Why is there only one set of blades per wind turbine?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the structural challenges of wind turbines, particularly the potential for increased efficiency through innovative designs. Civil/structural engineers are exploring the idea of connecting multiple towers to distribute the dynamic loads and overturning forces more effectively. The conversation highlights the importance of addressing the variable nature of wind loads and mentions the use of dynamic blade pitch adjustment to alleviate stress on turbine components. Current advancements include the UK's largest installed turbine at 640 feet, with blades measuring 262 feet, and a new turbine in development exceeding 900 feet in height.

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  • Civil/structural engineering principles
  • Understanding of wind turbine mechanics
  • Knowledge of dynamic load analysis
  • Familiarity with blade pitch control systems
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  • Research multi-tower wind turbine designs
  • Explore dynamic load distribution techniques in structural engineering
  • Investigate advancements in blade pitch adjustment technology
  • Study the impact of wind turbulence on turbine performance
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Civil and structural engineers, renewable energy researchers, wind turbine designers, and anyone involved in optimizing wind turbine efficiency and structural integrity.

Infinitybyzero
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I'm a civil/structural engineer and I was just recently thinking about one of the biggest issues for maximizing the efficiency of a wind turbine - the structure itself. The mega turbines that engineers want already have foundations of titanic proportions because as we all know, flag pole structures require a hell of a lot to keep them upright and stable. So my immediate thought in response to this is: can you allow for higher blade speeds and larger blades if you perhaps tied 4 towers together? I'm wondering if there would be a cost savings on the overall structure if you could take advantage of spreading out the overturning force from the wind and the dynamic load from the turbine on the turbine structure over a frame rather than just a cantilevered column.
 
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I only discovered this the other day, but the load on a wind turbine is far from consistent. Wind contains gusts, eddies and probably other turbulences with a wide range of frequencies. The guy I was talking to was describing a project to dynamically adjust the pitch of the blades to reduce stress on the gearbox that was happening from one side of a rotation to the other.

Bearing that in mind, I think a flag pole structure might provide flex to help even out the force on the turbine and generator components.
 
It would be impossible to tie the towers together at the top because they have to rotate depending on the wind direction.
 
I think the UK currently has the largest installed turbine at 640 feet with each blade 262ft long. However I read something about a turbine in development that's over 900ft tall.
 

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