Transient simulations were performed with MATLAB Simulink on a mutual wind park topology, where three vertical axis wind turbines equipped with permanent magnet synchronous generators were connected to a mutual DC-bus through passive diode rectification. The aim with the work was to show the effects of two different kinds of loads on the system in respect to generator torque, rotor speed, produced power by the generators and the power on the DC-bus. The loads were a variable voltage source and a resistance with the value 2.0 Ω. It was shown that the transient behavior of the system in respect to both kinds of loads exhibited a high level of stability when the wind speed was altered. It was also shown that the system when equipped with a voltage source load began to oscillate with the natural frequency of a two mass rotating spring system if a sudden increase of the voltage made the DC-bus voltage larger than the peak of the internal induced voltage of the generators. Small variations of the DC voltage however exhibited a stable behavior.

Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have with time been outrivaled by the today more common and economically feasible horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs). However, VAWTs have several advantages which still make them interesting, for example, the VAWTs can have the drive train at ground level and it has been argued that they have lower noise emission. Other proposed advantages are suitability for both up-scaling and floating offshore platforms. The work within this thesis is made in collaboration between Halmstad University and Uppsala University. A 200-kW semi-guy-wired VAWT H-rotor, owned by Uppsala University but situated in Falkenberg close to Halmstad, has been the main subject of the research although most results can be generalized to suit a typical H-rotor. This thesis has three main topics regarding VAWTs: (1) how the wind energy extraction is influenced by turbulence, (2) aerodynamical noise generation and (3) eigenfrequencies of the semi-guy-wired tower. The influence from turbulence on the wind energy extraction is studied by evaluating logged operational data and examining how the power curve and the tip-speed ratio for maximum Cp is impacted by turbulence. The work has showed that the T1-turbine has a good ability to extract wind energy at turbulent conditions, indicating an advantage in energy extraction at turbulent sites for VAWTs compared to HAWTs.The noise characteristics are studied experimentally, and models of the two most likely aerodynamic noise mechanisms are applied. Here, inflow-turbulence noise is deemed as the prevailing noise source rather than turbulent-boundary-layer trailing-edge noise (TBL-TE) which is the most important noise mechanism for HAWTs. The overall noise emission has also been measured and proven low compared to similar sized HAWTs. The eigenfrequencies of a semi-guy-wired tower are also studied. Analytical expressions describing the first-mode eigenfrequency of both tower and guy wire has been derived and verified by experiments and simulations.

In wind turbines, flow pressure variations on the air-structure interface cause aerodynamic forces. Consequently the structure deforms and starts to move. The interaction between aerodynamic forces and structural deformations mainly concerns aeroelasticity. Since these two are coupled, they have to be considered simultaneously in cases which the deformations are not negligible in comparison to the other geometric dimensions. The purpose of this work is to improve the simulation model of a vertical axis wind turbine by modifying the structural model from undamped Euler-Bernoulli beam theory with lumped mass matrix to the more advanced Timoshenko beam theory with consistent mass matrix plus an additional damping term. The bending of the beam is then unified with longitudinal and torsional deformations based on a fixed shape cross-section assumption and the Saint-Venant torsion theory. The whole work has been carried out by implementing the finite element method using MATLAB code and implanting it in a previously developed package as a complement. Finally the results have been verified by qualitative comparisons with alternative simulations.

In this thesis the Counter Rotating vertical Axis Floating Tilting wind turbine (CRAFT) has been explored by creating a simulation model in the program Simulink. The CRAFT prototype is a new type of wind turbine under development by World Wide Wind and Uppsala University with the aim to produce a large scale floating vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) with two cone shaped counter rotating turbines. The objective of this thesis is to study the required size of the secondary generator in the CRAFT. The generator is required in order to keep both of the turbines rotating with the same but opposite rotational speed, even when the turbines are experiencing different wind loads. Further areas that are investigated are if certain parameters have a specifically high impact on the need for the secondary generator.  The objective was reached by creating a model of the prototype and implementing control algorithms for both the secondary and main generator in order to control the rotational speed of the turbines. The behaviour of the CRAFT was then simulated with different wind loads and varying parameters such as the size of the main load, the size of the power output to the secondary generator and the wing length of the lower turbine. The simulations showed that it is possible to keep the rotational speed of the two turbines equal and opposite even during turbulent wind loads with the chosen control algorithm. The simulation also showed that if a small deviation in the turbine's rotational speed is allowed, a secondary generator of only 1 kW is needed instead of the currently used 5 kW generator. It was also shown that the elongating of the lower turbine wings had a small and positive effect on the energy output of the CRAFT.

<p>The 21st century would be a nightmare for Don Quijote: thousands of windmills are installed all over the globe and the number will increase tremendously over the next years. If climate change was an issue in the early 17th century, Don Quijote might have specialized in fighting nuclear or fossil fuel power plants.</p><p>The change in power production is clearly pronounced, and it inspires the market to respond immediately. Numerous wind turbine manufacturers emerge, developing one technological innovation after another. The trend clearly goes in one direction: horizontal axis wind turbines in all possible variations. However, there are a few companies that do not follow the mainstream – they swim against the current and introduce new concepts, with the potential to set new standards in the industry.</p><p>Nevertheless, the question whether these companies can establish operations and survive in an industry dominated by large multinational corporations arises. If these companies want to become recognized, they need to compete on an international scale from the outset – they become born globals.</p><p>This master’s thesis investigates the preconditions under which an innovative start-up company can become born global in the wind turbine industry. For that, distinctive resources and capabilities of such companies, as well as key success factors for the industry are defined. Furthermore, enhancing or restricting parameters lying within company’s environment – in particular, within its networks – are discovered. These findings are based on and supported by the case study of an innovative vertical axis wind turbine manufacturer. In addition, the influence of this company’s university spin-off origin is investigated.</p>

On étudie des phénomènes de séparation d'écoulement avec deux approches différentes. Dans la première partie, on considère des écoulements 2D, instationnaires, incompressibles et non visqueux. Un modèle analytique-numérique, basé sur la jonction d'une transformation conforme et d'une méthode aux tourbillons ponctuels, est construit pour définir l'écoulement potentiel dans un domaine doublement connecté où les corps sont caractérisés par une variation temporelle de leur circulation. En particulier, on s'intéresse à l'étude de l'écoulement autour d'un VAWT avec deux pales. Dans la seconde partie on considère des écoulements visqueux et compressibles. On construit un solveur qui résoud les équations de Navier-Stokes en y introduisant une technique de pénalisation: les corps sont modélisés comme des milieux poreux ayant une porosité très petite par rapport à la porosité du fluide extérieur. Cette technique permet d'utiliser des maillages cartésiens pour des géométries très complexes. / In the present work flow separation phenomena are investigated by means of two different approaches. In the first part, 2D unsteady incompressible inviscid flows are studied. An analytical-numerical model, based on the conjunction of a conformal mapping and a point vortex method, is built to define the potential flow field in a doubly connected domain where bodies are characterized by a variation in time of their circulation. In particular, the study of the unsteady flow past a 2-blade Darrieus VAWT is addressed. Until now the study of vortex motions has only been described in doubly-connected flow fields where the circulations have a constant null value. The flow field here analysed has a deep unsteadiness, which determines the circulations varying in time: so a technique is developed to uniquely define the circulations around the bodies. Three conditions result necessary to be imposed: in addition to the two Kutta conditions at the trailing edges, another one has to be imposed in order to respect the Kelvin theorem. With a classical configuration, this machine, experiencing angles of attack of opposite values, gives rise to complex vortex shedding phenomena that reduce its performances and stress its structure. In order to control the flow separation from the blades, an innovative solution is qualitatively investigated which consists of taking blade profiles provided with vortex trapping cavities. Interesting results are obtained, even if in the limit of inviscid flow. In the second part compressible viscous flows are taken into account. A fully Navier-Stokes equations solver is implemented introducing the penalization technique. The idea is to replace the bodies by the fluid, in a way that also into the bodies the penalized Navier-Stokes equations remain valid, respecting the boundary conditions on their contours. Starting from this purpose, the bodies are considered as porous media with a little porosity with respect to that of the external flow, which tends to infinity. This technique allows simple Cartesian meshes to be used, also for very complex geometries like those of industrial interest. The resulting code is tested on different flow fields, both steady and unsteady, both subsonic and supersonic, obtaining always a good agreement with other theoretical and numerical results described in literature.

The 21st century would be a nightmare for Don Quijote: thousands of windmills are installed all over the globe and the number will increase tremendously over the next years. If climate change was an issue in the early 17th century, Don Quijote might have specialized in fighting nuclear or fossil fuel power plants. The change in power production is clearly pronounced, and it inspires the market to respond immediately. Numerous wind turbine manufacturers emerge, developing one technological innovation after another. The trend clearly goes in one direction: horizontal axis wind turbines in all possible variations. However, there are a few companies that do not follow the mainstream – they swim against the current and introduce new concepts, with the potential to set new standards in the industry. Nevertheless, the question whether these companies can establish operations and survive in an industry dominated by large multinational corporations arises. If these companies want to become recognized, they need to compete on an international scale from the outset – they become born globals. This master’s thesis investigates the preconditions under which an innovative start-up company can become born global in the wind turbine industry. For that, distinctive resources and capabilities of such companies, as well as key success factors for the industry are defined. Furthermore, enhancing or restricting parameters lying within company’s environment – in particular, within its networks – are discovered. These findings are based on and supported by the case study of an innovative vertical axis wind turbine manufacturer. In addition, the influence of this company’s university spin-off origin is investigated.

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