 Case Study 1 ........................................................................................................................... 16 2.2 Case Study 2 ........................................................................................................................... 18 2.3 Case Study 3 ........................................................................................................................... 19 2.4 Case Study 4 ........................................................................................................................... 21 2.5 Case Study 5 ........................................................................................................................... 22 Chapter 3 ................................................................................................................... 23 3. Theory ...................................................................................................................................... 23 3.1 Wind Fundamental Theory ..................................................................................................... 23 Kinetic Energy: .................................................................................................. 23 Power Extracted from the Wind: ....................................................................... 24 3.2 Describing Wind Variations: Weibull Distribution ................................................................ 25 Energy Distribution:........................................................................................... 27 3.3 Wind Turbine System ............................................................................................................. 27 3.4 The Wind Market in Europe ................................................................................................... 29 3.5 Small Scale Wind Turbine ...................................................................................................... 31 Chapter 4 ................................................................................................................... 33 4.1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 33 4.2 Results ......................................................................................................................................... 35 4.21 Ideal Case .............................................................................................................................. 35 May 2008 ...................................................................................................................................... 39 1. Cp with Respect to Tip Speed Ratio .................................................................. 39 2. Cp with Respect to Wind Speed ........................................................................ 41 3. Wind Speeds with Respect to Rpm .................................................................... 42 4. Power with Respect to Rpm ............................................................................... 46 Antonio Luque P 5 University of Strathclyde September 2009 5. Voltage, Current and Impedance ....................................................................... 47 May 2009 ...................................................................................................................................... 51 1. Cp with Respect to Tip Speed Ratio .................................................................. 51 2. Cp with Respect to Wind Speed ........................................................................ 53 3. Wind Speed with Respect to Rpm. .................................................................... 56 4. Power with Respect to Rpm ............................................................................... 61 5. Voltage, Current and Impedance ....................................................................... 63 6. Wind Direction and its Effect on Performance .................................................. 66 Chapter 5 ................................................................................................................... 68 Discussion.......................................................................................................................................... 68 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 72 Future work ....................................................................................................................................... 73 CFD Programme ...................................................................................................... 73 Appendix A ........................................................................................................................................ 76 May 2008 ...................................................................................................................................... 76 Table 1 ............................................................................................................... 76 Table 2: Figure 32 .............................................................................................. 76 Table 3 ..............................................................................................................