Innovation should be judged on technical merit, not blind enthusiasm. Even for an industry at the leading edge of design and technology, critical evaluations based on sound processes are essential. GL Garrad Hassan expert Peter Jamieson has authored a book: ‘Innovation in Wind Turbine Design’, based on his 30-years plus experience working on wind technology. It addresses the fundamentals of design, the reasons behind design choices, and how to apply existing engineering knowledge to further advance this technology.
Jamieson has been involved with innovative technologies, their assessment, and concept design for his entire career. His background in academic maths and physics, rather than engineering, has seen him work across the entire turbine design process.
“He is a real blue-sky thinker unimpeded by convention and driven by a strong sense of rigour,” says GL Garrad Hassan President Andrew Garrad says of Peter Jamieson. “Innovation in wind turbines is what he has been doing for the last 30 years. Anyone interested in the technical aspects of past developments and the future of wind turbines should read this book carefully and be inspired”.
The book divides into four main sections covering design background, technology evaluation, design themes and examples of innovative technology.
Section 1 reviews aerodynamic theory and the optimisation of rotor design. It discusses wind energy conversion systems, drive trains, scaling issues, offshore wind turbines, and concludes with an overview of technology trends with a glimpse of possible future technology.
Section 2, a global view of the many design options for wind turbines, develops an evaluation method, including the cost of energy assessment with some specific examples.
Section 3 discusses recurrent design themes such as blade number, pitch or stall, horizontal or vertical axis
Section 4 considers examples of innovative technology with case studies from real-life commercial clients.
GL Garrad Hassan
www.gl-garradhassan.com
Filed Under: News, Turbines
Patrick Simpson says
wind turbine design is there any available online?