Floating and flying windmills harness wind power over bodies of water and at high altitudes. Floating windmills are mounted on floating structures allowing generation in deeper waters. Flying windmills are tethered helium balloons that carry wind turbines to altitudes with faster, steadier winds. The presentation discusses the history, components, types like spar buoys and semi-submersibles, and applications of floating windmills. It also examines the Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS) flying windmill design, its components including sails, helium, and a tether, and its advantages over conventional wind turbines.

1. SWAMI KESHVANAND INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
MANAGEMENT & GRAMOTHAN
Presentation on
“Floating and flying windmill”
SUBMITTED TO:- SUBMITTED BY:
(Department of Electrical Tanishk Jharwal
Engineering)

2. CONTENT
 Introduction to Floating & Flying windmills
 History of Floating windmills
 Components of windmill
 Types of Floating Windmills
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Floating windmills
 Applications of Floating Windmills
 Flying Windmill
 Components of Flying Windmill
 Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS)
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Flying Windmills
 Applications of Flying Windmills

3. INTRODUCTION
Floating Windmills
Floating wind turbine is a wind turbine mounted on a floating structure that allows the turbine to generate electricity in water depths where
bottom-mounted towers are not feasible. The wind can be stronger and steadier over water due to the absence of topographic features that
may disrupt wind flow. The electricity generated is sent to shore through undersea cables. The initial capital cost of floating turbines is
competitive with bottom-mounted, near-shore wind turbines while the rate of energy generation is higher out in the sea as the wind flow is
often more steady and unobstructed by terrain features. The relocation of wind farms into the sea can reduce visual pollution if the windmills
are sited more than 12 miles (19 km) offshore, provide better accommodation of fishing and shipping lanes, and allow siting near heavily
developed coastal cities. Floating wind parks are wind farms that site several floating wind turbines closely together to take advantage of
common infrastructure such as power transmission facilities.

4. Flying windmills
Flying windmills result from small modifications in the conventional windmill that can produce a greater amount of energy and save a lot of money in the
energy sector. A flying windmill is very similar to that of a hot air balloon but filled with helium gas instead, which helps the rotor and generator floating
in the air, and tied with the help of a tether and replace those conventional, heavy and costly pillars made up of concrete and iron. Wind energy is a
renewable energy source, and due to the higher expenditure one has to bear, conventional windmills cannot dominate in the power sector. Therefore, flying
windmills are better alternatives to conventional power sources due to their low cost. Wind speed increase with the increase in altitude and is consistent at
higher altitudes. Wind results from air in motion. The circulation of air in the atmosphere is caused by the non-uniform heating of the earth’s surface by the
sun. Despite the wind’s intermittent nature, wind patterns at any particular site remain remarkably constant year by year. Average wind speeds are greater
in hilly and coastal areas than they are well inland. The winds also tend to blow more consistently and with greater strength over the surface of the water
where there is a less surface drag.

5. History of Floating Windmills
 The concept for large-scale offshore floating wind turbines was introduced by Professor William E.
Heronemus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1972.
 It was not until the mid 1990s, after the commercial wind industry was well established, that the topic was
taken up again by the mainstream research community.
 Blue H Technologies of the Netherlands deployed the world's first floating wind turbine, 21.3 kilometres
(13.2 mi) off the coast of Apulia
 The first large-capacity, 2.3-megawatt floating wind turbine was Hywind, which became operational in
the North Sea near Norway in September 2009.
 The world's first commercial floating offshore windfarm, Hywind Scotland, was commissioned in 2017.

6. Components of Windmills

7. 1) Blades:
The generation of power increases with the increase in the number of blades. Most of the wind turbines have three
blades, though there are some with two blades. The blades are generally 30m to 50m long, with the most common sizes
around 40m. Blade weights vary, depending on the design and materials. A 40m LM Glasfiber blade for a 1.5 MW
turbine weighs 5,780 kg (6.4 tons) and one a 2.0 MW turbine weighs 6,290 kg (6.9 tons).
2) Nacelles:
The nacelle houses the main components of the wind turbine, such as the controller, gearbox, generator, and shafts. This
part protects the wind turbine equipment.
3)Controller:
The controller monitors the condition of the turbine and controls the turbine movement. The control system changes the
blade pitch, nacelle yaw, and generator loading of a wind turbine. The control system can also change the pitch of the
blades to alter the amount of torque produced by the rotor. The purpose of the control system is to maximize power
output.

8. 4) Gearbox
The gearbox present in the turbine helps in increasing the rotational speed of the shaft. A low-speed shaft feeds into the
gearbox and a high-speed shaft feeds from the gearbox into the generator. Some turbines use direct drive generators that
are capable of producing electricity at a lower rotational speed.
5) Generators
Wind turbines typically have a single AC generator that converts the mechanical energy from the wind turbine’s rotation
into electrical energy. Clipper wind power uses a different design that features four DC generators. Offshore wind
turbines typically send power through cables.
6) Rotor
The rotor includes both the blades and the hub which consists of normally two or three blades attached to a hub. The
system performance of the wind turbine is based on the selection of blade number, shape, and length. The rotor can be
either upwind or downwind design. Most wind turbines are three bladed upwind designs.

9. 7) Towers
Towers are usually tubular steel towers 60m to 80m high that consist of three sections of varying heights.
There are some towers with heights around 100m. The tower supports the wind turbine nacelle and rotor.
8) Floating body
The floating body supports all wind turbine elements in the ocean. The floating body is tied up by the
mooring systems and has enough buoyancy to support the structure. The placement of wind turbines in harsh
offshore environments is an engineering challenge, which requires development of suitable platforms to
support the floating turbines therefore floating wind turbine concepts are classified according their floater.

10. Types of floating wind turbines
 Spar-buoy type
 Tension-leg platform (TLP) type
 Semi-submersible type (Column stabilized)
 Pontoon-type (Barge-type).

11. Spar-buoy type
 A cylinder with low water plane area, ballasted to keep the center of gravity below the center of buoyancy. The
foundation is kept in position by catenary or taut spread mooring lines with drag or suction anchors.

12.  Pros:-
• Tendency for lower critical wave-induced motions
• Simple design
• Lower installed mooring cost
 Cons:-
• Offshore operations require heavy-lift vessels and currently can be done
only in relatively sheltered, deep water
• Needs deeper water than other concepts (>100 meters)

13. Tension-leg platform (TLP) type
 Tension leg platform Highly buoyant, with central column and arms connected to tensioned tendons which secure
the foundation to the suction / piled anchors.

14.  Pros:
• Tendency for lower critical wave-induced motions
• Low mass
• Can be assembled onshore or in a dry dock
• Can be used in water depths to 50-60 meters, depending on metocean conditions
 Cons:
• Harder to keep stable during transport and installation
• Depending on the design, a special purpose vessel may be required
• Some uncertainty about impact of possible high-frequency dynamic effects on turbine
• Higher installed mooring cost

15. Semi-submersible type(or “spar submersible”)
 A number of large columns linked by connecting bracings / submerged pontoons. The columns provide the
hydrostatic stability, and pontoons provide additional buoyancy. The foundation is kept in position by catenary or
taut spread mooring lines and drag anchors.

16.  Pros:
 Constructed onshore or in a dry dock
 Fully equipped platforms (including turbines) can float with drafts below 10 meters during transport
 Transport to site using conventional tugs
 Can be used in water depths to about 40 meters
 Lower installed mooring cost
 Cons:
 Tendency for higher critical wave-induced motions
 Tends to use more material and larger structures in comparison to other concepts
 Complex fabrication compared with other concepts, especially spar buoys

17. Pontoon-type (Barge-type)
 The pontoon type floating wind turbine has a very large pontoon structure to carry a group of wind turbines. The
large pontoon structure achieves stability via distributed buoyancy and by taking advantage of the weighted water
plane area for righting moment. The pontoon type may be moored by conventional catenary anchor chains.
However, the setback of the pontoon-type wind turbine is that it is susceptible to the roll and pitch motions in waves
experienced by ocean going ship shaped vessels and may only be sited in calm seas, like in a harbour, sheltered
cove or lagoon.

18. Advantages of Floating windmills
 Offshore wind speeds tend to be faster than on land. Small increases in wind speed yield large increases in energy production: a
turbine in a 15-mph wind can generate twice as much energy as a turbine in a 12-mph wind. Faster wind speeds offshore mean
much more energy can be generated.
 Offshore wind speeds tend to be steadier than on land. A steadier supply of wind means a more reliable source of energy.
 Many coastal areas have very high energy needs. Building offshore wind farms in these areas can help to meet those energy
needs from nearby sources.
 Offshore wind farms have many of the same advantages as land-based wind farms – they provide renewable energy; they do
not consume water; they provide a domestic energy source; they create jobs; and they do not emit environmental pollutants or
greenhouse gases.

19. Disadvantages of Floating Windmills
 Offshore wind farms can be expensive and difficult to build and maintain. In particular:It is very hard to build robust and secure
wind farms in water deeper than around 200 feet (~60 m), or over half a football field’s length.
 Wave action, and even very high winds, particularly during heavy storms or hurricanes, can damage wind turbines.
 The production and installation of power cables under the seafloor to transmit electricity back to land can be very expensive.
 Effects of offshore wind farms on marine animals and birds are not fully understood.
 Offshore wind farms built within view of the coastline may be unpopular among local residents, and may affect tourism and
property values.

20. Applications of Floating Windmills
 As they are suitable for towing, floating wind turbine units can be relocated to any location on the sea
without much additional cost. So they can be used as prototype test units to practically assess the design
adequacy and wind power potential of prospective sites.
 When the transmission of generated wind power to nearby land is not economical, the power can be used
in power to gas applications to produce hydrogen gas, ammonia / urea, reverse
osmosis water desalination, natural gas, LPG, alkylate / gasoline, etc. on floating platforms which can be
easily transported to nearby consuming centres.
 Floating wind turbines can be used to provide motive power for achieving artificial upwelling of nutrient-
rich deep ocean water to the surface for enhancing fisheries growth in areas with tropical and temperate
weather.
 Pumping water, Saw-milling of Timber Milling ,grains Drainage-pumping ,Oil extraction from seeds
,Machining

21. Flying Windmill
 It is a windmill similar to a conventional one in its working principle but here the rotor and generator will be
floating in air just like a hot air balloon. The generator will be enclosed in an inflatable structure and this structure is
held by a Tether and tied to the ground. Canadian engineer Fred Ferguson, specialized in airships, proposed an
innovative system called as Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS). Magenn’s design is radically different from other
windmills on the market it would not use propeller blades. Instead, it would be a helium blimp, with Savories-style
scoops causing it to rotate around motors at the attachment-points to its tether.

22. Components of Flying Windmill

23. 1) Airborne wind Generator
Paramount set up in the flying windmill helps generate electricity by converting the rotary motion into electrical energy.
The wind pushes directly against the sail, which converts the wind's linear motion into the rotary motion necessary to
spin the generator's rotor. The harder the wind pushes, the more is electrical energy generated. Then it is essential to
have a good wind turbine blade design to extract as much power out of the wind as possible. Airborne generators'
working is because of the effects of a moving magnetic field past an electrical coil. A magnetic field is created when
electrons flow through an electrical coil. Likewise, when a magnetic field moves past a coil of wire, a voltage is induced
in the electric coil as defined by Faraday's law of magnetic induction, causing electrons to flow.
2) Axle
A central shaft used for rotating the wheel is termed an axle. The large sails of a windmill turned on an axle by the
wind's power. The axle was joined to wheels and gears within the bat. They turned as the sails turned.

24. 3) Rudder
A rudder is a flat plane or a sheet of material attached with sails. It is a primary control surface used to steer a flying
windmill that moves through an air medium. A rudder operates by redirecting the air past the sail, thus imparting a
turning or yawing motion to the flying windmill. They are shaped to minimize aerodynamic drag.
4) Tether
A tether is a conducting wire that connects the airborne generator of the flying windmill with the transformer via the
winch. It is a thick connecting rope that maintains the altitude at which the flying windmill rotates.
5) Sail
A tensile structure made from fabric or any membrane material that uses wind to rotate the helium balloon is called a
sail. Depending upon their attack angle, provide a propulsive force via a combination of lift and drag. The more that the
rise of attack diverges from the apparent wind as a sailing craft turns downwind, the more drag increases and lift
decreases as propulsive forces. Sails cannot generate propulsive force if they are aligned too closely to the wind.

25. 6) Helium Gas
The flying windmill's air rotator framework needs to be at higher altitudes to experience the winds as fast as possible. Helium
gas manages it and permits it to climb to higher elevations than conventional wind turbines as it is lighter than the air itself.
7) Winch
A winch is a kind of tool used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tether or rope's tension to which
the flying windmill is attached.
8) Transformer
An electrical device is used either to step up or steps down the alternating voltage. It is generally a step up in the flying
windmill as it converts the low output voltage produced from the generator to higher distribution voltage level. It acts as a link
between the flying windmill and the distribution grid. In the flying windmill, they are considered to be one of the sensitive and
weak components.

26. Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS)
 Magenn Air Rotor System
The helium filled MARS is a buoyant turbine made of Vectren – a bulletproof material that is stronger than steel of the
same thickness – and is connected to the ground by an insulated conductive tether. The unit can rise to a height of 300 to
1,000 feet to take advantage of more constant and higher wind speeds at higher altitudes that conventional wind turbines
are unable to reach. While in the sky, the MARS turbine spins in the wind, generating electricity. The current is
transferred down the tether for consumption, battery storage or transmitted to a power grid.

27. Configuration of MARS System
 The MARS units will have an internal bladder system to maintain pressure. Helium leakage is not an issue under
normal conditions; excess air turbulence and gusting might present a small risk but this craft has been designed to
withstand challenges.
 Helium is a light inert gas and the second most abundant element in the universe. Helium provides extra lift and will
keep MARS at altitude in very low winds or calm air. It is also plentiful, inexpensive and environmentally safe.
Helium's inert quality over other lifting gases makes it very acceptable.
 MARS will be constructed with composite fabrics used in airships today. The fabric will be either woven Dacron or
Vectran with an inner laminated coating of Mylar to reduce porosity and an exterior coating of Tedlar which will
provide ultra-violet protection, scuff resistance and color.
 Over speed controls are built into the design of MARS. On the larger MARS units, excessive speed is controlled by
moderating tether height. Pressure is constantly monitored and controlled. Rotation speed, wind speed, and
generator functions are also monitored.
 Depending on size, either DC or AC generators will be used, with rectification as necessary.

28. Working of MARS
 As the rotor of the windmill rotates due to high velocity wind it produces very high torque.. There is a step-up gear
box which connects the low-speed shaft to the high-speed shaft and increases the rotational speeds from about 30 to
60 rotations per minute (rpm) to about 1200 to 1500 rpm. The electrical energy thus produced is transferred down
the tether for consumption, or to a set of batteries or the power grid.

29. Advantages
 Low cost electricity – less than Rs. 5 per kWh.
 Bird and bat friendly.
 Lower noise
 Wide range of wind speeds - 2 to more than 28 meters/second
 Higher altitudes - from 200 to 800 feet above ground level are possible without expensive towers or cranes.
 Fewer limits on placement location - coast line placement is not necessary.
 Ability to install closer to the power grid.
 Mobile and Ideal for off grid applications or where power is not reliable.
 They do not require land, wide roads and heavy machinery for assembly. MARS units remove these limitations
because the units do not require cranes or special roads for installation.

30. Disadvantages
 MARS units cannot be installed within five miles of the boundary of any airport.
 Initial cost is high.
 Another disadvantage of floating windmills is that they have to be taken down in extremely powerful winds,
whereas common wind turbines are simply shut down.

31. Applications
 Off grid for cottages and remote uses such as cell towers and exploration equipment.
 Developing nations where infrastructure is limited or nonexistent.
 Rapid deployment (to include airdrop) to disaster areas for power to emergency and medical equipment, water
pumps, and relief efforts (ex. Katrina, Tsunami).
 And military applications.

32. Conclusion
 Floating wind turbines have potential to unlock huge offshore wind energy resources in a cost effective manner, but
many concepts must be proven before this industry can scale. Currently the market for floating offshore wind is very
fragmented and there is not yet a clear design winner.
 In case of flying windmills the MARS system is very simple to install, requiring minimal on‐site work. Despite its
large size, no cranes or oversized vehicles were required to deploy the system, nor are they expected to be required
for larger units. High‐altitude wind power using tethered wind turbine devices has the potential to open up a new
wind resource in areas that are not served by conventional turbines.