Improvement of aerodynamic performance of savonius wind rotor using straight-arc curtain

Abstract

A straight and an arc-shaped curtain are combined to enhance the aerodynamic performance of the Savonius wind rotor. The straight-arc curtain is placed in front of the Savonius wind rotor to reduce the negative moment on the convex blade and increase the positive moment on the concave blade. The static and dynamic performances of the Savonius wind rotor with and without the curtain are investigated based on the computational fluid dynamics method. The results show that the static torque is higher with the curtain than without it at the same angle-of-attack. The maximum mean power coefficient with the curtain is increased by about 50% compared with conventional Savonius wind rotor. Additionally, the flow field around the rotor with the straight-arc curtain is presented, and the flow control mechanics of the straight-arc curtain are discussed.