Wind tunnel experiments of a newly developed two-bladed Savonius-style wind turbine

Wind tunnel experiments have been conducted with a newly developed two-bladed Savonius-style wind turbine specifically meant for a small-scale energy conversion. This novel shape of the turbine blade is evolved from a series of experiments with different types of blades in the recent past. The developed two-bladed turbine is tested in an open type test section and its performance is assessed in terms of power and torque coefficients. Experiments have also been conducted with other standard blades such as semi-circular, semi-elliptic, Benesh and Bach types in order to have a direct comparison. In this study, all the reported experimental data are inclusive of wind tunnel blockage corrections. Further, the effects of Reynolds number on the dynamic and static characteristics are also discussed. The present investigation demonstrates a gain of 34.8% in maximum power coefficient with the newly developed two-bladed turbine.

[1]  Pourya Alamdari,et al.  Aerodynamic design and economical evaluation of site specific small vertical axis wind turbines , 2013 .

[2]  S. V. Prabhu,et al.  Influence of the deflector plate on the performance of modified Savonius water turbine , 2011 .

[3]  John Abraham,et al.  Use of small-scale wind energy to power cellular communication equipment , 2011 .

[4]  T. N. Croft,et al.  Simulations technique for the design of a vertical axis wind turbine device with experimental validation , 2013 .

[5]  T. Y. Chen,et al.  Blockage corrections in wind tunnel tests of small horizontal-axis wind turbines , 2011 .

[6]  Wen Tong Chong,et al.  The design, simulation and testing of an urban vertical axis wind turbine with the omni-direction-guide-vane , 2013 .

[7]  Ephraim M Sparrow,et al.  Summary of Savonius wind turbine development and future applications for small-scale power generation , 2012 .

[8]  Ujjwal K. Saha,et al.  On the performance analysis of Savonius rotor with twisted blades , 2006 .

[9]  Ephraim M Sparrow,et al.  Numerical simulation of fluid flow around a vertical-axis turbine , 2011 .

[10]  João Vicente Akwa,et al.  A review on the performance of Savonius wind turbines , 2012 .

[11]  R. J. Moffat,et al.  Contributions to the Theory of Single-Sample Uncertainty Analysis , 1982 .

[12]  S. D. Probert,et al.  Partially-blocked savonius rotor , 1992 .

[13]  Renato Vitaliani,et al.  Wind energy harvesting from transport systems: A resource estimation assessment , 2014 .

[14]  S. D. Probert,et al.  Vertical-axis wind turbine: A modified design , 1987 .

[15]  Ujjwal K. Saha,et al.  Review on the numerical investigations into the design and development of Savonius wind rotors , 2013 .

[16]  N. J. Roth,et al.  Prototype design of a wind energy operated irrigation system , 1982 .

[17]  John Abraham,et al.  Simulations of Three-Dimensional Vertical-Axis Turbines for Communications Applications , 2012 .

[18]  M. A. Kamoji,et al.  Performance tests on helical Savonius rotors , 2009 .

[19]  U. Saha,et al.  An adapted blockage factor correlation approach in wind tunnel experiments of a Savonius-style wind turbine , 2014 .

[20]  William H. Rae,et al.  Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Testing , 1966 .

[21]  John Abraham,et al.  An Experimental Investigation of a Large, Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine: Effects of Venting and Capping , 2011 .

[22]  V. J. Modi,et al.  On the Performance of the Savonius Wind Turbine , 1989 .

[23]  Ujjwal K. Saha,et al.  Numerical Investigation to Assess an Optimal Blade Profile for the Drag Based Vertical Axis Wind Turbine , 2013 .

[24]  Ibrahim Al-Bahadly.  Building a wind turbine for rural home , 2009 .

[25]  Zied Driss,et al.  Experimental investigation of helical Savonius rotor with a twist of 180 , 2013 .

[26]  Ujjwal K. Saha,et al.  Review of experimental investigations into the design, performance and optimization of the Savonius rotor , 2013 .

[27]  Louis Angelo M. Danao,et al.  A numerical investigation into the influence of unsteady wind on the performance and aerodynamics of a vertical axis wind turbine , 2014 .

[28]  Francesco Balduzzi,et al.  Feasibility analysis of a Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbine installation in the rooftop of a building , 2012 .

[29]  M. A. Kamoji,et al.  Experimental investigations on single stage modified Savonius rotor , 2009 .

[30]  Wen Tong Chong,et al.  Early development of an energy recovery wind turbine generator for exhaust air system , 2013 .

[31]  T. N. Croft,et al.  Benchmark experiments for simulations of a vertical axis wind turbine , 2013 .

[32]  Shin'ya Obara,et al.  Study on method of electricity and heat storage planning based on energy demand and tidal flow velocity forecasts for a tidal microgrid , 2013 .

[33]  Aaron Altman,et al.  Wind tunnel blockage corrections: Review and application to Savonius vertical-axis wind turbines , 2011 .

[34]  Rajat Gupta,et al.  Experimental Investigation of Overlap and Blockage Effects on Three-Bucket Savonius Rotors , 2007 .

[35]  S. D. Probert,et al.  Designs and performances of flexible and taut sail savonius-type wind-turbines , 1985 .

[36]  Sukanta Roy,et al.  Aerodynamic Performance Evaluation of a Novel Savonius0Style Wind Turbine Through Unsteady Simulations and Wind Tunnel Experiments , 2014 .

[37]  Kunio Irabu,et al.  Characteristics of wind power on Savonius rotor using a guide-box tunnel , 2007 .

[38]  Grzegorz Liskiewicz,et al.  Numerical investigation of conventional and modified Savonius wind turbines , 2013 .

[39]  U. K. Saha,et al.  Experimental Investigation of Twisted Bladed Savonius Wind Turbine Rotor , 2005 .

[40]  L. A. Danao,et al.  An Experimental Investigation into the Influence of Unsteady Wind on the Performance of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine , 2013 .