The primary application of wind turbines is to generate energy using the wind. Hence, the aerodynamics is a very important aspect of wind turbines. Like most machines, wind turbines come in many different types, all of them based on different energy extraction concepts. Though the details of the aerodynamics depend very much on the topology, some fundamental concepts apply to all turbines. Every topology has a maximum power for a given flow, and some topologies are better than others. The method used to extract power has a strong influence on this. In general, all turbines may be classified as either lift-based or drag-based, the former being more efficient. The difference between these groups is the aerodynamic force that is used to extract the energy. The most common topology is the horizontal-axis wind turbine. It is a lift-based wind turbine with very good performance. Accordingly, it is a popular choice for commercial applications and much research has been applied to this turbine. Despite being a popular lift-based alternative in the latter part of the 20th century, the Darrieus wind turbine is rarely used today. The Savonius wind turbine is the most common drag type turbine. Despite its low efficiency, it remains in use because of its robustness and simplicity to build and maintain. The governing equation for power extraction is: where P is the power, F is the force vector, and v is the velocity of the moving wind turbine part. The force F is generated by the wind's interaction with the blade. The magnitude and distribution of this force is the primary focus of wind-turbine aerodynamics. The most familiar type of aerodynamic force is drag. The direction of the drag force is parallel to the relative wind. Typically, the wind turbine parts are moving, altering the flow around the part. An example of relative wind is the wind one would feel cycling on a calm day. To extract power, the turbine part must move in the direction of the net force. In the drag force case, the relative wind speed decreases subsequently, and so does the drag force.

About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
Related courses (10)
ENV-424: Water resources engineering
Water resources engineering designs systems to control the quantity, quality, timing, and distribution of water to support human demands and the needs of the environment.
ENG-612: Power electronics for renewable applications
Introduction to key aspects of power-electronics utilization in renewable energy applications, including the basic operation principles, system-level properties, control, and modeling. Practical exper
ME-342: Introduction to turbomachinery
L'étudiant se familiarise avec les domaines de turbomachines thermiques et hydrauliques et les différents types de machines dans ce domaine. Il étudie les outils de base de conception et d'évaluation.
Show more
Related lectures (26)
Reservoirs and Dams: Manso & De Cesare Hydraulic Construction
Explores the design and operation of reservoirs and dams, with a focus on the Manso & De Cesare hydraulic construction platform.
Wind Turbine Performance
Analyzes wind turbine performance, including power extraction, axial induction, and thrust coefficient.
Arch Bridge Systems: Design and Wind Forces Recovery
Covers the design of arch bridge systems and wind forces recovery.
Show more
Related publications (210)
Related concepts (2)
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. Wind turbines are an increasingly important source of intermittent renewable energy, and are used in many countries to lower energy costs and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Wind power
Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity generation. Today, wind power is generated almost completely with wind turbines, generally grouped into wind farms and connected to the electrical grid. In 2022, wind supplied over 2000 TWh of electricity, which was over 7% of world electricity and about 2% of world energy.

Graph Chatbot

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.