Effects of the Angled Blades of Extremely Small Wind Turbines on Energy Harvesting Performance

Junseon Park,Seungjin Lee,Joong Yull Park

doi:10.3390/math8081295

Abstract

Low-intensity winds can be useful power sources in the context of energy harvesting. This study aims to enhance the power generation capacity of a super micro wind turbine (SMWT) in low-intensity winds by modifying the blade geometry, which cannot be realized in conventional wind turbines owing to the stress concentration. By controlling the curved angle (θ) in the middle of the blade, the rotor performance can be improved, and the rotor diameter can be reduced to increase installation density. Experimental results indicated that the optimal θ value was 105°, at which the AC voltage was improved by 7.4% compared to that in the case of the basic model with θ = 0°. The maximum electric power output was 9.333 μW and the load resistance was 47.62 kΩ. Moreover, a computational fluid dynamics analysis was performed to clarify the pressure field and streamlines on and around the blade to demonstrate the aerodynamic performance of the SMWT. The proposed blade geometry is one of many possible designs that can enhance extremely small wind turbines for energy harvesting.

Highlights

With the increasing resource depletion and global warming, renewable energy sources are being increasingly used as an auxiliary energy source to reduce the use of conventional energy resources based on fossil fuels
From the energy harvesting viewpoint, this wind energy is useful for low-energy consumption applications
The research object in this work was an super micro wind turbine (SMWT), which was used as an energy harvesting system suitable for low wind energy

Summary

Introduction

With the increasing resource depletion and global warming, renewable energy sources are being increasingly used as an auxiliary energy source to reduce the use of conventional energy resources based on fossil fuels. As a representative renewable energy source, is used in wind turbines that generate electricity via the wind-induced rotation of the rotor blades. Wind turbines can be classified according to their rotor diameter and generating power (Figure 1a). Large wind turbines, which have a diameter of 50–100 m and generating power of 1–3 MW, generate considerable energy at a relatively low cost; the initial cost is extremely high, and such turbines can only be installed in large open onshore or offshore areas. Small wind turbines with a diameter of less than 10 m and generating power of 20 kW have a considerably low initial cost and can be applied in several regions. Small wind turbines can generate useful energy even if they are located far from the power grid [1,2]

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Conclusion