Design and construction of Savonius rotor

Abstract

Renewable energy sources have been researched for more than a century now. Wind energy; which is often characterized as an unreliable source of energy, is not unreliable if placed at places with smooth wind currents. Savonius rotor as Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) can be used as a standalone power generation device because of its low cost, low cut-in speed and the fact that it can accept wind from any direction. S-Rotors when compared to other types of rotors have a lower Power Coefficient but factors like Overlap ratio, Aspect Ratio, Number of Blades and Blade shapes can affect its efficiency. This paper discusses the Design and construction of a Savonius wind turbine by studying how the factors above influence the rotor’s performance. Finally, a Single-stage, Two blade conventional Savonius rotor with an Overlap Ratio of 0.1 and Aspect Ratio of 3.3 has been constructed and discussed below. Studies for choosing the best material have also been conducted and PolyVinyl Chloride (PVC) has been selected to prepare the blades from. According to the study conducted, the voltage output recorded at 5.4 m/s wind speed was 19.1 Volts.