Effect of Solidity on Performance of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Using Constant Chord Reynolds Number

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anirudh P ◽  
Ratna Kishore Velamati ◽  
Srinath K S ◽  
Unnikrishnan D

Abstract The demand for wind turbines has increased ever since fossil fuels showed signs of quick depletion. Among wind turbines, Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) is compact, produces less noise, is omnidirectional, resilient to turbulent flow, and is easy to maintain. The power generated by a VAWT is a function of a non-dimensional geometric parameter known as solidity (s), which is a function of turbine diameter (D), blade chord (c) and the number of blades (n). The present work analyses the impact of solidity (0.12 and 0.18) as a complete non-dimensional parameter on wind turbine performance. Each parameter of solidity is varied, keeping any one of the parameters constant and numerically studied for its performance across a range of tip speed ratios (TSR). For each solidity, six different combinations of VAWT geometric parameters were analyzed. In all the cases, the chord Reynolds number is kept constant. CFD simulation was performed on the Darrieus H-type (NACA0018 airfoil) VAWT. Two dimensional (2D) computational domains are used to study the effect on the turbine’s performance as the solidity studied is less than 0.4. Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-strokes (URANS) equation is used to solve the CFD model using ANSYS Fluent 19.1 with 4-equation transition SST k-ω for turbulence modelling. The comprehensive study of the turbine performance keeping the turbine operation within a constant Re number range shows the Coefficient of Performance (Cp) overlaps for a given solidity.

2021 ◽  
Vol 897 (1) ◽  
pp. 012001
Author(s):  
Oleg Goman ◽  
Andrii Dreus ◽  
Anton Rozhkevych ◽  
Krystyna Heti

Abstract Until recently, vertical-axis wind turbines are less extensively developed in wind energetics. At the same time, there are a number of advantages in turbines of such type like their independence from the change of wind direction, lower levels of aerodynamic and infrasound noises, higher structural reliability (compared to horizontal engines), etc. With these advantages, vertical-axis wind turbines demonstrate promising capacities. Inter alia, the productiveness of such turbines can be refined through the aerodynamic improvement of the structure and comprehensive optimization of the rotor geometry. The main purpose of the presented paper is to aerodynamically improve vertical wind turbine in order to increase the efficiency of wind energy conversion into electricity. Within the framework of the classical theory of impulses, this article presents a study of the effect of variation in Reynolds number on the general energy characteristics of a vertical-axis wind turbine with two blades. The integral approach makes it possible to use a single-disk impulse model to determine the main specific indicators of the system. The power factor was calculated based on the obtained value of the shaft torque factor, which in turn was determined by numerically integrating the total torque generated by the wind turbine. To calculate the test problem, we used the classic NACA airfoils: 0012, 0015, 0018 and 0021. The proposed calculation algorithm makes it possible not to indicate the Reynolds number and corresponding aerodynamic coefficients at the beginning of the calculation, but to recalculate it depending on the relative speed, position of the airfoil and the linear speed of the airfoil around the circumference. Proposed modern design techniques can be helpful for optimization of vertical wind turbines.


Author(s):  
Zhenlong Wu ◽  
Yihua Cao

Rainfall is a common meteorological condition that wind turbines may encounter and by which their performance may be affected. This paper comprehensively investigates the effects of rainfall on a NACA 0015 airfoil which is commonly used in vertical axis wind turbines. A CFD-based Eulerian–Lagrangian multiphase approach is proposed to study the static, rotating, and oscillating performances of the NACA 0015 airfoil in rainy conditions. It is found that for the different airfoil movements, the airfoil performance can seriously be deteriorated in the rain condition. Rain also causes premature boundary layer separations and more severe flow recirculations than in the dry condition. These findings seem to be the first open reports on rain effects on wind turbine performance and should be of some significance to practical design.


Author(s):  
David Marten ◽  
Juliane Wendler ◽  
Georgios Pechlivanoglou ◽  
Christian Navid Nayeri ◽  
Christian Oliver Paschereit

A double-multiple-streamtube vertical axis wind turbine simulation and design module has been integrated within the open-source wind turbine simulator QBlade. QBlade also contains the XFOIL airfoil analysis functionalities, which makes the software a single tool that comprises all functionality needed for the design and simulation of vertical or horizontal axis wind turbines. The functionality includes two dimensional airfoil design and analysis, lift and drag polar extrapolation, rotor blade design and wind turbine performance simulation. The QBlade software also inherits a generator module, pitch and rotational speed controllers, geometry export functionality and the simulation of rotor characteristics maps. Besides that, QBlade serves as a tool to compare different blade designs and their performance and to thoroughly investigate the distribution of all relevant variables along the rotor in an included post processor. The benefits of this code will be illustrated with two different case studies. The first case deals with the effect of stall delaying vortex generators on a vertical axis wind turbine rotor. The second case outlines the impact of helical blades and blade number on the time varying loads of a vertical axis wind turbine.


2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandrina Untaroiu ◽  
Houston G. Wood ◽  
Paul E. Allaire ◽  
Robert J. Ribando

Vertical axis wind turbines have always been a controversial technology; claims regarding their benefits and drawbacks have been debated since the initial patent in 1931. Despite this contention, very little systematic vertical axis wind turbine research has been accomplished. Experimental assessments remain prohibitively expensive, while analytical analyses are limited by the complexity of the system. Numerical methods can address both concerns, but inadequate computing power hampered this field. Instead, approximating models were developed which provided some basis for study; but all these exhibited high error margins when compared with actual turbine performance data and were only useful in some operating regimes. Modern computers are capable of more accurate computational fluid dynamics analysis, but most research has focused on horizontal axis configurations or modeling of single blades rather than full geometries. In order to address this research gap, a systematic review of vertical axis wind-power turbine (VAWT) was undertaken, starting with establishment of a methodology for vertical axis wind turbine simulation that is presented in this paper. Replicating the experimental prototype, both 2D and 3D models of a three-bladed vertical axis wind turbine were generated. Full transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using mesh deformation capability available in ansys-CFX were run from turbine start-up to operating speed and compared with the experimental data in order to validate the technique. A circular inner domain, containing the blades and the rotor, was allowed to undergo mesh deformation with a rotational velocity that varied with torque generated by the incoming wind. Results have demonstrated that a transient CFD simulation using a two-dimensional computational model can accurately predict vertical axis wind turbine operating speed within 12% error, with the caveat that intermediate turbine performance is not accurately captured.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3854
Author(s):  
Samuel Mitchell ◽  
Iheanyichukwu Ogbonna ◽  
Konstantin Volkov

A lift-driven vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) generates peak power when it is rotating at high tip-speed ratios (TSR), at which time the blades encounter angles of attack (AOA) over a small range from zero to 30 degrees. However, its ability to self-start is dependent upon its performance at low TSRs, at which time the blades encounter a range of AOAs from zero to 180 degrees. A novel vented aerofoil is presented with the intention of improving the performance of a lift-driven VAWT at low TSRs without hampering the performance of the wind turbine at high TSRs. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is used to predict the aerodynamic characteristics of a new vented aerofoil based on the well documented NACA0012 profile. Simulations are performed using the SST turbulence model. The results obtained show a reduction in the coefficient of tangential force (the force that generates torque on the wind turbine) at low AOAs (less than 90 degrees) of no more than 30%, while at high AOAs (more than 90 degrees) an improvement in the tangential force of over 100% is observed. Using a simple momentum based performance prediction model, these results suggest that this would lead to an increase in torque generation by a theoretical three-bladed VAWT of up to 20% at low TSRs and a minor reduction in coefficient of performance of up to 9% at TSR of 2 and closer to 1% at higher TSRs.


Author(s):  
Hadi Sutanto ◽  
Chin-Tu Lu ◽  
Hodik Chaiyadi

The vertical-axis wind turbine has an advantage over the horizontal-axis wind turbine because of its structural simplicity due to the independence of motion in wind direction. This article describes a new idea on how to develop the Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbine by modifying the angle of attack and adding airfoils on the wind turbine. The wind turbine has a symmetrical airfoil of NACA 0012 with three-double blade configurations to optimize the performance of the vertical shaft wind turbine. A computational fluid dynamics technique was used to understand the impact of variations of wind velocity on the angle of attack and additional distance of airfoil in turbulence intensity based on the contour of wind velocity passing the wind turbine. Using this method, the authors showed that the results of the study in turn with the variation of wind velocity, different angle of attack and additional distance of airfoil have an effect on the values of lift and drag coefficient. The highest value of the coefficient of lift is 4.1, followed by the coefficient of drag which is 0.79 at 0.3 m with the angle of attack at -4o, the wind velocity is 9.428 m/s and the result of the highest torque is 0.57 Nm which has a coefficient of performance of 1.3%.


2014 ◽  
Vol 529 ◽  
pp. 173-177
Author(s):  
Li Hua Zhao ◽  
Ming Liu ◽  
Tie Lv ◽  
Xiao Qun Mei

Research of blade airfoil aerodynamic characteristics is an important foundation for the vertical axis wind turbine aerodynamic design and performance analysis. CFD simulation software has been applied in this paper. Representative lift-type vertical axis wind turbine airfoil NACA0014, NACA2414, NACA4414, NACA6414, NACA8414 's aerodynamic simulation have been studied. Camber airfoil relative with the change in to the flow velocity is analyzed. At different angles of attack effect on the aerodynamic performance of wind turbines, variation of parameters for airfoil aerodynamic had been analyzed. It will help the optimal design of airfoils for vertical axis wind turbines.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-281
Author(s):  
Pedram Ghiasi ◽  
Gholamhassan Najafi ◽  
Barat Ghobadian ◽  
Ali Jafari

H-type Darrieus vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) have omnidirectional movement capability and can get more power compared to other VAWTs at high tip speed ratios (𝜆). However, its disadvantages are self-starting inability and low generated power at 𝜆 less than 1. The performance of H-type Darrieus wind turbine at 𝜆<1 was studied using double multiple stream tube (DMST) model and two-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation. In CFD simulation, the Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations were used and the turbulence model was solved with SST k-ω model. The performance of fifteen various wind turbines was determined at fourteen wind velocities by two solution methods. The effect of chord length, solidity, Reynolds number and Height to Diameter (H/D) ratio were investigated on generated torque, power and the time required to reach 𝜆=0.1. Increasing in the moment of inertia due to the increasing in required time to reach 𝜆=0.1. In the low TSRs, the wind turbines can generate higher torque and power in high Re numbers and solidities. The required time was reduced by an increase in Re number and solidity. Finally, the best ratio of H/D of H-type Darrieus wind turbines was defined to improve the turbine performance.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0309524X2110039
Author(s):  
Amgad Dessoky ◽  
Thorsten Lutz ◽  
Ewald Krämer

The present paper investigates the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic characteristics of the H-rotor Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) combined with very promising energy conversion and steering technology; a fixed guide-vanes. The main scope of the current work is to enhance the aerodynamic performance and assess the noise production accomplished with such enhancement. The studies are carried out in two phases; the first phase is a parametric 2D CFD simulation employing the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) approach to optimize the design parameters of the guide-vanes. The second phase is a 3D CFD simulation of the full turbine using a higher-order numerical scheme and a hybrid RANS/LES (DDES) method. The guide-vanes show a superior power augmentation, about 42% increase in the power coefficient at λ = 2.75, with a slightly noisy operation and completely change the signal directivity. A remarkable difference in power coefficient is observed between 2D and 3D models at the high-speed ratios stems from the 3D effect. As a result, a 3D simulation of the capped Darrieus turbine is carried out, and then a noise assessment of such configuration is assessed. The results show a 20% increase in power coefficient by using the cap, without significant change in the noise signal.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document