Performance of a stationary vertical axis vane type rotor tested in a wind tunnel

Abstract

This paper reports the performance of an equally spaced vertical axis vane type rotor tested in a wind tunnel. The aerodynamic characteristics i.e. torque coefficient, drag coefficient etc. of a stationary vane type rotor have been studied in this research work by measuring the pressure distribution on the blade surfaces at various rotor angles. The experimental investigation was performed on four bladed vertical axis vane type rotor in a uniform flow jet produced by an open circuit wind tunnel. It has been observed that the static torque varies at different rotor angles. Total static torque coefficient at different rotor angles curve repeats from 0° to 80°, 90° to 170°, 180° to 260° and 270° to 350° angle of rotation. A quasi-steady approach was applied for the prediction of dynamic performance of the rotor using the static drag and torque coefficients. This method results in a fair agreement with the measured power coefficient.