GMSARN International Conference on Sustainable Development: Issues and Prospects for the GMS 12-14 Nov.

2008

Design and Manufacturing of Wind Turbine Blade

Myat Myat Soe

Abstract— Today, one of the best ways of using the wind's energy is to turn it into electricity. Among the currently available
renewable energy technologies, wind power is developing most rapidly. The ultimate objective of the project is to increase
the reliability of wind turbine blades through the development of techniques. The wind turbine is the energy absorption
section of the whole plant. In this section, the blade plays a pivotal role because it is the most important part of the energy
absorption system. Consequently, the blade has to be designed carefully to enable to absorb energy with its greatest
efficiency. In this research, DesignFOIL and ANSYS software have been used to design blades effectively. This horizontal
axis wind turbine includes the ability to vary the blades’ angle of attack to maximize the amount of energy extracted from the
wind. This paper examines the background of wind power as an alternative energy source and how it can be applied in a
rural setting today. It describes the criteria for technological section, engineering aspects and long term plans for electricity
generation.

Keywords— Airfoil, ANSYS, Blade, DesignFOIL .

1. INTRODUCTION Wind Energy

In a developing country, energy is an essential factor of
production. It grows by a factor greater than of gross u1 u2
domestic product. The main source of energy for the rural
people, who constitute the majority of the population of Air velocity, u A
the country, is wind energy. Myanmar is also a
developing country and increasing electricity demand.
Most of the present electricity demand in Myanmar is met
by hydro power plant. However, most of Myanmar x
people are living without electricity in rural area. These
areas are far away from national high voltage
transmission lines and cannot use electricity. This
problem can be reduced by using wind generators all over Fig.1. Air Passing through a Wind Turbine
the country.
The wind is a renewable energy source, continuously In Figure 1, the mass of air m, is passing through a
generated or replenished by the forces of nature. wind turbine with velocity u, the kinetic energy from the
Renewable energy technologies, such as wind energy moving air is expressed by the following equation,
systems, which use sunlight, convert renewable resources U = ½ m u2 (1)
into usable form of energy that can complement or
replace conventional energy sources. In the above equation, the mass of air can be replaced
The aim and objectives are: by the product of density and volume. The volume of
1. To reveal the design of horizontal axis wind passed air is multiplication of cross sectional area and the
turbine blade for micro power length of air passed during a period of time, t. Therefore,
2. To observe the efficient power generating blade the kinetic energy from the passing air can be expressed
3. To develop in non-electrified rural area where is by the following equation [1].
impossible to implement hydro power plant
4. To provide manufacturing of wind generator in U = ½ (ρ A x) u2 (2)
mother land Where, m = mass of air ( kg )
5. To protect environmental pollution ρ = density of air ( kg/m3 )
u = velocity of air ( m/s )
2. CHARACTRRISTIC OF WIND ENERGY A = cross-sectional area of air flowed ( m2 )
x = length of passed air ( m )
Wind Power
Myat Myat Soe is with Mechanical Engineering Department,
Mandalay Technological University, Mandalay, Myanmar. E-mail: The available power in the wind, Pw, is the time
myatmyatsoe.mtu@gmail.com. derivative of the kinetic energy. By calculating the

1
derivative the available power is expressed in Equation 3. Airfoil Selection
According to this equation, the power is directly
For high speed wind turbine, the blade profile must
proportional with density of air, cross sectional area of
have airfoil section. A systematic study of the
the air passed and the cubic of wind velocity [2].
characteristics of various airfoil sections has been done
dU by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautic
Available Power, Pw = (NACA) of U.S.A. The blade geometry of these airfoil
dt
types can be generateded by using DesignFOIL software
dU dx package. The NACA 4415 series airfoil and NACA 63-
=
dt dt 215 series airfoil have been used on many modern
horizontal axis wind turbines. So, these airfoil types are
dx
= ½ ρAu2 considered in this paper. The following Figures 3 and 4
dt airfoil profiles are generated from DesignFOIL for
=½ρAu3(W) (3) Reynolds number 2 x 105 .
3
Turbine Extracted Power, Pt = ½ ρAu Cp (W) (4)
Where, Cp= Performance coefficient

3. AERODYNAMIC DESIGN
Rotor design, airfoil selection, blade design, forces and
moment are aerodynamic design.

Fig.3. Profile for NACA 4415

Fig.2. Airfoil Blade Section

Fig.4. Profile for NACA 63-215
To select the suitable wind turbine the three design
The values of lift coefficient (CL), drag coefficient (CD)
speeds, namely cut-in wind speed ucut-in, rated wind speed
and lift/drag coefficient ratio (CL/CD) for the particular
urated and cut out wind speed ucut-out can be calculated by
standard airfoil shape for NACA 4415 and NACA 63-215
the following equations.
are shown in Table A1 and A2 (Appendix A).These data
ucut-in = 0.7 u (5)
1.5
urated = 1.5 to 2.0 u (6)
Lift Coefficient

ucut-out = 3 u or higher (7) 0.5

NACA 63-215
NACA 4415
Where, u =the annual average wind speed 0
In this research, the practical data are cut-in wind speed -10 0 10 20
is 3.5 m/s, rated wind speed is 9 m/s and cut-out wind -0.5
speed is 15 m/s for annual average wind speed of 5 m/s. Angle of Attack(deg)

Rotor Design are plotted in Figures 5, 6, and 7.

In this thesis, horizontal axis wind turbine will be used. Fig.5. Lift Coefficient with Angle of Attack
The size of rotor can be computed by using generator
output power equation [4]. 0.05
Drag Coefficient

1 0.04
Pe = ρAu C p η m η g
3
(8)
2 0.03 NACA 63-215
where, Pe = generator power output =1000W 0.02 NACA 4415
A = rotor swept area in m2
ρ =density of air = 1.2 kg/m3 0.01
u = wind speed = 9 m/s 0
Cp = Power coefficient = 0.47 (Figure B1) -10 0 10 20
Assume, ηm = mechanical efficiency = 0.8 (0.8_0.95) Angle of Attack(deg)
ηg = transmission efficiency = 0.85 (0.85_0.98)
By substituting these data into above equation, Fig.6. Drag Coefficient with Angle of Attack
D = diameter of rotor = 3m
R = radius of rotor = 1.5 m

2
 Equations, results of blade profile are shown in Table 1.
Lift/Drag Coefficient Table 1. Results of Blade Profile on Each Section

S.N r λr φ αc β c t

1 0.3 1.4 25 7 18 0.208 0.031

2 0.6 2.8 13 7 6 0.132 0.020

Angle of Attack (deg)

Fig.7. Lift and Drag Coefficient with Angle of Attack 3 0.9 4.2 9 7 2 0.099 0.015
By observing the above data, the maximum value of
(CL/CD) for NACA 4415 and NACA 63-215 are 73.706
-
and 60.224 at the angle of attack 5°. In order to optimize 4 1.2 5.6 6.8 7 0.075 0.011
the rotor design, the (CL/CD) ratio is to be chosen as large 0.2
as possible. Therefore, the maximum value of (CL/CD)
ratio at α = 5° is chosen from the series NACA 4415 to
design the rotor. NACA 4415 has 4 % camber height at 5 1.5 7 5 7 -2 0.071 0.017
40 % chord length. It has 15 % thickness of chord length.

Blade Design S.N- Section Number

Forces and Moment on Each Blade Section

dr
r

Fig.8. Blade Angles and Forces on Airfoil [5]

r
Tip speed ratio at radius ‘r’, λ r = λ0 × (9) Fig.9. Blade Profile
R
r × SP ω = reΩ (16)
Chord width, c= (m) (10)
CL × B Ab = 0.5(ci cos βi + cf cos βf) dr (17)
R 1
Aspect ratio, AR = (11) dFL =
2
ρdA b v C L (18)
c average 2
Blade correction angle, αc 1
dFD = ρdA b v 2 C D (19)
C  3  2
α C = α 0 + L × 1 +  (deg) (12)
0.11  A R  dFT = dFL cos φ + dFD sin φ (20)
2 1  dFM = dFL sin φ - dFD cos φ (21)
Apparent wind angle, φ = tan −1  ×  (deg) (13)
3 λr  dM = re(dFLsin φ - dFD cos φ) (22)
Blade angle, β = φ − α C (deg) (14) Where ω = linear velocity (m/s)
Blade thickness, t = 15% of the chord (m) (15) re = radius of element (m)
Where, λo =tip speed ratio Ω = angular velocity (rad/s)
V = relative wind speed (m/s) Ab = area of blade element (m2)
αo = angle of attack = -4.5deg (Figure B3) ci = initial chord width for each section (m)
SP= shape parameter cf = final chord width for each section (m)
B = number of blade βi = initial blade angle for each section (deg)
Caverage = average chord length (m) βf = final blade angle for each section (deg)
There are five divisions along the length of each blade, dFL = lift force for each element (N)
equally spaced at intervals of 300mm. By using above dFD = drag force for each element (N)

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 dFT = thrust force for each element (N) Table 3. Results of Power and Rotor Speed
dFM = moment force for each element (N)
u Pw Pt Pg Pe Ω N
dM = moment for each element (N-m)
Table 2. Results of Forces and Moment on Each Section 1 4 2 1.6 1.4 5 45

E.N dFL dFD dFT dFM M 2 34 16 12.9 11 9 89

1 13 0.19 12.7 5.7 2.57 3 116 554 43.6 37 14 134

2 24 0.33 23.6 5.1 3.83 4 275 129 103.3 88 18 178

3 33 0.45 32.9 4.8 4.99 5 537 252 2017 171 23 223

4 45 0.61 44.9 4.7 6.39 6 927 436 348.6 296 28 267

E.N = Element Number 7 1472 692 553.5 470 32 312

Total lift force exerted on each blade, FL = 115 N
8 2198 1133 826.3 702 37 357
Total drag force exerted on each blade, FD = 1.58 N
Total thrust force exerted on each blade, FT = 114 N 9 3129 1471 1176.5 1000 42 401
Total moment force exerted on each blade, FM = 20.3 N
10 4292 2017 1613.8 1372 46 446
Total moment exerted on each blade, M= 17.8 N-m
Power and Speed of Wind Turbine 11 5713 2690 2147.9 1826 51 490
Theorectically, the results of the available power from
the wind, turbine extracted power, generator output 12 7417 3486 2788.7 2370 56 535
power, electrical power, angular speed, and number of
revolution can be calculated by changing wind speed [6]. 13 9430 4432 3545.5 3014 60 579
The results are shown in Table 3.
Avaiable power, Pw = ½ ρ Au3 (W) (23) 14 11777 5535 4428.3 3764 65 624
Turbine extracted power, Pt = Pw Cp (W) (24)
15 14486 6808 5446.6 4630 70 669
Power output from gearbox, Pg = Pt ηm (W) (25)
Generator output power, Pe = Pg ηg (W) (26)
4. BLADE MATERIAL
Angular speed, Ω = λv/R (rad/s) (27)
Wood is an excellent material for wind turbine blade
No. of revolution, N = Ω/2π (N) (28)
construction. It is a natural, renewable fiber-reinforced
Wind power, turbine extracted power, generator output composite, and the parts lasted well and could be repaired
power, electrical power and number of revolution for or replaced if the become damaged. It is very strong for
various wind speed are shown in Figures 10 and 11. its weight, easy to carve, inexpensive, and is resistant to
fatigue cracking [7].
20000

Pw
15000
5. CARVING WOODEN BLADES
Power, W

Pt
10000
Pg
5000 Pe
To produce a 3-bladed wind turbine rotor, the following
0 steps can be used to produce electricity.
0 5 10 15 20
Wind speed, m/s Step 1
Start by marking out the pieces of
Fig.10. Wind Power with Different Wind Speed
wood. Measurements are made at the 'stations' of which
there are five along the length of each blade, equally
space at intervals of 300mm. Mark the position of each
No. of revolution, rpm

800
station, and draw a line right around the piece, using a
600
square.
400 N

200

0
0 5 10 15 20
Wind speed, m/s

Fig.11. Number of Revolution with Different Wind Speed

Fig.12. Marking Out the Stations

4
Step 2
The first shaping operation is taper the blade, so that
the tip is narrower than the root. Measure these widths
from the top edge.
Fig.17. Cutting Out Triangles

Fig.13. Tapering the Blade

Hub
Step 3
Plane the newly cut surface smooth, straight and
square. The blade is beginning to take shape now. The Blade
tip moves clockwise, viewed from upwind, so the leading
edge in the one nearest to. The front (or windward) face
should be perfectly flat at this stage.
Fig.18. Assembling the Rotor

Fig.14. Planning the Surface

Step 4
The next stage of the operation is to create a deliberate
twist in the blade. First you must turn the piece around,
so that the leading edge is at the back. At each station,
Fig.19. Rotor Blade Design
draw a line on the newly cut face, square to the front face.

6. SIMULATION RESULTS

Fig.15. Creating a Twist

Step 5
Finally, the next step is to reduce the thickness of the
piece, so that it is the correct thickness at each station.
Plane off wood from the section needs rounding off into a
Fig.20. Velocity Distribution for NACA 4415
smooth 'wing shape'. Take care not to reduce the overall
thickness. The thickest part should be about 38% back
from the leading edge. Draw a line along the back of the
blade, and avoid cutting the line. Keep removing the
corners of the back of the blade.

Fig.21. Velocity Distribution for NACA 63-215

Fig.16. Reducing the Thickness

Step 6 Fig.21. Pressure Distribution for NACA 4415

Assembling the rotor blades, each blade must be cut to

a point at the root, so that they will fit snugly at the hub.
Measure the exact centre of the blade root, and draw lines
out to the edges, at an angle of 60º to each edge. The
blades can now be laid out with all three roots fitting
together. Clamp the hub together securely, and check
that the blades are equally spaced. Measuring from tip to
tip and adjusting them is the easiest. Fig.2. Pressure Distribution for NACA 63-215

5
 APPENDIXES
15

Velocity (m/s) 10
Appendix A
NACA 4415
5 Table A1. Value of CL , CD , and CL / CD for NACA 4415 at
NACA 63-215
0
Various Angle of Attack (α) generated by DesignFOIL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-5
Location α CL CD CL / CD

Fig.2. Pressure Distribution -5 -0.066 0.0134 -4.9254

60
40 -4 0.056 0.0134 4.1791
Pressure (N/m2)

20
0 NA C A 4415
-20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NA C A 63-215 -3 0.178 0.0128 13.9063
-40
-60
-80 -2 0.3 0.0127 23.622
Location

-1 0.423 0.0124 34.113

Fig.21. Pressure Distribution

0 0.545 0.0125 43.6

7. CONCLUSION
1 0.667 0.0125 53.36
Wind generators are suitable to implement the electricity
requirement of Myanmar’s rural areas. It was necessary 2 0.789 0.0125 63.12
to produce wind generators with low cost and long term
service in our country. In construction of a wind turbine,
the most important thing is to design efficient blades and 3 0.893 0.0128 69.766
manufacturing these blades.
4 0.978 0.0134 72.985
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
5 1.054 0.0143 73.706
The author gratefully acknowledges the financial support
by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Myanmar to
carry out this research. The author would like to express 6 1.123 0.0155 72.452
her special thanks to Dr.Mi Sandar Mon, Professor and
Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, Yangon 7 1.183 0.0174 67.989
Technological University, and U Myint Thein, Associate
Professor and Head of Space System Engineering 8 1.235 0.0196 63.01
Department, Myanmar Aerospace Engineering
University, Meikhtila, for their enthusiastic instructions 9 1.279 0.0216 59.213
and supervisions during the progress of this thesis.
10 1.316 0.024 54.833
REFERENCES
[1] Gary L. Johnson. Dr: November 20, 2001. Wind 11 1.345 0.0259 51.931
Energy Systems
[2] M.Z. Jacobsen: 2002. “Secondary Energy Info book”, 12 1.368 0.0281 48.683
Facts in the Glance
13 1.383 0.0315 43.905
[3] Mika Rasila : 24th April 2003. “Torque and
Speed Control of a Pitch Regulated Wind 14 1.391 0.0343 40.554
Turbine” .
[4] J.C. Smith: June1989. Non – Convectional Sources 15 1.391 0.0373 37.292
of Energy , Tata McGraw - Hill publishing
Company Limited, India . 16 1.385 0.0405 34.198
[5] Doktor der Ingenieur : Berlin 2006, Permanent -
Magnet Electrical Machines with New Topology
for Wind Energy Applications
[6] A U.S. Consumer’s Guide: 2002. “Small Wind
Electric Systems”.
[7] Mohammad Widyan, Berlin: July 2006. “Design,
Optimization, Construction and Test of Rare-Earth
Permanent-Magnet Electrical Machines with New
Topology for Wind EnergyApplications”.

6
Table A2. Value of CL , CD , and CL / CD for NACA 63-215 Appendix B
at Various Angle of Attack (α) generated by Design FOIL

α CL CD CL / CD

-5 -0.389 0.0133 -29.248

-4 -0.27 0.0116 -23.276

-3 -0.15 0.0108 -13.889

-2 -0.03 0.0107 -2.804

-1 0.091 0.0106 8.585

0 0.211 0.0109 19.358

1 0.331 0.0108 30.648

2 0.451 0.011 41

3 0.57 0.0115 49.565 Fig. B1. Tip Speed Ratio Vs Performance Coefficient

4 0.69 0.0122 56.557

5 0.807 0.0134 60.224

6 0.907 0.0164 55.305

7 0.996 0.0174 57.241

8 1.073 0.0192 55.885

9 1.139 0.0208 54.759

10 1.193 0.0226 52.788

11 1.237 0.0245 50.489 Fig.B2. .Speed Ratio Vs Shape Parameter

12 1.27 0.028 45.357

13 1.293 0.0309 41.845

14 1.304 0.0339 38.465

15 1.305 0.0372 35.08

16 1.295 0.0409 31.663

Fig.B3. Drag Polar Plot of NACA 4415 generated by

DesignFOIL