Look Inside a Commercial Wind Turbine
Look Inside A Commercial Wind Turbine
Learn how commercial wind turbine generators work
wind | education
Pictured below is a cut away image showing the inside workings of a commercial
wind turbine generator. Though large in size, such wind turbines are still very simple with relatively few components. Such simplicity is essential if the wind turbine is to be kept operational through years of extreme conditions.
Three
turbine blades (1) make up the
rotor. The
pitch (3) of each blade can be changed (i.e. the blade can be rotated) to increase efficiency in low winds and to decrease efficiency (to protect the wind turbine) in very strong winds. In addition a
brake (4) is fitted which can be set when dangerously strong winds are approaching or when the turbine is taken down for maintenance.
The rotor is spun by the wind causing the
low-speed shaft (5) to rotate. This rotation is then passed onto the
high-speed shaft (12) via a
gearbox (6) which accelerates the speed of rotation to the levels necessary to generate high voltage electricity with the
generator (7).
Everything is controlled via an electronic
controller (8) which takes data inputs from an
anemometer (9) which measures the speed of the wind, and a
wind vane (10) which detects the direction of the wind. The
nacelle (11) - the sealed unit at the top of the
tower (15) - can then be automatically rotated to face into the wind with a
yaw motor (14) turning the
yaw drive (13).
Article Last Modified: 13:24, 31st Jan 2007Comment on this Article
If you have any comments on this article, please email them to
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