Power correlation for vertical axis wind turbines with varying geometries

In this paper, a new predictive model that can forecast the performance of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is presented. The new model includes four primary variables (rotor velocity, wind velocity, air density, and turbine power output) as well as five geometrical variables (rotor radius, turbine height, turbine width, stator spacing, and stator angle). These variables are reduced to include the power coefficient (C_p) and tip speed ratio (TSR). A power coefficient correlation for a novel VAWT (called a Zephyr Vertical axis Wind Turbine (ZVWT)) is developed. The turbine is an adaptation of the Savonius design. The new correlation can predict the turbine's performance for altered stator geometry and varying operating conditions. Numerical simulations with a rotating reference frame are used to predict the operating performance for various turbine geometries. The case study includes 16 different geometries for three different wind directions. The resulting 48 data points provide detailed insight into the turbine performance to develop a general correlation. The model was able to predict the power coefficient with changes in TSR, rotor length, stator spacing, and stator angle, to within 4.4% of the numerical prediction. Furthermore, the power coefficient was predicted with changes in rotor length, stator spacing, and stator angle, to within 3.0% of the numerical simulations. This correlation provides a useful new design tool for improving the ZVWT in the specific conditions and operating requirements specific to this type of wind turbine. Also, the new model can be extended to other conditions that include different VAWT designs. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

摇摆式垂直轴风力机气动特性数值模拟

针对垂直轴风力机无需对风,湍流风风向不断变化的情况,提出转轮轴向力随风向摇摆的垂直轴风力机,利用摇摆产生的切向风和来流风共同作用下的风能,提高气动性能.采用RNG k-ε湍流模型对三叶片摇摆式风力机进行模拟,研究风向变化的周期、幅角以及摇摆迟滞时间对固定式和摇摆式垂直轴风力机力矩系数的影响规律.结果表明:与固定式垂直轴...     

格尼襟翼垂直轴风力机风场研究

为研究垂直轴风力机风场中机组气动性能受格尼襟翼的影响,采用TSST湍流模型对直线翼垂直轴风力机进行数值模拟研究.结果表明:风场上游风力机组尖速比越大,机组间流体加速效果越显著,使风力机组气动性能高于单风力机;在中低尖速比时,格尼襟翼可有效提升单个风力机气动效率,在尖速比较高时,提升效果并不明显;在风力机组中安装格尼襟翼...     

A kernel plus method for quantifying wind turbine performance upgrades

Power curves are commonly estimated using the binning method recommended by the International Electrotechnical Commission, which primarily incorporates wind speed information. When such power curves are used to quantify a turbine's upgrade, the results may not be accurate because many other environmental factors in addition to wind speed, such as temperature, air pressure, turbulence intensity, wind shear and humidity, all potentially affect the turbine's power output. Wind industry practitioners are aware of the need to filter out effects from environmental conditions. Toward that objective, we developed a kernel plus method that allows incorporation of multivariate environmental factors in a power curve model, thereby controlling the effects from environmental factors while comparing power outputs. We demonstrate that the kernel plus method can serve as a useful tool for quantifying a turbine's upgrade because it is sensitive to small and moderate changes caused by certain turbine upgrades. Although we demonstrate the utility of the kernel plus method in this specific application, the resulting method is a general, multivariate model that can connect other physical factors, as long as their measurements are available, with a turbine's power output, which may allow us to explore new physical properties associated with wind turbine performance. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of blade number on performance of drag type vertical axis wind turbine

The effect of blade number on performance of drag type vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is studied by Ansys numerical simulation, it involves 3-blade, 5-blade and 6-blade VAWTs. The optimized width of blade for each VAWT at maximum power efficiency is obtained, and simulation for the wind turbine with different number of blade is conducted for the VAWTs with turbine radius of 2 m at the inlet wind speed 8 m/s. By simulations, it gets the evolution curve of torque with respect to time, and the cyclical characteristics for these wind turbines. The results show that the maximum power efficiency and the stability of the wind turbine increase with the number of blade of the wind turbine, however the optimal d/D decreases with the number of blade of the wind turbine. The maximum power efficiencies are 20.44, 24.30 and 26.82% for 3-blade, 5-blade and 6-blade wind turbines, and the correspondingly optimal d/D are 0.66, 0.40 and 0.35, respectively. While the optimal rotational rate of turbine decreases with blade number.     

Energy and exergy efficiency comparison of horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines

In this paper, an energy and exergy analysis is performed on four different wind power systems, including both horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines. Significant variability in turbine designs and operating parameters are encompassed through the selection of systems. In particular, two airfoils (NACA 63(2)-215 and FX 63-137) commonly used in horizontal axis wind turbines are compared with two vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs). A Savonius design and Zephyr VAWT benefit from operational attributes in wind conditions that are unsuitable for airfoil type designs. This paper analyzes each system with respect to both the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The aerodynamic performance of each system is numerically analyzed by computational fluid dynamics software, FLUENT. A difference in first and second law efficiencies of between 50 and 53% is predicted for the airfoil systems, whereas 44–55% differences are predicted for the VAWT systems. Key design variables are analyzed and the predicted results are discussed. The exergetic efficiency of each wind turbine is studied for different geometries, design parameters and operating conditions. It is shown that the second law provides unique insight beyond a first law analysis, thereby providing a useful design tool for wind power development.     

Simulation and wake analysis of a single vertical axis wind turbine

Because of several design advantages and operational characteristics, particularly in offshore farms, vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are being reconsidered as a complementary technology to horizontal axial turbines. However, considerable gaps remain in our understanding of VAWT performance since cross‐flow rotor configurations have been significantly less studied than axial turbines. This study examines the wakes of VAWTs and how their evolution is influenced by turbine design parameters. An actuator line model is implemented in an atmospheric boundary layer large eddy simulation code, with offline coupling to a high‐resolution blade‐scale unsteady Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes model. The large eddy simulation captures the turbine‐to‐farm scale dynamics, while the unsteady Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes captures the blade‐to‐turbine scale flow. The simulation results are found to be in good agreement with three existing experimental datasets. Subsequently, a parametric study of the flow over an isolated VAWT, carried out by varying solidities, height‐to‐diameter aspect ratios and tip speed ratios, is conducted. The analyses of the wake area and velocity and power deficits yield an improved understanding of the downstream evolution of VAWT wakes, which in turn enables a more informed selection of turbine designs for wind farms. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于CFD的二维垂直轴风力机性能计算

采用计算流体力学方法(CFD)针对垂直轴风力发电机,开展简化的二维绕流特性研究。首先,基于开放型转子和增强型转子,研究网格节点数和壁面y+、计算时间步长和湍流模型等的变化对计算结果的影响,对计算模型和方法进行确认。随后,计算分析增强型垂直轴风力机与开放型垂直轴风力机的特性。结果表明,与开放性垂直轴风力发电机相比,增强型垂直轴风力发电机的功率系数和转矩系数有明显增加,且达到最大值的位置向叶尖速比增大的方向移动。然后对增强型垂直轴风力机发电机在不同来流风速下进行计算,发现增强型垂直轴风力发电机的转子转矩随来流风速增加,而转矩系数和功率系数与来流风速无关。最后,针对定子叶片在不同的方向开展计算研究。结果表明,定子叶片在不同方向时,增强型垂直轴风力机的转子转矩不同,且转矩到达峰值的位置也不同;在当前3个方向角中,叶片处于0°方向角时风力机具有最高的转矩系数,即具有最佳的功率系数。     

Performance and wake comparison of horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines under varying surface roughness conditions

A numerical study of both a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) and a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) with similar size and power rating is presented. These large scale turbines have been tested when operating stand‐alone at their optimal tip speed ratio (TSR) within a neutrally stratified atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The impact of three different surface roughness lengths on the turbine performance is studied for the both turbines. The turbines performance, the response to the variation in the surface roughness of terrain, and the most relevant phenomena involved on the resulting wake were investigated. The main goal was to evaluate the differences and similarities of these two different types of turbine when they operate under the same atmospheric flow conditions. An actuator line model (ALM) was used together with the large eddy simulation (LES) approach for predicting wake effects, and it was implemented using the open‐source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) library OpenFOAM to solve the governing equations and to compute the resulting flow fields. This model was first validated using wind tunnel measurements of power coefficients and wake of interacting HAWTs, and then employed to study the wake structure of both full scale turbines. A preliminary study test comparing the forces on a VAWT blades against measurements was also investigated. These obtained results showed a better performance and shorter wake (faster recovery) for an HAWT compared with a VAWT for the same atmospheric conditions.     

Performance evaluation of a downwind diffuser on vertical axis wind turbine

Research has proven that the performance of a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWTs) can be increased significantly by the application of a diffuser. It serves as a power augmented feature to draw higher wind flow toward the HAWT. However, research on integrating a diffuser onto vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) is scant, where most of the available power augmentation devices used for VAWTs are the convergent duct, deflector plate, shroud, and guide vanes which are placed in a proper configuration at the upwind. In this paper, laboratory tests and computational simulations have been carried out to study the impacts of a downwind diffuser on the performance of a VAWT. The diffuser is designed with the absence of a concentrator or flange and is placed downwind of the VAWT. Parametric computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies were carried out for the downwind diffuser length and semi-opening angle. A five-bladed H-rotor was selected as the testing wind turbine, whereas the diffuser used was made up of flat plates. Both simulations and experiment results are consistent. From the experiments, it was found that a downwind diffuser increases the VAWT performance remarkably. The diffuser-augmented VAWT produced an increment in the maximum coefficient of power of 31.42% at the TSR 0.65 to 0.75. Moreover, the diffuser induced a better self-start ability on the VAWT. The simulation showed that the flow field at the diffuser promotes a flow expansion which created a lower-pressure region at downstream that accelerates the wind toward the VAWT, hence increasing the turbine performance significantly.     

垂直轴风力机改进翼型气动及功率特性研究

为提高垂直轴风力机的风能利用率,基于CFD数值模拟技术,分析了常用典型垂直轴风力机翼型的气动及功率特性,并以NACA0012翼型为基础对其进行改进。对比改进前后翼型表明,增大翼型厚度可降低升阻比,增大翼型弯度可增强其失速特性;厚尾缘翼型、升阻互补型翼型可分别降低翼型失速性能、增加启动力矩,其中厚尾缘翼型的H型垂直轴风力机的功率系数较大,可提高风能利用率,为翼型优化设计提供了新思路。     

Demonstrating that power and instantaneous loads are decoupled in a vertical‐axis wind turbine

The flow in the meridian plane of a high aspect ratio vertical‐axis wind turbine (VAWT) can be described as two dimensional. The wake that is generated by the VAWT in a two‐dimensional flow consists of shed vorticity and is a result of the temporal variation of bound circulation on the blades, following Kelvin's theorem. The strength and location of the vorticity that is produced by the VAWT in a two‐dimensional flow are thus independent of the average bound circulation on the blade. Two independent computational models—a potential flow panel model and a method that is based on the vorticity–velocity formulation of the Navier–Stokes equations—have been used to show that the VAWT can produce the same power for different azimuthal distributions of the blade aerodynamic loading. It is thus demonstrated that the instantaneous blade aerodynamic loading and the power conversion of a VAWT are decoupled. This observation has, potentially, significant impact on the design of the VAWT and reopens the research on asymmetric blade shapes in order to optimize the performance of this turbine configuration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluidic flow control applied for improved performance of Darrieus wind turbines

The focus of the present research is performance enhancement of a vertical axis Darrieus‐type wind turbine using flow control techniques. The academic and industrial interest in vertical‐axis wind turbines (VAWTs) is increasing because of its suitability to urban areas, characterized by high turbulence and low wind speeds. The paper describes experimental work performed on a GOE222 asymmetrical airfoil intended to be used in a straight‐bladed Darrieus VAWT. Airfoil characteristics were measured in a wide range of incidence angles and Reynolds numbers, relevant for the operation of a small to medium size wind turbine. A variety of passive flow control (passive porosity and surface roughness) and active flow control techniques (boundary layer suction, pulsed suction) were tested in order to evaluate their effects on the airfoil performance. The measured effects of flow control on the 2D airfoil are integrated into a modified version of a double‐multiple streamtube model in order to predict the effects on the performance and efficiency of the turbine. It was found that the improvement of 2D airfoil characteristics can be translated into improvement of total turbine performance. By the use of active flow control, it was possible to increase the VAWT maximum mechanical output. When active flow control is properly activated taking into account the azimuth and Reynolds number conditioning, the effects could be greatly increased while consuming less energy, increasing the net efficiency of the entire system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

驱动热泵的垂直轴风力机风轮气动特性数值分析

根据风能热泵系统的工作环境及匹配特性,针对给定供热面积的系统各参数选取方法以及垂直轴风力机风轮设计进行了探讨,在此基础上初步完成了额定功率为300 W的风轮设计,并利用二维数值模拟方法对不同叶尖速比下的性能曲线进行计算,分析得到了额定风速9.00 m/s时,驱动压缩机的最佳风轮转速为350~375r/min。结果表明,300 W垂直轴风力机的输出特性可满足风能热泵机组的工作要求,该数值分析结果可为风能供热技术的应用示范提供理论支撑。     

改进型格尼襟翼对不同实度的垂直轴风力机气动性能的影响

为了提升垂直轴风力机获能效率,为风力机叶片加装格尼襟翼并对格尼襟翼进行改进,通过数值模拟研究了两种格尼襟翼对不同实度的垂直轴风力机气动性能的影响。研究发现：当尖速比为3.1、实度为0.250时,原始格尼襟翼可提升10.92%的风能利用系数,改进型格尼襟翼可提升17.92%。在不同实度,改进型格尼襟翼在高尖速比时可较好地提升气动性能,而原始格尼襟翼在低尖速比时可较好地提升气动性能。当实度增大时,由于叶片间尾迹影响加剧而导致风能利用系数下降,但载荷波动情况得到改善;当实度为0.416时,载荷波动最小。     

加装后缘小翼的垂直轴风力机输出特性研究

为了研究H型垂直轴风力机后缘加装小翼的输出特性变化规律,文章以NACA0012翼型叶片为例,采用风洞试验与数值模拟的方法,对加装后缘小翼的风力机进行了研究。模拟结果表明,加装后缘小翼的风力机的单叶片扭矩系数及功率性能要优于未加装小翼的风力机,整体功率较未加装小翼的风力机略有提升。风洞实验结果表明:加装后缘小翼可以提高风力机的最大输出功率,其中径长比对于加装小翼的垂直轴风力机功率提升的影响较大;当转速小于300 r/min时,安装径长比为0.6的后缘小翼的风力机输出功率最高;当转速超过300 r/min时,径长比为0.4的后缘小翼的风力机输出功率最高。     

兆瓦级H型垂直轴风力发电机气动设计方案的数值模拟研究

为解决兆瓦级H型垂直轴风力发电机气动设计过程中实验和数值模拟方面耗费巨大的问题,基于升力线模拟方法完成了兆瓦级H型垂直轴风力发电机的气动设计,并利用该方法研究不同垂直轴风力机翼型设计方案对整机气动性能的影响,研究结果表明:基元翼型选用NACA0015和NACA0018对称翼型能够获得更高的风能利用率;整机叶片造型方案中,前掠翼型性能优于直叶片,前掠翼型方案的最大风能利用率随掠角增大而小幅上升,完整旋转周期内的风能利用率则随掠角增加先增大后减小,且在掠角3°时可取到整体最大风能利用率;后掠翼型性能差于直叶片,风能利用系数随掠角增大而减小;前掠与后掠组合翼型方案性能稍好于直叶片,但不如前掠叶片;不同方案之间存在性能差异的原因可能在于不同翼型的叶片分离涡在竖直方向上的旋涡脱落顺序方面存在差异,其中上部较早脱落的前掠方案有助于风能利用系数提升,下部较早脱落的后掠方案则会对风能利用系数产生负面影响。     

聚风导流型立轴风力机设计及气动性能分析

针对传统的立轴风力机风能利用率低的问题,应用正交优化法和流场数值模拟技术对聚风导流型立轴风力机的结构设计参数进行了优化设计。在同尺度下与传统立轴风力机进行了对比分析。结果表明,聚风导流型立轴风力机叶轮的输出功率、风能利用率及自启动特性均得到了显著提高。     

有弯度翼型垂直轴风力机的数值模拟研究

应用计算流体动力学有限体积法SIMPLE算法,配合SST k-ω湍流模型和滑动网格技术模拟分析了有弯度翼型4叶片垂直轴风力机的气动特性,以其作为有弯度翼型垂直轴风力机设计的参考依据。研究结果发现,在入口流速为10 m/s,尖速比为1.6时,该种风力机单个叶片的瞬时力矩系数为-0.03～0.18,并且在一个转动周期内正的瞬时力矩系数历时较长;整个风轮的的力矩系数在尖速比为1.6左右时达到最大值,功率系数在尖速比为1.7左右时达到最大值。     

叶片附着物对直线翼垂直轴风力机性能的影响

采用黏土作为附着物模拟了直线翼垂直轴风力机叶片表面前缘的结冰情况,并通过风洞试验测试分析了附着物对自行设计制作的直线翼垂直轴风力机模型转速和功率特性的影响.结果表明:附着物的存在降低了风力机的稳定转数、减少了输出功率,且随着附着质量的增加和风速的增大,影响效果越明显.通过将同等质量的黏土附着在叶表和嵌入叶片内的对比试验表明:在本试验条件下,附着物质量轻时,附着质量与翼型变化对风力机性能的影响基本为同等程度;随着附着物质量的增加,附着质量对风力机性能的影响占居主导地位.