WIND ENERGYRESEARCH BY:

ADEWOLE JAMEWON AND OMOREGIE CYRIL BRIGHT

400L CHEMICAL ENGINEERING,

UNIVERSITY OF BENIN

WHY WIND?

• Wind is abundant, almost in any part of the world.

• Wind energy is the most reliable and effective renewable energy.

• Wind energy or wind power : the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity.

• Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power in order to make electricity.

• The kinetic energy contained in wind can be transferred to other transformed into electrical energy through wind turbine generator.

WHY WIND ENERGY ?.

HOW WINDS ARE CREATED.

• Temperatures vary according to the amount of sun it gets.

• Wind are caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth’s surface, and rotation of the earth.

• Wind flow patterns are modified by the earth’s terrain, bodies of water, and vegetative cover.

• Balance between warm and cool air is constantly changing, creating wind. ** Wind is a form of solar energy.

GENERATION OF WIND POWER FOR A LOCAL COMMUNITY.

MAIN PARTS OF A WIND TURBINE;• Blades (preferable, three(3)).• Tower.• Rotor (Generator).• Hub.• Electronic control system.• Battery.• Inverter.

Power in the wind = 1/2ℓAV3

***The power generation process is explained in the diagram,

EFFICIENCY OF WIND TURBINES DEPENDS ON;WIND POWER :

• Faster wind and stronger wind force = greater amount of power generated by the wind turbine.

• Different regions have different wind speeds.

• Therefore its vital to understand the relationship between wind speeds with power production.

ALTITUDE :

• Places of higher altitudes have faster wind speeds due to various atmospheric factors.

• Higher places also have lesser obstructions from the surrounding hills, trees and buildings.

• Wind speed increases by 12% as the distance between the turbine and ground is doubled.

OBSTRUCTIONS :

• Wind is slowed by trees, buildings, hills and mountains which all create some form of friction that restrict free airflow.it is wise to measure the wind speed at a proposed site for at least one year to determine project viability.

EFFICIENCY OF WIND TURBINES DEPENDS ON CONTD;

AIR TEMPERATURE :

• The power from a wind turbine will increase almost 16% as the temperature drops from +20ºC to -20ºC for any given wind speed.

• Colder air is denser and increases power output.

BLADE (AERODYNAMICS) : the shape of blades should be accurately selected for getting maximum efficiency. The amount of lift for a given airfoil depends heavily on the angle that it makes with the direction of the relative wind, known as the angle of attack - α. When the angle of attack gets too large, turbulence develops and drag increases significantly, while lift is lost.

WIND FARMS AS SOURCE OF POWER GENERATION

• Turbines can be grouped together to form a wind farms, which produces energy so as to provide electricity.

• OFFSHORE WIND FARMS are constructed in bodies of water to generate electricity from wind.

• ONSHORE WIND FARMS operate on land, generally in high altitudes or large open spaces.

• OFFSHORE WIND FARMS is steadier and stronger than ONSHORE WIND FARMS and OFF SHORE FARMS have less visual but, construction and maintenance costs are considerably higher.

ONSHORE WIND FARMS

OFFSHORE WIND FARMS

RECOMMENDATIONS ON TYPE OF WIND FARMS TO USE

UNIVERSITY OF BENIN (ONSHORE WIND FARM):• Location is the open field close to the Vice

Chancellors Administrative building as shown in the figure.

• the farm could produce between 600KW – 2+MW of power.

NIGER-DELTA INNER COMMUNITIES:• These communities are mostly

surrounded by rivers (OFFSHORE WIND FARM).

• Wind speed is extremely faster offshore, hence wind power’s contribution would be higher in terms of electricity.

Local communities taken as case study for possible win farm projects:

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF WIND ENERGY.ADVANTAGE• Wind blows day & night (produces

electricity throughout the day).• Very low maintenance cost• Clean and sustainable resource.• Wind energy is a domestic, renewable

source of energy. • Land used for wind farms can also be

used for other profitable activities (i.e. farming and foresting).• Can supply power to remote areas.

DISADVANTAGE• Wind turbines do not produce

the same amount of electricity all the time (Wind strength varies from zero to storm force).• The turbine may create a lot of

noise.• Threat to wildlife in remote

locations.

CONCLUSION.

From our literature survey, Wind energy is one of the most promising new energy sources

that can serve as an alternative to fossil fuel-generated electricity, is

• A limitless resource• Renewable.• No greenhouse gas emissions during operation. • Reduces nations energy dependence.

With this research, we present the future of power generation in Nigeria.