Engineering news
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin are looking into ways to reduce noise from small and medium turbines as part of a wider European project to increase the use of decentralised energy generation by home and business owners.
The study is part of the European Small Wind Power in Cities project (SWIP), a consortium which is reworking small wind turbines to reduce noise, turbulence and vibration, with a view to increasing their use in urban areas. This is part of a European Commission goal to see 20% penetration of wind energy throughout the EU by 2020.
However, wind turbines used in built up or residential areas continue to divide public opinion due to noise and health concerns. Opponents to wind turbines often claim that the noise and vibrations from the turbines affect their health, leading to sleep disturbance, headaches and a host of other problems.
In a bid to increase public support for the devices, Henry Rice, professor of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Trinity College Dublin is working on a project to reduce the noise from small wind turbines. Rice said that the noise from small wind turbines is different to that of large turbines, because the blade speed through the air is slower.
“The noise spreads differently and has a different nature. The pulsations aren’t as directional,” he said, adding that most of the previous work in this area has concentrated on large wind turbines.
To reduce noise of small wind turbines Rice said you can change the profile, shape and tips of the blades, and the speed at which they turn.
His team’s computer modelling of noise has informed the design of three prototype turbines which will be built and tested in the coming year under the SWIP project.
Rice will be testing the turbines to see if the noise generation matches his predictions. “We would like to be able to predict the noise before testing. The idea is to not only predict noise level, but also annoyance, and to look at its causes, particularly the pulsations.”
The international standard IEC61400 regulates wind turbines, and several countries such as the UK and US have additional national guidelines governing their use.
“The problem is that most small wind turbines aren’t certified,” said Koen Broess, an innovation consultant at DVN GL, an international certification body for safety and risk management, and partner of the research project. “This is because production is limited and certification can be expensive. This is one of the barriers.”