A numerical aerodynamic analysis of a vertical axis wind turbine in a wind tunnel

Year 2025, Volume: 15 Issue: 2, 590 - 607, 15.06.2025

Muhammet Kaan Yeşilyurt , Mansur Mustafaoğlu (nasiri Khalaji)

https://doi.org/10.17714/gumusfenbil.1545187

Abstract

Within the framework of the global attempt towards reducing greenhouse gases and providing sustainable renewable energy to meet the growing energy demand, the research on the development of new renewable energy systems as well as on improving the efficiency of existing systems has gained great momentum over the recent decades. The applications and use of wind energy, a clean energy known and used since ancient times, have evolved in recent years. On the focus of several studies, either experimental or numerical, was developing novel wind turbines that offer greater efficiency. This research, in this respect, presents a numerical aerodynamic analysis of a helical blade vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) modeled in a wind tunnel in SOLIDWORKS and analyzed for its aerodynamic performance in ANSYS Fluent using the SST k-ω method. The stationary and rotary parts were meshed separately, and velocity and pressure contours were obtained and examined. The results of the numerical model suggested better performance of the hybrid helical blade turbine compared to Savonius or Darrieus turbines. The aerodynamic performance of a hybrid Savonius-Darrieus VAWT using numerical simulations in a three-dimensional wind tunnel revealed that the proposed design achieved a maximum torque of 2.05 Nm at a tip speed ratio (TSR) of 2.0, with a power coefficient (Cp) of 0.42, representing a 10% improvement over traditional Darrieus turbines. The hybrid design combines the high starting torque of the Savonius turbine with the efficiency of the Darrieus turbine, demonstrating superior performance in low-wind conditions. Numerical results were validated against experimental data from Castelli et al. (2011), showing good agreement with a maximum deviation of 10%. The findings highlight the potential of hybrid VAWTs for urban and low-wind environments, offering a sustainable and efficient energy solution.

Keywords

CFD , Numerical flow dynamics , Renewable energy , Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs)

Dikey eksenli bir rüzgar türbininin rüzgar tünelinde sayısal aerodinamik analizi

Abstract

Sera gazlarını azaltma ve artan enerji talebini karşılamak için sürdürülebilir yenilenebilir enerji sağlama yönündeki küresel çabalar çerçevesinde, yeni yenilenebilir enerji sistemlerinin geliştirilmesi ve mevcut sistemlerin verimliliğinin artırılması üzerine yapılan araştırmalar son yıllarda büyük bir ivme kazanmıştır. Antik çağlardan beri bilinen ve kullanılan temiz bir enerji olan rüzgar enerjisinin uygulamaları ve kullanımı da son yıllarda gelişmiştir. Deneysel veya sayısal olmak üzere birçok çalışmanın odak noktasında, daha fazla verimlilik sunan yeni rüzgar türbinleri geliştirmek yer almıştır. Bu araştırma, bu bağlamda, SOLIDWORKS’te bir rüzgar tünelinde modellenen ve k-ω yöntemi kullanılarak ANSYS Fluent’te aerodinamik performansı analiz edilen helisel kanatlı dikey eksenli rotorlu rüzgar türbininin (VAWT) sayısal aerodinamik analizini sunmaktadır. Sabit ve döner parçalar ayrı ayrı ağa bağlanarak hız ve basınç konturları elde edilmiş ve incelenmiştir. Sayısal modelin sonuçları, hibrit helisel kanatlı türbinin Savonius veya Darrieus türbinlerine kıyasla daha iyi performans gösterdiğini ortaya koymuştur. Üç boyutlu bir rüzgar tünelinde sayısal simülasyonlar kullanılarak hibrit Savonius-Darrieus VAWT'nin aerodinamik performansı, önerilen tasarımın TSR 2 değerinde ve 0,42 güç katsayısında 2,05 Nm maksimum torka ulaştığını göstermiştir; bu da geleneksel Darrieus türbinlerine göre %10'luk bir iyileştirme sağlandığını göstermektedir. Hibrit tasarım, Savonius türbininin yüksek başlangıç torkunu Darrieus türbininin verimliliğiyle birleştirerek düşük rüzgar koşullarında üstün performans gösteriyor. Sayısal sonuçlar, literatürde elde edilen deneysel verilerle doğrulanmış ve %10'luk maksimum sapma ile iyi bir uyum göstermiştir. Bulgular, hibrit VAWT'lerin kentsel ve düşük rüzgarlı ortamlar için potansiyelini vurgulayarak sürdürülebilir ve verimli bir enerji çözümü sunduğunu göstermektedir.

Keywords

CFD , Dikey eksenli rüzgar türbinleri (VAWT) , Hesaplamalı akışkanlar dinamiği , Yenilenebilir enerji

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