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SEMESTER I EXAMINATIONS - 2013/2014

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School of Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering

EEEN40400 Wind Energy

Professor Tim Green

Professor Tom Brazil
Mr. Rick Watson*
Professor Mark OMalley

Time Allowed: 2 hours

Instructions for Candidates

Answer question 1 to 5 and any two of questions 6, 7 and 8.
Questions 1 to 5 each carry 8% and questions 6, 7 and 8 each carry 30%
of the overall marks for this exam paper.
In Questions 6, 7 and 8 the distribution of marks in the right margin shown as
a percentage give an approximate indication of the relative importance of
each part of the question.
Instructions for Invigilators
Non-programmable calculators are permitted.
No rough-work paper is to be provided for candidates.

Page 1 of 7

Question 1
The measured mean annual wind speed at a prospective wind turbine site at
30m above ground level is 7.6 m/s. Assuming the vertical windshear follows a
logarithmic wind profile estimate the mean annual wind speed at 100 m above
ground level if the surface roughness around the site is a uniform 0.1 m. If the
standard deviation of the wind speed is 2.5 times the friction velocity find the
turbulence intensity at 100 m above ground level.
Question 2
If the annual wind speed distribution in Question 1 is a Rayleigh distribution
find the mean annual power density in the wind at 100 m above ground level.

Question 3
Using momentum theory, write down an expression for the thrust force on the
actuator disk where u 0 is the free stream wind speed, u w is the wind speed in
the wake, a is the axial flow induction factor and Ad is the disk area.
Show that the thrust coefficient is given by C f 4a1 a and calculate the
thrust coefficient at the Betz condition.

Question 4
The mean for the Weibull distribution is given by:
1

u A1
C

Use the properties of the gamma function to show that for a Rayleigh
distribution

Given that the most probable wind for a Weibull distribution is

1

u mp

C 1 C
A

show that the most probable wind for a Rayleigh distribution is

u mp

2 .
u

Page 2 of 7

Question 5.
It is observed that the annual wind speed distribution at a prospective wind
turbine site is a Rayleigh distribution and that the most probable wind at the
site is 6.5 m/s at 50 m a.g.l. Find the percentage time for which the winds are
above 5 m/s but less than 15 m/s.

Figure 1
Table I
Induction generator and compensation capacitors.
nominal voltage 0.69 kV, rating 2.2MVA
equivalent circuit parameters (rotor quantities are referred to stator turns)
Rs 0.0022, Rr 0.0018, X s 0.0376, X r 0.0155, X m 0.9209

capacitor bank Z c j 0.8, per phase

Transformer

Line

Grid

rating 2.2 MVA, rated

voltage MV 20kV

length 10 km, rated voltage

20 kV

rated voltage LV
0.69kV, uRr 1%, ukr 6%

specific resistance
0.309/km

nominal voltage 20
kV, frequency 50
Hz,

specific reactance 0.32/km

short circuit
capacity 50MVA,
X/R =2

Question 6
A wind turbine generator is connected to an MV grid via a transformer and a
distribution line as shown in Figure 1. Details of the system components are
provided in Table I. If the wind turbine generator is operating at a slip of s= 0.008 p.u. and the grid is represented as a 1 p.u. voltage source behind its

Page 3 of 7

short circuit impedance find the voltage and the active and reactive power
exported by the wind farm as would be measured at the MV terminals of the
transformer.

Question 7
A wind farm (represented by generator G) is connected to a large power
system via a transformer as shown in Figure 2. The transformer is rated at
200 MVA with rated voltages 33 kV on the MV side and 150 kV on the HV
side. The transformer rated short circuit voltage is 20% and its rated resistive
voltage drop is 0.5%.

The power system is modelled as an infinite bus

operating at a nominal voltage of 150 kV.

An ideal compensator is also connected to the MV bus of the transformer and
can provide variable compensating reactive power Qcomp to control the power
factor or the voltage at the MV bus

Figure 2

It can be shown that the steady state operation of the system is described by
the following equations:

VG VG 2RPexp XQexp VS
4

VG tan 1

XP

exp

UG

2
exp

2
Qexp
R2 X 2 0

RQexp

RPexp XQexp

Where VG is the wind farm voltage on the MV side of the transformer, VS is

the power grid voltage referred to the MV side of the transformer, R and X

Page 4 of 7

are the transformer resistance and reactance on the MV side and Pexp and

Qexp are the exported active and reactive powers as measured on the MV side
of the transformer.
If the wind farm is operating at active power PG 196MW and reactive power
QG 39.8MVAR and the ideal compensator is controlled to ensure unity

power factor operation at the MV side of transformer find:

(a) the reactive power supplied by the ideal compensator.

10%

(b) the wind farm voltage

50%

(c) the active and reactive power supplied to the power system as
measured on the HV side of the transformer.
(d) Comment on the active and reactive power balances

30%
10%

Question 8
(a)

Explain with the aid of clearly labelled diagrams what is meant by the

axial flow induction factor and the tangential flow induction factor.
(b)

15%

Draw a clearly labelled velocity diagram for a wind turbine airfoil

section showing the axial and tangential components of the relative wind
speed vector and distinguish clearly between the angle of incidence, the blade
pitch angle and the angle of attack
(c)

15%

Draw a clearly labelled force diagram for a wind turbine airfoil section

showing the incremental lift and drag forces and the components of these
incremental forces in the axial and tangential directions and write out the
equations for axial force and the torque produced by a wind turbine with B
blades.
(d)

30%

Draw typical lift coefficient and drag coefficient versus angle of attack

for a blade airfoil section and explain the shape of these characteristics as the
blade goes into stall.
(e)

25%

Explain why typical wind turbine blades are twisted and tapered along

their length from hub to tip.

15%

Page 5 of 7

List of physical constants & useful formulae

density of air:

von Karman constant:

0.4
power coefficient
P
Cp
Pwind
thrust coefficient

1.225 kg/m3
power in the wind
Pwind

1
Ad u 03
2

torque coefficient

CT
tip speed ratio

CP
X

CF

F
1
Ad u 02
2

weibull distribution

u0

Cu
f u
A A

probability of wind <u

C 1

exp

gamma function

F u f u du

e t t 1 dt

probability of wind >u

rayleigh distribution
u 2
u

Gu 1 F u

f u

2u 2

exp 2
4u

weibull mean of mth power

properties of gamma function

1

2

weibull wind speed for highest wind power

density

m
u m A m 1
C

weibull - most probable wind

1

u mp

C 2 C
u A

energy pattern factor

C 1C
A

mean power

P Pu f u du

u
3
u

error function

incomplete gamma function

erf z

t 2

, x e t t 1dt

dt

logarithmic wind profile

u z

turbulence intensity:
z
I u z u
u z

z
ln
z0

u*

capital recovery factor

capacity factor
P

Pr

A
i1 i

P 1 i N 1
N

present worth factor

sinking fund factor

A
i

F 1 i N 1

P
1

F 1 i N

Page 6 of 7

phasor transformation
at 2 A cost A e j A

active power

inverse phasor transformation

1 A e 2 Ae jt e 2 A e j t

reactive power
Q3 3V I sin
apparent power
S 3 3V I

2 A cost at

complex power:
*
S 3 ph 3V ph I 3V ph I e j P3 ph jQ3 ph
SCC

S SC

Z sc

P3 3V I cos

where V is the phase

voltage
synchronous speed:
2f
s
n pp
per unit

VLLn

Z pu

Z sc

1
R
Z sc
j
2
2

X
X
1

R
R

Z base

induction machine torque:

2
Vs
3 Rr
T
2
s s
Rr
2
Rs
X s X r
s

induction machine max torque

3
2
Vs
2 s
Tm
motor
2
Rs2 X s X r Rs

3
generator

Tm

2 s

Vs

Z
Z base

VLLbase

S 3base

induction machine slip:

r
s s

slip for max torque

motor
sm

Rr
Rs2 X s X r

Generator

Rs2 X s X r Rs
2

oOo

Page 7 of 7

sm

Rr
R X s X r
2
s