New wind turbines could produce electricity more quietly than conventional systems. Instead of horizontally, the rotor blades of the wind turbines optimized by Swiss researchers rotate vertically around a central axis, like a ring game. Because they also require less space and are less dangerous for birds, such vertical wind turbines could eventually compete with classic models.
Vertical wind turbines have been around for a long time. So far, however, the development has faced a physical challenge, as the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) announced on Wednesday. Because their axis of rotation is perpendicular to the wind, the angle between the wind and the rotor blades is constantly changing. As soon as the wind reaches a certain speed, a so-called dynamic flow standstill occurs, which leads to air turbulence and turbulence.
In a study published in the journal “Nature Communications”, a research team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) led by Karen Mulleners showed a solution to this problem: they installed a device that allowed the rotors to adjust their pitch change.
“Captain” on board
“A ship needs a crew to adjust the sails to stay on course,” lead author of the study, Sébastien Le Fouest, explains in the statement. “If you equip the rotor blades of wind turbines with small motors, you actually provide them with a captain, so that they can also adapt to the circumstances.”
The researchers have built a miniature system with a single rotor blade. They have equipped these with sensors to measure the energy generated in the flow channel. This allowed them to determine to what extent the rotor blades needed to adapt.
Efficiency has tripled
The researchers increased the efficiency of their vertical wind turbine in the laboratory by a factor of three. “Our data shows that it is very likely that the lifespan and efficiency of traditional wind turbines can be matched or even exceeded,” says Le Fouest.
This will now be explored in further research projects. According to the SNSF, a collaboration has already started with a Swiss company to test the results on an industrial prototype.
Source: Krone
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