Computational and Experimental Investigation of Lotus-inspired Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine Blade

Abstract

In the firm belief that the world needs green, renewable and more efficient energy resources, the present paper is concerned with developing a new design for horizontalaxis wind-turbine (HAWT) blades. The flower of Nelumbo nucifera (Sacred Lotus) was the motive for the present design of a three-blade wind turbine. Nelumbo Nucifera flower has an aerodynamically appropriate structure, which qualifies the flower to be the nature-inspiration for the present research. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was applied in order to ensure the ability and eligibility of the proposed solution and estimate real world’s results. The performance of the blade airfoil can be improved by applying the Lotus flower’s structural design and modifying the blade straightening. The experimental findings demonstrated performance enhancement by 31.7% compared to NACA 2412 airfoil.