Study information

Advanced Wind Energy - 2025 entry

MODULE TITLEAdvanced Wind Energy CREDIT VALUE15
MODULE CODEENEM011 MODULE CONVENERProf Justin Hinshelwood (Coordinator)
DURATION: TERM 1 2 3
DURATION: WEEKS 10 10 0
Number of Students Taking Module (anticipated) 18
DESCRIPTION - summary of the module content

This module is taught throughout terms 1 and 2 of the 4th year M Eng programme and gives you a more detailed understanding of all aspects of the wind energy industry but particularly wind farm and wind turbine design, as development of their previous wind energy studies.

You will need a good grounding in all aspects of wind energy and the wind energy industry and it is unlikely to be suited to non-specialists in renewable energy.

This module may be of value to engineering students interested in energy generation and sustainability issues.

AIMS - intentions of the module

In this module, you develop detailed knowledge and understanding of design principles and practical wind farm and wind turbine design, to the extent that you could design new wind farm projects and design wind turbines or individual components that meet recognised design codes. You will also develop a practical knowledge of wind farm construction, operations and maintenance and health and safety issues etc. 
 
In achieving this level of capability, you will develop some competence with computational design tools that are routinely adopted in industry, for analysis and for project and turbine design tasks. You will gain an introduction to industry standard wind power related computer packages e.g. GH Bladed.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (ILOs) (see assessment section below for how ILOs will be assessed)

Programmes that are accredited by the Engineering Council are required to meet Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes (AHEP4) Learning Outcomes (www.engc.org.uk/ahep). The Engineering Council AHEP4 Learning Outcomes taught and assessed on this module are specified by the codes below.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:  

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge  

1. detail knowledge and understanding of the aerodynamics, control, reliability and design of wind turbines (M1);  
2. apply mathematical and computer-based approaches for solving problems related to turbine design (M20  
3. Select and apply appropriate computational and analytical techniques to model complex problems, discussing the limitations of the techniques employed (M3); 

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge  

4. Select and critically evaluate technical literature and other sources of information to solve complex problems (M4);  

5. Design solutions for complex problems that evidence some originality and meet a combination of societal, user, business and customer needs as appropriate. This will involve consideration of applicable health & safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental and commercial matters, codes of practice and industry standards (M5);  

Personal and Key Transferable / Employment Skills and Knowledge  

6. use appropriate codes of practice and industry standards.  
7. be aware of quality and health and safety issues. 

 

SYLLABUS PLAN - summary of the structure and academic content of the module
  • Conceptual design of wind turbines [2 hours] 
  • Rotor diameter, rating, rotational speed, number of blades, power control, braking systems, fixed speed, opti-speed and
  • variable speed, drive train mounting, rotor position, tower stiffness, access and safety. 
  • Wind energy resource assessment [4 hours] 
  • Met mast types and installation. Anemometers types, calibration and problems. Analysis of wind measurements. Satellite wind sensing and data analysis. Measure-Correlate-Predict procedures. Reliability and uncertainty. 
  • Foundation engineering [4 hours] 
  • Ground investigation and rock & soil testing; slab, multi piled, mono-piled, multi-pad foundations; foundation design; construction methods. 
  • Structural engineering [4 hours] 
  • Introduction to use of Bladed turbine design software to consider materials and section properties; non-operational, operational and extreme loads on WTs; methods of analysis; dynamic response of steel tubular towers, start up/down loading; fatigue loading. 
  • Aerodynamical engineering [6 hours]. Actuator disks & vortex cylinder model, blade theory, blade geometry, rotor loss, aerodynamics in yaw; stall conditions, acceleration potential. 
  • Power train/power take off [2 hours]. Rotor, gearbox systems, drive shafts, matching electrical machines. Hydraulic power take off systems. (Electrical power take off systems and electrical power systems integration is covered specifically in complementary module CSM403 Further Electrical and Electronics Engineering) 
  •  
  • Control Systems [4 hours]. Functions of WT controller, closed-loop control: issues, techniques, analytical design, pitch actuators, control system implementation. 
  • Operational performance of wind turbines [2 hours]. Review of performance curves. Measured vs theoretical performance. Availability. Field testing. Analysis of test data. Turbulence effects. Routine condition monitoring. 
  • Future developments [2 hours]. Scale challenges, improving efficiency 
  • Engineering Software. Bespoke wind turbine design tools ֖Bladed [2-4 hours]  see Structural engineering. Wind farm design and evaluation tools: Windfarmer [2-4 hours] Windfarm [2-4 hours] 
  • CDM (Construction, Design & Management ) Regulations [2 hours] 
  • Pre-construction issues, discharging permit conditions [2 hours] 
  • Turbine transport & environmental/haulage issues [2 hours] 
  • Wind farm construction – civil works [2 hours] 
  • Wind farm operations & maintenance [2 - 3 hours] 
  • Health & Safety – general, working at height, H&S regulation, hazard/risk registers [2-3 hours] 
  • Offshore turbine foundations [2 hours] 
  • Offshore wind farms – specifics of permitting/EIA [2-4 hours] 
  • Offshore wind [4-6 hours].Components of large offshore wind farms understanding of all constituent parts and activities associated with offshore wind farm development, installation, operations, materials etc.
LEARNING AND TEACHING
LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning & Teaching Activities 40 Guided Independent Study 110 Placement / Study Abroad 0
DETAILS OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS
Category Hours of study time Description
Scheduled learning & teaching activities 32 Lectures with integrated tutorials in various advanced wind energy topics.
Scheduled learning & teaching activities 8 Instructional classes on use of software in various wind energy related software packages
Guided independent study 110 Directed self study

 

ASSESSMENT
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT - for feedback and development purposes; does not count towards module grade
Form of Assessment Size of Assessment (e.g. duration/length) ILOs Assessed Feedback Method
       
       
       
       
       
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT (% of credit)
Coursework 50 Written Exams 50 Practical Exams 0
DETAILS OF SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Form of Assessment % of Credit Size of Assessment (e.g. duration/length) ILOs Assessed Feedback Method
Wind project design report 50 15 pages @150 words/page (calculation & design drawings equivalent to 3000 words) 1-6 Written feedback on assignment topsheet
Examination 50 2 hours 1,2,3,5 Breakdown of marks for each question/question part published for each student
         
         
         

 

DETAILS OF RE-ASSESSMENT (where required by referral or deferral)
Original Form of Assessment Form of Re-assessment ILOs Re-assessed Time Scale for Re-assessment
Summative assessment Additional summative assessment 1-6 Referral/Deferral period
Examination Additional Examination 1, 2, 3, 5 Referral/Deferral period
       

 

RE-ASSESSMENT NOTES

As above 1 piece of coursework 50% and 1 examination 50%.

RESOURCES
INDICATIVE LEARNING RESOURCES - The following list is offered as an indication of the type & level of
information that you are expected to consult. Further guidance will be provided by the Module Convener

 

Web based and Electronic Resources:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm.htm

CDM Regs in full - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/320/contents/made

 

Other Resources:

1.Bladed _ Wind turbine design software                 

2.Windfarmer  Wind farm design and optimisation software

3.WindFarm - Wind farm design and optimisation software

Reading list for this module:

Type Author Title Edition Publisher Year ISBN
Set Burton, T Wind energy handbook Chichester: John Wiley 2001 0471489972
Set Hansen, M. O. L. Aerodynamics of wind turbines London : James and James 2008 1902916069
Set Gipe, P. Wind power London : Earthscan 2004 1902916549
Set Gipe, P., Righter, R.W. Wind power in view : energy landscapes in a crowded world. London : Academic 0125463340
Set Piggot, H. Windpower workshop: building your own wind turbine Powys Centre for Alternative Technology Publications 2000 1898049270.
Set Gasch, R. and Twele, J. Wind power plants : fundamentals, design, construction and operation Berlin : Solarpraxis 2002 3934595235
Set Redlinger, R. Y., Andersen, P. D., Morthorst, P. E. Wind energy in the 21st century : economics, policy, technology and the changing electricity industry Basingstoke : Palgrave 2002 0333792483
Set Rivkin, Toomey & Silk Wind Turbine Technology and Deisgn Jones and Bartlett Learning 2013 978-1-4496-2457-6
CREDIT VALUE 15 ECTS VALUE 7.5
PRE-REQUISITE MODULES None
CO-REQUISITE MODULES None
NQF LEVEL (FHEQ) 7 AVAILABLE AS DISTANCE LEARNING No
ORIGIN DATE Monday 11th March 2024 LAST REVISION DATE Wednesday 16th April 2025
KEY WORDS SEARCH Wind, energy, turbine, design, engineering

Please note that all modules are subject to change, please get in touch if you have any questions about this module.