This research addresses the urgent need for sustainable bioenergy alternatives, specifically evaluating betel nutshells as potential replacements for conventional biomass materials like coconut and palm fibers. The objective of the study was to gauge the inherent bioenergy potential of betel nutshells through an investigation of torrefaction under varying conditions, specifically temperatures ranging from 200-300 °C and residence times between 20-60 minutes in an inert environment. In this study, proximate analyses were utilized to investigate essential characteristics including moisture content, volatile matter, ash content, and fixed carbon, while a bomb calorimeter was used to determine their higher heating values. Initial results indicated that untreated betel nutshells had higher heating values and compositional similarities to coconut and palm fibers, highlighting their potential as a bioenergy source. Advanced torrefaction processes, involving increased temperatures and extended residence times, raised the fixed carbon content and reduced moisture in betel nutshells, thereby optimizing their higher heating value. This improvement is attributed to the decomposition of covalent bonds in the biomass structures, leading to the release of volatile compounds and consequent reductions in both oxygen-to-carbon and hydrogen-to-carbon ratios. Remarkably, at an operating temperature of 300 °C and a residence time of 60 minutes, torrefied betel nutshells reached a higher heating value of 25.20 MJ/kg, marking a substantial 31.39 % increase compared to untreated specimens. This study conclusively positions betel nutshells, typically considered agricultural waste, as competitive alternatives to traditional biomass resources in the biofuel industry.

Offshore wind is generally stronger and more consistent than wind on land. A large part of the offshore wind resource is however located in deep water, where floating wind turbines can harvest more energy. This paper describes a systematic experiment and a simulation analysis (FAST code) about the cyclic pitch control of blades. This work was performed to investigate performance fluctuation of a floating wind turbine utilizing cyclic pitch control. The experiment was carried out in an open wind tunnel with mainstream wind velocity of 10 m/s with the front inflow wind and the oblique inflow wind conditions. A model wind turbine is two-bladed downwind wind turbine with diameter of 1.6 m. Moment and force acts on the model wind turbine were measured by a six-component balance. Fluctuation of power coefficient and thrust coefficient was investigated in the cyclic pitch control. The model wind turbine and the experimental conditions were simulated by FAST code. The comparison of the experimental data and the simulation results of FAST code show that the power coefficient and thrust coefficient are in good agreement. Keywords: Floating Offshore Wind Turbine, Aerodynamic Forces, Cyclic Pitch Control, FAST Code, Wind Tunnel ExperimentArticle History: Received February 11st 2017; Received in revised form April 29th 2017; Accepted June 2nd 2017; Available onlineHow to Cite This Article: Sang, L.Q., Maeda, T., Kamada, Y. and Li, Q. (2017) Experiment and simulation effect of cyclic pitch control on performance of horizontal axis wind turbine to International Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 6(2), 119-125.https://doi.org/10.14710/ijred.6.2.119-125

Once an area has been identified for a wind farm, the annual energy production of the farm is the most important quantity to obtain high exploitation efficiency. This quantity depends mainly on factors such as wind resource characteristics, type, number and arrangement of turbines. For areas with complex terrain, wind resource characteristics depend largely on terrain features, so the selection of turbine installation locations is very important. Because when the turbines operate, they will cause a wake effect that increases the turbulence of the flow behind. Therefore, it is necessary to find the optimal distance between turbines so that the annual energy production reaches the maximum value. This study presents a method to determine the optimal turbine locations when considering the correlation between wake loss and turbine space in the case of mountainous terrain. Firstly, a computational fluid dynamics model combined with a geographic information system are used to determine the 3-dimensional wind characteristics at specific locations. Secondly, a Jensen model is used to consider the wake effect according to the distance between turbines. Then, the the annual energy production values are determined through the analytical model. In addition, a comprehensive assessment of levelized cost of energy is also provided to confirm the practicality of implementing the optimization model. Finally, the optimal location configuration of the turbines is proposed. This method was tested and compared with a farm with sufficient data to assess reliability and then applied to an area in Ninh Thuan, Viet Nam. The results showed that the the annual energy production obtained from this farm can be up to 252.3GWh (30 turbines) compared to 99.9GWh (10 turbines), which is 2.5 times larger.

Offshore wind energy is a renewable energy source that is developing fast. It is considered to be the most promising energy source in the next decade. Besides, the expanding trend for this technology requires the consideration of diversified seabeds. In deep seabeds, floating offshore wind technology (FOWT) is needed. For this latter technology, such as for conventional WT, we need to consider aspects related to performance, aerodynamic force, and forces during operation. In this paper, a two-bladed downwind wind turbine model is utilized to conduct experiments. The collective pitch and cyclic pitch angle are adjusted using swashplated equipment. The fluid forces and moments acting on the rotor surface are measured by a six-component balancing system. By changing the pitch angle of the wind turbine blades, attempts are made to manage the fluid forces generated on the rotor surface. Under varied uniform wind velocities of 7, 8, 9, and 10 m/s, the effect of collective pitch control and cyclic pitch control on the power coefficient and thrust coefficient of FOWT is then discussed. Furthermore, at a wind speed of 10 m/s, both the power coefficient and loads are investigated as the pitch angle and yaw angle change. Experimental results indicate that the combined moment magnitude can be controlled by changing the pitch-angle amplitude. The power coefficient is adjusted by the cyclic pitch-angle controller when the pitch-angle phase changes. In addition, the thrust coefficient fluctuated when the pitch angle changed in the oblique inflow wind condition.