B ERKELEY L AB I NITIATIVES FOR P ROLIFERATION P REVENTION E NGINEERING D IVISION Low-Maintenance Wind Power System IPP Project ID: LBNLT2-0203-RU Daryl

BBERKELEYERKELEY L LABAB •• I INITIATIVESNITIATIVES FORFOR P PROLIFERATIONROLIFERATION P PREVENTIONREVENTION •• EENGINEERINGNGINEERING D DIVISIONIVISION

Low-Maintenance Wind Power System

IPP Project ID: LBNLT2-0203-RU

Daryl Oshatz Engineering Division

October 30, 2003


Low-Maintenance Wind Power System

• NIS Partner: Makeyev Design Bureau State Rocket Center (SRC)

• Industrial Partner: Empire Magnetics• National Lab: LBNL Engineering Division

• Outline– Project Partners– Project Overview– Achievements

• SRC• Berkeley Lab• Empire Magnetics

– Project Spending– Key Challenges– Plans for Year 2– Conclusions


Project Partners

• Makeyev Design Bureau State Rocket Center (SRC), Miass, Russia

– Leading developer of submarine-launched ballistic missile systems. Several generations of these systems constitute the core of the Russian naval strategic force, as they did during the cold war.

– Since the early 1990’s has begun to apply aerodynamic modeling, testing capabilities, and engineering and manufacturing expertise to the development of wind power systems.

• Empire Magnetics, Inc., Rohnert Park, CA

– Develops and commercializes specialty electric motors. Has expertise in the design and production of electro-mechanical systems that are durable in extreme climatic conditions.

– Uralmet, a Russian company located in Chelyabinsk, has provided engineering services to Empire for several years. Uralmet acts as a liaison to SRC on a daily basis and will commercialize the wind turbines in Russia in collaboration with SRC Vertical (new JSC) and Empire.


Overview

• Project Goal – Design and prototype a small wind power system (< 100 kW capacity) suitable for mass production and subsequent commercialization.

• Design goals:– High reliability with minimal maintenance.– Optimal design for high volume manufacturing methods to

minimize cost.– Emphasis on overall system economics, not just

aerodynamic efficiency.

• Roles:– SRC: Rotor, structure, integration, and system testing.– Empire: Project management, alternator, bearings, power

electronics, and control system.– LBNL: Overall project management, system engineering

and technical review.


Overall Achievements

• Design studies and simulations• LBNL market research• Airfoil and alternator prototypes• Collaboration Meeting at LBNL in

June 2003

Design concept for a 1-3 kW turbineThe alternator is centered in the rotor and contains the mechanical bearings

EMPIRE MAGNETICS PROPRIETARY


Achievements - SRC

• Engineering conceptual design studies have been performed for several turbines up to 30 kW in size.

1 kW folding concept 3 kW concept 30 kW concept


Achievements – SRC (cont.)

• Prototype airfoils– 5 airfoil sets with unique profiles have been designed and

fabricated (fiberglass and plastic, 320 mm length).– Hydrodynamic testing at SRC and wind tunnel testing is

planned at Kazan State University, Tatarstan, Russia.

Prototype airfoils (1 kW design) Hydrodynamic tunnel testing of airfoil



• Numerical simulations for 1, 3, and 30 kW systems indicate aerodynamic efficiencies of approximately 37 percent.

A typical power curve for a 1 kW turbine includes airfoil performance, drag effects, and speed control algorithms.



• Global patent search– No significant IP obstacles for the VAWT designs

now under development.– No competing manufacturers in Russia.

• SRC Vertical, LLC has been established– Jointly owned by SRC and Uralmet.– Will commercialize the wind turbines in Russia.


Achievements - LBNL

• LBNL market research: – Global demand for small wind turbines is growing.

• $140 million/year in 2002

• $750 million/year by 2005 (150 MW/year).

– Economically optimal wind power product, given the capabilities of SRC and Empire:

• Demand will increase dramatically below $4 / watt (installed).

• Target the grid connected, residential consumer market.

• Turbine capacity less than 10 kW.

– Investor and industry skepticism about VAWT vs. HAWT technology must be overcome.

• Demonstrate successful operation of a prototype and obtain certification.

• System must be delivered with adequate efficiency and low enough cost to achieve a five-year payback period.


Achievements – LBNL (cont.)

• Reports– Market study by Ryan Wiser and Mark Bolinger of

the LBNL Environmental Energy Technologies Division

• Domestic and Global Wind Power Markets for Large and Small Wind Turbines, LBID-2459, 2003

– Global Energy Concepts, an engineering consulting firm specializing in wind energy,

• Market, Cost, and Technical Analysis of Vertical and Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines, 2003


Achievements - Empire

• Has built several versions of 6 and 9 inch diameter alternators to refine the design, mathematical models, and production processes.

• A 60 cm alternator for the 1 kW wind turbine has been mechanically designed and is nearing prototype fabrication.

• Empire has developed a unique coil geometry and winding techniques and plans on patenting the IP.




Achievements – Empire (cont.)

• Empire’s CEO and another staff member visited SRC in July of 2002 to initiate agreements and project plans.

• Staff of partner company, Uralmet have provided daily communication between SRC, Empire, and LBNL.

• Because of difficulties transferring IPP funds through ISTC to SRC staff, Empire and Uralmet have expended considerable effort and funds to keep the project moving forward– Legal services– Translation services– Software, CAD modeling and training


Project Spending as of 9/15/03

IPP FundingLBNL Year 1 Year 2T2-0203 Budget Costs Balance Budget Costs BalanceLBNL $177,000 $161,622 $15,378 $228,000 $0 $228,000SRC $475,000 $254,787 $220,213 $470,000 $0 $470,000Total $652,000 $416,409 $235,591 $698,000 $0 $698,000


Key Challenges

• Primary challenge – Difficulty in paying grants, purchasing equipment and materials, and placing contracts through ISTC.– Although IPP funding was available in May of 2002, the

project was not initiated through ISTC until January of 2003 - first funds were transferred to SRC in June of 2003.

– In addition to strictly limiting the number of authorized suppliers, ISTC has been slow to make partial advance payments to subcontractors for fabrication of hardware and procurement of materials.

– ISTC funding delays substantively limited SRC’s progress in the first two quarters of 2003.


Key Challenges (Cont.)

• Empire still seeks investment funding to fulfill its role in the project and ensure a path to profitability in this venture.– Funding delays caused by ISTC have slowed

prototype development of the turbine.– Investors want proof of minimal, if any, technical

risk and require demonstration of performance claims.

– Since the initiation of the IPP project in 2001, the investment climate has worsened throughout the U.S.


Key Challenges (Cont.)

• Breaking the $4 / watt price barrier.– Competitors in the small wind industry are now offering

turbines at $4 – $8 / watt (installed) and shipping 100 to 1000 units per month.

– No matter how simple and reliable, turbines must be designed for mass production and target a market niche with enough demand to sustain high volume sales in order to compete.

– After successful prototype testing, additional investment in tooling and manufacturing facilities will be required to lower unit costs.

– The artist Jerome Kirk is bringing his expertise in the aesthetics of wind driven sculpture to the collaboration to help the turbines compete in the residential consumer market.


Plans for Year 2

• Detailed design and construction of prototype turbines between 1 and 30 kW in capacity.– Rotor prototype testing to verify mathematical simulations.– Alternator and bearing prototype testing.– Power electronics design and testing.

• Final design and fabrication of preproduction prototypes.– Field testing and incorporation of refinements based on

results.– Fatigue testing and durability assessments.– Design of tooling and manufacturing engineering

optimizations for mass production.– Documentation, patenting, begin certification process.


Conclusions

• Despite bureaucratic and funding challenges, significant technical and business progress has been made in Year 1.

• Market studies indicate a promising global opportunity for a grid connected wind power system less than 10 kW in capacity.

• Well developed simulations and conceptual designs are in place for turbines up to 30 kW in size.

• Airfoil and alternator prototypes have been built and testing is under way.

Documents

B ERKELEY L AB I NITIATIVES FOR P ROLIFERATION P REVENTION E NGINEERING D IVISION Low-Maintenance Wind Power System IPP Project ID: LBNLT2-0203-RU Daryl