Vibration and noise studies on wind turbine generator for reduction of vibrations and noise

Purpose Wind power is the one of best natural resources to meet the demands of electricity in India. In this regard, one of engineering college in Visakhapatnam has procured wind turbine generators of 200 kWp and got these installed on the rooftop of the college buildings for research and power generation. After starting the mills, huge vibrations were experienced by the staff and students in the laboratories and classrooms. So, the purpose of this paper is to carry out vibration and noise studies on wind turbine generator to identify the problem for high vibrations and suggest a novel method for vibration reduction. Design/methodology/approach Experimental vibration and natural frequency investigations are carried when wind velocity around 6.0 m/s using frequency analyzer, impact hammer, condenser microphone and accelerometer. An attempt is made to reduce the vibration and noise level of wind turbine generator by inserting a steel coil spring of 300 mm length having 20 turns in series with turnbuckle D shackle assembly, which is used to connect the wind turbine generator to the hook mounted on slab. Findings A high vibration velocity of 9.9 mm/s was observed on at base frame of wind turbine generator. The natural frequencies of hook and slab are observed in between 15 to 20 Hz from the natural frequency test. A high noise of 94.67 dBA is observed at a distance of 1 m from the base of wind turbine generator along the rotational axis of rotor. After modification to the baseline, WTG the vibration and noise levels are reduced to 4.8 mm/sec and 77.76 dBA, respectively. Originality/value This is the first time to study the huge vibrations generated in wind turbine generators installed on the rooftop of the college. Developed a novel methodology to reduce the vibrations by inserting a steel coil springs in turnbuckle D shackle assembly of wind turbine generators. After modification, wind turbine generator are running successfully without any high vibrations.