Abstract
This paper presents two electromechanical systems used for the overspeed protection of small wind turbines. The actuators have the purpose of rotating the back rudder (tail vane) of the wind turbine when the blades are overspeeding. The rudder rotation angle is 90 degrees in order to completely turn the wind turbine blades away from the wind flow direction. The first device is a new limited-angle torque electromechanical actuator consisting of a device with a simplified structure composed of four permanent magnets (two on each side) glued on a rotor mounted between two stator poles built from ordinary rectangular construction pipes and an electronic control unit. The second device is based on a regular stepper motor actuator with a reduction gear and an appropriate control scheme to maximize the energy harvested at high, over-nominal wind speeds. A generic comparison is provided for the proposed solutions.
Highlights
Small wind turbines are struggling to occupy a share of the renewable energy market for residential areas
The installation of small and micro wind turbines is limited to locations where the average wind speed is above 5–7 m/s
The paper is structured as follows: Section 2 presents the design of the limited-angle torque (LAT) electromechanical actuator and the electronic circuit used to control the LAT actuator, Section 3 provides details regarding the stepper motor actuator and the electronic circuit for angular control, and in Section 4, a discussion regarding the solutions is presented
Summary
Small wind turbines are struggling to occupy a share of the renewable energy market for residential areas. While in conventional electric braking systems, the generator stator windings are short-circuited to abruptly increase the current, this solution allows for a smoother reduction of the rotating speed of the wind turbine. Gong et al [6] proposed another safe and cheap method for controlling the braking of a micro wind turbine by using a Pulsed-Width Modulation (PWM)-controlled braking circuit with field-effect transistors (FETs). These solutions are simple and effective but have a drawback: due to high currents in the generator windings, the inside temperature increases and the stator magnetic field. The paper is structured as follows: Section 2 presents the design of the LAT electromechanical actuator and the electronic circuit used to control the LAT actuator, Section 3 provides details regarding the stepper motor actuator and the electronic circuit for angular control, and in Section 4, a discussion regarding the solutions is presented
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
