A Numerical Investigation to Identify Dimensionless Parameters for Dual-Rotor Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

Abstract

A numerical study was carried out to identify non-dimensional parameters for dual-rotor horizontal axis wind turbines (DRWTs). Based on some important DRWT parameters such as the rotor speeds, rotor diameters and the distance between the rotors, three dimensionless parameters were derived from the Buckingham Pi theorem. Hypothetical DRWT models were created using geometrically-scaled National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Phase VI rotor geometry and operating conditions in order to confirm the validity of these parameters. The performance of each turbine was simulated using DR_HAWT, an inhouse prediction tool for single and dual-rotor wind turbines created by the current authors. The variation in normalized output power as a function of the dimensionless parameters suggests that an improved performance of DRWTs can be obtained at lower diameter and gap ratios. The NREL Phase VI rotor equipped with a 5 m geometrically-scaled upwind rotor can generate about 88% of the combined power output of two equivalent single-rotors. In addition, the effect of having an auxiliary upwind rotor reduces the angle of attack along the inboard section of the downwind blade.