Low-cost wind power can provide a new wind turbine_能提供低成本风电的新型风力机

Low-cost wind power can provide a new wind turbine

Abstract: The first generation of commercial proliferation of enhanced wind turbine (DAWT) in New Zealand has just begun trial operation two years, if the developers to achieve the expected results, this new design of wind machines to be significantly reduced cost of wind power.

   New Zealand in the distance about 100 km Aokelannan the Waikaretu on top of a hill, a revolutionary new wind turbine is a two-year trial operation. The wind machines and the appearance of conventional wind turbine completely different compared to its height of 17 m, much like a Juwu squatted on the Peak, and the conventional wind turbine is a slender body, tall and towering over the top of the hill.
   This is put into operation the first generation of commercial proliferation of enhanced wind turbine (DAWT: diffuser augmented wind turbine), if the developers to achieve the expected results, will lead to significant reduction in the cost of wind power. During the trial the new wind turbine technology, can also test the proliferation of Central Cover new materials, high-strength fibers to strengthen the steel reinforced concrete. Such wind turbine on the ground referred to as "concrete wind turbine." In business, it is called Vortec7 of wind machines, because it has a 7 m in diameter rotor.
   Wind machines from nearly 100 small investors, set up a private company - Vortec Energy Limited responsible for the design and construction, the company raised 3.5 million U.S. dollars development of the prototype. Vortec Energy Limited is currently being further raise about 700 million dollars to build two sets of rotor diameter of 20 m of the unit. One of the new units will be in areas of high wind speed test, probably in the vicinity of Wellington, New Zealand, the average wind speed in another area. South Australia state government said that the design has a lot of interest in Adelaide and will speed up the installation of an average wind speed near the crew, because the state government that is a rare wind of renewable energy, the need to promote technical breakthroughs-state advantage of the more Lower average wind speed resource development.
   Two new type of rotor diameter of 20 m of the unit after the successful operation, Vortec Energy Limited will consider the possibility of Nasdaq Stock Exchange. Vortec7 unit performance data show that the rotor diameter of 20 m below the design to 0.031 U.S. dollars / kWh the price of Internet access, it will enable New Zealand and wind power can compete existing power plants, and other new methods of power generation compared to more Competitive. If Vortec function of wind power generation in this price level, in the development of wind power will rapidly become a powerful new force.
Vortec Energy Limited is the backing of entrepreneurs Robin Johannink, he successfully operating a series of operations, but also Pacific Lithium (an extract from seawater lithium companies) backing. Johannink, said Vortec technology is an international product, but the technology in the New Zealand stock market was on the recognition and attention is not too high, in this difficult market. Therefore Vortec Energy Limited is considering the Nasdaq in New York Stock Exchange listing is likely to achieve in 1999.

A proliferation of technology
   U.S. aerospace giant Grumman Space Company (now Northrop Grumman Corporation) spent eight years developing the proliferation of technology and a proliferation of enhanced wind turbine technology patents. It was the spread of a detailed analysis of fluid dynamics and the use of a 5 m in the wind tunnel model confirmed the results. The proliferation of wind turbine rotor in the lower reaches, and its role as a wing, the rear rotor in a low-voltage parts. This "suction effect" effective in around the rotor speed multiplied. Conventional wind turbine rotor can only be effective use of wind around 60 percent. <Figure 01> show a pattern of proliferation.
   The proliferation of economy is the key to the lowest cost to maximize the size. Wind tunnel studies show that in 45-degree-proliferation structure, the wall of surface wind flow may be two slot maintained by the jet. In the prototype, the total size of the spread of further reduction, through the use of general and exports in diameter than 30 percent of the arc structure, enhance the hardness of Central enclosures. So that the design has been chosen to receive the minimum amount of material the size of the greatest proliferation.
   Vortec Energy Limited was awarded the Northrop Grumman Corporation with the proliferation of technology for a period of 20 years of global patents and 20 patents since the right to update the permit. Northrop Grumman Corporation to retain their own internal use of the proliferation of technology rather than enhance the commercial market for wind rights. Kenneth Foreman, former Grumman Space research team leader, Vortec Energy Corporation for technical advice, Vortec Energy Limited access to the Grumman Space Research Group eight years on all the records, test reports and patents.

2 materials technology
   Grumman Space Research Group in the development of proliferation-enhancing technologies in the face of a problem is that commercial-scale wind turbine materials must have high strength and long life, low cost features. Have aluminum, glass fiber, steel and reinforced concrete for the traditional assessment and accounting, but the wind can not meet the requirements of economic development. In all the assessment materials, the most desirable is reinforced concrete, but the use of traditional reinforced concrete, the size of the spread of the wind-rated output can only meet 70 kW. As small-scale units can not enhance the diffusion of technology business development.
   New Zealand in the use of reinforced concrete towers and the construction of ocean-going boats such equipment has a long history. On this basis, the structural engineer Alexander and Associates in 20 years has developed a new product - high-strength fibers to strengthen the steel reinforced concrete. This new material bending strength is three times the low-carbon steel, basically do not need maintenance. This new material could be economic to build the proliferation of larger, so that there is sufficient wind machines and conventional wind turbine output of the competition.
   Prototype rotor diameter of 7 m, height of 17 m, the highest output for 1 MW. Will be the construction of two units using the rotor diameter of 20 m, high 52 m, and efforts to 3 MW.
   The proliferation of the use of two-tier 3 m × 1m × 30mm of high-strength steel fiber reinforced concrete slab of reinforced composite formed. First laminate along the complex framework of the necessary two-way Wancheng surface and fixed in place. The second laminate on top, bending, and then filling in the foundation board surface two-way lock. Qu then these panels bonded together, and the hardened edge of dealing with a proliferation of segment. Complete assembly of the proliferation of good before the Academy of Engineering, University of Auckland in the single-plate assembly and a good segment of the spread of the stress test samples.

3 equipment balance
   In addition to enhancing the proliferation of technology and materials technology, wind machines are all conventional. Rotor equipped with a fixed pitch of the four leaves, leaves for the welding of the steel structure, the surface material for glass fiber. David Brown through a rotor speed gearbox or a conventional driver's 1 200min-1, 400V of the ABB company's synchronous generator, inverter generators running. Rotor, gearbox and generator (<Figure 02>) from the U.S. New World Power Company (New World Power) to provide.
   Frequency AC-DC rectifier first, and then the inverter for AC 50 Hz, the step-up transformer into the local electricity company 11 kV power grid. Rectifier / converter equipment from Auckland company Santon Technology Co., Ltd. design and manufacture, the company battery chargers and speed drive manufacturers have years of experience.

   Taking into account the proliferation of size, needs a large and stable foundation to prevent the wind loads and seismic, Lodging. Equipment was installed to a large-diameter circular orbit, the wind machine can along its 360-degree rotation, the rotating device on track with the wind control system for electrical devices (<Figure 03>). This arrangement provides the foundation for stability.
   Because this type of wind turbine could avoid the proliferation of high winds and a protective cover from the rotor impact on the ability of strong winds, which do not need to control a simple design of the rotor blade pitch. This makes this type of wind turbine is very suitable for use in windy areas, and maintenance is very small.

4 design advantages
   The proliferation of enhanced wind machines compared with conventional wind turbine has many advantages, including:
   Low noise. Conventional wind turbine noise from the maximum speed at the top of the rotor and blade-through to the pillars. In Vortec unit, the rotor was a high-density material covered by the (proliferation of), which prevent the noise from the rotor end of the field radiation and therefore did not, as with conventional equipment, a major pillar of the noise.
   Less land. On the same terms of energy output, Vortec unit compared with conventional wind turbine requires less space, reducing the land purchase and rental costs.
   Without affecting the landscape. Vortec unit easily painted various colors, when watched from a distance when integrated with a variety of backgrounds, equipment Dunzuo the shape and undulating mountain village is coordination.
   Decay may gust. The proliferation of increase in output at the same time, but also as a way throttle, the peak wind gust decay, thus reducing the rotor to withstand the fluctuations and drive away from the stress.
   Birds less impact. Despite the wind function painted different colors to reduce the visual impact, but the bird flew near the very eye-catching, no birds impact of the rapidly rotating blades of the wind machine accident.
   Infrastructure costs and low-cost power generation. Wind machines use a very simple set pitch leaves, or do not need to pitch control brake control system. This will significantly reduce maintenance costs, particularly in New Zealand's strong winds, and the equipment available to ensure a high rate.

5 prospects
   Rotor diameter of 7 m prototype wind turbine will be conducted six months of trial operation, the control system carefully debug and verify the design parameters. Initial measurements showed that the wind turbine rotor wind speed increased about 1.72 times, and this Grumman Space Research Group in the calculation of 0.5 m and their model on the results of wind tunnel test match.
   Vortec Energy companies have access to New Zealand Science and Technology Research Fund of the Ministry of business development funding of about 350,000 U.S. dollars to pay for six months the cost of the trial period.
   Surveillance and testing programme of technical support from the Industrial Research Ltd (Industrial Research Ltd.) Advisory Group and the University of Auckland (Auckland Uniservices) provide, in addition to the invitation of the British wind energy consulting international experts Garrad Hassan independent inspection and monitoring unit Vortec7 the trial operation Plan.
Table 1 gives the Vortec unit future development programmes.
   If the pilot programme of the results coincides with the expected future proliferation of enhanced wind machines will become a global wind power development plan a major part, can be widely used in other developing regions. Support the technology although investors to bear high-risk, but it may be high returns.

能提供低成本风电的新型风力机
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【摘要】第一代商用扩散体增强型风力机(DAWT)在新西兰刚开始两年试运行，如果开发者的预期结果得以实现，这种新设计的风力机可促使风电成本大幅度降低。

   在距新西兰奥克兰南约100km的Waikaretu的一座小山顶上，一台革命性的新型风力机正在进行为期两年的试运行。这座风力机的外观与常规风力机相比完全不同，其高度为17m，很象一巨物蹲在山顶上，而常规风力机则为一细长体，高高地矗立在山顶上。
   这是投入运行的第一代商用扩散体增强型风力机(DAWT: diffuser augmented wind turbine)，如果开发者的预期结果得以实现，将导致风力发电成本大幅度降低。在试验新的风力机技术的同时，也可以试验扩散体环罩的新材料、高强钢丝纤维加强的钢筋混凝土。此种风力机在当地被称为"混凝土风力机"。在商业上，它被称为Vortec7型风力机，因为它有一个7m直径的转子。
   风力机由近100家小型投资商组建的私人公司-Vortec能源有限公司负责设计和建设，该公司筹集了350万美元开发原型机。Vortec能源有限公司目前正在进一步筹集约700万美元，拟建设两台转子直径为20m的机组。其中一台新机组将在高风速地区试验，很可能在新西兰的惠灵顿附近，另一台在平均风速区。南澳大利亚州政府已对设计表示了很大的兴趣并将在Adelaide附近加速安装平均风速机组，因为州政府认为风力是一种少有的可再生能源，需要从技术上突破来带动州内占优势的较低平均风速资源的开发。
   两台新型的转子直径20m的机组成功地运行后，Vortec能源有限公司将考虑在Nasdaq股票交易所上市的可能性。Vortec7机组的性能数据表明，转子直径20m的设计能够以低于0.031美元/kWh的价格上网，它将使风力发电可与新西兰现有的电厂相竞争，与其它新的发电方式相比，更具竞争力。如果Vortec型风力机能以这种价格水平发电，在风电开发中它将迅速成为一股强大的新生力量。
   Vortec能源有限公司的后盾是企业家Robin Johannink，他成功地经营着一系列业务，也是Pacific Lithium公司（一家从海水中提取锂的公司）的后盾。Johannink先生讲Vortec技术是一项国际产品，但该技术在新西兰股票市场上所获得的认可和重视还不太高，难以在此上市。因此Vortec能源有限公司正在考虑在纽约的Nasdaq交易所上市，很可能在1999年实现。

1 扩散体技术 
   美国的航天巨头Grumman空间公司（现在的Northrop Grumman公司）花费了8年时间开发扩散体技术并拥有扩散体增强型风力机技术的专利。它进行了扩散体流体动力学的详细分析，并使用一5m的模型在风洞中证实了分析结果。扩散体位于风力机转子的下游，其作用就象一个机翼，在转子后部产生低压部位。这种"抽吸效应"有效地使转子周围的风速成倍增加。常规的风力机只能有效地利用转子周围风速的60%左右。<图01>示出了扩散体的流态。
扩散体经济性的关键在于以最低成本获得最大的尺寸。风洞研究表明在45度扩散体结构中，内壁附面流可由两级风槽射流所维持。在该原型中，扩散体的总尺寸进一步减少，通过采用总长与出口直径比为30%的弧形结构，环罩硬度增强。使已选择的设计以最低的材料用量获得了最大的扩散体尺寸。
Vortec能源有限公司获得了Northrop Grumman公司颁发的拥有扩散体技术、为期20年的全球专利权及此后20年专利更新权的许可证。Northrop Grumman公司保留了它们自己内部使用扩散体增强技术而不用于风能商业市场的权利。Kenneth Foreman,原Grumman空间公司研究小组的领导者，为Vortec Energy公司的技术咨询，Vortec能源有限公司获得了Grumman空间公司研究小组8年研究的所有记录、试验报告及专利。

2 材料技术
   Grumman空间研究小组在开发扩散体增强技术中所遇到的一个问题是商业规模风力机材料必须具有强度高、寿命长、成本低的特点。曾对铝、玻璃纤维、钢和传统钢筋混凝土进行过评估和核算，但都不能满足风力机经济开发的要求。在所有评估的材料中，最可取的是钢筋混凝土，但使用传统的钢筋混凝土，扩散体尺寸使风力机额定出力只能达到70kW。由于机组规模太小无法对扩散体增强技术进行商业开发。
新西兰在使用钢筋混凝土建造水塔和远洋快艇之类设备方面有悠久历史。在此基础上，结构工程师Alexander和Associates在20年中开发了一种新型的产品-高强钢丝纤维加强的钢筋混凝土。这种新材料的抗弯强度是低碳钢的3倍，基本上不需要维修。这种新材料可以经济地建造较大的扩散体，从而使风力机有足够的出力和常规风力机相竞争。
   原型机转子直径为7m，高度为17m，最高出力为1MW。将要建设的两台机组使用20m直径的转子，高52m，出力为3MW。
   扩散体使用两层3m×1m×30mm的高强钢丝纤维加强的钢筋混凝土板复合而成。第一层板沿着复杂的框架弯成所需的双向曲面，并固定就位。第二层板放在顶部，弯曲成形，然后在基础板上灌浆锁定双向曲面。再将这些曲面板粘结到一起，并对其边缘进行硬化处理构成扩散体扇形段。完整的扩散体装配好之前，在奥克兰大学工程院对单块板和装配好的扩散体扇形段样品进行了应力测试。

3 设备平衡
   除了扩散体增强技术和材料技术外，风力机全部是常规的。转子配备有定节距的4个叶片，该叶片内为焊接钢架构，表面材料为玻璃纤维。转子通过一David Brown升速变速箱驱动一常规的1 200min-1、400V的ABB公司生产的同步发电机，发电机变频运行。转子、变速箱和发电机（<图02>）由美国的新世界电力公司(New World Power)提供。
变频交流电先整流成直流电，然后逆变为50Hz的交流电，经升压变压器送入当地电力公司的11kV电网。整流器/换流器设备由奥克兰公司Santon技术有限公司设计和制造，该公司对电池充电器和变速驱动器的制造有多年经验。
考虑到扩散体的尺寸，需要一大型稳定的地基防止在大风载荷下和地震时倒伏。设备被安装到一大直径环行轨道上，风力机可以沿它旋转360度，轨道上的旋转装置装有迎风控制系统的电动装置（<图03>）。这种布置提供了稳定的基础。
由于该种风力机可以避开大风且扩散体罩具有保护转子不受大风影响的能力，因而转子设计简单不需要控制叶片节距。这使得该种风力机非常适合在大风地区使用，且维修量很小。

4 设计的优点 
   扩散体增强型风力机与常规风力机相比有许多优点，包括：
噪音低。常规风力机噪音来自速度最高的转子顶部，并通过叶片传向支柱。在Vortec机组中，转子被一种高密度材料所覆盖（扩散体），它防止了噪音从转子末端向外辐射，因此没有像用常规设备时大的支柱产生的噪音。
用地少。就同样的能源输出而言，Vortec机组与常规风力机相比需要较少的用地，减少了土地购置和租用费用。
   不影响景观。Vortec机组很容易地涂上各种颜色，当从远距离观看时能与各种背景相融合，设备蹲坐的外形与起伏的山村很协调。
可衰减阵风。扩散体在增加出力的同时，也作为阻风门，衰减阵风的峰值，因而减少了转子所承受的转距波动和驱动器上的应力。
鸟类撞击少。尽管风力机能涂上不同的颜色降低了视觉影响，但对于飞到附近的鸟类却很醒目，不会出现鸟类撞击快速旋转的风力机叶片的事故。
基建费用和发电成本低。风力机使用了非常简单的定节距叶片，不需要节距控制制动器或控制系统。这将大幅度降低维修费用，特别是在新西兰的大风地区，并将确保很高的设备可用率。

5 发展前景
   转子直径为7m的原型风力机将要进行6个月的试运行，对控制系统进行仔细调试并验证设计参数。初步测量数据表明，风力机转子风速增强了约1.72倍，这与Grumman空间公司研究小组的计算和它们在0.5m模型上进行的风洞试验结果相吻合。
   Vortec Energy公司已获得新西兰科学与技术研究基金业务发展部的资助约350000美元，用以支付6个月试验期的费用。
   监视和试验方案的技术支持由工业研究有限公司(Industrial Research Ltd.)和奥克兰大学咨询小组(Auckland Uniservices)提供，另外还邀请了英国国际风能咨询专家Garrad Hassan独立检验和监督Vortec7机组的试运行计划。
表1给出了Vortec机组未来的开发方案。
   如果试验方案产生的结果与预期的相吻合，将来扩散体增强型风力机将成为全球风电开发方案的一个主要部分，可广泛用于其它待开发的地区。支持该技术的投资者虽承受高风险，但它可能获得高的回报。