Aerodynamic performance enhancement and computational methods for H-Darrieus vertical axis wind turbines: Review

Abstract

The wind is one of the most promising green energy resources that replenishes itselves in less than a human lifetime without depleting the planet’s resources. According to the disposition of the blade concerning the shaft, wind turbine can be classified as horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) and vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). In contrast to VAWT, HAWT covers most commercial installations around the globe. However, VAWTs became a promising alternative for areas far away from grid-connected electricity, they have certain drawbacks associated with aerodynamic performance. The present work overviews the magnitude of factors affecting the aerodynamics of typical VAWT, i.e H-Darrieus VAWT and enhancement options associated with cutting edge performance. Additionally, the accuracy of the turbine performance predicting tools through computational investigation and optimization was also assessed. Therefore, the review covered the factors that altered the turbine performance and viable enhancement options studied in the existing literature. Finally, FSI simulation was tics of materials commonly used for turbine blade manufacturing. It was determined that the computational tools employed significantly influence the accuracy of the model, and proper model selection and more experimental validations are compulsory. It was determined that the computational tools employed significantly influence the accuracy of the model, and proper model selection and more experimental validations are compulsory.