Investigation of the Aerodynamic Performance of Darrieus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Abstract

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) were originally considered as very promising for various reasons. There is now a resurgence of interests for VAWTs, in particular Darrieus turbines. Using modern design tools and computational approaches, it is possible to increase considerably the performance of traditional VAWTs, reaching a level almost comparable to that of horizontal axis turbines. Since VAWTs show many specific advantages (compact design, easier connection to gears/generator, easier blade control if needed, lower fatigue.), it is important to check quantitatively the efficiency of such turbines. In the present study, a barrier has been designed to increase the performance of the Darrieus wind rotor. The effect of this barrier on the rotor performance has been analyzed numerically; the barrier has been placed in front of the rotor. Numerical analysis has been carried-out for Darrieus wind rotor (with and without barrier). The power performance values of the rotor have been calculated by numerical analysis, and finally they have been compared. The obtained results show that higher performance when using the rotor with barrier. Finite Element analysis (FE) has been used as the Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software.