How Do Wind Turbines Work?

How Do Wind Turbines Work?

How Do Wind Turbines Work?

Small wind turbines are becoming increasingly popular with homeowners and ranchers because they are efficient, require very little expertise to install, and are rather easy to maintain. Renewable energy wind turbines work wherever there is enough sustained wind to operate them. Given below is a simple overview of their inner construction.

The Turbine Housing

A wind turbine sits atop a pole that is anchored to the ground by a concrete foundation. There are two main parts to the body of the turbine; the rotors are the blades that act as the propeller driven by the wind, and the turbine housing or nacelle, inside of which is the propeller shaft and generator assembly. Both parts are connected to the pole by a swivel assembly that has both a yaw motor and a braking system. The yaw motor is powered by the generator itself, and keeps the device facing in the proper direction. A controller device starts the blade rotation when there is sufficient speed, and stops rotation when the breeze is excessively high.

Shaft And Gearbox

The rotors drive a horizontal shaft which is connected to a simple gearbox. This gear assembly steps up the revolutions per minute to a frequency that can produce electricity. A smaller shaft runs from the gearbox to the generator itself. The gearbox is designed to deliver in excess of 1,000 rpm to the generator.

Generator

The generators used in renewable energy wind turbines is usually a store bought unit that produce 60-cycle alternating current. It sits in the rear section of the nacelle, and the wiring that carries the electrical current runs downward through the turbine pole and underground to the battery storage area and/or circuit breaker unit. The generator also acts as a counterweight to the front part of the assembly where the rotors are located.

Controller Unit

This device receives information from an anemometer that sits on top of the rear section of the nacelle, and starts the generator when the wind's speed is above 5-8 mph. Some controller units also unlock the nacelle from the tower pole and allow it to swing into the breeze through the power generated by the yaw motor. The controller is often hooked up to the emergency disc brake as well, allowing for emergency shutdown in high winds.

Engineers are constantly designing more efficient mechanisms to make these renewable energy wind turbines less expensive, lighter, and easier to maintain. As far as setting up a device for home use, there are a number of publications available to determine whether one of these systems is workable in a particular local area. Most packages are sold through specialty manufacturers and come complete with instructions and guidelines for use and maintenance.

POST COMMENT

How To Lose 20lbs. In A Months Time The best way to make a right booking in Greece Description of the 8 Types of Bearded Dragon Screen of the Week 03/15/2011: Surprise, Surprise How to perform card tricks How much Portfolio Prophet will cost British property price indices Window Shutters The Power Of Canon Powershot Who Do You Hire? Have You Considered the Value of a Veteran? HP Officejet Pro 8000 The Right Way to Wear Bracelets How to get DIRECT REFERRALS