Wind Turbine Energy Conversion System Design and Integration
Project Plan
Project Number
May10-17
Team Members
Brandon Janssen
Luke Lehman
Kenny Thelen
Hassan Burawi
Elsammani Ahmed
Advisor
Dr. Venkataramana Ajjarapu
Client
ISU Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
DISCLAIMER: This document was developed as a part of the requirements of an Electrical and Computer engineering course at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. This document does not constitute a professional engineering design or a professional land surveying document. Although the information is intended to be accurate, the associated students, faculty, and Iowa State University make no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, quality, or adequacy of the information. The user of this document shall ensure that any such use does not violate any laws with regard to professional licensing and certification requirements. This use includes any work resulting from this student-prepared document that is required to be under the responsible charge of a licensed engineer or surveyor. This document is copyrighted by the students who produced this document and the associated faculty advisors. No part may be reproduced without the written permission of the Senior Design course coordinator.
Table of Contents
List of Figures and Tables4
Executive Summary5
Problem Statement5
Operating Environment5
Intended Users and Uses6
Assumptions and Limitations6
Expected End Product and Deliverables7
Proposed Approach8
Conceptual Sketch9
Wind Turbine10
Inverter11
Controller12
Constraints and Considerations13
Statement of Work15
Estimated Resource Requirement17
Summary20
References21
List of Figures and Tables
Figure 1-Conceptual Sketch9
Figure 2-Wind Turbine10
Figure 3-Microcontroller12
Figure 4-First Semester Schedule18
Figure 5-Second Semester Schedule18
Table 1-Wind Turbine Specifications10
Table 2-Inverter Specifications11
Table 3-Personal Effort17
Table 4-Previous Team Costs18
Executive Summary
With renewable energy becoming an increasingly popular source for our changing energy and environmental needs, Iowa State University must do its’ part. To show the universities commitment in conserving and minimizing impact on global climate change, a wind turbine will be built on Coover hall.
Our team plans to assist in the design and implementation of this wind turbine system, as well develop it as an educational tool for the university. Dr. Ajjarapu wishes to integrate the wind turbine into the coursework for the students at the College of Electrical Engineering. This will include designing a series of tests to run with the turbine system, a simulation of the system using Matlab, and a display accessible from the web.
Problem Statement
This is a continuation project. The ongoing project involves the design of a wind turbine energy conversion system that can be integrated to electrical power grid in the Cover hall power lab. The generator is rated around 400W. The wind turbine will be installed along the side of Coover Hall. All the protection and control aspects of the conversion system become part of the design.
The extension of the project includes the design requirements to supply stand alone load in conjunction with the grid supply. At low wind speeds the system is supplemented from the grid automatically. The extension also includes developing the wind turbine as an educational tool for professors and students. A test-bed for installing additional alternative sources may also be designed as well.
Operating Environment
The wind turbine and control system will be installed outside Coover Hall on an exterior brick wall. Most of the system will be subjected to the weather conditions typical to central Iowa. This includes temperatures ranging from -30° to 100°+ F and extreme weather conditions such as rain, sleet, snow, dust, and high winds. The system components located on the outside of Coover will be designed to withstand all of these conditions.
The rest of the system including the inverter and other test equipment will be located inside one of the power labs in Coover Hall. It must be located in an area of lower traffic so it will not be a disturbance in labs or other activities but accessible for demonstration and testing.
Intended Users and Uses
Intended Users:
The wind turbine system will be used in part by the entire Coover faculty and staff since it will assist in powering the building. It is hoped to be used by professors and students as an educational component in the Electrical Engineering curriculum. Ideally these users will have a background in power systems and maintenance of mechanical systems.
Intended Uses:
The wind turbine systems primary use is supplement power to Coover or a standalone load inside Coover. It will not be expected to supply power in the event of an outage to the entirety of Coover. Another primary goal of this system is to provide an educational component to courses at Iowa State University.
Assumptions and Limitations
Initial Assumptions:
The first assumption our group must make is that the previous team (which is their second semester of the course) will complete their objectives stated in their project plan. This includes the mounting of the wind turbine, the design and implementation of their control system, and the integration of the wind turbine into the power grid with the use of an inverter. Our second assumption is that the system will operate as specified in the previous group’s plan including output voltage and power.
Initial Limitations:
Our budget ($250) will be much more strictly enforced because of the large initial cost of this project. The location of our testing equipment will be a limitation due to the availability of lab space. The amount of standalone load we can operate without grid supplementation is also a limitation due to the turbine’s 400W peak output.
The system will not be tested for high-wind speeds (excess of 45 m.p.h.) We also cannot test for a grid outage (powering off Coover is not an option).
Expected End Product and Deliverables
Wind turbine power for standalone load
The wind turbine (complete with control systems) will be able to operate a standalone load of our choosing (such as an induction motor)
Wind turbine power for grid operation
The wind turbine will be able to supplement power to Coover as a whole using a grid connection.
Test-bed for additional alternative energy sources
A test-bed where the wind turbine and other alternative energy sources may be connected will be designed to facilitate testing of the equipment and connection of the equipment to the Coover power grid.
Series of tests for alternative energy sources at Coover
A series of lab-based tests will be design to aid in the education of Electrical Engineering students. These tests will be designed in order to maximize the value of the wind turbine system.
Matlab simulation of wind turbine system(optional)
An optional Matlab simulation will be developed to test and develop the system prior to implementing the wind turbine at Coover. This simulation should be accurate and robust to show the impact the wind turbine would have along with any problems unforeseen.
Proposed Approach
It is important that our team is familiar with the previous group’s work so that we may expand upon it in a useful manner. Our approach involves familiarizing ourselves with the project and expanding upon it with several design tasks.
Functional requirements
FR01The turbine will generate a 24V DC output.
FR02 The turbine will generate a 400W peak output.
FR03 The turbine will supply power to the Coover electric system.
FR04 The test-bed connection will serve to facilitate alternative source connection to the Coover electric system.
FR05The tests designed for the wind turbine will facilitate education to the Electrical Engineering program
All of these functional requirements will follow IEEE standards defined by Standard 1547-Standard for interconnecting distributed resources with electric power systems as well as NERC standards that also apply.
Conceptual Sketch
Conceptual Sketch Figure 1
This block diagram gives a high-level interpretation of how the wind turbine system will work. The wind turbine output 24V DC, this will be used to charge a battery bank which power the control systems needed in operating the turbine. This 24V DC power is then connected using our test-bed connection to a 24V DC to 120 V 3-phase AC inverter. This will then feed either a standalone load or the grid of Coover’s electrical system.
Wind Turbine
The previous team chose to purchase a wind turbine made for this type of application. The wind turbine is an Air X 400 W unit.
Technical Specifications Table 1
Rotor Diameter46 in.
Weight13 lb
Start-Up Wind Speed8 mph
Voltage24 VDC
Rated Power400 watts at 28 mph
Turbine controllerMicro-processor based smart internal regulator
BodyCast aluminum
Blades3-Carbon fiber composite
Overspeed ProtectionElectronic torque control
Kilowatt Hours/Month38 kWh/mo at 12 mph
Survival Wind Speed110 mph
Wind Turbine Figure 2
Inverter
The previous group also chose an inverter for their project. It as an Outback GTFX2425. This inverter will be used to transform the DC power from the wind turbine to useable 120 VAC power to connect with the grid at Coover Hall or a standalone load within Coover Hall. It is important to note that this is a hybrid inverter that is capable of both these scenarios. Many inverters are strictly on or off grid.
Technical Specifications Table 2
Nominal DC Input24 VDC
Continuous Power Rating2500 VA
AC Voltage/Frequency120 VAC 60 Hz
Continuous AC RMS Output20.8 Amps AC
Idle Power6-20 Watts
Typical Efficiency92%
Total Harmonic Distortion2-5%
Output Voltage Regulation±2%
Maximum Output Voltage50 amps AC RMS
AC Overload CapabilitySurge 6000 VA
5 seconds4800 VA
30 minutes3200 VA
AC Input Current Max60 amps AC
AC Input Voltage/Frequency80-150 VAC 58-62 Hz
DC Input Range21-34 VDC
Weight56 lbs
Controller
The previous team also chose to use a microcontroller for their charge controlling and other functions. They chose to purchase and program the Atmel Atmega8535 microcontroller. This is the most difficult design portion of their project and will be the most important one to finish if ours project is to be successful.
Microcontroller Block Diagram Figure 3
Constraints and Considerations
Constraints and Limitations
We are limited to what the previous group is able to design and implement. Part of our group’s project may be to assist where the previous group does not complete their objectives. We are also limited with what the previous group acquires as far as equipment is concerned. We will not be able to replace their equipment so it must be expandable for our work to be successful.
When implementing this product we must follow standards outlined by NERC for grid connection and operation. Because our wind turbine will be so small, these standards do not technically apply, but for this project we will assume they do to increase the value achieved from design and implementing this project.
Technology Considerations
Software management must be implemented by each member planning to use software or programs used in the design and test procedures.
Technical Approach Considerations
Any issues involving the technical approach of our project will be evaluated by our advisor as well as the team as a whole.
Testing Requirement Considerations
Testing will be a large portion of our project given the nature of our requirements. Designing appropriate tests for the system will be important to evaluating its’ operation.
Safety Considerations
Since the system will involve high currents, special safety considerations must be taken while installing and testing the equipment. Strict guidelines and instructions will be developed for the testing of the equipment. The facilities manager will also be contacted for assistance in developing these guidelines.
Intellectual Property Considerations
All intellectual property of this project is shared by the team as well as the advisor.
Commercialization Considerations
Commercialization of this project will not be enforced because it is solely for use at Iowa State University.
Risks and Risk Management
Several risks must be considered with our project and solutions devised for them.
Project Tracking Procedures
Our team’s milestones and evaluations will be done on a weekly basis at our meetings. Our advisor will play an important role in tracking our project but each individual in our team must also track their own progress on assigned tasks.
Statement of Work
Task No. 1 - Provide power for stand-alone load
Task Objective: Wind turbine system shall be able to provide power to a 200 W load with no help from the grid
Task Approach: First the turbine must be set up correctly, and after successful tests, accurate data must be gathered to determine under what wind conditions the turbine would be able to provide the desired power to the load.
Task Expected Results: During sufficient wind speeds, the system should be able to provide a minimum of 200 W of power and a maximum of 400 W of power without the help of external sources.
Task No. 2 - Provide power for grid operation
Task Objective: Wind turbine system shall be able to provide the desired power to the grid according to the grid standards provided by the local utility company and IEEE standards, without negatively impacting grid operations.
Task Approach: To fully research and be familiar with grid operations and grid standards and to be able to fully implement these standards, rules and regulations in the design and construction of our wind turbine system.
Task Expected Results: Utility Company shall approve the implementation and operation of the system.
Task No. 3 - Provide test-bed for additional alternative sources
Task Objective: To provide a connection that would be able to successfully facilitate the connection of additional external sources such as additional wind turbines or solar panels.
Task Approach: Research common outputs requirements of the additional sources alone with any necessary conversion process to fully function with our system.
Task Expected Results: An easy plug in connection for our additional sources.
Task No. 4 - Provide a series of tests for alternative energy sources
Task Objective: To develop a series of lab-based exercises that would be test several aspects of any additional sources. These tests shall provide accurate feedback for the system performance when the additional sources are connected.
Task approach: To gather information about lab equipment and important parameters of energy sources.
Task Expected Results: Tests should provide meaningful information about the success of the additional energy source, and its usefulness.
Task No. 5 - Provide a Matlab simulation for the wind turbine system
Task objective: To develop a simulation with the help of Matlab to evaluate the operation of the wind turbine and the Coover Hall electric system.
Task approach: Research and familiarize ourselves with the current Matlab tools for wind simulation.
Task Expected Results: Creating a simulation that should successfully provide us with different cases of wind speed and output power.
Estimated Resource Requirement
Personal Effort Requirements
Brandon Janssen / Luke Lehman / Kenny Thelen / Hassan Burawi / Elsammani AhmedProject Reporting / 15 / 10 / 15 / 10 / 10
Problem Definiton / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10
Project Design / 50 / 50 / 50 / 50 / 50
Task 1-Standalone / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10
Task 2-Grid / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10
Task 3- Test-bed / 20 / 20 / 20 / 20 / 20
Task 4- Testing / 20 / 25 / 20 / 25 / 25
Task 5- Matlab / 20 / 20 / 20 / 20 / 20
Documentation / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10
Totals / 165 / 165 / 165 / 165 / 165
Personal Effort Table 3
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First and Second Semester Schedules Figures 4 and 5
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Financial and Other Resource Requirements
Because the previous teams project was so far over-budget it is important our team notes the costs of this project and realizes the extra responsibility we have to make this project successful.
Item / Estimated CostAir X 400 W Wind Turbine / $750
Outback GTFX2524 Inverter / $1800
Batteries / $750
Microcontroller / $25
Controller wiring and misc / $20
Turbine Mounting Materials / $250
Thick Gauge Wiring / $175
Sensors / $100
Insulated Ring Tung Terminations / $10
Conduit / $100
Estimated Total / $3980
Previous Teams Estimated Resource Costs Table 4
Because our project will be largely based around the ongoing teams project, our budget must be strictly adhered to. Therefore many of our requirements do not need much financial funding. The tests will be developed using lab equipment from Iowa State University, the Matlab simulation will be made using ISU software, and the test-bedwill be developed using University equipment.
Summary
Because this is an ongoing project that requires a great deal of familiarization with the previous teams work, emphasis must be put on the communication needed between teams for this project to be successful. The two teams must work together in order to ensure each task is completed sufficiently. Because this project is of such high budget, extra responsibility is placed on each team as well.
References
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