Development and demonstration of a VAWTPOWER 250 wind turbine. Final report

Technical Report · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5471797

Vosburgh, P N

A larger, more powerful and more cost-competitive vertical axis wind turbine ROTOR was developed, fabricated, installed, instrumented and tested. Starting with VAWTPOWER's commercially available VAWTPOWER 185 Wind Turbine (rated 185 kW at 37 mph), this project evolved a ROTOR which will enhance product performance (annual energy from conversion of winds averaging 18 to 20 mph) by over 38% while increasing installed cost less than 15%. Reliability is improved. Maintenance is made easier. Assembly and installation procedures are simpler and expected to be less costly. The increase in productivity almost exactly balances the effect on internal rate of return on investment of the loss of the 15% federal energy tax credit, which expired at the end of 1985. The new ROTOR is 36% larger than the commercial product but ROTOR blade stresses have been substantially reduced by improved ROTOR geometry and avoidance of operation at excitation resonant frequencies. Initial testing of the prototype has confirmed the lower stresses as well as the accuracy of power projections in winds up to 33 mph. Installed on the existing VAWTPOWER 185 POWERHOUSE, the new ROTOR is controlled to shut down at a windspeed of 33 mph to keep the higher performance ROTOR from overpowering the brakes, transmission and generator. Peak power, therefore, is limited to 250 kW and the ROTOR is designated the VAWTPOWER 250.

• Research Organization: Vawtpower, Inc., Rio Rancho, NM (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5471797
• Report Number(s): NMRDI-2-73-4631; ON: DE86901565
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

17 WIND ENERGY
170602* -- Wind Energy Engineering-- Turbine Design & Operation
DESIGN
FABRICATION
MACHINERY
MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
ROTORS
STRESSES
TESTING
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
VERTICAL AXIS TURBINES
WIND TURBINES