Effect of Rotor Blades Number and Rotor Position on the Performance of a Diffuser Augmented Wind Turbine

Abstract

A diffuser-driven wind turbine (DAWT) was used in this paper to increase the efficiency of small-sized horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) by surrounding them with a suitable distributor. The study included two steps: first, knowing the effect of the number of blades inside the diffuser in three configurations (2-blades, 3-blades, and 4-blades), and secondly, showing the effect of the turbine position inside the diffuser in three cases based on the largest increase in wind speed in the diffuser. The numerical simulation investigation was carried out using 3D CFD ANSYS software by methods that rely on the SST k-ω turbulence model. The performance of the models was evaluated in terms of strength and aerodynamics coefficients, by calculating power coefficients CP. The study showed that the turbine at the entrance to the diffuser gives the highest performance compared to other cases. Where the increase at the inlet the power coefficient of the turbine the diffuser is (22% and 14%) compared to its position in the middle of the diffuser and the end of the diffuser, respectively