Wind Turbine Projects

A wind turbine is a system that first converts the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical energy and then into electrical energy. A wind turbine generally consists of tower, blades, rotor, gearbox, generator (alternator), electrical-electronic elements. The kinetic energy of the wind is converted into mechanical energy in the rotor. The rotational movement of the rotor shaft is accelerated and transferred to the generator in the body. The electrical energy obtained from the generator is stored by batteries or delivered directly to the receivers. To understand how wind turbines work, two important aerodynamic forces must be well known. These are drag and lift forces. Drag force is a force that occurs on an object in the direction of flow. For example, when the maximum drag force that can occur on a flat plate is when the air flow is 90o perpendicular to the object; The minimum drag force occurs when the air flow is parallel to the surface of the object. Lift force is a force that occurs perpendicular to the flow direction. Since this force causes the aircraft to take off from the ground, it is called the lift force. The parachute can be given as the best example of drag force. Thanks to this force, the speed of the parachute is interrupted. Special objects made to minimize the effects of drag force are called streamlined objects. Examples of these objects are ellipses, fish, and airships. The buoyancy force acting on a flat plate is seen when the air flow comes at an angle of 0o to the plate surface. Low pressure regions occur with the increase in flow intensity at small angles occurring with respect to the flow direction of the air. These regions are also called downstream. Therefore, there is a relationship between the air flow rate and the pressure. That is, as the air flow accelerates, the pressure decreases, and as the air flow slows, the pressure increases. This phenomenon is called the Bernoulli effect. The buoyant force also creates suction or traction on the object.