BLADELESS WINDMILL

A TECHANICAL SEMINAR REPORT

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
In

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
OF

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Submitted By

B.V.SUDARSAN REDDY 19735A0317

Under the Guidance of

N.C.KRISHNA PRASAD M.TECH

Assistant professor

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

PBR VISVODAYA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE

(Approved by AICTE, New Delhi & affiliated to JNTU, ANANTHAPUR)
KAVALI-524201, SPSR NELLORE DIST., (A.P.)
2018-2021

PBR VISVODAYA INSTITUE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCES

(AFFILIATED TO JNTU, ANANTAPUR)

KAVALI-524201,SPSR NELLORE DIST.,(AP)

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 DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the thesis report titled

“BLADELESS WINDMILL”

Being submitted by

B.V.SUDARSAN REDDY 19735A0317

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of

Bachelor of technology in Mechanical Engineering, to the Jawaharlal Nehru
Technological University Anantapur, during the year 2019-2022

PROJECT GUIDE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

N.C.KRISHNA PRASAD M.TECH Dr.B.KONDA REDDY Ph.D

Technical seminar conducted on ______________

TECHNICAL SEMINAR INCHARGE

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Contents -
1.Abstract ………………………………………………………

2.Introduction …………………………………………………

3.What is windmill and explain its types ……………………..

4.Explanation of bladeless windmill ………………………….

5.Advantages of bladeless windmill …………………………..

6.Disadvantages of bladeless windmill ………………………

7.Applications of bladeless windmill …………………………

8.Conclusion ………………………………………………….

9.References ……………………………………………………

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1.Abstract
Vortex-Bladeless is a Spanish SME whose objective is to develop a
new concept of wind turbine without blades called Vortex or vortices
wind turbine. This design represents a new paradigm in wind energy
and aims to eliminate or reduce many of the existing problems in
conventional generators. Due to the significant difference in the
project concept, its scope is different from conventional wind
turbines. It is particularly suitable for offshore configurations and it
could be exploited in wind farms and in environments usually closed
to existing ones due to the presence of high intensity winds.
The main objective of this SHAPE project is to develop the
needed tools to simulate Fluid-Structure interaction (FSI) problems
and to reproduce the experimental results for scaled models of the
vortex-Bladeless device. In ode to do so the Alay code, developed at
the Barcelona Supercomputing center, is adapted to perform the
Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problem simulation.

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2.Introduction
Wind power has become a legitimate source of energy over the past few
decades as larger, more efficient turbine designs have produced ever-increasing
amounts of power. But even though the industry saw a record 6,730 billion
global investment in 2014, turbine growth may be reaching its limits.

Bladeless turbines will generate electricity for 40 percent lesser in cost

compared with conventional wind turbines. In conventional wind power
generation transportation is increasingly challenging because of the size of the
components: individual blades and tower sections often require specialized
trucks and straight, wide roads. Today’s wind turbines are also incredibly top
heavy. Generators and gearboxes sitting on support towers 100 meters off the
ground can weigh more than 100 tons. As the weight and height of turbines
increase, the materials costs of wider, stronger support towers, as well as the
cost of maintaining components housed so far from the ground, are cutting into
the efficiency benefits of larger turbines.

The alternative energy industry has repeatedly tried to solve these issues to no
avail. But this latest entry promises a radically different type of wind turbine: a
bladeless cylinder that oscillates or vibrates. The Bladeless Turbine harness
vorticity, the spinning motion of air or other fluids. When wind passes one of
the cylindrical turbines, it shears off the downwind side of the cylinder in a
spinning whirlpool or vortex. That vortex then exerts force on the cylinder,
causing it to vibrate. The kinetic energy of the oscillating cylinder is converted
to electricity through a linear generator similar to those used to harness wave
energy.

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3.History Of Bladeless Windmill
The Vortex Street effect was first described and mathematically formalized by
Theodore von Kármán, the genius of aeronautics, in 1911. This effect is
produced by lateral forces of the wind on any fixed object immersed in a
laminar flow. The wind flow bypasses the object, generating a cyclical pattern
of vortices, which can become an engineering challenge for any vertical
cylindrical structures, such as towers, masts and chimneys. The issue is that
they may start vibrating, enter into resonance with the lateral forces of the wind,
and ultimately, collapse. One of such examples is the collapse of three cooling
towers of the power station Ferrybridge in 1965.

4.Definition of Windmill
A Windmill is a machine that harnesses the power of the wind.Windmills may
be used to grind grain into flour,to pump water,or to produce electricity.The
blades are mounted on a tall tower or building.

(or)

The another definition of windmill is using wind energy is converted into power
is called as Windmill.

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5.Types of Windmills:
 Vertical –Axis Windmill
 Horizontal-AxisWindmill
 Bladeless Windmill
Vertical-Axis Windmill:
A vertical-axis wind turbine is a type of wind turbine where the main rotor shaft
is set transverse to the wind while the main components are located at the base
of the turbine. This arrangement allows the generator and gearbox to be located
close to the ground, facilitating service and repair.

Horizontal-Axis Windmill:
A horizontal-axis wind turbine is a wind turbine in which the axis of the rotor's
rotation is parallel to the wind stream and the ground. All grid-connected
commercial wind turbines today are built with a propeller-type rotor on a

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horizontal axis propeller-type rotor on a horizontal axis.

Bladeless Windmill:
Construction of the Bladeless Windmill:

A. Centre Base: Base is made up of the rigid iron angular structure. The base
provides equidistant point for the position of the mast. It is capable of tolerating
the mechanical stress acting on it. This provides the strong foundation to the
mast and spring.

B. Mast: The mast is a conical shaped, rigid structure which Rotates when
subjected to wind .The Mast is lighter in structure in order to increase the
Rotational Motion also decrease the mechanical stress on the suspension spring
as well as the base.

C. Thread: The thread is used for the conversion of the linear motion of the mast
to the rotational motion of the generator. Thread used is of nylon material which
as a property of the non-elasticity. This thread is connected to the chain of the
sprockets. These threads are connected to the chain using the guide ways to
provide proper path to the thread.

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 D. Belt: The leather belt is used to drive the generator. The belt is connected to
the pulley of the generator and the flywheel.

E. Chain drive: Chain drive helps in increasing the speed. The sprockets are
connected to the cycle hub and tightened and supported using a metallic frame.
The compound chain drive is used to reduce the space required. It uses total five
chains from input to the output shaft.

F. Generator: The alternator is driven by the power wheel via the belt drive. The
generator is design by using a ceiling fan stator which consists of 16 set of
windings. It is made to generate to electricity by replacing the metal rotor with a
wooden rotor which comprises of Neodymium magnets.

G. Load: When the generated voltage is less than 12V, the power has to be
dumped. Therefore a dummy load is connected. The load consists of LED
bulbs.

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Working principle of Bladeless Windmill:
The main principle behind bladeless wind generator is the conversion of linear
motion of the wind to rotational motion of mast. As the mast is subjected to
wind energy, it tends to oscillate due to the vortices formed around the structure
of the mast, which can be converted to rotational force to generate electricity. In
the bladeless wind system configuration, the mast is fixed with respect to the
ground. Energy is obtained by continuously oscillation of the mast. The mast
utilizes wind power to pull the threads along with the chain attached to the
sprockets which drive the shaft which intern rotates the alternator to generate
power. During the oscillation of the mast, the mast tries to oscillate in any
direction depending on the wind direction.

Such operation has been developed and tested through numerical simulations,
considering a quite accurate model, which takes into account the aerodynamic
characteristics of the mast and the strength of the threads, and employing self-
tuning magnetic coupling system to maximize the net generated energy. So that
it can operate in a wider range of wind speeds and also withstand the high wind
velocities. This system allows maximizing the oscillation amplitudes when wind
intensifies.

When the wind strikes the mast, it starts to oscillate due to the vortices formed
around the structure and rotate the structure because of the presence of the free
wheel in the rib. The energy absorbed by the spring during the oscillation of the
mast contributes to the increase in the amplitude of the oscillations. Each set of
the rib structure corresponds to one sprocket on the shaft which is driven by the
chain which is pulled by the thread. Hence t three sprockets are available in the
shaft out of which one of the sprockets always is always in motion during the
oscillation of the mast. The thread mechanism is provided with guide ways and
pulleys for maximum transfer of the pulling force from the oscillation to the
sprockets of the shaft.

It also helps to increase the tensile strength of the threads which is necessary to
increase the conversion efficiency to the maximum extent. The shaft driven by
the sprockets arrangement rotates only in clockwise direction and restricts the
rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction. As the power is generated in the
half cycle of the oscillation of the mast the shaft is subjected to a jerk motion
rather than a smooth motion. Such arrangement of pedal and the counterweight
helps in the smooth rotation of the flywheel trying to achieve perpetual motion.

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The power wheel is connected to the alternator via belt drive which increases
the rotation of the alternator with a ratio of 1:10 when the shaft is in the motion.
The belt drive eliminates the gear system thereby reducing the maintenance.
The maximum oscillation on one side is reached with the thread pulled to
maximum extent, at which the maximum energy is absorbed from the wind.
After which the mast returns to initial position and continues the oscillation at
other end where in the other arrangement of the threads and sprocket drives the
shaft hence providing the continues movement of the shaft . Since the power
output of the DC Voltage is obtained via the dual output of the regulation circuit
it can charges the battery.

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Advantages:
The wind generator does not have any moving parts in contact, which
eliminates the need for lubrication and reduces the wear and tear. Also, it’s
known that a structure can only have a certain frequency of oscillation, which
limits the number of working hours. However, thanks to a self-tuning magnetic
coupling system, it can operate in a wider range of wind speeds.

This system allows maximizing the oscillation amplitudes: when wind

intensifies, the magnetic force of repulsion goes up, which reduces the distance
between the rod and the magnet. As a result, the oscillation and the potential of
generated energy increases to the maximum. With that, it can automatically
vary rigidity and "synchronize” with the incoming wind speed, in order to stay
in resonance without any mechanical or manual interference. The design
completely eliminates mechanical elements that can suffer wear and tear from
friction, leading to an estimated 53 % reduction in maintenance costs compared
to traditional wind, avoiding changing oil or changing most the mechanical
parts along the 20 years of the multi-blade wind turbines life cycle. Of course,
it’s not immune to fatigue.

The wind can cause twisting and displacement of the structure, primarily in the
elastic rod, especially in the lower section that has to withstand greater forces.
However, studies carried out by the company confirm that, the stress on the rod
is far from working limits of materials, i.e. carbon fiber. Computational
modeling estimates operational lifetime of the installation to be between 32 and
96 years .It currently takes up as much as 30% of the area of a conventional
generator, with maximum amplitude around a diameter at the top. It can capture
about 40% of the wind power contained in the air, which is a more than
reasonable capacity, and at same height as many modern wind turbines. The
system does lose some electrical conversion capacity (reaching 70% yield of a
conventional alternator), because the design is so focused on avoiding and wear
and tear. The Bladeless Turbine aims to be a "greener " wind alternative.

The impact on the bird population is expected to be much smaller, because it

doesn’t require the same type or magnitude of movement as the traditional wind
turbine, allowing for higher visibility. With the oscillation frequency of the
equipment below 20Hz, the impact sound level is nonexistent, opening the
possibility to make the future wind farms completely silent. Because it doesn’t
kill birds nor makes noise, several environmental advocacy groups, including

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the SEO Birdlife Association.

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Disadvantages:
The biggest disadvantage to Bladeless wind power generation power seems to
be that it is a technology in the development phase and must rely on investors
taking a risk. Of course all new technologies must go through this phase.
Requires additional maintenance due to the gear mechanisms involved. The
efficiency of the energy absorbed from the wind is comparatively less than that
of the conventional wind turbine. The requirement of control systems for
controlling the oscillation to meet the natural frequency of the mast and control
of the frequency at higher velocity winds. The height of the mast can be
increased based on the output required.

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Applications:
Bladeless wind energy can be used in a variety of industries and applications,
including marine off-grid systems, industrial applications, remote telemetry and
mobile base stations and for houses, schools and farms. Bladeless energy for
Agriculture: Remote power systems are needed more and more in the world of
farming. Whether it’s for powering electric fencing, powering water pumping,
powering lighting in stables and chicken sheds or powering underwater cameras
at salmon farms – bladeless energy can be built in small scale as well as in big
scale to meet the bill. Small scale Bladeless wind Turbine energy for Homes:
The bladeless turbine will be focused to small scale production. This system it
has been designed to bring energy to an off grid locations and matching it with
solar panels. This is a cost-effective solution for houses where are existing solar
installations and where having a non-expensive wind device will help to storage
the energy produced while the solar is not producing. Also it will work for those
villages where having energy could be a matter of life. It can be used for
Residential Battery Charging and Grid Connection. Bladeless energy for
Telecoms: With more and more mobile communications and broadband
technology being deployed in rural and remote areas, providing power for the
transmission equipment can often be a real headache. Bladeless energy can
provide offgrid power solutions needed to support telecom infrastructure.
Bladeless wind energy for Off-grid Lighting: Small scale bladeless wind turbine
generators are ideal for providing efficient and reliable lighting in off-grid
locations. The bladeless energy generates free renewable energy which is stored
in a battery ready for when it gets dark to power public street lights, car parks
and playgrounds. We can combine the bladeless energy with solar panels from
our advanced solar range to ensure a continuous supply of renewable energy for
a sustainable off-grid lighting solution. Bladeless energy for Signage and
Signalling: There is an increasing need for off grid signage and signaling in
areas where grid connection is neither easy nor cost effective. Bladeless energy
can provide cost effective and reliable off grid continuous power solutions for
these remote power generation needs. Off-Grid Power for Rail Signalling:
Large parts of the rail network lack convenient mains electricity. Bladeless wind
power generators can be installed near railway signals to supply power to the
signaling systems.

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Conclusion:
The bladeless wind generation system configuration has been considered and
the obtained results appear to be very encouraging, even though they are based
on simulations and model taken from the literature, which certainly can give
only approximate description of involved dynamics. Tapping the wind for
renewable energy using new approaches is gaining momentum in the recent
years. The purpose of this paper is to provide some fundamental results on the
bladeless wind system and serve as stepping stones for the future development
of bladeless wind power generating system. The forces that is beneficial or
useful to generate power in bladeless are different from those in conventional
horizontal axial wind turbines. Our device captures the energy of vorticity, an
aerodynamic effect that has plagued structural engineers and architects for ages
(vortex shedding effect). As the wind bypasses a fixed structure, its flow
changes and generates a cyclical pattern of vortices.

Overall the project has been a success with all of the project requirements
achieved. As the wind energy is powerful and consistent, the usage of
conventional wind turbine for utilizing the wind energy in lesser area and cost is
not possible. Hence bladeless wind energy helps us to achieve these criteria.
This project has three main advantages: Utilizing less area, Generation of high
power, Economical. In summary, the generation of electricity is made possible
by the small structure of bladeless turbine. High efficient power is generated.
This project will satisfy the need of continuous generation of electricity. The
overall project uses less space area hence highly economical for the rural
electrification of India.

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REFERENCES:
[1] World watch Institute, “Renewables 2005: Global Status Report” prepared
for the Renewable Energy Policy Network, Washington DC, 2005.

[2] U.S. Department of Energy, DOE/GO-102008-2567, "20% Wind Energy by

2030," July 2008.

[3] Williamson C.H. and Govardhan, R., “Vortex-Induced Vibration”, Journal

of Fluid Mech, 36:413- 55.doi:10.1146/annurev.fluid.36.050802.122128, 200

[4] H. K. Lukasz, J. Hjerrild and C. L. Bak. Harmonic analysis of offshore

wind farms with full converter wind turbines. 2009.

[5] D. Patel, "Impact of Wind Turbine Generators on Network Resonance and

Harmonic Distortion," Electrical and Computer Engineering (CCECE), 2010
23rd Canadian Conference on, pp. 1, 2010.

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