Abstract
The performance of a wind turbine located above a cubic building is not well understood. This issue is of fundamental importance for the design of small scale wind turbines. One variable which is of particular importance in this respect is the turbine height above roof level. In this work, the power performance of a small wind turbine is assessed as a function of the height above the roof of a generic cubic building. A 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics model of a 10m x 10m x 10m building is used with the turbine modelled as an actuator disc. Results have shown an improvement in the average power coefficient even in cases where the rotor is partially located within the roof separation zone. This goes against current notions of small wind turbine power production. This study can be of particular importance to guide the turbine installation height on building roof tops.
Highlights
Introduction and objectivesThe aerodynamics of small and micro-scale wind turbines located on top of a cubic building block has had little attention in the literature
When the turbine height is increased to HT = 1.4H which corresponds to the reference height, the turbine streamtube and the separation zone from the roof are clearly distinct but are influenced by each other
Small wind turbines for urban wind energy exploitation have been developed by industry in order to address the energy challenges of cities and urbanised zones
Summary
Introduction and objectivesThe aerodynamics of small and micro-scale wind turbines located on top of a cubic building block has had little attention in the literature. The interaction between the separation bubble over the roof of a building and a wind turbine can be either positive when flow is augmented or negative when the performance of the turbine is undermined by its interaction with the zone of separated flow. The objectives of this work can be summarised as follows: (1) To determine the influence of the wind turbine-to-roof interaction on the turbine power coefficient and (2) To establish a relationship between turbine height from a building roof and the power performance. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is an indispensable tool for identifying optimal locations for mounting wind turbines, taking advantage of flow augmentations induced by buildings. Some of the earliest analysis involving the application of CFD as a tool for siting of building-mounted wind
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