3D CFD Modelling of Performance of a Vertical Axis Turbine

Cameron Gerrie (), Sheikh Zahidul Islam (), Sean Gerrie, Naomi Turner and Taimoor Asim
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Cameron Gerrie: School of Engineering, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen AB10 7GJ, UK
Sheikh Zahidul Islam: School of Engineering, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen AB10 7GJ, UK
Sean Gerrie: School of Engineering, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen AB10 7GJ, UK
Naomi Turner: School of Engineering, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen AB10 7GJ, UK
Taimoor Asim: School of Engineering, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen AB10 7GJ, UK

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 3, 1-25

Abstract: Recently, wind turbine research has switched focus to vertical axis wind turbines due to the extensive research that has been performed on horizontal axis wind turbines and the potential of vertical axis wind turbines in built-up areas. This study aims to analyse the performance of a small-scale hybrid vertical axis wind turbine that can switch from functioning as a Darrieus (lift) turbine to a Savonius (drag) turbine by rotating the blades. The turbine was analysed using 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations in ANSYS Fluent as the primary method, and the findings were verified using wind tunnel experiments. During the analysis, design parameters such as the blade length, diameter, and number of blades were varied to determine if the design had room for improvement. It was found that the current design of the turbine has an optimal efficiency of 12.5% in the Darrieus configuration, which was found to increase when the diameter or blade length was increased. The Savonius configuration was found to be more efficient at low tip-speed ratios (<0.14), and its efficiency could be increased by adding more blades. The experiments found similar trends to the simulations; however, the efficiencies obtained were on average a tenfold increase from the simulation. Implementing the changes that increased efficiency leads to an increased wake recovery distance, making it less suitable for use in a wind farm.

Keywords: vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT); computational fluid dynamics (CFD); Darrieus; Savonius; power; wake; performance; wind tunnel (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: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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