turbine éolienne

Traductions

• anglais

  Date : 1984

  Définition

  A device used to convert the kinetic energy of the wind to mechanical power, generally in a rotating shaft which may be linked to an electrical generator (hence the term wind generator or "aerogenerator").

  Note :

  The kinetic energy of a moving volume of air is proportional to the product of the mass of that air and the square of the velocity. The rapid increase of wind power with speed leads to a serious problem in wind turbine design. At speeds above the maximum rated wind speed the turbine cannot extract any extra useful energy from the wind; indeed, the blades may have to be braked to a halt. Winds even slightly less than maximum produce considerably less power : a reduction in wind speed by 21 per cent leads to a halving of the available power in the wind. The choice of maximum rated wind speed is therefore a critical design parameter. If set too low the turbine will be unable to make use of the most powerful winds; if set too high the availability factor of the wind generator will be low, i.e. it will not be a firm enough source of power. In this context an accurate knowledge of wind strengths and their variability is an important part of the initial appraisal of a wind power scheme.

  Termes :

  1. wind turbine
  2. WT

  Termes associés :

  1. wind energy turbine
  2. aeroturbine