DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED MECHANICS

AMV801 WIND ENERGY AND WIND FARMS

L-T-P (1-0-0)
Pre-requisite: A UG course on Fluid Mechanics
Course objectives:
1. Understand the need for carbon-free energy production and the functions of wind turbines.
2. Be able to analyze the aerodynamics of wind turbines.
3. Be able to predict efficiency of energy extraction.
4. Understand how wind fields are characterized.
5. Understand the factors affecting the choice of sites for turbines and wind farms.
6. Understand other factors associated with wind energy: social, economic, environmental ...

Course contents:
Problems with fossil fuels and the need for alternatives wind energy.
Aerodynamics of wind turbines. Lift and drag, power and efficiency of individual turbines in
a steady wind; Betz limit. Blade element theory.
Variability of wind; probability distributions and statistics. The atmospheric boundary-layer;
turbulence, transport and stratification.
Wind farms, siting, layout and performance. Additional considerations structures;
electricity generation; grid interfacing; societal impacts, etc.

Instructor:

Prof. Zellman Warhaft (Cornell University)

Prof. Warhaft conducts basic wind tunnel experiments on

particles in turbulence in order to understand the dynamics of raindrops
in clouds. He collaborates with experts on Lagrangian tracking of inertial
particles (Bodenschatz (Goettingen), Voth (Wesleyan)), and on the cloud
physics (Shaw (Michigan)), Seibert, (Leipzig)). His interest in this area
was stimulated by his work on the effect of weather on microwave radio
propagation.
Prof. Warhaft is also concerned with the social aspects of
engineering and (apart from his more formal teaching obligations) taught
for many years a course on this topic called "Components and Systems:
Engineering in a Social Context". Through case studies, he illustrated
that engineering is very much a social activity and that the modern
engineer must be more involved with the social and environmental
implications of his or her work. He is affiliated with the Science and
Technology Studies Department, with the Peace Studies Program and
with the Atkinson Center for a sustainable future at Cornell.
*** For further details contact: Srinivas V Veeravalli, Dept. of App Mech. (Tel: 1182;
svrvalli@am.iitd.ac.in)