Performance of the Wells self-rectifying air turbine

Abstract The effect of blade profile and thickness on the starting and running performance of a 0.2 m diameter Wells turbine is reported. The starting torque can be increased considerably by using thicker NACA aerofoils and modified NACA aerofoil blades and by increasing the turbine solidity. Thicker and modified NACA aerofoil blades also improved the running performance of the turbine. Artificially roughened blades showed degraded performance.