The Design of Stall-Regulated Wind Turbine Blade for a Maximum Annual Energy Output and Minimum Cost of Energy Based on a Specific Wind Statistic

W. Sridech^*, T. Chitsomboon

School of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhonratchasima Province, Thailand.

DOI: 10.4236/jpee.2014.26002                

Abstract

The design of a stall-regulated wind turbine to achieve a maximum annual energy output is still a formidable task for engineers. The design could be carried out using an average wind speed together with a standard statistical distribution such as a Weibull with k = 2.0. In this study a more elaborated design will be attempted by also considering the statistical bias as a design criterion. The wind data used in this study were collected from three areas of the Lamtakong weather station in Nakhonratchasima Provice, the Khaokoh weather station in Phetchaboon and the Sirindhorn dam weather station in Ubonratchathani, Thailand. The objective is to design a best aerodynamic configurations for the blade (chord, twist and pitch) using the same airfoil as that of NREL Phase VI wind turbine. Such design is carried out at a design wind speed point. Wind turbine blades were optimized for both maximum annual energy production and minimum cost of energy using a method that take into account aerodynamic and structural considerations. The work will be carried out by the program “SuWiTStat” which was developed by the authors and based on BEM Theory (Blade Element Momentum). Another side issue is the credibility of the Weibull statistic in representing the real wind measurement. This study uses a regression analysis to determine this issue.

Keywords

Component, Wind Turbine Blade Design, Annual Power Yield, Local Wind Statistic, Cost of Energy

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

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