Numerical study of detailed flow field and performance of Savonius wind turbines

Tong Zhou and Dietmar Rempfer

Renewable Energy, 2013, vol. 51, issue C, 373-381

Abstract: The Savonius vertical axis wind turbine is simple in structure, has good starting characteristics, relatively low operating speeds, and an ability to accept wind from any direction, although it has a lower efficiency than some other vertical axis wind turbines. So far a number of experimental investigations have been carried out to study the performance of the Savonius rotor; however, there is a lack of detailed descriptions of the flow field for different types of Savonius rotors. The aim of this paper is to numerically explore the non-linear two-dimensional unsteady flow over a conventional Savonius-type rotor and a Bach-type rotor, and develop a simulation method for predicting their aerodynamic performance. The simulations are performed using Star-CCM+. The motion of the blades is solved by using a moving mesh. A comparative study of the two types of rotors was carried out, and numerical simulation results were compared with experimental data. The Bach-type rotor is demonstrated to have better performance for torque and power coefficient than the conventional Savonius-type rotor. A discussion of the causes of these differences is presented that is based on a detailed study of the respective flow field characteristics, including the behavior of moment coefficients, velocity vectors and pressure distribution. A simulation method for further study of new blades shapes is suggested.

Keywords: CFD; Turbulence; Savonius rotor; Pressure distribution; Vortices; Boundary layer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:51:y:2013:i:c:p:373-381

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2012.09.046

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