WindSurf- A self-starting, active-pitch, vertical-axis wind turbine

传统设计的风力涡轮机只能在稳定、不间断的空气中有效运行。然而，大多数用户希望在城市地区或工业单位附近获得风，其中风的性质更加湍流和旋转。传统的设计不能有效地与这些地点的风的漩涡，可变的性质。在这个项目中，Swift Energy对垂直轴风力涡轮机进行了彻底的重新设计，并进行了关键的技术改进，使其能够在占地面积小的城市站点中高效运行。这些站点还有一个额外的优势，即它们靠近消费者，最大限度地减少了传输损失。WindSurf是一种垂直轴主动俯仰风力涡轮机。Swift的专利控制技术使用伺服电机来不断改变叶片桨距，这允许在低至3米/秒的风速下自启动，并在自由和湍流气流中优化能量捕获。爱丁堡在该项目中的作用是为额定功率为16千瓦的WindSurf发电机进行优化设计，同时考虑到其运行环境。直接驱动发电机将用于消除齿轮箱，这将提高可靠性和效率。这两个因素都有助于LCOE：通过提高可用性和降低OPEX实现可靠性;提高效率将提高年度能源产量。将设计和建造一台空心永磁发电机，该发电机针对斯威夫特风力涡轮机的结构进行了优化。为了实现这样的优化设计，需要集成设计方法，该方法将电磁设计与结构设计和热流体设计联系起来。爱丁堡在风力和海洋可再生能源应用的直接驱动永磁空心发电机的集成设计方面积累了10年的经验。空心电机消除了试图关闭差距的不希望的磁吸引力，因此这种拓扑结构有利于制造、组装和结构设计。垂直轴风力涡轮机允许机器的电磁设计在叶片附近具有大直径。大直径将导致高气隙速度，从而对扭矩密度（Nm/kg）产生积极影响，减少活性材料的量，这是机器中最昂贵的部分。将开发一种新的结构布置，用于集成到涡轮机中，该结构布置尽可能充分利用现有的结构材料，再次最大限度地减少材料使用，从而降低成本。将采用模块化设计方法，以简化发电机的制造和组装，同时也使O&M更容易。通过将发电机定位在叶片附近，我们将研究将空气从涡轮机“铲”到发电机上以辅助冷却的方法。有效的冷却将有利于扭矩密度和机器的整体性能。在设计过程中将使用数值建模工具，例如用于结构分析的ANSYS，用于热流体分析的StarCCM和用于电磁设计的Infolytica。现有的分析设计工具将根据结构和计算流体动力学建模进行改进，以协助SWIFT在未来设计和生产其涡轮机。使用SIMPACK的多体建模将与结构建模相结合，以研究环境载荷对发电机气隙偏转的影响。一旦设计完成，该机器将由Alberto Fountain Design Ltd建造，我们过去曾与该公司合作建造原型发电机。该机器将在爱丁堡大学的风模拟器测试台上进行测试，以验证性能和开发的设计工具。考虑到制造和生产技术并辅以实验室测试的全面集成设计方法将确保SWIFT能够走向商业化。

Conventionally designed wind turbines only operate efficiently in steady, uninterrupted air. However, most users want to access wind in urban areas or near industrial units where the nature of the wind is more turbulent and swirling. Conventional designs do not work efficiently with the swirling, variable nature of wind at such sites. In this project Swift Energy present a radical re-design of a vertical axis wind turbine, with key technological improvements that will allow efficient operation in small-footprint, urban sites. Such sites have the added advantage that they are close to consumers, minimising transmission losses. WindSurf is a vertical axis, active pitching wind turbine. Swift's patented control technology uses servomotors to continually alter blade pitch, which allows self-starting in wind speeds as low as 3m/s, and optimised energy capture in free and turbulent wind streams. Edinburgh's role in this project is to produce an optimised design of the electrical generator for the WindSurf rated at 16kW, taking into account the environment in which it will be operating. A direct drive generator will be used to eliminate the gearbox, which will improve reliability and efficiency. Both of these contribute to LCOE: reliability through increased availability and reduced OPEX; and improved efficiency will enhance annual energy yield. An air-cored permanent magnet generator will be designed and built that is optimised for the structure of the Swift wind turbine. In order to achieve such an optimised design an integrated design approach is required, which links electromagnetic design, with structural design and thermo-fluid design. Edinburgh has built up 10 years of experience in the integrated design of direct drive permanent magnet air-cored generators for wind and marine renewable energy applications. Air-cored machines eliminate undesirable magnetic attraction forces that try to close the gap, and thus this topology benefits manufacture, assembly and structural design. A vertical axis wind turbine allows the electromagnetic design of the machine to have a large diameter, out near the blades. A large diameter will result in high airgap velocity and thus have a positive impact on torque density (Nm/kg), reducing the amount of active material, which is the most expensive part of the machine. A novel structural arrangement will be developed for integration into the turbine, which where possible makes best use of the existing structural material, again to minimise material usage and thus cost. A modular design approach will be adopted to ease manufacture and assembly of the generator, but also to make O&M easier. By positioning the generator close to the blades, we will investigate we will investigate methods of "scooping" air from the turbine onto the generator to assist with cooling. Effective cooling will benefit the torque density and the overall performance of the machine. Numerical modelling tools will be used in the design process, such as ANSYS for structural analysis, StarCCM for thermo-fluid analysis, and Infolytica for electromagnetic design. An existing analytical design tool will be refined based on the structural and CFD modelling in order to assist SWIFT in the future design and production of their turbine. Multi-body modelling using SIMPACK will be combined with structural modelling to investigate the impact of environmental loads on the generator in terms of airgap deflection. Once the design is finalised, the machine will be built under subcontract to Fountain Design Ltd, with whom we have worked in the past to build prototype generators. The machine will be tested at the University of Edinburgh on its wind-emulator test rig to verify performance and the design tools developed. A thorough integrated design approach with manufacturing and production techniques in mind supported by laboratory testing will ensure that SWIFT can move towards commercialisation.