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Discover new online interactive 3D models of a helical Darrieus wind turbine, Darrieus wind turbine, horizontal-axis wind turbine and Savonius wind turbine. Interactive 3D models include descriptions and specifications.

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Wind Energy

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Wind Energy

Savonius wind turbine

This turbine uses drag to extract energy from the wind and it falls into the category of low speed wind engines since the speed of the blades never exceeds the speed of the wind. The efficiency is usually around 20%.

Horizontal-axis wind turbine

This is the most common type of wind turbine. The blades are designed to generate a lift force perpendicular to the direction of the airflow. The rotor diameter can be up to 100 meters and the efficiency lies around 45%.

Darrieus wind turbine

This vertical turbine was invented by the French engineer Georges Jean Marie Darrieus. Darrieus Turbines are independent of the wind direction and they can reach an efficiency of 35%.

Helical Darrieus wind turbine

To avoid pulsation, Darrieus wind turbines often use spiral blades which makes it possible to evenly distribute the torque.

Helical Darrieus wind turbine

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Helical Darrieus wind turbine

Upper hub

A hub with a bearing at the top of the central mast allows smooth rotation of the upper blade-bearing arm structure.

Lower hub

A hub with a bearing at the bottom of the central mast allows the lower blade arms to be firmly connected and the entire rotor to rotate smoothly. Self-aligned ball bearings are often used to reduce turbine vibration.

Rotor blades

This version of the Darrieus turbine usually has three spiral-twisted aerodynamic blades rotating around a central mast. The turbine thus resembles a section of a drill or vertical DNA helix. The shape and twist of the blades ensures even torque distribution and prevents pulsations.

Blade support

The arms connect the central mast to the profiled blades. The design of the arms must be robust enough to hold the rotating blades in position, yet thin enough not to create wind resistance.

Vertical shaft

The shaft is the rotating element of the turbine, so it must be light and strong. It must be able to withstand the forces caused by wind loads and the weight of the turbine itself, as well as the torque generated by the rotation of the blades due to wind flow perpendicular to the shaft.

Generator

Darrieus turbines with helically twisted blades most often use a direct-drive electric generator mechanically integrated into the lower hub. These generators operate at lower speeds and do not require expensive and heavy gearboxes.

Darrieus wind turbine

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Darrieus wind turbine

Upper hub

The hub at the top of the central rotating column is adapted to firmly connect the upper ends of the blades. A bearing inside the hub allows the whole rotor to rotate around the stationary tower.

Lower hub

A hub with a bearing in the lower part of the central rotating column allows the lower ends of the blades to be firmly connected and the rotor to rotate smoothly.

Guy wire

Wires stretched from the upper part of the turbine and anchored at a certain distance to the ground ensure the stability of the free-standing structure even in strong winds. Usually three or four wires are used.

Rotor blade

The original version of the Darrieus turbine has two curved airfoil blades fixed on a central rotating column. The curvature of the blades allows the blades to be stressed only in tension at high speed.

Strut

Bracing connecting the central column to the blade increases the strength of the structure and prevents unwanted stress on the blade ends.

Central rotating column

A cylinder rotating together with the blades around a central shaft. It transmits the rotational motion of the blades to the generator and compensates for the vertical load that is created when the upper and lower ends of the blades try to move closer together due to centrifugal force.

Gearbox with generator

The torque of the rotating turbine is transmitted to the electric generator via a gearbox, which increases the revolutions. Both the gearbox and the generator are positioned stationary near the ground, which simplifies installation and maintenance.

Horizontal-axis wind turbine

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Horizontal-axis wind turbine

Nacelle

Nacelle sits atop the tower and houses all of the generating components of the wind turbine like electric generator or gearbox. Some nacelles are as large as a house and weigh many tons.

Tower

A tubular steel tower which supports the structure of the turbine and is mounted on a huge foundation made of solid reinforced concrete. A lift passes through the center of the tower. The tower usually comes in three sections and is assembled on-site. Because wind speed increases with height, taller towers enable turbines to capture more energy and generate more electricity. The tallest off-shore wind turbine tower is more than 200 m high.

Wind vane

The wind vane measures wind direction and communicates with the yaw drive to orient the turbine properly with respect to the wind.

Anemometer

An anemometer is an instrument used to measure the speed of the wind. The data is evaluated by a computer that controls the blade pitch and adjusts the angle of the turbine's blades in order to achieve maximum efficiency.

Blades

The blades are made of fiberglass, sometimes with Kevlar reinforcement. They are hollow and their shape is designed to achieve the best aerodynamic conditions, maximum efficiency and minimum noise generation during movement. When wind flows across the blade, the air pressure on one side of the blade decreases. The difference in air pressure across the two sides of the blade creates both lift and drag. The force of the lift is stronger than the drag and this causes the rotor to spin. Most turbines have three blades.

Rotor

A rotating part of a wind turbine which consists of three blades seated in the hub connected to the main shaft. Inside the hub the blades’ pitch driving mechanism is located.

Main shaft

Part of the turbine's drivetrain, the low-speed main shaft, is connected to the rotor and spins between 8–20 rotations per minute.

Main shaft bearing

The main bearing supports the rotating low-speed shaft and reduces friction between moving parts so that the forces from the rotor do not damage the shaft.

Gearbox

The gear box contains a series of gears ensuring that the output shaft rotates at a continuous frequency, whether the rotor rotates slowly or quickly. The controlled speed allows the use of a synchronous generator, which supplies generated electricity into a transformer station from which it flows directly to the grid.

Rotor brake

If it is necessary to stop wind turbine, the aerodynamic braking is usually used. The blades are turned so that they do not offer resistance to the wind and the turbine smoothly stops during one or two turns. The rotor brake keeps the rotor from turning after it's been shut down by the pitch system and serves as a parking brake for maintenance tasks.

Electric generator

Wind moves the blades and the rotational force is transmitted by a shaft from the rotor through a gearbox to the generator, which converts mechanical energy into electricity. In the electric generator copper windings turns through a magnetic field producing alternate electric current.

Yaw drive

The yaw drive rotates the nacelle to keep the wind turbine facing the current wind direction.

Blade pitch

A hydraulic system that control blade pitch - adjusts the angle of the wind turbine's blades with respect to the wind. By adjusting the angle of a turbine's blades, the pitch system controls the rotor speed and thus how much energy the blades can generate. At a wind speed of 3.5 m/s, the blades are put into their rotating position. When the wind exceeds 25 m/s, the wind turbine stops automatically to prevent overload. The pitch system turns the blades so they do not oppose the wind and the turbine stops smoothly.

Did you know?

The blades wary in length and size, the largest wind turbine has blades more than 100 m long – about the same length as a football field.

Savonius wind turbine

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Savonius wind turbine

Center shaft

The center shaft forms the vertical axis of the turbine rotor. The blades themselves and the stiffening ribs are attached to it. The shaft is mounted in bearings and transmits torque to the generator.

Scoops

The original rotor design consists of two half cylinders that are offset outward from the axis. Due to the different resistance on the convex and concave sides, the turbine rotates in the wind. The helical twist of the turbine blades improves starting and reduces rotor vibration.

End plate

The rotor of a Savonius turbine may have end plates at the top and bottom to improve its efficiency.

Bearings

At least two bearings on the center shaft allow for smooth rotation of the entire rotor and nearly lossless power transfer to the generator.

Generator

The generator that converts the mechanical energy of the rotor into electricity is usually located below the turbine.

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