Efficiency Improvement of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine( VAWT) For Highway Wind Power Using MPPT Charge Controller.

Project Title

Efficiency Improvement of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine( VAWT) For Highway Wind Power Using MPPT Charge Controller.

Project Area of Specialization Electrical/Electronic EngineeringProject Summary

We have seen energy produced by windmills, which depend on the wind blowing. Now, we can get energy from wind turbines placed on the side of a roadway or in the center of a divided highway. This system of electrical power generation utilizes wind draft force from vehicles traveling on roadways. Moving at high speed, vehicles push away air as they travel, producing a lot of energy. By placing wind turbines on the side of a road or in the center of a road, energy can be captured.

There are more than 2.5 billion cars, which generate wind turbulence. The same wind turbine which is responsible for huge windmill rotation can be replaced by small efficient traffic wind turbines, which rotate with the help of moving air from passing cars on the highway.

Natural wind speed normally does not exceed several miles an hour. To commercially adopt a wind powered electricity generator, it requires a large-scale wind impeller. Using small roadside wind turbines, energy can be captured by wind draft generated by high speed moving vehicles.

A center of the road wind turbine is able to capture wind draft in opposite directions from each side of the road. The road center wind turbine has two air flow conduits, one for each side of road. Each conduit has an inlet opening, an outlet opening and a middle opening. The inlet opening faces toward the opposite direction of roadway traffic. The outlet opening faces toward the direction of roadway traffic on its side. The middle opening allows wind turbine blades to work with air flow traveling through this conduit.

A road side wind turbine is similar to the road center apparatus, except that it only faces one side of traffic, therefore it only has one air flow conduit and only one set of inlet and outlet openings.

The turbines are spun by the air turbulence generated as cars and trucks travel past at high speed.

Project Objectives

Vehicles driving on the highway offer an intermittent and uncontrolled source of wind power. The design of a wind turbine must include the storage of energy and a system to distribute the generated power effectively. Wind turbines are customarily used in remote locations, which adds the challenge of having to transport the power generated to the location wherein it will be utilized.

Since the wind turbines are so close to traffic, the design must consider safety. The safety measures should include stationary highway guards surrounding the rotating turbine blades and warning signs. A survey of traffic flow also needs to be performed to establish boundary limits for the wind turbine design. There will be times when traffic will be bumper to bumper or stop and go. During these times, the wind turbine must be able to store energy.

Although most wind turbines are employed in rural areas, there needs to be a turbine designed for use in the cities to counteract the amount of pollution created by burning fossil fuels while introducing a potential source of clean energy. 

Project Implementation Method

An Intelligent MPPT Algorithm for Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine System

      Final Year project shall include complex engineering problems and design systems. Components and Processes integrating core areas and meeting specific needs considering public health and safety and environmental considerations. This paper focuses on an intelligent MPPT (maximum power point tracking) algorithm for permanent magnet vertical-axis direct-drive wind turbine systems. The relationship between generator speed and buck convert’s duty ratio is analysed. Then, the output and the speed of wind turbine are controlled by convert’s duty ratio. In this way an intelligent MPPT algorithm, the different step length is given in different directions, is used to this system. At last, the system is simulated by software, and the simulation results indicates that compared with the conventional MPPT strategy, the rapidity and the stability are increased by intelligent MPPT algorithm. 

Benefits of the Project

A vertical wind turbine design is suitable because vertical turbines are proficient in capturing wind in any direction, while horizontal turbines need to be pointed in the direction of the wind. In addition, heavy parts such as the generator and battery can be easily stored at the base of the turbine.

To sum up, extensive data needs to be collected on wind patterns produced by vehicles on both sides of a highway. Using the collected data, a wind turbine needs to be designed to be located on the medians of the highway. One turbine may not provide sufficient power generation, but a group of turbines on a long stretch of highway has the potential to generate a large amount of energy that can be used to power streetlights, other public services or even produce profits by selling the power back to the grid.  

This design concept is workable and environmentally friendly. A wind turbine powered by artificial wind has many applications. Hypothetically, any moving vehicle can power a wind turbine such as an amusement park ride. A highway wind turbine can be utilized to deliver power in any city around the world where there is high vehicle traffic.

Advantages:

The advantages of a vertical axis wind turbine include the following.

• Safety for manpower.
• Scalability.
• They can generate electricity in any direction of the wind.
• It doesn’t require a strong supporting tower because the gearbox, generator & other components are arranged on the ground.
• As compared to horizontal axis turbines, these are cheaper to design.
• Installation is easy as compared to other types.
• These are portable so we can simply move from one location to another.
• These are designed with fewer speed blades to reduce the risk to birds & people.
• They work in all weather conditions like variable winds & mountain conditions.
• These are allowable where taller structures are not allowed.
• Its operation is simple so they don’t bother people in residential areas.
• These turbines can be arranged close to the earth so that maintenance, the cost for construction can be reduced.
• To operate these turbines, we don’t require any mechanisms.
• You can use the wind turbine where tall structures are not allowed.
• These are economical, quiet, efficient & ideal for residential energy sources, particularly in urban areas.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Algorithm Concept and Features:

The proposed algorithm uses the HCS methodology along with intelligent memory and power management to track the maximum power points of wind energy systems under fluctuating wind conditions. The main problems in existing power extraction methods are:

1. Customization.
2. Speed.
3. Wasted power.

The proposed algorithm provides a solution to these problems. In order to avoid the customization problems in some of the existing algorithms, the proposed technique does not re-quire the characteristics of the turbine to be preprogramed. Instead, the algorithm initially uses a general estimate of the turbine characteristics and then determines the actual characteristics through operation. By doing this, the algorithm can be easily used for a wide range of wind turbines. The turbine adaptation feature of the algorithm allows it to immediately make fairly accurate estimations on the maxi-mum power points of the system following the determinations of the maximum power points. The estimations allow the system to immediately operate near to the maximum power point, where the change in speed corresponds to small changes in power. Therefore, the estimations lead to less wasted potential power and speed up the determination process. The closer the operating point is to the maximum power point, the fewer adjustments necessary. The proposed algorithm has two main concepts to enable flexible, fast and efficient maximum power extraction. The first concept is to quickly determine the maximum power point by using the turbine fundamental tip-speed ratio equation in conjunction with the HCS methodology. The second concept is to enable immediate maximum point. The goal of this project was to design a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) that could generate power under relatively low wind velocities. To accomplish this goal, the objectives were to:

1. Analyse how different geometry of the wind turbines within various enclosures affect wind turbine power output.
2. Test how the vibrations caused from the rotations of the wind turbine affect the structural integrity of various aspects housing structures.
3. Compare the operation of VAWTs that are directly placed in the wind with VAWTs that placed within an enclosure.
4. To meet these objectives, the tasks were to:
5. Complete background research on wind turbine data.
6. Design turbine blade designs for testing.
7. Design model roof structure -Create experimental set up.
8. Manufacture parts and build model house.
9. Develop future design recommendations.

Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry Energy Other Industries Education Core Technology Clean TechOther Technologies Artificial Intelligence(AI)Sustainable Development Goals Quality EducationRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	64000
Cutting and designing of blades of turbine	Equipment	1	10000	10000
Equipment for MPPT like, capacitors, diodes, connecting wires,	Equipment	1	25000	25000
Wielding, Wiring, of poles constructed for turbine	Equipment	1	5000	5000
PCB and its Fabrication	Equipment	1	5000	5000
Electric generator and switch boards	Equipment	1	10000	10000
Foundry works	Equipment	1	5000	5000
Integrated chips	Equipment	4	1000	4000