Author(s)

Mosfequr Rahman¹, Travis E. Salyers¹, Adel El-Shahat², Marcel Ilie¹, Mahbub Ahmed³, Valentin Soloiu¹

¹Mechanical Engineering Department, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, USA.
²Electrical Engineering Department, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, USA.
³Engineering & Physics Department, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, USA.

Due to the importance and advantages of Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) over traditional horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs), this paper is implemented. Savonius turbines with drag-based rotors are adopted from the two more extensive arrangements of vertical wind turbines because of their advantages. In this paper, six diverse rotor plans with measure up to cleared regions are analyzed with exploratory wind burrow testing and numerical reenactments. These proposed models incorporate a conventional Savonius with two different edges criteria and 90 degree helical bend models with two, three and four sharp edges. The models were designed using SolidWorks software then the physical models were 3D printed for testing. A subsonic open-sort wind burrow was utilized for Revolution per Minute (RPM) and torque estimation over a scope of wind speeds. ANSYS Fluent reenactments were utilized for dissecting streamlined execution by using moving reference outline and sliding lattice display methods. A 3-dimensional and transient strategy was utilized for precisely tackling torque and power coefficients. The five new rotor geometries have important advantages such as making a focal point of weight advance from the hub of revolution and causing more noteworthy torque on the turbine shaft contrasted with the customary Savonius turbine. Our new models with the names of CC model and QM model display cross-areas lessen the aggregate scope of negative torque on the edges by 20 degrees, contrasted with the customary Savonius demonstrate. Helical plans are better spread the connected torque over a total transformation resulting in positive torque over every single operational point. Moreover, helical models with 2 and 3 cutting edges have the best self-starting ability in low wind speeds. Helical VAWT with 3 edges starts revolution of 35 RPM at only 1.4 m/s wind speed under no generator stacking. The most noteworthy power coefficient is accomplished, both tentatively and numerically, by the helical VAWT with 2 sharp edges.

Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine, VAWT, Savonius, Helical, Wind Tunnel, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), ANSYS Fluent

Rahman, M. , Salyers, T. , El-Shahat, A. , Ilie, M. , Ahmed, M. and Soloiu, V. (2018) Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Aerodynamic Performance of Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine Models with Various Blade Designs. Journal of Power and Energy Engineering, 6, 26-63. doi: 10.4236/jpee.2018.65003.