Design & construction of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Abstract

A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into electrical power. Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) is one type of wind turbine where the main rotor shaft is set vertically and it can capture wind from any direction. The aim of this work is to develop a theoretical model for the design and performance of Darrieus type vertical axis wind turbine for small scale energy applications. A small 3 bladed turbine (prototype) is constructed and investigated the performance for low wind velocity. The model is based on NACA 0018 airfoil & light wood is used as blade material. The full scale Vertical Axis Wind Turbine is made for 36 inch height, 24 inch diameter, blade cord length is 3.937 inch & blade height is 24 inch. A 100 watt 24 volt brushless DC motor is used to measure output power. The whirling speed of blade & electric power output for the corresponding speed is measured through Tachometer & Wattmeter. The power curves show the relation between the rotational wind speed of the turbine and the power produced for a range of wind speeds. This approach indicates to develop vertical axis wind turbine with better performance to meet the increasing power demand.