IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v90y2016icp386-398.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Study of wake characteristics of a vertical axis wind turbine by two- and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulations

Author

Listed:
  • Lam, H.F.
  • Peng, H.Y.

Abstract

In this work, the near and far wakes of a low-solidity two-straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) were, for the first time, investigated with two- and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The wake velocity field and turbulence field from 1 to 10 turbine diameters (1D to 10D) downstream were examined. Structured meshes were generated throughout the computational domain for calculation accuracy and efficiency. Both the transition shear stress transport (SST) and the detached eddy simulation (DES) models were used to close the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) equations. The CFD models were validated by particle image velocimetry (PIV) test results from the literature. The regions of the near and far wakes were defined based on the occurrence of the maximum velocity deficit. In the near wake (within 3D), the velocity suffered a drastic deficit of about 85%. In the far wake (beyond 3D), major velocity recovery occurred with the average stream-wise velocity reaching approximately 75% at 10D. The wake asymmetry grew as the downstream distance increased, and the causes behind it were examined. Further, investigation into the dimensional effects of the CFD models, and the blade tip and span vortices was conducted.

Suggested Citation

  • Lam, H.F. & Peng, H.Y., 2016. "Study of wake characteristics of a vertical axis wind turbine by two- and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 386-398.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:90:y:2016:i:c:p:386-398
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2016.01.011
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148116300118
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2016.01.011?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Howell, Robert & Qin, Ning & Edwards, Jonathan & Durrani, Naveed, 2010. "Wind tunnel and numerical study of a small vertical axis wind turbine," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 412-422.
    2. Danao, Louis Angelo & Edwards, Jonathan & Eboibi, Okeoghene & Howell, Robert, 2014. "A numerical investigation into the influence of unsteady wind on the performance and aerodynamics of a vertical axis wind turbine," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 111-124.
    3. Ponta, F.L. & Seminara, J.J. & Otero, A.D., 2007. "On the aerodynamics of variable-geometry oval-trajectory Darrieus wind turbines," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 35-56.
    4. Tescione, G. & Ragni, D. & He, C. & Simão Ferreira, C.J. & van Bussel, G.J.W., 2014. "Near wake flow analysis of a vertical axis wind turbine by stereoscopic particle image velocimetry," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 47-61.
    5. Bastankhah, Majid & Porté-Agel, Fernando, 2014. "A new analytical model for wind-turbine wakes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 116-123.
    6. Kusiak, Andrew & Song, Zhe, 2010. "Design of wind farm layout for maximum wind energy capture," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 685-694.
    7. Li, Chao & Zhu, Songye & Xu, You-lin & Xiao, Yiqing, 2013. "2.5D large eddy simulation of vertical axis wind turbine in consideration of high angle of attack flow," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 317-330.
    8. Kjellin, J. & Bülow, F. & Eriksson, S. & Deglaire, P. & Leijon, M. & Bernhoff, H., 2011. "Power coefficient measurement on a 12 kW straight bladed vertical axis wind turbine," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(11), pages 3050-3053.
    9. Islam, M.R. & Mekhilef, S. & Saidur, R., 2013. "Progress and recent trends of wind energy technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 456-468.
    10. Raciti Castelli, Marco & Dal Monte, Andrea & Quaresimin, Marino & Benini, Ernesto, 2013. "Numerical evaluation of aerodynamic and inertial contributions to Darrieus wind turbine blade deformation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 101-112.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Peng, H.Y. & Liu, H.J. & Yang, J.H., 2021. "A review on the wake aerodynamics of H-rotor vertical axis wind turbines," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    2. Jin, Xin & Zhao, Gaoyuan & Gao, KeJun & Ju, Wenbin, 2015. "Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine: Basic research methods," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 212-225.
    3. Lam, H.F. & Peng, H.Y., 2017. "Measurements of the wake characteristics of co- and counter-rotating twin H-rotor vertical axis wind turbines," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 13-26.
    4. Zanforlin, Stefania & Deluca, Stefano, 2018. "Effects of the Reynolds number and the tip losses on the optimal aspect ratio of straight-bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbines," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 179-195.
    5. Barnes, Andrew & Marshall-Cross, Daniel & Hughes, Ben Richard, 2021. "Towards a standard approach for future Vertical Axis Wind Turbine aerodynamics research and development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    6. Bangga, Galih & Dessoky, Amgad & Wu, Zhenlong & Rogowski, Krzysztof & Hansen, Martin O.L., 2020. "Accuracy and consistency of CFD and engineering models for simulating vertical axis wind turbine loads," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    7. Li, Qing'an & Maeda, Takao & Kamada, Yasunari & Murata, Junsuke & Kawabata, Toshiaki & Shimizu, Kento & Ogasawara, Tatsuhiko & Nakai, Alisa & Kasuya, Takuji, 2016. "Wind tunnel and numerical study of a straight-bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine in three-dimensional analysis (Part II: For predicting flow field and performance)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 295-307.
    8. Liu, Kan & Yu, Meilin & Zhu, Weidong, 2019. "Enhancing wind energy harvesting performance of vertical axis wind turbines with a new hybrid design: A fluid-structure interaction study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 912-927.
    9. Wekesa, David Wafula & Wang, Cong & Wei, Yingjie & Kamau, Joseph N. & Danao, Louis Angelo M., 2015. "A numerical analysis of unsteady inflow wind for site specific vertical axis wind turbine: A case study for Marsabit and Garissa in Kenya," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 648-661.
    10. Shaaban, S. & Albatal, A. & Mohamed, M.H., 2018. "Optimization of H-Rotor Darrieus turbines' mutual interaction in staggered arrangements," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 87-99.
    11. Wekesa, David Wafula & Wang, Cong & Wei, Yingjie & Danao, Louis Angelo M., 2017. "Analytical and numerical investigation of unsteady wind for enhanced energy capture in a fluctuating free-stream," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 854-864.
    12. Li, Qingan & Cai, Chang & Maeda, Takao & Kamada, Yasunari & Shimizu, Kento & Dong, Yehong & Zhang, Fanghong & Xu, Jianzhong, 2021. "Visualization of aerodynamic forces and flow field on a straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine by wind tunnel experiments and panel method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    13. Li, Qing'an & Maeda, Takao & Kamada, Yasunari & Murata, Junsuke & Kawabata, Toshiaki & Shimizu, Kento & Ogasawara, Tatsuhiko & Nakai, Alisa & Kasuya, Takuji, 2016. "Wind tunnel and numerical study of a straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine in three-dimensional analysis (Part I: For predicting aerodynamic loads and performance)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 443-452.
    14. Thé, Jesse & Yu, Hesheng, 2017. "A critical review on the simulations of wind turbine aerodynamics focusing on hybrid RANS-LES methods," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 257-289.
    15. Wang, Zhenyu & Zhuang, Mei, 2017. "Leading-edge serrations for performance improvement on a vertical-axis wind turbine at low tip-speed-ratios," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 1184-1197.
    16. Rezaeiha, Abdolrahim & Kalkman, Ivo & Blocken, Bert, 2017. "Effect of pitch angle on power performance and aerodynamics of a vertical axis wind turbine," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 132-150.
    17. Lam, H.F. & Peng, H.Y., 2017. "Development of a wake model for Darrieus-type straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbines and its application to micro-siting problems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(PB), pages 830-842.
    18. Lei, Hang & Zhou, Dai & Bao, Yan & Chen, Caiyong & Ma, Ning & Han, Zhaolong, 2017. "Numerical simulations of the unsteady aerodynamics of a floating vertical axis wind turbine in surge motion," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 1-17.
    19. Li, Qing'an & Maeda, Takao & Kamada, Yasunari & Shimizu, Kento & Ogasawara, Tatsuhiko & Nakai, Alisa & Kasuya, Takuji, 2017. "Effect of rotor aspect ratio and solidity on a straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine in three-dimensional analysis by the panel method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 1-9.
    20. Almohammadi, K.M. & Ingham, D.B. & Ma, L. & Pourkashan, M., 2013. "Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) mesh independency techniques for a straight blade vertical axis wind turbine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 483-493.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:90:y:2016:i:c:p:386-398. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.