Towards optimal aerodynamic design of vertical axis wind turbines: Impact of solidity and number of blades

Abdolrahim Rezaeiha, Hamid Montazeri and Bert Blocken

Energy, 2018, vol. 165, issue PB, 1129-1148

Abstract: The current study systematically analyzes the impact of solidity (σ) and number of blades (n) on the aerodynamic performance of 2-, 3- and 4-bladed Darrieus H-type vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs). Solidity varies within the wide range of 0.09–0.36. A large number of operational parameters, i.e., tip speed ratio (λ), Reynolds number (Re), turbulence intensity and reduced frequency (K) are investigated to provide a deeper insight into the impact of σ and n on the dynamic loads on blades, the turbine performance and the wake. High-fidelity unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulations, extensively validated with experiments, are employed. The results show that the turbine optimal tip speed ratio (λopt) is invariant to a newly-introduced parameter ‘σλ3’, regardless of the turbine geometrical and operational characteristics. In addition, a new correlation is derived to estimate λopt as a function of σ, which can also be employed to predict the optimal σ for a turbine with a given λ. It is also found that: (i) for constant-speed urban VAWTs, which due to the low mean wind speed in the urban environment, frequently operate at moderate to high λ, a relatively-low σ is optimal; (ii) an optimal VAWT is a moderately-high-solidity variable-speed rotor maintaining a relatively-low λ, where due to the large blade chord length the resulting Re and K are favorably high; (iii) within the turbine optimal operational range, turbine power coefficient (CP) is almost independent of n. The present findings support the optimal aerodynamic design of small-to large-scale VAWTs.

Keywords: Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT); Characterization study; Aerodynamic performance; Design guideline; Urban wind turbine; Offshore wind turbine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (25)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:165:y:2018:i:pb:p:1129-1148

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2018.09.192

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