Use of Dampers to Improve the Overspeed Control System with Movable Arms for Butterfly Wind Turbines

Yutaka Hara (), Hiroyuki Higami, Hiromitsu Ishikawa, Takeshi Ono, Shigenori Saito, Kenichiro Ichinari and Katsushi Yamamoto
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Yutaka Hara: Advanced Mechanical and Electronic System Research Center (AMES), Faculty of Engineering, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8552, Japan
Hiroyuki Higami: Nikkeikin Aluminium Core Technology Co., Ltd., Urbannet Uchisaiwaicho Building, 1-1-13 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8681, Japan
Hiromitsu Ishikawa: Nikkeikin Aluminium Core Technology Co., Ltd., Urbannet Uchisaiwaicho Building, 1-1-13 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8681, Japan
Takeshi Ono: Nikkeikin Aluminium Core Technology Co., Ltd., Urbannet Uchisaiwaicho Building, 1-1-13 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8681, Japan
Shigenori Saito: Nippon Light Metal Co., Ltd., Urbannet Uchisaiwaicho Building, 1-1-13 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8681, Japan
Kenichiro Ichinari: Nikkei Technology Center Co., Ltd., 1-11 Kitamachi, Nishiki, Kaizuka, Osaka 597-0092, Japan
Katsushi Yamamoto: Nikkei Technology Center Co., Ltd., 1-11 Kitamachi, Nishiki, Kaizuka, Osaka 597-0092, Japan

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-33

Abstract: To reduce the cost of small wind turbines, a prototype of a butterfly wind turbine (6.92 m in diameter), a small vertical-axis type, was developed with many parts made of extruded aluminum suitable for mass production. An overspeed control system with movable arms that operated using centrifugal and aerodynamic forces was installed for further cost reduction. Introducing this mechanism eliminates the need for large active brakes and expands the operating wind speed range of the wind turbine. However, although the mechanism involving the use of only bearings is simple, the violent movement of the movable arms can be a challenge. To address this in the present study, dampers were introduced on the movable arm rotation axes to improve the movement of the movable arms. To predict the behavior of a movable arm and the performance of the wind turbine with the mechanism, a simulation method was developed based on the blade element momentum theory and the equation of motion of the movable arm system. A comparison of experiments and predictions with and without dampers demonstrated qualitative agreement. In the case with dampers, measurements confirmed the predicted increase in the rotor rotational speed when the shorter ailerons installed perpendicularly to the movable arms were used to achieve the inclination. Field experiments of the generated power at a wind speed of 6 m/s (10 min average) showed relative performance improvements of 11.4% by installing dampers, 91.3% by shortening the aileron length, and 57.6% by changing the control target data. The movable arm system with dampers is expected to be a useful device for vertical-axis wind turbines that are difficult to control.

Keywords: butterfly wind turbine; vertical axis; overspeed control; movable arm; aileron; damper; wind power; centrifugal force; blade element momentum theory; streamtube model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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