RAMAIAH

I n s t i t u t e o f Te c h n o l o g y

Department of Mechanical Engineering

UNIT 3

Wind Energy & Biomass Energy

Programme B.E (UG)

Semester I/II

Course Name Renewable Energy Sources

Course Code ETC144

Course Credits 3-0-0

Wind Energy: Properties of wind, availability of wind energy in India, wind velocity

and power from wind; major problems associated with wind power, Basic components of

wind energy conversion system (WECS); Classification of WECS- Horizontal axis-

Unit 3 single, double and muliblade system. Vertical axis- Savonius and darrieus types.

Biomass Energy: Introduction; Photosynthesis Process; Biofuels; Biomass Resources;

Biomass conversion technologies -fixed dome; Urban waste to energy conversion;

Biomass gasification (Downdraft).

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UNIT 3
Wind Energy & Biomass Energy
Wind energy: Wind is used to produce electricity by converting the kinetic energy of air in
motion into electricity. In modern wind turbines, wind rotates the rotor blades, which convert
kinetic energy into rotational energy. This rotational energy is transferred by a shaft which to
the generator, thereby producing electrical energy.
Wind energy = Kinetic energy of air = 1/2 mv2 = 1/2 ρAv3
where ρ is density of air, A is swept area of turbine and v is the velocity of the air
Wind is caused by uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun. Because the earth's
surface is made up of different types of land and water, the earth absorbs the sun's heat at
different rates. One example of this uneven heating is the daily wind cycle.
The daily wind cycle : During the day, air above land heats up faster than air above water.
Warm air above land expands and rises, and heavier, cooler air rushes in to take its place,
creating wind. At night, the winds are reversed because air cools more rapidly over land than
it does over water.
In the same way, the atmospheric winds that circle the earth are created because the land near
the earth's equator is hotter than the land near the North Pole and the South Pole.

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Types of wind energy:

1. Onshore wind energy: The wind energy extracted from earth's land surface is called
Onshore wind energy.

2. Offshore wind energy: The wind energy extracted from sea surface is called Onshore
wind energy.

Wind power has grown rapidly since 2000, driven by R&D, supportive policies and
falling costs. Global installed wind generation capacity – both onshore and offshore – has
increased by a factor of 98 in the past two decades, jumping from 7.5 GW in 1997 to some
733 GW by 2018 according to IRENA’s (International Renewable Energy Agency) data.
Onshore wind capacity grew from 178 GW in 2010 to 699 GW in 2020, while offshore wind
has grown proportionately more, but from a lower base, from 3.1 GW in 2010 to 34.4 GW in
2020. Production of wind power increased by a factor of 5.2 between 2009 and 2019 to reach
1412 TWh.

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Properties of wind energy:

1) It is in intermittent in nature.
2) The wind power systems do not contribute any pollution to atmosphere.
3) The utilization of wind energy for power generation does not consume any fuel and it is
also free from transportation of fuel.
4) It is renewable source of energy.
5) It is available in dilute farm.
6) The availability of wind energy varies over a day and also with seasons. This necessitates
the use of storage energy.
7) In a small scale, wind energy is cheaper. When produce large scale, it is competitive
power generated system.

Availability of wind energy in India: As of 31 December 2022, the total installed wind
power capacity was 41.93 Giga-watts (GW), the fourth largest installed wind power capacity
in the world. Wind power capacity is mainly spread across the southern, western, and north-
western states.

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Maximum Power Coefficient or Betz limit is 0.593. This means that only 59.3% of kinetic
energy of air can be converted in to electric energy not more than that.

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A windmill is defined as a machine that converts the kinetic energy of the wind into
mechanical energy. All the blades of windmill always rotate in a clockwise direction. The
first windmill was designed in the year 1854 by Daniel Halladay from the United States.

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Components of wind mill or wind turbine

Foundation: For any wind turbine, the foundation gives support to the tower because the
wind turbine includes different parts which weigh in tonnes.

Tower: A tower is used to give support to the rotor hub and nacelle on the top of the window
turbine. The materials used to make this are concrete, tubular steel, or steel lattice. While
designing this turbine, the height of the tower is very important because wind speed enhances
with height. So taller towers allow these turbines to capture a huge amount of energy &
produce more electricity. Generally, the output power of a wind turbine enhances by
increasing its height & also decreasing the turbulence within the wind. There are different
wind turbine towers available like tubular, lattice, guyed wind, tilt upwind & free standing.

Wind Turbine Blades: These blades are mainly used to remove the kinetic energy (KE) of
wind & change it to mechanical energy. These types of blades are designed with wood-epoxy
or fiber-glass-reinforced polyester. These turbines include a minimum of one and maximum
multiple blades depending on the design. Most of the horizontal axis wind turbines include
three blades that are connected to the rotor hub. In earlier days, multiple blades based
turbines are used as a single blade, two-blade and three blades for grinding & pumping water,
etc.

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Rotor-Drive shaft: The rotor drive shaft is the rotating shaft attached to the rotor wind
blades. Which transfer the power from rotor to generator by the help of gear box.

Nacelle: The nacelle includes different components which are used to operate the wind
turbine efficiently like the gearbox, brakes, controller, low & high-speed shafts & generator.
It is arranged at the top of a tower & a wind vane is arranged on the nacelle.

Anemometer: Anemometer is the device which measures the velocity of the air. Which is
attached the rear end of the wind turbine.

Hub: A rotor hub is used to connect a shaft and rotor blade of the wind turbine. The hub
includes blade bearings, bolts, internals & a pitch system. These are designed with cast iron,
welded sheet steel & forged steel. These are available in two types like Hinge-less hub &
Teetering hub.

Gear Box: In wind turbines, a gearbox is used to change high toque power with low-speed
which is received from a rotor blade to low torque power with high speed. This power is used
for the generator. The gearbox is connected in between the generator and main shaft for
enhancing rotational speeds from 30 – 60 rpm to 1000 – 1800 rpm. Gearboxes are made with
different materials like superior quality alloys, aluminum cast iron, stainless steel, etc. In
wind turbines, there are three types of gearboxes are used like Planetary, Helical, and Worm.

Yaw drive system: The yaw drive is an important component of the horizontal axis wind
turbines' yaw system. To ensure the wind turbine is producing the maximal amount of electric
energy at all times, the yaw drive is used to keep the rotor facing into the wind as the wind
direction changes.

Generator: The rotating mechanical energy of the gearbox is given to the generator through
the shaft. It works on ‘Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction principle. So it changes the
energy from mechanical to electrical.

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Classification of wind mill based on axis of rotation

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Types of vertical wind mills blades

Site selection consideration

1. High annual average wind speed

2. Availability of anemometry data

3. Availability of wind V(t) curve at the proposed site.

4. Wind structure at the proposal site

5. Altitude of site

6. Land cost

7. Nature of ground

8. Distance to roads and railway

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Difference between HAWT and VAWT

Basis of Difference Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
Definition A horizontal axis wind turbine is the A wind turbine is called a vertical axis
one whose axis of rotation is wind turbine if its axis of rotation is
horizontal. vertical.
Axis of rotation with The axis of rotation of turbine is The axis of rotation of the turbine is
respect to wind parallel to the wind stream. perpendicular to the wind stream.
stream
Location of gear box The gear box & electric generator is The gear box & generator is installed on
and electric installed at the top of the tower. the ground.
generator
Need of yaw The yaw mechanism is required to It does not require yaw mechanism
mechanism orient the turbine in the direction of because it receives wind from all
wind. directions.
Self-starting Horizontal axis wind turbine is self- Vertical axis wind turbine is not self-
starting. starting, hence a starting mechanism is
required to start it from stationary
position.
Design and The design and installation of a The design and installation of a vertical
installation horizontal axis wind turbine is axis wind turbine is comparatively
complex. simple.
Operation space of It requires large space for blade’s It requires small space for blade’s
blades operation. operation.
Dependency on The operation of horizontal axis wind The operation of vertical axis wind
wind direction turbine is dependent on wind turbine is independent of the wind
direction. direction because it receives wind from
all directions.
Height from ground The height of the horizontal axis wind The vertical axis wind turbine is
turbine from ground is large. installed at comparatively smaller
distance from the ground.
Need of nacelle In case of horizontal axis wind There is no need of nacelle in case of
turbines, a heavy nacelle is installed at vertical axis wind turbines.
the top of the tower.
Power coefficient It has a high power coefficient. It has a low power coefficient.
Noise produced It is noisy. It is less noise.
Efficiency The ideal efficiency is around 50% to The ideal efficiency is usually more than
60 %. 70%.
Hindrance for birds It cause high obstruction for birds. It cause less hindrance for birds.
Cost It is more expensive due their complex It is less expensive because their design
design and installation. and installation is quite simple.

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Biomass Energy

 Biomass is renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals. Biomass was
the largest source of total annual U.S. energy consumption until the mid-1800s
 Biomass energy is energy generated or produced by living or once-living organisms.
 Biomass continues to be an important fuel in many countries, especially for cooking and
heating in developing countries.
 The use of biomass fuels for transportation and for electricity generation is increasing in
many developed countries as a means of avoiding carbon dioxide emissions from fossil
fuel use
 Biomass contains stored chemical energy from the sun. Plants produce biomass through
photosynthesis. Biomass can be burned directly for heat or converted to renewable liquid
and gaseous fuels through various processes.

Biomass sources for energy include

 Wood and wood processing wastes—firewood, wood pellets, and wood chips, lumber
and furniture mill sawdust and waste, and black liquor from pulp and paper mills
 Agricultural crops and waste materials—corn, soybeans, sugar cane, switchgrass,
woody plants, and algae, and crop and food processing residues, mostly to
produce biofuels
 Biogenic materials in municipal solid waste—paper, cotton, and wool products, and
food, yard, and wood wastes
 Animal manure and human sewage for producing biogas/renewable natural gas

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Converting biomass to energy

Biomass is converted to energy through various processes, including:
 Direct combustion (burning) to produce heat- Heating the water
 Thermochemical conversion to produce solid, gaseous, and liquid fuels-
Pyrolysis and Gasification.
 Chemical conversion to produce liquid fuels- Transesterification
 Biological conversion to produce liquid and gaseous fuels- Anaerobic digestion

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Biogas
Anaerobic fermentation of cellulose containing organic material results in production of a
combustible gas which is known as biogas.
Methane forming bacteria then converts the fatty acids into methane, carbon dioxide and
water.
Constituents of biogas
• Methane (50-65%)
• Carbon dioxide (30-40%)
• Hydrogen (1-5%)
• Nitrogen (1%)
• Hydrogen sulphide (0.1%)
• Oxygen (0.1%)
• Water vapours (0.1%)

Biogas plant
The whole system in which anaerobic fermentation (absence of oxygen) of cellulose
containing organic material takes place and produces biogas, which accumulates in the
gasholder or the dome, then utilization of this gas through the gas pipeline under suitable
pressure is called biogas plant system.
Fixed dome type of biogas plant

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Construction: It consists of a well-like underground tank made of bricks and cement.

This tank is called a digester and has inlet and outlet valves. The roof of the tank is dome-
shaped. A gas outlet pipe at the top of the dome is fitted. The dome of the digester acts as
a storage tank of biogas. There is a mixing tank made above the ground level which is
connected to the inlet valve of the digester through a slopping inlet chamber below the
ground level. On the other side of the digester, a rectangular tank called an outlet chamber
is constructed with bricks and cement. This outlet chamber is connected to the overflow
tank which collects the used slurry.
Working: Animals-dung is mixed with water (1:1 ratio) to make a slurry in the mixing
tank. This slurry enters the digester through the inlet chamber. The digester is filled
partially with slurry so that enough space is left above it in the dome for the collection of
biogas. The slurry in the digester is left for about two months for fermentation. Anaerobic
microorganisms are responsible for this action. As a result of fermentation, biogas is
formed which is collected in the dome. When a sufficient amount of biogas is collected in
the dome, it exerts a large pressure on the slurry and forced it to go into the overflow tank
through the outlet chamber. The biogas is taken out from the dome through a pipe and
used for cooking food or heating water whenever required. Once the biogas plant starts
functioning, more and more slurry may be fed into the digester to get the continuous
supply of biogas. The used slurry collected in the overflow tank is rich in nitrogen and
phosphorus which are essential for the growth of crops and plants. Hence this used slurry
can be used as manure.

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Advantages:
Fixed dome biogas units have low construction costs, no moving parts, and no rusting steel
parts. Hence long life (20 years or more), underground construction, affording protection
from winter cold and saving space creates employment locally.
Disadvantages:
Plants often do not gaslight (porosity and crack; gas pressure fluctuates substantially and is
usually very high, low digester temperatures.
These plants can only be recommended where experienced biogas technicians can supervise
construction.
Classification of biogas plants
The biogas plants are mainly classified into three classes
1. Community biogas plants
2. Institutional biogas plants
3. Family size biogas plants

Waste: Unwanted or unusable materials are called waste. The waste is further classified into
organic waste (wet), recyclable waste (dry) and reject/sanitary waste.
The following are the steps to convert waste into energy

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WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANT
Energy recovery from waste is the conversion of non-recyclable waste materials into usable
heat, electricity, or fuel through a variety of processes, including combustion, gasification,
Pyrolization, anaerobic digestion and landfill gas recovery. This process is often called waste
to energy.
1. Combustion
2. Gasification
3. Anaerobic digester
4.Landfill gas

Combustion Waste- To-energy Plant

Waste material is received in an enclosed receiving area, where it is thoroughly mixed

in preparation for combustion. Mixed waste enters the combustion chamber on a timed
moving grate, which turns it over repeatedly to keep it exposed and burning. Fine airborne
particulates (fly ash) are removed in the filter baghouse. The acidic combustion gasses are
neutralised with an injection of lime or sodium hydroxide.

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The unburned remains of combustion —"bottom ash"— are passed by magnets and
eddy current separators to remove both ferrous (steel and iron) and other metals, such as
copper, brass, nickel, and aluminum, for recycling. The remaining ash can be used as
aggregate for roadbeds and rail embankments. Superheated steam powers the steam turbine
generator. The cooling steam is cycled back into water through the condensor or diverted as a
heat source for buildings or industry. Cooled stream is reheated in the economiser and
superheated to complete the steam cycle.
Activated carbon (charcoal treated with oxygen to increase its porosity) is injected
into the hot gases to absorb and remove heavy metals, such as mercury and cadmium.
Nitrogen oxide in the rising burn gases is neutralised by the injection of ammonia or urea.
Dioxins and furans are destroyed by exposing flue gases to very high temperatures.

Gasification
Gasification is a process that converts organic or fossil-based carbonaceous materials at high
temperatures (>700°C), without combustion, with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or
steam into carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. The carbon monoxide then
reacts with water to form carbon dioxide and more hydrogen via a water-gas shift reaction.
Adsorbers or special membranes can separate the hydrogen from this gas stream.
Simplified example reaction
C6H12O6 + O2 + H2O → CO + CO2 + H2 + other species
The resulting gas mixture is called syngas (from synthesis gas) or producer gas.

Types of Gasifier

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Downdraft Gasifier

In a downdraft gasifier, air or oxygen generally enters the middle zone of the
downdraft gasifier above the grate, as presented in above Figure. Air or oxygen enters at or
above the oxygen region level in the downdraft gasifiers. The feed materials are entered at the
top of the gasifier, similar to the updraft gasifier. However, air and generated gas mixtures
are passed through the oxidation region. In a downdraft gasifier, the producer gases are
removed at the bottom level of the gasifier. Therefore, gases and fuels in co-current or
downdraft gasifiers are moved in the same direction. When the gases and fuels move down,
the fuel must pass through a charcoal bed and generate H2, CO, CO2, and CH4. In a
downdraft gasifier, based on the hot region temperature and residence time of tars, most of
the tar are broken down. Therefore, the generated product gas in co-current or downdraft
gasifier contains lower tar than updraft gasifier. Consequently, they are suitable to use in an
internal combustion engine compared to the updraft gasifier gases.

**********The End************

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