What Components Are Inside A Wind Turbine?

An overview of the layout of utility-class wind turbine generators.  Where are the major components, what do they do and what differences can be found between models and size ranges. The content of this article explains the set up. Starting with the tower, tower access, turbine equipment arrangement such as controller and transformer cabinets. Finally, the nacelle and all its components and hub and rotor systems.

What Is Inside An Industrial Wind Turbine

Below a high level overview of the components making up an industrial wind turbine with today’s technology:

  • The Anemometer: The Wind Speed is measured by the Anemometer and transmits the wind speed data to the controller.

 

  • The Blades: Most turbines have either two or three blades. The rotor is made up by two or three turbine blades, hence wind blowing over the blades causes the blades to “lift” and rotate.

 

  • The Brake: To stop the rotor, the brake can be applied mechanically, electrically, or hydraulically in emergencies. A brake is fitted which can be set when dangerously strong winds are approaching or when the turbine is taken down for maintenance.

 

  • The Controller: An electronic controller takes data inputs from an anemometer and controls all function of a wind turbine. The anemometer measures the speed of the wind and a wind vane detects the direction of the wind. The controller also starts up the machine and shuts off the machine at too high wind speeds. Turbines might be damaged by the high winds.

 

  • The Gear Box: Gears connect the low-speed shaft to the high-speed shaft and increase the rotational speeds from about 30 to 60 rotations per minute (rpm) to about 1000 to 1800 rpm. The rotational speed required by most generators to produce electricity is within this range. Basically, the gearbox accelerates the speed of rotation of the high-speed shaft to the levels necessary to generate high voltage electricity with the generator. The gear box is a costly (and heavy) part of the wind turbine and engineers are exploring “direct-drive” generators that operate at lower rotational speeds and don’t need gear boxes.

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Additional Major Components

  • The Generator: Usually an off-the-shelf induction generator that produces 60-cycle AC electricity.

 

  • The Low-Speed Shaft: The rotor turns the low-speed shaft at about 30 to 60 rotations per minute. The low-speed shaft is rotated by the rotor which is spun by the wind

 

  • The High-Speed Shaft: The high speed shaft drives the generator. The rotation from the low-speed shaft is passed onto the high-speed shaft

 

  • The Nacelle: The nacelle sits atop the tower and contains the gear box, low- and high-speed shafts, generator, controller and brake. Some nacelles are large enough for a helicopter to land on. The nacelle is the sealed unit at the top of the tower which automatically rotates to face into the wind which is why a yaw motor is needed to turn the yaw drive.

 

  • The Pitch: The pitch 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. For this reason, blades are turned, or pitched, out of the wind to control the rotor speed and keep the rotor from turning in winds that are too high or too low to produce electricity.

More Additional Major Components

  • The Rotor: The wind spins the rotor. The rotor is made up by the hub and the blades.

 

  • The Tower: Tubular steel, lattice steel or concrete is used to make up the tower and because wind speed increases with height, taller towers enable turbines to capture more energy and generate more electricity.

 

  • The Wind Vane: The wind vane measures wind direction and communicates with the yaw drive. The yaw drive is used to orient the turbine properly and to move the nacelle to the wind direction.

 

  • The Yaw Drive: Upwind turbines face into the wind. The yaw drive is used to keep the rotor facing into the wind as the wind direction changes. Downwind turbines don’t require a yaw drive, the wind blows the rotor downwind.

 

  • The Yaw Motor: The yaw motor powers the yaw drive.