Wind Generator Project ? Any other renewable energy ideas ?

Hi all
I'm designing a new student project and I want to link it to renewable energy.
I am thinking a wind Generator controller , I'm no expert in wind generators , but it's just a project with a bit of an interesting practical theme.

Inputs
Anemometer - Analog wind speed
Generator Temp - Analog generator Temperature
Wind Direction - Analog wind direction.
Yaw - analog yaw position of generator

Outputs
Yaw drive - position control of generator


My rough ideas for the project
Start up and shutdown procedure.
The students control the yaw postion of the generator in relation to the wind ditrection.(postion control)
If the wind speed is too high for a certain period , we can then drive the generator to a 90deg postion to the wind direction ?
If the generator overheats we have a shutdown procedure.

Am I on the right track ?

Any other renewble energy ideas ?
I have a postion control setup that I can use to simulate the yaw postion , so they can see it in action , not an actual wind generator , but it will do.

Then you need to add synchronisation, opening and closing with mains of a circuit breaker, load/frequency control.

How about a switching system? 3 power feeds in, 3 switchboards to feed, each switchboard with a bus tie and wrap around circuit breakers - basically each feed can supply 1 1/2 switchboards so if power is lost to one - open the bus tie and close the wrap arounds.
Lots of interlocking, power monitor relays to make sure power is available at the wrap arounds, then you have to consider what to do if only 1 power suppl;y is available - only enough power for 1 1/23 switchboards.
Interesting job - I have done several of these.
And then to add a degree of difficulty hard wired interlocking on everything as well. Good training for controls people not just PLC programmers - PLC programmers should be good controls people anyway in my view.

Far more interesting and enlightening than any renewable energy connection - they are really boring.

HI,
Why not a solar water heater?
Storage tank,electric heater for cloudy days, circulation pump, control valves, etc.


BD

If the wind speed is too high for a certain period , we can then drive the generator to a 90deg postion to the wind direction ?

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Large wind turbines have a blade angle, or variable-pitch control. If wind speed is too high, the blades are rotated on the hub so that they are parallel to wind direction (furled) and thus offer the smallest surface to wind direction. This control is also used to maximize the amount of power generated for all wind speeds.

Sounds interesting.

We are currently making a control system for a tidal flow generator (not my project). The system uses a drive to accelerate the turbine to working speed and then lets the tidal flow take over with the drive regenerating. The system also incorporates controls to keep it at the correct depth and facing the correct direction. All of the drives and control equipment are housed in a submersible enclosure.

Nick

how about of you think to make a simple generator by designing a small meqanical load falling by the gravity then coming back to the same position by spring , then repeated ! , if it successful make it bigger and bigger until you get the right power generator, at least the gravity is consistent , not like the solar or the wind.
regards,
Adel Fahmi

I don't think the OP was looking for more than a thumbs up/down, and I would give it a giant thumbs up.

I think that a wind generator project is one of the most practical newbie training exercises I have seen here.

I am biased.

I live in the heart of this renewable source.

The yaw control is used to assist air braking. Those near my house, have been idle one maybe two days. Once in a while a small group of 1-3 of them will be idled (blades rotated for minimal drag, but they leave the turret pointed into the wind. The blade pitch angle is what controls the power, but I am sure there are some tricks to getting the right amount of power from sometimes wildly variable wind pressures.

I am pretty sure that the main turret angles are coordinated to match wind direction topography maps with wind direction sensors on all of them. I never see them moving, so I really don't know what sort of speeds the main turret can reach. I expect that it's quite slow. The turret on a small light student project might be able to rotate very fast without problems. You are going to build one, right?

How about [making] a simple generator by designing a small mechanical load falling by gravity then coming back to the same position by spring, then repeated? If it successful, make it bigger and bigger until you get the right power generator. At least the gravity is consistent, not like the solar or the wind.

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Adel,
The problem with this scheme is finding a spring with 100% energy return. Even then, when the generator removes energy from the spring, it will not be able to return to the beginning point. For the thousands who have tried this scheme, the spring quickly stops moving and all hope is dashed beyond recovery. The general category for this type of device even has a name - "perpetual motion machine".

The most economically viable source of energy in the US is conservation.

I'm not big on wind energy. Generating capacity can't be regulated to match demand. Many wind turbines dump a significant portion of their power to ground because they generate when demand is low. Sometimes the wind generation capacity goes to the grid, but a fossil fuel generator is dumping its power to ground because demand is low and you can only turn them down so far. You don't flip a steam turbine on and off like a light switch!

An alternate control oreiented project could be demand limiting by pumping the building water supply at night during low power demand. How about variable speed control on the HVAC.

You would yaw the turbine into the wind to maximize power generation. Yaw speed is too slow to provide control of power generation; this is done by pitching the blades, as someone has mentioned, which is fairly quick. This is how you stop the turbine.
If you install a dynamic energy storage system you can manage the dP/dt generated by either a wind farm or solar plant. These work really well.
rmb

Instead of wind generators.
There should be water generators.
A water wheel on a standard style wind generator makes more sense to me. Located along every river in the country, shielded from residences by large plantings of oxygen producing evergreen trees.
BUT, it would likely take decades to get the EPA permits if ever.

The EPA and other "regulatory" type agencies are our countries biggest obstacle in new energy development in the USA.

Here's a story of a development sheparded along by the contributors at the AutomationDirect forum. It was fun.

Manglemender said:

Sounds interesting.

We are currently making a control system for a tidal flow generator (not my project). The system uses a drive to accelerate the turbine to working speed and then lets the tidal flow take over with the drive regenerating. The system also incorporates controls to keep it at the correct depth and facing the correct direction. All of the drives and control equipment are housed in a submersible enclosure.

Nick

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Not part of the 1MW Orkney tidal project are you ^_^

nic00 said:

Not part of the 1MW Orkney tidal project are you ^_^

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No. Sadly, we're not doing that one but I think one of our suppliers may be doing the hydraulics for it.

I'm also aware of another project by the University of Lancaster which sounds very intersting. http://www.engineering.lancs.ac.uk/lureg/group_research/tidal_energy_research/index.php

Meanwhile back to the OP topic. I believe that it's important with wind turbines that the velocity of the rotor tips doesn't exceed the speed of sound. That might be a something that could be added to the project either at the beginning or at the end as an extra for those that completed early.

Nick