Direct Drive Wind Power Plant

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Direct Drive Wind Power Plant

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This is also a horizontal axis wind power plant. This type is more reliable and gives better performance as compared with the first type (l.e. geared wind type).
Main components of the Wind Power Plant :

  1. Variable speed fixed pitched blades.
  2. Wind turbine.
  3. Synchronous generator.
  4. Rectifier unit
  5. Voltage regulator
  6. Surplus energy dump
  7. D.C. control unit
  8. Inverter
  9. Battery
  10. Power outputs AC and DC.
  11. Assembly of all these components is shown below in the block diagram.
Block Diagram of Direct Drive Wind Power Plant
  • As compared with previous plant, this plant has no gear-box.
  • Turbine blades (1) are very light in weight, made of stiff carbon fibre material. Blades are flat shaped. Due to this shape, lift Increases.
  • Pitch controller helps blades from high wind forces.
  • Wind turbines (2) Wind power rotates blades and therefore rotor of turbine rotates.
  • Rotor of turbine rotates generator (G) (3). The generator is permanent magnet synchronous generator.
  • Generator (3) converts mechanical power into electrical power.
  • Diameter of rotor of generator converts much more power when turning slowly.
  • Wind speed-direction data received from sensors, yaw drive turns nacelle to face maximum wind, with the use of ‘pitch control blade angle is adjusted as per wind speed.
  • Rectifier unit (4) converts AC to DC, voltage regulator (5) regulates output voltage and sends to D.C. control unit (7) from where D.C. supply output power can be fed to DC loads.
  • Inverter unit (8) converts D.C. Into A.C. from where A.C. power is the output to be supplied to load (10) or to be connected to grid system.
  • Battery (9) is connected to D.C. control unit (7).

Advantages and Disadvantages of Direct Drive Wind Power Plant :
Advantages of Direct Drive Wind Power Plant :

  1. It has high power to weight ratio.
  2. Plant is efficient.
  3. Cooling needed is less.
  4. More reliable.
  5. Better performance.
  6. Light weight.
  7. Requires less maintenance.

Disadvantages of Direct Drive Wind Power Plant :

  1. Transportation problem is more.
  2. Needs Improvements in mechanical as well as electromagnetic structure.

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