Advanced Environmental Wind Engineering

This book is highly suitable for advanced courses as it introduces state-of-the-art information and the latest research results on diverse problems in the environmental wind engineering field. The topics include indoor natural ventilation, pedestrian wind environment, pollutant dispersion, urban heat island phenomena, urban ventilation, indoor/outdoor thermal comfort, and experimental/numerical techniques to analyze those issues. Winds have a great influence on the outdoor environment, especially in urban areas. Problems that they cause can be attributed to either strong wind or weak wind issues. Strong winds around high-rise buildings can bring about unpleasant, and in some cases dangerous, situations for people in the outdoor environment. On the other hand, weak wind conditions can also cause problems such as air pollution and heat island phenomena in urban areas. Winds enhance urban ventilation and reduce those problems. They also enhance natural ventilation in buildings, which can reduce the energy consumption of mechanical ventilation fans and air conditioners for cooling. Moderate winds improve human thermal comfort in both indoor and outdoor environments in summer. Environmental wind engineering associated with wind tunnel experiments and numerical analysis can contribute to solutions to these issues.

The book presents a state-of-the-art in environmental aerodynamics and the structural design of wind energy support structures, particularly from a modern computational perspective. Examples include real-life applications dealing with pollutant dispersion in the building environment, pedestrian-level winds, comfort levels, relevant legislation and remedial measures. Design methodologies for wind energy structures include reliability assessment and code frameworks.

This book serves as a textbook for advanced courses as it introduces state-of-the-art information and the latest research results on diverse problems in the structural wind engineering field. The topics include wind climates, design wind speed estimation, bluff body aerodynamics and applications, wind-induced building responses, wind, gust factor approach, wind loads on components and cladding, debris impacts, wind loading codes and standards, computational tools and computational fluid dynamics techniques, habitability to building vibrations, damping in buildings, and suppression of wind-induced vibrations. Graduate students and expert engineers will find the book especially interesting and relevant to their research and work.

With an annual growth rate of over 35%, wind is the fastest growing energy source in the world today. As a result of intensive research and developmental efforts, the technology of generating energy from wind has significantly changed during the past five years. The book brings together all the latest aspects of wind energy conversion technology - right from the wind resource analysis to grid integration of the wind generated electricity. The chapters are contributed by academic and industrial experts having vast experience in these areas. Each chapter begins with an introduction explaining the current status of the technology and proceeds further to the advanced lever to cater for the needs of readers from different subject backgrounds. Extensive bibliography/references appended to each chapter give further guidance to the interested readers.

Presenting the latest developments in the field, Wind Energy Systems: Control Engineering Design offers a novel take on advanced control engineering design techniques for wind turbine applications. The book introduces concurrent quantitative engineering techniques for the design of highly efficient and reliable controllers, which can be used to solve the most critical problems of multi-megawatt wind energy systems. This book is based on the authors’ experience during the last two decades designing commercial multi-megawatt wind turbines and control systems for industry leaders, including NASA and the European Space Agency. This work is their response to the urgent need for a truly reliable concurrent engineering methodology for the design of advanced control systems. Outlining a roadmap for such a coordinated architecture, the authors consider the links between all aspects of a multi-megawatt wind energy project, in which the wind turbine and the control system must be cooperatively designed to achieve an optimized, reliable, and successful system. Look inside for information about the QFT Control Toolbox for Matlab, the software developed by the author to facilitate the QFT robust control design (see also the link at codypower.com). The textbook’s big-picture insights can help students and practicing engineers control and optimize a wind energy system, in which large, flexible, aerodynamic structures are connected to a demanding variable electrical grid and work automatically under very turbulent and unpredictable environmental conditions. The book covers topics including robust QFT control, aerodynamics, mechanical and electrical dynamic modeling, economics, reliability, and efficiency. It also addresses standards, certification, implementation, grid integration, and power quality, as well as environmental and maintenance issues. To reinforce understanding, the authors present real examples of experimentation with commercial multi-megawatt direct-drive wind turbines, as well as on-shore, offshore, floating, and airborne wind turbine applications. They also offer a unique in-depth exploration of the quantitative feedback theory (QFT)—a proven, successful robust control technique for real-world applications—as well as advanced switching control techniques that help engineers exceed classical linear limitations.

Held under the auspices of the International Association for Wind Engineering, 226 delegates from twenty-three countries took part in the conference. This three volume work contains about 90 papers published in full length, together with summaries and discussions on other interesting and valuable papers presented at the conference.

As the fastest growing source of energy in the world, wind has a very important role to play in the global energy mix. This text covers a spectrum of leading edge topics critical to the rapidly evolving wind power industry. The reader is introduced to the fundamentals of wind energy aerodynamics; then essential structural, mechanical, and electrical subjects are discussed. The book is composed of three sections that include the Aerodynamics and Environmental Loading of Wind Turbines, Structural and Electromechanical Elements of Wind Power Conversion, and Wind Turbine Control and System Integration. In addition to the fundamental rudiments illustrated, the reader will be exposed to specialized applied and advanced topics including magnetic suspension bearing systems, structural health monitoring, and the optimized integration of wind power into micro and smart grids.

As the demand for energy increases, and fossil fuels continue to decrease, Wind Energy: Renewable Energy and the Environment, Second Edition considers the viability of wind as an alternative renewable energy source. This book examines the wind industry from its start in the 1970s until now, and introduces all aspects of wind energy. The phenomenal growth of wind power for utilities is covered along with applications such as wind-diesel, village power, telecommunications, and street lighting.. It covers the characteristics of wind, such as shear, power potential, turbulence, wind resource, wind turbine types, and designs and performance. The text discusses the measurement and siting of individual wind turbines, and considers the development and economic impact of wind farms. What’s New in the Second Edition: Expands the section on distributed wind Adds new sections on global warming, community wind, and storage Illustrates the need for a shift to renewable energy through discussions on energy use and the order of magnitude estimates for the lifetime of fossil fuels Discusses the interconnection of wind turbines to utility grids, regulations on installation and operation, and environmental concerns This book provides material on statistics, installation, types, and energy data, as well as new information, applications, and updates on the wind industry. It serves as a resource for practicing professionals in the wind energy industry, and can be used by undergraduate and graduate students in energy engineering/environmental engineering/wind technology.