Effect of geometrical parameters on the performance of conventional Savonius VAWT: A review

Abstract

Wind power is one of the main sources of renewable energy. New applications of this technology are currently under development through small vertical axis wind turbines, allowing energy production in small spaces even at low wind speeds. Therefore, creating an effective turbine design methodology tailored to these operating conditions has been the subject of extensive research. The Savonius-type vertical axis wind turbine is one of the most widely used due to its low cost and easy manufacturing. Several works have examined the effect of various geometric parameters on the performance of the Savonius-type wind turbine. However, there are no published overarching conclusions about these works. Thus, this paper aims to review and discuss in a concise way experiments and simulations carried out by several authors evaluating the effect of some geometric parameters on the maximum power and torque coefficient of Savonius vertical axis wind turbines. The paper also discusses additional experiments that should be performed in future work.