Modeling and Simulation Study of a Novel Bat Sand Vertical Axial-Wind Turbine

Abstract

A wind turbine with a vertical axis offers a high potential for energy production. Numerous operational and design aspects, such as aspect ratio, blade number, climatic conditions, dust effect, rain impact, humidity, and other geometrical forms, affect the performance of vertical axial-wind turbines. In this work, CFD was used to analyze the flow characteristics across the blades of a unique vertical-axis wind turbine. The tests were conducted at various airflow velocities, including 2 m/s, 4 m/s, 6 m/s, and 8 m/s. Utilizing numerical simulation, the pressure contours and streamlines were drawn. Due to the direct influence of the dynamic pressure on the front surface of the turbine blades, the highest pressure was observed on the front side of the blades. Maximum vortices were found on the rear side of the turbine blades, whilst minimal vortices were observed on the front side. Likewise, the lowest pressure was measured on the side of the turbine blades. At airflow velocities of 8 m/s and 2 m/s, the highest and minimum pressure values measured were 7.3 kPa and 2.63 kPa, respectively. Additionally, streamlines were identified.