Momentum Theory
The momentum theory or disk actuator theory is a theory describing a mathematical
model of an ideal actuator disk. The rotor is modelled as an infinitely thin disc, inducing a
constant velocity along the axis of rotation.
Fig. Flow field of a Wind Turbine and Actuator disc.
Properties of the actuator disk.
The flow is perfect fluid, steady, and incompressible.
The actuator disc models the turbine blades and the disc extracts energy from
the flow.
The actuator disc creates a pressure discontinuity across the disc.
The flow is uniform through the disc and in the wake.
The disc does not impart any swirl to the flow. The influence of wake rotation
is not considered in simple momentum theory.
Axial Induction Factor: A new parameter that measures how much the wind velocity, V∞ has
been affected by the actuator disc is called the axial induction factor.
a =(V∞-Vd)/Vd
Fig: Cylindrical Control Volume surrounding the stream-tube.
The power coefficient, Cp, is defined as the ratio of the power extracted from the wind (P)and
the available power of wind.
Cp=2P/ ρAdV∞3
Where P is 2ρAdV∞3a(1-a)2
Cpmax=0.593
The maximum theoretical power coefficient, Cpmax = 0.593, is often referred to as the Betz limit
after Albert Betz. the area of the wake, Aw is three-times as large as that of the stream tube far
upstream of the actuator disc, A∞ or twice the cross-sectional area of actuator disc, Ad.
Momentum theory with wake rotation
The previous momentum theory for the rotor disk provided the optimum inflow
induction factor, a = 0:33, to maximize the power coefficient, Cpmax = 0:593. That
analysis assumed that the rotor disk did not generate any rotation of the flow field in
the wake. The following considers the effect of rotation and seeks the conditions that
maximize the power coefficient, Cp. The momentum analysis is modified to allow the
actuator disc to impart rotation to the ow downstream of the disc. The flow upstream
of the actuator disc is not affected by the disc rotation. Immediately behind the actuator
disc, a tangential flow is imparted to the downstream wake.
Fig. Schematic of the induced rotation of the flow downstream of the rotating actuator
disc.
Blade Element Momentum Theory
Actuator disc theory provides us with simple formulas to calculate the power extracted
and thrust acting on the wind turbine rotor. It provided a theoretical limit on the power that
can be extracted from the wind. However, it is unable to predict the performance of wind
turbine rotor blades as a function of the rotor blade design parameters such as
rotor radius,
number of blades,
blade chord,
blade twist,
aerofoil section shape,
and radial variations of these.
It involves breaking a blade down into several small parts then determining the forces
on each of these small blade elements. These forces are then integrated along the entire
blade and over one rotor revolution in order to obtain the forces and moments produced by
the entire propeller or rotor. The theory does not include secondary effects such as 3-D flow
velocities induced on the propeller by the shed tip vortex or radial components of flow
induced by angular acceleration due to the rotation of the rotor. In comparison with real
propeller results this theory will over-predict thrust and under-predict torque with a
resulting increase in theoretical efficiency of 5% to 10% over measured performance.
The objective is to optimize the aerodynamic performance and thereby maximize the
power output of the wind turbine. The tangential flow is represented through an angular
induction factor a|, where
a|=ω/2Ω
Ω is the angular velocity of rotor disc.
Ω is the angular velocity imparted to the wake.
An important parameter for a wind turbine is the tip speed ratio λ.
λ=ΩR/V∞
Fig. Illustration of the aerodynamic forces acting on a wind turbine blade section at a
distance r from the axis of rotation.
The angle of attack of the air foil section on the rotor is the angle between the air foil
chord line and the resultant velocity the air foil section experiences. With rotation, the resultant
velocity, Vr is made up of the vector sum of the wind speed and the rotational speed of the
blade section.
Vr=[(V∞(1-a))2+(Ωr(1+a|)2)]1/2
both the wind speed and rotation velocities are modified by the axial and angular induction
factors. The normal and tangential forces on a section of the blade can be expressed in terms
of the differential lift and drag forces.
dL=CLρVr2cdr
dD=CDρVr2cdr
The lift and drag coefficients are functions of the air foil section angle of attack, α.
Prandtl’s Tip Loss Factor
Fig. Illustration of rotor tip vortices from a three-bladed wind turbine rotor.
The vortices that form at the tip of the rotor result in added drag that was not accounted for in
the momentum analysis. The BEM approach assumes that each section of the rotor is
independent of the neighbour sections. This is a reasonable assumption for the inboard portion
of the rotor blade. However, a significant interference occurs on the outboard radial portion of
the rotor blades. Specifically, at the rotor tip, flow from the high-pressure side of the rotor blade
passes around the blade tip to the lower pressure side.
