Energy Lap.
Experiment
The performance of 3-bladed rotor
PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with
Different Blade Pitch Angles under
Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
3rd year
University Of Baghdad
College Of Engineering
Energy Engineering
1
The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
1: Objectives: the performance of portable horizontal axis wind
turbine (PHAWT) with different blade pitch angles is very important
for several applications. The performance of (PHAWT) is affected by
the blade pitch angles variation. Consequently, the selection of
optimum performance at optimum blade pitch angle was investigated
in present work.
2: Introduction:
Energy available in wind is
the kinetic energy of large
masses of air moving over
the earth’s surface. Blades
of the wind turbine
receive this kinetic
energy, which is then
transformed to mechanical
or electrical forms,
depending application.
The efficiency of
converting wind to other
useful energy forms
greatly depends on the
efficiency with which the
rotor interacts with the
wind stream. Clearly,
the kinetic energy of wind transformed into mechanical energy in the
rotor blade, and finally into electrical energy in the wind generator.
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
3: Experimental Calculations:
The governing equation expressing the power available in the wind
passing through cross-section (A) of rotor blade can be expressed as:
𝐏𝐰=𝟏/𝟐𝛒𝑽𝟏𝟑𝐀 … (1) (W)
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Where 𝛒 = air density =1.225 (𝑘𝑔m ) , 𝑽𝟏 = upwind velocity (𝑚𝑠)
3
and A= rotor swept area (m ).
When the (PHAWT) will begin to spin at a rotation speed (N)
(r.p.m), the angular velocity (𝝎) (𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒔) can be formulated as:
𝝎= (𝟐𝝅𝑵𝟔𝟎) … (2)
Another parameter is called Tip speed ratio (TSR) taken into
consideration, represent the ratio of rotor velocity to the upwind
velocity. it can be calculated as:
𝑻𝑺𝑹=𝝀= (𝝎𝑹𝑽𝟏⁄v1) … (3)
When the (PHAWT) is begin to rotate, the voltage (V (volt)) and
current (I (amp)) is measured by the spark sensor. So, the output
electrical power produced by the (PHAWT) can be estimated as:
𝐏𝐞=𝐕×𝐈 … (4) (W)
Finally, the overall efficiency of the (PHAWT) represents the ratio
between the output electrical powers to the theoretical power
available in the wind. It is formulated as:
𝛈𝐨=〈𝐏𝐞/𝐏𝐰〉 … (5)
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
4: Experiment Equipment: an experimental equipment are used in the
present work as follows:
4.1: Fan: a fan is used to exert wind toward the (PHAWT) in order to spin the
blades to produces electric.
4.2: PHAWT: The main parts of PHAWT is as follows;
4.2.1: Foundation: the foundation of PHAWT is to lift the tower, nacelle
group, and to firm wind turbine system.
4.2.2: Tower: the tubular tower is fixed on the foundation to lift the nacelle
group.
4.2.3: Rotor: the rotor of PHAWT consist of:
a) Hub: the blades of PHAWT are attached into the hub.
b) Bitch mechanism: to change the blade pitch angles.
c) Blades: blades of PHAWT has the airfoil section made according to the
aerodynamic theories in order to extract maximum energy from the wind as
possible as. The blades diameter of PHAWT is (D = 36 cm)
d) Shaft to transmit mechanical energy of the rotor blade to the wind
generator.
e) Vane: the vane is used to steering the rotor of PHAWT into the wind
direction.
4.3: Spark sensor: a spark sensor is used to measure a voltage and current
produced after the rotation of PHAWT.
4.4: Digital anemometer: a digital anemometer is used to measure the wind
velocity at the upwind region of PHAWT and wind speed across the PHAWT.
4.5: Tachometer: a tachometer is used to measure the rotational speed of the
rotor blade of the PHAWT.
5: Experimental procedure: Three cases is used in the present work, three
bladed rotor with different blade pitch angles for NACA-44 Profile blades. The
procedure for the two can be listed as follows:
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
Connect the fan and the spark sensor to the electrical source.
Connect the spark sensor with the PHAWT.
Exert the wind by the fan on the PHAWT, in order to spin it.
The upwind velocity is measured by using a digital anemometer.
The rotational speed of the blades is measured by using the
digital tachometer.
The voltage and current are measured by the spark sensor.
The output electrical power can be estimated from the voltage
and current values for all data.
The overall efficiency is calculated from the output electrical
power and theoretical power available in the wind.
Fig 1: Instruments used in the current work
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
Table (1): Measured parameters of (3- bladed portable HAWT), for (NACA-44) Profile at
blade pitch angle (𝛽=10°).
Test 1 2 3 4 5 6
V1 (m/s) 3.7 3.9 4.0 4.3 4.5 5.0
N (r.p.m) 0 50 80 90 120 135
V (volt) 0 0.5 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.5
I (amp) 0 0.002 0.006 0.011 0.019 0.017
NOW we using the equations in section (3)
Test (1) Test (2)
𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟑. 𝟕𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =3.133w 𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟑. 𝟗𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =3.669w
W= (2π *0) /60 = 0 W= (2π *50) /60 =5.235(rad/s)
λ= 0 λ= (5.235*0.18) / 3.9 = 0.2416
𝑷𝒆 = 0 𝑷𝒆 = 0.5 * 0.002 = 1 mw
𝜼° =0 𝜼° = (1*𝟏𝟎−𝟑 ) / 3.669 =0.0272%
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
Test (3) Test (4)
𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟒𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =3.9592w 𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟒. 𝟑𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =4.918w
W= (2π *80) /60 = 8.377 (rad/s) W= (2π *90) /60 = 9.424(rad/s)
λ= (8.377*0.18) / 4 = 0.376 λ= (8.377*0.18) / 4.3 = 0.3944
𝑷𝒆 = 1 * 0.006=6mw 𝑷𝒆 = 1 * 0.011=11mw
𝜼° = (6*𝟏𝟎−𝟑 ) / 8.377 = 0.151% 𝜼° = (11*𝟏𝟎−𝟑 ) / 4.918= 0.223%
Test (5) Test (6)
𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟒. 𝟓𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =5.637w 𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟓𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =7.732w
W= (2π *120) /60 = 12.566 (rad/s) W= (2π *135) /60 = 14.137 (rad/s)
λ= (12.566*0.18) / 4.5= 0.502 λ= (14.137*0.18) / 5=0.508
𝑷𝒆 = 1.5 * 0.019 =0.0285w 𝑷𝒆 = 1.5 * 0.017 =0.0255w
𝜼° = (0.0285) / 5.637= 0.505% 𝜼° = (0.0255) / 7.732= 0.329%
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
Table (2): Measured parameters of (3- bladed portable HAWT), for (NACA-44) Profile at
blade pitch angle (𝛽=20°).
Test 1 2 3 4 5 6
V1 (m/s) 3.7 3.9 4.0 4.3 4.5 5.0
N (r.p.m) 240 300 315 320 345 360
V (volt) 5.2 5.2 5.7 5.7 6.2 6.7
I (amp) 0.061 0.062 0.068 0.067 0.073 0.078
Test (1) Test (2)
𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟑. 𝟕𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =3.133w 𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟑. 𝟗𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =3.669w
W= (2π *240) /60 = 25.132 (rad/s) W= (2π *300) /60 = 31.415 (rad/s)
λ= (25.132 *0.18) / 3.7= 1.222 λ= (31.415 *0.18) / 3.9= 1.449
𝑷𝒆 = 5.2 * 0.062 =0.3224w 𝑷𝒆 = 5.2 * 0.001 =0.3172w
𝜼° = (0.3224) / 3.133= 10.29% 𝜼° = (0.3172) / 3.669= 8.645%
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
Test (3) Test (4)
𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟒𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =3.9592w 𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟒. 𝟑𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =4.918w
W= (2π *315) /60 = 32.926 (rad/s) W= (2π *320) /60 = 33.510 (rad/s)
λ= (32.926 *0.18) / 4= 1.484 λ= (33.510 *0.18) / 4.3= 1.402
𝑷𝒆 =5.7 * 0.068 =0.3819w 𝑷𝒆 = 5.7 * 0.067 =0.3819w
𝜼° = (0.3819) / 3.9592= 9.645% 𝜼° = (0.3819) / 4.918 = 7.765%
Test (5) Test (6)
𝑷𝒘 =(1/2)*(𝟒. 𝟓𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225)=5.637w 𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟓𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =7.732w
W= (2π *345) /60 = 36.128 (rad/s) W= (2π *360) /60 = 37.699 (rad/s)
λ= (36.128 *0.18) / 4.5= 1.445 λ= (37.699 *0.18) / 5= 1.357
𝑷𝒆 =6.2 * 0.073 =0.4526w 𝑷𝒆 = 6.7 * 0.078 =0.5226w
𝜼° = (0.4526) 5.637= 8.029% 𝜼° = (0.5226) / 7.732= 6.755%
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
Table (3): Measured parameters of (3- bladed portable HAWT), for (NACA-44) Profile at
blade pitch angle (𝛽=30°).
Test 1 2 3 4 5 6
V1 (m/s) 3.7 3.9 4.0 4.3 4.5 5.0
N (r.p.m) 170 180 240 350 365 510
V (volt) 4.1 5.7 4.6 8.3 8.1 9.3
I (amp) 0.049 0.066 0.055 0.098 0.097 0.133
Test (1) Test (2)
𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟑. 𝟕𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =3.133w 𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟑. 𝟗𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =3.669w
W= (2π *170) /60 = 17.802 (rad/s) W= (2π *180) /60 = 18.849 (rad/s)
λ= (17.802 *0.18) / 3.7= 0.866 λ= (18.849 *0.18) / 3.9= 0.8699
𝑷𝒆 =4.1 * 0.049 =0.2009w 𝑷𝒆 = 5.7 * 0.066 =0.3762w
𝜼° = (0.2009) / 3.133= 6.412% 𝜼° = (0.3762) / 3.669= 10.253%
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
Test (3) Test (4)
𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟒𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =3.9592w 𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟒. 𝟑𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =4.918w
W= (2π *240) /60 = 25.132 (rad/s) W= (2π *350) /60 = 36.651 (rad/s)
λ= (25.132 *0.18) / 4= 1.130 λ= (36.651 *0.18) / 4.3 = 1.534
𝑷𝒆 =4.6 * 0.055 =0.253w 𝑷𝒆 = 8.3 * 0.098 =0.8134w
𝜼° = (0.253) / 3.9592= 6.390% 𝜼° = (0.8134) / 4.918= 16.539%
Test (5) Test (6)
𝑷𝒘 =(1/2)*(𝟒. 𝟓𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =5.637w 𝑷𝒘 = (1/2)*(𝟓𝟑 )*(0.101)*(1.225) =7.732w
W= (2π *365) /60 = 38.222 (rad/s) W= (2π *510) /60 = 53.407 (rad/s)
λ= (38.222 *0.18) / 4.5= 1.5288 λ= (53.407 *0.18) / 5 = 1.922
𝑷𝒆 =8.1 * 0.097 =0.7857w 𝑷𝒆 = 9.3 * 0.133 =1.2349w
𝜼° = (0.7857) / 5.637= 13.938% 𝜼° = (1.2349) / 7.732= 15.997%
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
6: Discussions:
a) Discuss the relation between the overall efficiency with tip speed ratio for
blade pitch angles (𝛽= 10°,20°,30°). Also, draw the results on the same figure
by using MATLAB Program.
The power performance varies significantly according to the tip speed
ratio; the power coefficient increases up to a certain pitch angle at the
design tip speed ratio (λ = 6); however, between λ = 2 and 4, the more
the blade is pitched downwards, the larger is the power coefficient, the
smaller is the thrust coefficient. Similarly, for tip speed ratios higher
than λ = 8, the positive effect of the low pitch angles on the power
coefficient at λ = 6 reverses. The flow separation location moves close
to the leading edge at low tip speed ratios when the blade is pitched
upwards and the also tip vortices become more intense. In conclusion,
the pitch control can significantly contribute to the performance of small
HAWTs depending on different conditions.
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
b) Discuss the relation between the electrical output power and upwind
velocity for all cases. Also, draw the results on the same figure by using
MATLAB Program.
the power output will increase cubically with wind speed For
example, if wind speed doubles, the power output will increase 8
times. This cubic relationship is what makes wind speed such an
important factor for wind power. Wind speed versus the desired
turbine rpm determines blade pitch. There is a specific pitch angle
for any given wind speed to optimize output power. Pitch angles
greater or less than this value reduce power output, even to the
point of zero rotation with high winds.
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
c) At any blade pitch angle, the best optimum behavior of (PHAWT)
has been occurred. Also, the main reasons for your selection must be
mentioned.
The best efficiency of the propeller is obtained at an angle of
attack around 2 to 4 degrees. Blade Path is the path of the
direction of the blade element moves. Pitch refers to the
distance a spiral threaded object moves forward in one
revolution.
So the best pitch angle is 𝛽= 30°.
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The performance of 3-bladed rotor PHAWT of NACA-44, Profile with Different
Blade Pitch Angles under Laboratory Conditions
Laith Ayman Hameed
