Design considerations of wind funnel concentrator for low wind speed regions

Abstract

Wind Funnel Concentrator System captures wind flow from any direction, funnels it down using tapered pipes leading to a concentrator that ends in Venturi section where the turbine should be placed. This Wind Concentrator system is called INVELOX machine. Parametric design analysis is carried out to obtain the optimum design parameters of the Wind Concentrator to maximize the wind speed at the venturi section. The parameters considered are the intake shape and size, guided vanes number and their length, elbow size, venturi length, and wind direction. The design and simulation is carried out using ANSYS software package. Results show that the intake area is directly proportional to venturi air speed, and is inversely proportional to the size of the venturi cross sectional area as well as the venturi cross section length. The highest venturi air speed is obtained when the system body orientation is aligned with the wind direction within a tolerance of +/-45°. The best performance achieved when the final shape of Wind Concentrator has five guided vanes extended to the end of the funnel length. The Velocity of wind at the Venturi throat is found to increase by more than four times of the intake speed.