How the generator speed is controlled in a windmill, irrespective of wind speed?
Image by Hammer51012
The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm is located in Benton County, Indiana. Below is a link that tells more about it.
www.earlparkindiana.com/windfarm.html
Below is a link to a You Tube video that shows the inner workings of a wind generator.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dV6EJa4NLM
Question by sitaradha v: How the generator speed is controlled in a windmill, irrespective of wind speed?
The generator has to run at constant speed. How this is achieved when the wind speed is either toolow or too high?
Feel free to answer in the comment section below
6 Responses to How the generator speed is controlled in a windmill, irrespective of wind speed?
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With an automatic gearbox, just like it is in a car…
Lowlevel
December 31, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Hi Modern wind turbines control the pitch of the blades. This would make the shaft speed about equal at different wind speeds.
Cirric
December 31, 2011 at 3:23 pm
The pitch of the blades is automatically changed to maintain the correct range of revolutions.
centretek666
December 31, 2011 at 4:21 pm
If it is purely wind-powered, then a generator cannot keep running at a constant speed forever. However, a large flywheel can retain enough rotational energy to keep a generator running at a constant level for up to five minutes or so. The windmill would get the flywheel into some rotational speed limit, gearing would keep the output speed more or less constant as the flywheel rotates faster due to higher wind speeds, or slower due to diminished winds. The gearing could be as simple as a basic transmission — they have these for bicycles and are automatic, changing gears based on speed.
There you go.
Remo_Williams
December 31, 2011 at 5:00 pm
On the wind farms around here the blades are computer controlled and the pitch of the blades is variable. That way if the wind is 30 knots or 10 knots the blades are adjusted to maintain the same revolutions.
bigleybill
December 31, 2011 at 5:32 pm
l it is called a governor it can be mechanical or electrical ,by changing the pitch of the blades ,or a braking device a centrifugal brake (mechanical) or a magnetic field brake ( electromagnetic)
9
randall g
December 31, 2011 at 5:36 pm