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> why don't wind turbines have more than one "wheel" Which I take to mean more than one set of blades? In which case it's because they interfere with each othe
by NeedMoreTea 7y ago
> why don't wind turbines have more than one "wheel"
Which I take to mean more than one set of blades? In which case it's because they interfere with each other, and reduce the power generation possible in all surrounding turbines. Wind farms come with a minimum separation that is something like 5 or 10 blade diameters spacing, depending on prevailing winds. That spacing gives every turbine clear air free of induced eddy currents.
This is also why scaled down rooftop and urban wind generation doesn't really work - there are too many eddy currents such that generation becomes very intermittent.
- badrabbit 7y agoThank you, first time learnig about eddy currents. Maybe the mobility of sea based turbines makes them a bit more attractive if they can move around to position themselves for maximum efficiency?
- NeedMoreTea 7y agoIt's a similar effect to wake turbulence from large jets - invisible without added cloud or smoke, but can have a dramatic effect, so they space landings out well. The offshore turbines I know of are in relatively shallow water, and fixed construction on the sea bed. Not sure if deep water turbines could move around, but I imagine the processing needed to calculate would be immense - fluid dynamics is pretty complex!