VORTEX BLADELESS WIND TURBINE

Introduction

The idea emerged in 2002 when David Yáñez, the inventor, saw a video of the Tacoma
Narrows Bridge disaster and led him to the idea of a bladeless wind turbine. Vortex
Bladeless S.L is a wind energy Spanish startup that was founded in 2013 by David Yáñez,
David Suriol and Raúl Martín.

Bladeless turbines will generate electricity for 40 percent lesser in cost compared with
conventional wind turbines. In conventional wind power generation transportation is
increasingly challenging because of the size of the components: individual blades and tower
sections often require specialized trucks and straight, wide roads. Today’s wind turbines are
also incredibly top heavy. Generators and gearboxes sitting on support towers 100 meters off
the ground can weigh more than 100 tons. As the weight and height of turbines increase, the
materials costs of wider, stronger support towers, as well as the cost of maintaining
components housed so far from the ground, are cutting into the efficiency benefits of larger
turbines.

The Bladeless Turbine harness vorticity, the spinning motion of air or other fluids. When
wind passes one of the cylindrical turbines, it shears off the downwind side of the cylinder in
a spinning whirlpool or vortex. That vortex then exerts force on the cylinder, causing it to
vibrate. The kinetic energy of the oscillating cylinder is converted to electricity through a
linear generator similar to those used to harness
wave energy.

Conventional turbines suffer a major drawback in practical applications because of their

low efficiencies. Their efficiency is lowered by the use of moving blades to generate shaft
power. Thus failure of a single blade results in inadequate expansion which directly affects
the overall efficiency of the turbine.
 2. Problem Identification

The rate of wind power developed founds costly whencompared to an existing wind mill. For
these several invetigations need to be found out. Some of identifications are as follows:

 The cost of manufacturing different parts of windmill is very high. A typical windmill
will cost $3000-$8000 per kilowatt.
 So also the transportation of such huge parts is very costly and risky. If during
transportation components get damaged then again cost increases.
 Designing of windmill blades is also a big task.
 The size of the assembled windmill is also very large. The conventional windmills
occupy lots of space. The commercial turbines can be 160m high.
 Also they prove fatal to birds.
 They produce low frequency sound which is not good for human health.

.
 3.Objective:-

In this project, we try to increase the efficiency of Wind Turbine. Also, the space required for
the installation is Reduced. It produces clean energy. It is also helpful for Rural
Electrification.
 4. CONCEPT OF VORTEX BLADELESS WIND TURBINE

Vortex is a wind generator without blades. Instead of capturing energy via the rotational
motion of a turbine, the Vortex takes advantage of what’s known as vorticity, an aerodynamic
effect that occurs when wind breaks against a solid structure. The Vortex structure starts to
oscillate, and captures the energy that is produced.Vortex doesn’t just eliminate the blades.
We have deliberately designed the it to have no parts in contact at all (no gear, linkages). this
way we can make vortex cheap and easy to maintain. basically, we reduce the amount of
raw material use for manufacturing, which cuts the production cost and time to produce the
equipment.

Fig. :- Block diagram of Bladelesss Power Generation

A. Centre Base:
Base is made up of the rigid iron angular structure. The base provides equidistant point for
the position of the mast. It is capable of tolerating the mechanical stress acting on it. This
provides the strong foundation to the mast and spring.

B. Spring:
Spring is mounted at the centre of the mast which provides the oscillation of the mast in any
of the direction. This spring is capable to withstand the weight of the mast.

C. Mast:
The mast is a conical shaped, rigid structure which oscillates when subjected to wind .The
Mast is lighter in structure in order to increase the oscillations also decrease the mechanical
stress on the suspension spring as well as the base.

D. Thread:
The thread is used for the conversion of the linear motion of the mast to the rotational motion
of the generator. Thread used is of nylon material which as a property of the non-elasticity.
This thread is connected to the chain of the sprockets. These threads are connected to the
chain using the guide ways to provide proper path to the thread.

E. Thread:
The thread is used for the conversion of the linear motion of the mast to the rotational motion
of the generator. Thread used is of nylon material which as a property of the non-elasticity.
This thread is connected to the chain of the sprockets. These threads are connected to the
chain using the guide ways to provide proper path to the thread.

F. Pedals:
The bicycle pedals are connected to the shaft of the Chain drive: sprocket. Pedals are
provided to balance the weight at both the side of the shaft of the larger sprocket as well as to
increase the rotation.

H. Flywheel:
The flywheel is provided to increase the low RPM at the input side to higher RPM at the
generation. The flywheel is provided with the counter weight to increase the speed of the
rotate of the generator and it helps to rotate for the longer time. The flywheel is rotated by
placing it on the hub which is connected to the small sprocket. The larger sprocket is
connected to the small sprocket of the flywheel through the chain.

I. Belt:
The leather belt is used to drive the generator. The belt is connected to the pulley of the
generator and the flywheel.

J. Chain drive:
Chain drive helps in increasing the speed. The sprockets are connected to the cycle hub
and tightened and supported using a metallic frame. The compound chain drive is used to
reduce the space required. It uses total five chains from input to the output shaft.
K. Generator:
The alternator is driven by the power wheel via the belt drive. The generator is design by
using a ceiling fan stator which consists of 16 set of windings.. It is made to generate to
electricity by replacing the metal rotor with a wooden rotor which comprises of Neodymium
magnets.
 The outer cylinder is designed to be largely rigid and has the ability to vibrate, remaining
anchored to the bottom rod. The top of the cylinder is unconstrained and has the maximum
amplitude of the oscillation. The structure is built using resins reinforced with carbon and/or
glass fiber, materials used in conventional wind turbine blades.

The rod’s top supports the mast and it’s bottom is firmly anchored to the ground. It is built
of carbon fiber reinforced polymer, which provides a great fatigue resistance and it has a
minimal energy leak when oscillating.

Naturally, the design of such wind turbine is quite different from a traditional turbine.
Instead of the usual tower, blades, our device has only a mast made of lightweight materials
over a base. This reduces the usage of raw materials and the need for a deeper foundation.
MASS STRUCTURE:

Bakelite Material

In our project we used bakelite sheet in the inner structure so as its make the structure
lighter and resist the force of wind. We select it due to its mechanical property to make
structure strong. Also Bakelite was used for its electrical non-conductivity and heat-resistant
properties in electrical insulators, radio and telephone casings and such diverse products as
kitchenware, jewelry, pipe stems, children's toys, and firearms.
 Foam Sheet

We used a Solid foam material for the outer covering of mass structure. Solid foams are a
class of lightweight cellular engineering materials. These foams are typically classified into
two types based on their pore structure: open-cell-structured foams and closed-cell foams.
Open-cell-structured foams contain pores that are connected to each other and form an
interconnected network that is relatively soft. Open-cell foams fill with whatever gas
surrounds them. If filled with air, a relatively good insulator results, but, if the opencells fill
with water, insulation properties would be reduced.
Closed-cell foams do not have interconnected pores. The closed-cell foams normally have
higher compressive strength due to their structures. However, closed-cell foams are also in
general denser, require more material, and as a consequence are more expensive to produce.
The closed cells can be filled with a specialized gas to provide improved insulation. The
closed-cell structure foams have higher dimensional stability, low moisture absorption
coefficients, and higher strength compared to open-cell-structured foams.
 BRIEF ABOUT EACH COMPONENTS

C. Light weight material

Here, we are going to use any light weight material with high mechanical strength. For
the model we going to use PVC, fiber plastic or aluminium. In real implement of the
bladeless windmill the pole material should be such that it can withstand any atmospheric
condition for long time. With this, the weight of the material should be as low as possible.
so it can easily oscillate due to force of the wind. It should also sustain tension and
compression

.
Fig.. Fiber plastic material

D. Piezoelectric Material
Before explaining the piezoelectric material we should know about the Piezoelectricity.
Piezoelectricity is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials in response to
applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from
pressure. It is derived from the Greek piezo or piezein, which means to squeeze or press, and
electron, which means amber, an ancient source of electric charge. Piezoelectricity was
discovered in 1880 by French physicists Jacques and Pierre Curie.
 Fig.4. Working of piezoelectric material

The piezoelectric effect describes the relation between a mechanical stress and an
electrical voltage in solids. It is reversible, an applied mechanical stress will generate a
voltage and an applied voltage will change the shape of the solid by a small amount (up to a
4% change in volume). If we are going to use the piezoelectric material for energy production
then we have to use the inverter. Because, the piezoelectric material produces the dc voltage.
So we have to convert it into the ac voltage for use. There will be some power loss in the
inverter.

E. Linear Generator
A linear alternator is essentially a linear motor used as an electrical generator. An
alternator is a type of alternating current electrical generator. The devices are often physically
equivalent. The principal difference is in how they are used and which direction the energy
flows. An alternator converts mechanical energy to electrical energy, whereas a motor
converts electrical energy to mechanical energy. Like most electric motors and electric
generators, the linear alternator works by the principle of electromagnetic induction.
However, most alternators work with rotary motion, whereas "linear" alternators work with
"linear" motion.

Fig.5. Construction of linear generator

If we are using the linear generator in this project then we do not have to use inverter as
the linear generator produces the ac voltage. So we can directly give output of the generator
to the transformer to step up the voltage.

F. Transformer
 A transformer is an electrical device that transfers electrical energy between two or more
circuits through electromagnetic induction. Electromagnetic induction produces an
electromotive force within a conductor which is exposed to time varying magnetic fields.
Transformers are used to increase or decrease the alternating voltages in electric power
applications

Here we are using transformer to step up the voltage level which is produced by the
windmill. With that, the output voltage will also be constant by using the transformer.

G. Inverter
An inverter is an electronic device or circuitry that changes direct current (DC) to
alternating current (AC). The input voltage, output voltage and frequency, and overall power
handling depend on the design of the specific device or circuitry. The inverter does not
produce any power; the power is provided by the DC source. A power inverter can be entirely
electronic or may be a combination of mechanical effects (such as a rotary apparatus) and
electronic circuitry. Static inverters do not use moving parts in the conversion process.
Here we are using the inverter to convert the dc produced voltage into the ac voltage with
a constant frequency.
We have to use the inverter only if we are going to use the piezoelectric material for
power generation.
Comparison Of General Parameters Between Conventional Windmill And
Bladeless Windmill

SR. PARAMETRS CONVENTIONAL BLADELESS WINDMILL

NO WINDMILL

1. Mode of It generates electrical It generates electrical

operation power with blades. power without blades

2. Mode of It capture wind energy It captures wind energy

generation using Rotational motion of using “Vorticity”
the blades
3. Acoustics It’s operation is noisy, as it It is silent in operation
produce noise above as it oscillate at a
20Hz. frequency that doesn”t
produce audible
noise(below 20Hz).

4. Structure The design is sturdy & The design is sturdy &

there is high wear & tear. there is minimal wear.

5. Safety It is not safer for It is also safer for

birds,that often suffer birds,that often suffer
from collision with blades from collision with
blades.

6. Maintenance It is not feasible to It is easy to maintain

maintain, as it has higher due to 80% reduction in
maintenance cost. maintenance cost.

7. Construction It requires more no. of It requires less moving

moving parts part & less material to
produce same amount
of electricity

8. Economics The manufacturing cost is The manufacturing

higher saving is at around 53%
of usual production cost
9. Efficiency It has higher efficiency It has lower efficiency of
(About 60%). energy conversion
(About 30%)

10. Space The area required for We can put more vortex
consideration installation is more. in the same area to
produce electricity
ADVANTAGES :-

 This windmill has no blades. Thus there will be no friction due to less contact with air.

 It also has no rotating parts with it. There will be zero friction losses due to rotation.

 This windmill has no noise problem as there will no rotation.

 With the implement of this windmill no bird will get harm or killed.

 Many birds are killed or get harm due to existing windmill every year.

 This windmill has maximum efficiency as there are minimum losses.

 The Efficiency is around 50% higher than the normal windmill.

 Implement cost of this windmill is 48% less than the normal windmill.

 It requires very less maintenance due to less moving parts.

DISADVANTANGES :-

 The efficiency of the energy extraction for bladeless windmills from the wind is 40%,
while that of conventional windmill is 59.3%.thus, it cannot substitute thermal and
nuclear power plants, traditional windmills and hydroelectric power plants.

 The Major problem faced by this windmill is that it requires a starting torque.

 The output power depends directly on the height of the mast.

APPLICATIONS

• Bladeless wind energy can be used in a variety of industries and applications, including
marine off-grid systems, industrial applications, remote telemetry and mobile base stations
and for houses, schools and farms.

• Bladeless energy for Agriculture: Remote power systems are needed more and more in the
world of farming. Whether it’s for powering electric fencing, powering water pumping,
powering lighting in stables and chicken sheds or powering underwater
cameras at salmon farms – bladeless energy can be built in small scale as well as in big scale
to meet the bill.

• Small scale Bladeless wind Turbine energy for Homes: The bladeless turbine will be
focused to small scale production. This system it has been designed to bring energy to an off
grid locations and matching it with solar panels. This is a cost-effective solution for houses
where are existing solar installations and where having a non-expensive wind device will
help to storage the energy produced while the solar is not producing. Also it will work
for those villages where having energy could be a matter of life. It can be used for Residential
Battery Charging and Grid Connection.

• Bladeless energy for Telecoms: With more and more mobile communications and
broadband technology being deployed in rural and remote areas, providing power for the
transmission equipment can often be a real headache. Bladeless energy can provide off-grid
power solutions needed to support telecom infrastructure.

• Bladeless wind energy for Off-grid Lighting: Small scale bladeless wind turbine generators
are ideal for providing efficient and reliable lighting in off-grid locations. The bladeless
energy generates free renewable energy which is stored in a battery ready for when it gets
dark to power public street lights, car parks and playgrounds. We can combine the bladeless
energy with solar panels from our advanced solar range to ensure a continuous supply of
renewable energy for a sustainable off-grid lighting solution.

• Bladeless energy for Signage and Signalling: There is an increasing need for off grid
signage and signaling in areas where grid connection is neither easy nor cost effective.
Bladeless energy can provide cost effective and reliable off grid continuous power
solutions for these remote power generation needs.

• Off-Grid Power for Rail Signaling: Large parts of the rail network lack convenient mains
electricity. Bladeless wind power generators can be installed near railway signals to supply
power to the signaling systems.