Experimental, numerical simulation and mathematical modelling of vane type vertical axis wind turbine

Abstract

The present global energy economy suggests the use of renewable sources such as solar, wind and biomass to produce the required power. Renewable energy is an alternative energy, which is a clean, nontoxic energy source that is available in abundance. Technology related to wind energy has seen a rapid growth worldwide. Wind turbines are typical devices that convert the kinetic energy of wind into electricity. Researches in the past have proved that Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) produce higher power than the Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs). In the present work the Vane type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, VVAWT, with two different rotors (three and four blades) having movable vanes are investigated in terms of performance. The models are made of light material and every care is taken to ensure that the blades withstand high wind velocities. The sizes of the blades are constrained by the dimensions of the low speed wind tunnel available at University Malaysia Perlis. Experimental and numerical works are carried out for a flat plate to obtain its coefficient of drag, and the results are compared to the results available in the literature. Then, experimental and numerical investigations are carried out for three- and four-blade VVAWT at fixed blade angular positions and for different upstream air flow velocities. The three dimensional numerical investigations are carried out to predict the aerodynamics characteristic of the current models, using commercially available computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software - SolidWork2013, GAMBIT and FLUENT. The Shear Stress Transport (SST), k-ω turbulence model is used, which is better than other turbulence models available, as suggested by some researchers.