Similarity of the Output Characteristics of the Small Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Abstract

Several models have been proposed to predict the shaft output characteristics of the vertical axis wind turbine from the aerodynamic characteristics of the blade. However, it has not predict the output characteristics of the small wind turbine even the multiple stream tube model included effect of the momentum reduction. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to find out a similarity parameter of the shaft output characteristics based on blade wake interference to establish a prediction model for the small wind turbine. From the measurement of the blade wake using the turbine model with single blade, the scale of the blade wake depends on the ratio of the rotational speed to the free stream velocity, and the advection velocity of it depends on the free stream velocity. The shaft output characteristics of the small wind turbine indicate good similarity for the parameter, λ3σn/D , based on interference of blade wake.