Effect of External Structures on Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Flow Field

Due to the continued depletion of fossil fuels the need for alternative energy sources has increased dramatically over the last decade. This is forcing the scientific and research community to refine current wind energy conversion systems further for increased power generation and efficiency. This study has been carried out to establish the effect of external structures on the flow field within a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). It has been seen that the presence of an external structure in close proximity to the wind turbine can be used to modify the flow field in and around the wind turbine.