Efficiency analysis of hydraulic wind power transfer system

Abstract

High-pressure hydraulic systems have shown low efficiency in wind power transfer when interface a single-turbine to a ground-level generator. This paper demonstrates that using a central generation unit for a group of wind turbines and transferring the power of each turbine through hydraulic system increases the efficiency of overall system by 17% reaching maximum efficiency of 90.7%The efficiency enhancement depends on the rotational speed of the hydraulic pumps. Therefore, it is proven that the multiple-turbine hydraulic power transfer system reaches higher efficiencies at lower rotational speed as much as 11.83%. This suggests that the variable speed gearbox can be eliminated from the wind powertrains if multiple turbines are connected to the central generation unit. Computer simulations and experimental results are provided to quantify the efficiency enhancements obtained by adding the second wind turbine hydraulic pump to the system. Adding more wind turbines enhances the integrated hydraulic wind systems' power delivery profile and efficiency.