Comparison of Three-Dimensional Numerical Methods for Modeling of Strut Effect on the Performance of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Aya Aihara, Victor Mendoza, Anders Goude and Hans Bernhoff
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Aya Aihara: Division of Electricity, Department of Electrical Engineering, Uppsala University, 75121 Uppsala, Sweden
Victor Mendoza: Division of Electricity, Department of Electrical Engineering, Uppsala University, 75121 Uppsala, Sweden
Anders Goude: Division of Electricity, Department of Electrical Engineering, Uppsala University, 75121 Uppsala, Sweden
Hans Bernhoff: Division of Electricity, Department of Electrical Engineering, Uppsala University, 75121 Uppsala, Sweden

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-21

Abstract: This paper compares three different numerical models to evaluate their accuracy for predicting the performance of an H-rotor vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) considering the influence of struts. The strut of VAWTs is one factor that makes the flow feature around the turbine more complex and thus influences the rotor performance. The focus of this study is placed on analyzing how accurately three different numerical approaches are able to reproduce the force distribution and the resulting power, taking the strut effect into account. For the 12 kW straight-bladed VAWT, the blade force is simulated at three tip speed ratios by the full computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations, the actuator line model (ALM), and the vortex model. The results show that all the models do not indicate a significant influence of the struts in the total force over one revolution at low tip speed ratio. However, at middle and high tip speed ratio, the RANS model reproduces the significant decrease of the total tangential force that is caused due to the strut. Additionally, the RANS and vortex models present a clear influence of the struts in the force distribution along the blade at all three tip speed ratios investigated. The prediction by the ALM does not show such distinctive features of the strut impact. The RANS model is superior to the other two models for predicting the power coefficient considering the strut effect, especially at high tip speed ratio.

Keywords: vertical-axis wind turbine; CFD; RANS; actuator line model; vortex method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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