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| Types of Wind Turbines |
Engineers at Iowa State University think
concrete columns could be the key to building taller, higher-powered wind
turbines. By making the switch from steel to concrete, it's thought that the
upper limit of turbine column height could be raised from 80 m (262 ft) to over
100 m (328 ft).
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| Steel Wind Turbines |
"We have definitely reached the limits of steel
towers," says Sri Sritharan, Wilson Engineering Professor at Iowa State in
a University press release. "Increasing the steel tower by 20 meters will
require significant cost increases and thus the wind energy industry is
starting to say, 'Why don't we go to concrete?'"
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| Concrete Wind Turbine Construction |
To answer that question the engineers used the hydraulic testing
equipment at the University's Structural Engineering Research Laboratory to see
if hexagonal sections of concrete column could withstand 150,000 lb (68,000 kg)
of lateral load, which is 20 percent more than the peak load in turbine columns
of this height. The team tested three different methods of construction, all of
which passed the threshold.
The researchers think that the use of concrete will extend the
life of wind turbines, as well as making transportation easier due to the use
of smaller parts. Taller columns would allow the user of longer turbine blades,
and the harvesting of energy from less turbulent winds; factors which could
increase energy production by 15 percent.
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| Typical section of Wind Turbine |
"I definitely think we're getting close to being able to
use this technology in the industry," said research engineer Grant
Schmitz.
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