CORDIS provides links to public deliverables and publications of HORIZON projects.
Links to deliverables and publications from FP7 projects, as well as links to some specific result types such as dataset and software, are dynamically retrieved from OpenAIRE .
Deliverables
This result directly addresses the need to provide visible safety devices, which crucially enhance both safety (of people and property) and the public perception of safety. Typically, this might take the form of a safety mesh or cage placed around the wind turbine(s), to reduce the risk posed by a scenario such as shedding of a turbine blade.
The performance requirements and options for safety devices are set out on macro, mesa and micro levels. The structural functionality of a large number of comparable designs for safety devices are compared quantitatively, and qualitative judgements are used to assess other important factors, e.g. aesthetics/visual impact, power enhancement from protected turbines etc.
Designs for a safety device which could be fitted to a real building where turbine(s) are suspended within ducted holes within a building (similar to the prototype building described in Result No. 2 with cross pieces fitted between the towers) have been developed and assessed. A radial mesh safety device, having a visual appearance akin to a spider web, positioned both in front of and behind a wind turbine and attached to the building, is suggested as the best option, pending future detailed design studies.
This result summarises the main findings from the project, i.e. the development of techniques for integrating and enhancing power production from wind turbines sited in urban locations. It can be used by architects, developers, engineers, planners and the public in the design and evaluation of future projects. These can cumulatively contribute to an increase in electricity generation from renewable sources, lowering environmental pollution and the design of more sustainable buildings.
The result touches the following issues :
-Identifying and assessing types of urban areas where wind turbines could be located.
-Studying the aerodynamic performance of a whole range of building shapes.
-Assessment of energy potential by use of wind-tunnel testing on small-scale models and computational fluid dynamics simulations.
-Methods for analysing the wind regimes in specific urban locations using statistical data, and, assessing the annual energy contribution of turbine(s) integrated into a building.
-Exploration of building aesthetics/visual impacts.
-Organisation of architectural space and building services.
-Prototype structural systems for supporting turbines and isolating vibrations from buildings.
-Prototype safety devices for addressing public concerns.
-Impact of noise emissions from integrated turbine(s) on building and immediate surroundings.
Suggested acronyms for the technology are Urban Wind Energy Conversion Systems (UWECS) and Building Augmented Wind Turbines (BAWTS).
No sophisticated suspension of a wind turbine (WT) from a building - essential if their integration is to become a reality-has been attempted before, so it is difficult to improve/optimise existing technology. Hence, this result comprises of:
- Utilisation of an existing simplified standardised methodology in assessing the loads that would be experienced by the turbine(s) and building (including identification and review of relevant wind energy and construction industry standards);
- Generation of generic design concepts that could be used for wind turbine-building integration (e.g. mounting on top, hanging from facade, suspension between two towers, suspension within a ducted hole). These have been evaluated according to a number of quantitative and qualitative criteria, e.g. aesthetics, impact on turbine power production, maintenance, manufacture, strength-to-weight ratios etc. Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis has been used to achieve efficient use of materials and, hence, more optimal prototype designs;
- A detailed design study on one promising configuration, i.e. suspending a turbine between twin towers, which is shown to be feasible mechanically. Several options can meet the necessary strength requirements in all instances with reasonable material use, small deformations and allowable stresses.
This result is a first step and does not purport to find an optimum solution, but provides a framework for use in future structural optimisation.
The result consists of the processed and analysed performance data (and the corresponding meteorological data) from field-testing of two wind turbines (WT)-a 1.8m diameter horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) and a 2m diameter vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT), both in stand-alone configuration and when integrated into the aerodynamic prototype building (wind concentrator) described in Result No. 2.
The data was collected over an 18-month period and includes wind speed and direction data, wind turbine speed and electrical power output from the wind turbine generator in the form of current and voltage measurements. Both one minute and ten minute averages are given. Overall performance and sensitivity to incident wind direction and wind speed are both assessed.
Data was collected in the following configurations:
-HAWT stand-alone.
-VAWT stand-alone.
-HAWT within the prototype building (with no cross pieces fitted).
-VAWT within the prototype building (with no cross pieces fitted).
-HAWT within the prototype building (with cross pieces fitted).
The result validates wind tunnel data and CFD simulations carried out during the project (Result No. 5).
It is expected to be used in conjunction with the other main results by engineers and architects in designing a first generation of full-scale structures with integrated wind turbine(s), by helping accurate assessment of expected annual power production.
The prototype gives the observer an immediate idea of the architectural possibilities for the integration of wind turbines (WTs) into buildings and/or design of wind concentrator structures for WT. Moreover, its effectiveness in enhancing power output from the integrated WT can also be demonstrated visually.
The (1/20th full scale) prototype has been constructed and field-tested at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK. It was designed by the partners (principally MECAL), fabricated in the Netherlands and assembled in the UK.
The innovative design consists of :
Two symmetrical towers of approximately 7m in height with an aerodynamically optimised footprint shape, designed to enhance wind flow.
-Either a horizontal-axis WT (HAWT) or vertical-axis WT (VAWT) of approximately 2m rotor diameter mounted between the building towers on their own tower.
two removable horizontal aerodynamic cross pieces (in-fills) linking the building towers and closely fitting around the turbine(s). These further enhance the performance of the prototype.
The building can be rotated manually about a rail to study different wind conditions, and the gap between the building towers varied to study power enhancement, noise and vibration.
A truer assessment of the costs, risks and benefits of this technology will require scaling up to an intermediate size, e.g. to house a WT of 10-20m rotor diameter, and monitoring over a period of several years.
The result consists of the processed and analysed noise and vibration data (and the corresponding meteorological data) from field-testing of two wind turbines (WT) � a 1.8m diameter horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) and a 2m diameter vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) - both in stand-alone configuration and when integrated into the aerodynamic prototype building (wind concentrator) described in Result No. 2.
Data was measured separately from that presented in Result No. 3 and collected over a range of yaw angles for the following configurations:
-HAWT stand-alone.
-VAWT stand-alone.
-HAWT within the prototype building (with no cross pieces fitted).
-VAWT within the prototype building (with no cross pieces fitted).
-HAWT within the prototype building (with cross pieces fitted).
The result gives an estimate of the effect of the design of the prototype building with integrated turbine(s) on generation and propagation of noise and vibration. Attempts have also been made to use the data internally in assessing noise and vibration issues that would occur in the design of a full-scale building (Result No. 1). For the vibration measurements, inconsistencies in the parameters applied for testing different configurations have made comparison and extrapolation difficult. For the noise measurements, there is also the problem of measurement of a comparatively small source against background levels. Applicability is therefore likely to be slightly less widespread that for Result No. 3, being more specific to the characteristics of the prototype building and turbine(s).
The result forms a data set of power enhancement factors for a wind turbine gained by integrating a wind turbine with buildings of different shapes.
Data was calculated from force measurements on a simulated wind turbine and includes data from a large number of different building shapes and a range of wind angles. The measurements were made both in uniform flow and in simulated atmospheric boundary layers. Additional measurements were made using a model wind turbine instead of the simulated wind turbine. Some flow visualisation pictures are also included in the data set.
The results include both conventional building shapes and buildings specifically designed for concentrating the wind, showing buildings that dont work as well as identifying better options.
The result can be used directly in producing more accurate assessments of the power output from wind turbine(s) integrated within a building, and shows which building shapes are best suited for this purpose. It is expected to be used by architects and engineers in designing buildings with integrated wind turbines.
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