Wind tunnel test and numerical analysis of wooden-bladed Darrieus wind rotor at low wind speed conditions

Abstract

The present study aims to conduct wind tunnel tests and numerical analyses to comprehensively assess the performance of wooden-bladed Darrieus wind rotors, specifically focusing on their behavior at low wind speeds. Limited investigation exists on the aerodynamic behavior of wooden-bladed Darrieus wind rotors under low wind speed conditions, necessitating comprehensive analysis to understand their performance characteristics and address this research gap. The present study is undertaken to address this gap. In addition, the paper also presents airfoil and blade material selection and fabrication of the rotor. The study is conducted on the NACA 0018 airfoil profile of the blades at low wind speeds of 4 and 6 m/s, commonly encountered in urban areas. The wind tunnel tests measure various rotor performance parameters such as the Static torque coefficient (Cts) and Power coefficient (Cp). At the same time, numerical simulations are used to study the flow behavior around the rotor blades. The Cts of the rotor is calculated at 12 different azimuthal positions between 0° to 360°. The Cp of the rotor is calculated at different tip speed ratios (λ). The present rotor exhibited maximum Cts of 0.64 and 0.66 and maximum Cp of 0.132 (at λ = 1.26) and 0.141 (at λ = 1.29) for 4 m/s and 6 m/s, respectively. Finally, it can conclude that the constructed wooden Darrieus rotor is working positively at low wind speeds, and the results may be used to develop wooden wind turbines for small-scale power generation.