IJSTE - International Journal of Science Technology & Engineering | Volume 3 | Issue 12 | June 2017

ISSN (online): 2349-784X

Fabrication of Vortex Bladeless Windmill Power

Generation Model
Chetan. C. Chaudhari Mangesh. A. Shriram
Assistant Professor BE Student
Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering
PVPIT, Bavdhan, Pune India PVPIT, Bavdhan, Pune India

Shubham. G. Unhale Rahul. S. Nirmal

BE Student BE Student
Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering
PVPIT, Bavdhan, Pune India PVPIT, Bavdhan, Pune India

Abstract
Today, India is top amongst the list of developing countries in terms of economic development. Hence the energy requirement is
increasing rapidly. To meet these energy requirements non-renewable energy sources are used excessively but due to limited
storage of this sources there is a need for generation of clean energy through renewable energy sources. India is having fifth largest
installed wind power capacity in the world. As the region of high speed wind is limited and also the area required for installation
of conventional windmill is high, bladeless windmill based on vortex induced vibrations can provide the solution for these
disadvantages of the conventional windmill. Bladeless windmill basically works on the vortex shedding effect. Generally structures
are designed to avoid vortex induced vibrations in order to minimize the mechanical failures. But here, we try to increase the
vibrations to increase the generation of electricity.
Keywords: Bladeless, Vortex Induced Vibrations, Vortex Shedding, Clean Energy
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I. INTRODUCTION

In the process of wind power generation there are mainly two methods are considered, Rotational wind harvesting and Oscillation
wind harvesting. Though both allow the transfer of mechanical energy to electric energy there is major difference in the mechanical
system of transmission of energy from one form to another.
Rotational wind harvesting is the basic principle used in the conventional windmill. In this type the spinning turbine blades are
connected along a center shaft to gearbox. This gearbox transmits the mechanical energy obtained from the rotation of the blades
by the flowing wind to the generator which intern translates the mechanical energy of rotation of blades into usable form of
electricity.
Oscillation wind harvesting is the less common method used amongst the both methods. To understand the reason behind it we
have to understand the working of it. This device works on the vortex induced vibrations (VIV). VIV are the motions induced on
the body due to the interaction with the external fluid flow, produced by periodic irregularities in the flow. Basically VIV is the
vibration in the perpendicular direction induced when a fluid is passed over an object. In the oscillation wind harvesting the most
geometrically appropriate airfoil shape is cylindrical. The cylinder optimizes the effects of VIV because of its symmetry along its
center axis. As a fluid flows past a cylinder placed vertically it starts to oscillate in the horizontal direction proportionate to air
speed suspended by a spring. This oscillation can be compared to the rotation of turbine blades in the sense that both are mechanical
motions caused by wind flow that must then be transferred to electrical energy. In the case of the oscillation wind harvesting device,
the transformation is most commonly done through the use of a magnetic field. As the cylinder oscillates up and down, coils
attached to either end move in tandem around magnets. The motion of the coils through the magnetic field generates current,
causing voltage, which is then harnessed as electrical energy. This process varies greatly in efficiency based on device scale, spring
tension, and the strength of the magnetic field being used to generate electricity.

Study of Vortex Induced Vibrations

VIV Theory
VIV is a result of vortex shedding phenomenon which generally occurs nearly on any bluff body when submerged into fluid flow.
Normally, irregular vortex shedding will occur. Flow behind the body resulting in the fluctuating pressure differential which
produces lift force perpendicular to the direction of the flow. The oscillating motion on the body is due to alternating lift forces.
Reynolds Number
In general, flow parameter that affects the behavior of vortex shedding has been observed to be the Reynolds number of flow as
Re = (U D)/ν (1)

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 Fabrication of Vortex Bladeless Windmill Power Generation Model
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U is the free-stream velocity, D is the cylinder diameter and ν is the fluid kinematic viscosity. The regime that is targeted in this
project is known as the “fully turbulent vortex street”, with Reynolds number in the range of (300<Re<3x10^5).
Strouhal Number:
The Strouhal Number, St is a non-dimensional parameter that describes the vortex shedding frequency to the oscillating flow
mechanism.
St = (fs D)/U (2)
Where, fs is vortex shedding frequency.
Strouhal number will be used as a constant value in this project as the Reynolds number falls in the middle of constant Strouhal
number region which is 0.2 for subcritical flow.
Lock In Phenomenon:
A phenomenon known as “lock in” is a condition when the vortex shedding frequency becomes close to the natural frequency of
the body. It has the potential to enlarge the amplitudes of bodies’ oscillation which is similar to linear resonance.

Fig. 1: Relationship between Strouhal Number and Renolds Number.

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

This paper deals with the study of the vortex induced vibrations for harvesting energy in which the various methods of the wind
power harvesting are discussed. The various phenomenon and concepts that are used in the wind power harvesting. Also the various
problems which are related with the conventional wind power harvesting are discussed. The possible solution of using a
piezoelectric material in the oscillation wind power harvesting type model is also discussed. [1]
This paper deals with the study of the bladeless wind power generation in which various aspects of bladeless wind power
generation. In this paper the other type of thread attached mast model is discussed. The history of the bladeless wind power
generation is also discussed. The various applications of the bladeless windmill and its future is discussed. [2]
This paper deals with the study of the influence of the taper ratio on vortex-induced vibration of tapered cylinders in which a
series of tests are conducted and the effect of the various taper ratios is studied. For linearly tapered cylinders wider range of lock-
in ranges were observed as compared to the uniform cylinders. The tests are carried out on small taper ratios. [3]

III. PROBLEM DEFINITION

 Conventional windmill requires high wind speed. For such air speed the places are limited. Hence windmills working on lesser
wind speeds are need of the hour.
 The cost of the different parts of conventional windmill is very high. A typical windmill will cost $2500-$7500 per kilowatt.
 Designing of windmill blades is complicated.
 The area required for working windmill is high. The conventional windmills blades swept volume is more.
 Area of installation is 60 acres per megawatt of capacity of wind farms .Also they prove fatal to birds.
 They produce low frequency sound which is not good for human health.
Table - 1
Comparison of General Parameters between Conventional Windmill and Bladeless Windmill
Parameters Conventional Windmill Bladeless Windmill
Mode of
It generates electrical power with blades. It generates electrical power without blades.
operation

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 Fabrication of Vortex Bladeless Windmill Power Generation Model
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Mode of It captures wind energy using Rotational

It captures wind energy using “Vorticity”
generation motion of the blades.
It’s operation is noisy, as it produces noise It is silent in operation as it oscillate at a frequency that doesn’t
Acoustics
above 20 Hz. produce audible noise (below 20Hz).
The design is sturdy & there is high wear &
Structure The design is sturdy & there is minimal wear.
tear.
It is not safer for birds,that often suffer from
Safety It is also safer for birds,that often suffer from collision with blades.
collision with blades.
It is not feasible to maintain, as it has higher
Maintenance It is easy to maintain due to 80% reduction in maintenance cost.
maintenance cost.
It requires less moving part & less material to produce same amount
Construction It requires more no. of moving parts.
of electricity.
The manufacturing saving is at around 53% of usual production
Economics The manufacturing cost is higher.
cost.
Efficiency It has higher efficiency (About 60%). It has lower efficiency of energy conversion (About 30%).
Space
The area required for installation is more. We can put more vortex in the same area to produce electricity
Consideration

IV. SUGGESTED SOLUTION

The problems that are associated with the conventional windmills are very much solved in the oscillation type wind power
harvesting. Bladeless windmill is less costly and require less maintenance than the conventional windmill. The bladeless windmill
has less moving parts than the conventional windmill. It requires less area and wind speed for its area. The bladeless windmill
works on a principle of vortex shedding effect. The vortex shedding is the effect which set the object in oscillations when a fluid
flow is passed over an object. Instead of capturing energy through rotational moment the energy is generated through oscillations
through a piezoelectric material.

Fig. 1: Proposed Model

V. METHODOLOGY

In this we have studied the design of the mast in which we designed and analyzed it for the maximum output frequency for the
lock in frequency. For the calculations of the design the following procedure is carried out.

Fig. 2: Analysis of Mast Model.

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 Fabrication of Vortex Bladeless Windmill Power Generation Model
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Vortex Induced Vibration

Let’s consider a structure called Tapered Oscillation Cylinder.

Fig. 3: Vortex Induced Vibration

Considering the notations as,

d0= Dmax,
d1= Dmin,
D= (Dmax + Dmin)/2
H= L,
U= Air velocity,
ν= Kinematic viscosity,
fs= Oscillation frequency,
Now, we know Reynolds Number (Re)
Re= (UD)/ν
And Strouhal Number (St)
St= (fsD)/L
Area of tapered cylinder,
Ap= (π/2)*(Dmax + Dmin)*L
Rt= Taper Ratio =L/ (Dmax + Dmin)
Reynolds Number distinguishes the flow of fluid as Laminar or turbulent. So we are targeting Re values 300<Re<3*10 5 for
better frequency of vibration. Now for Reynolds number to be 300<Re<3*10 5, Strouhal Number should be 0.2 or 0.198 (from
graph)
St = 0.198
Now all the parameters are known except Mean diameter (D). To find mean diameter, we have to do trial and error. By comparing
our value of D with L/D ratio of other such Experiment.
Let’s fix length as L=2m total length so from previous research paper and past study we take L/D=10
Now,
2000/D=10
Dmax=200mm
Now from diffrent Reserch paper we found the taper ratio lies between 14-19 so selecting 16 as a taper ratio r=16
r=L/Dmax-Dmin
16=2000/200-Dmin
Dmin=75mm = 80 mm Approx for smooth taper

Natural Frequency
We know that from Theory of torsion of shaft
We have

So Wn=√(T / I)
T-torque of rotating member
I- Moment of inertia

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 Fabrication of Vortex Bladeless Windmill Power Generation Model
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now from CAD drwaing software and selecting material as pp polypropylene and Determining Thier mass Proerties considering
wall thickness as 2mm we calculated mass=1.8kg and also found the position od centre of gravity. Z= 859.18mm from top mas
Now natural freq fn= 1/2∏*√{(KL^2-2mgL)/4/I} putting the values in the formula
I=1/3m*L^2
I=2.4 kg-m^2
Now as we know strouhal frequency should be close to natural frequency
So we know St=0.2
Putting the value in strouhal formula
St = fs*D/U
fs= 3 Hz
This should be equal to natural frequency
So by putting fn=3
We get K=834.2 N/m
Value of spring stifness .
This much force is provided to sustain the Air thrust

Fig. 4: High efficiency at large range of flow velocities.

VI. CONCLUSION

Bladeless wind powered harvesting is convenient, requires less investment and also less area than the convenient wind powered
harvesting. The highly efficient energy is generated through the bladeless windmill. As the wind speed required is very low the
future of the wind power harvesting is very much depend upon bladeless windmill concept. The device produces renewable clean
energy which will provide alternate option for exhausting non-renewable energy sources in future.

REFERANCES
[1] Study of Vortex Induced Vibrations for Harvesting Energy by Prof. Saurabh Bobde, Gaurao Gohate, Abhilash Khairkar, Sameer Jadhav. Paper No. (IJIRSD
2349-6010 Vol.2.Issue 11, April 2016)
[2] Bladeless Wind Power Generation. By Prof. Harshith K,Blayan Santhosh Fernandes Shreerama P, R Thilak Raj. Paper No. (IJSRD 2321-0613 Vol.4.Issue
03, 2016)
[3] The influence of taper ratio on vortex-induced vibration of tapered cylinders in the cross flow direction by Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh, Daniel W. Carlson,
Yaha Modarres-Sadeghi. Paper No. (Journal Of Fluids And Structures, Issue 15, July 2014)

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