Session: 09-09-03 Hybrid Energy: Concept and Analysis

Submission Number: 180730

Numerical Study on the Effect of Chord Length Optimization on the Aerodynamic Performance of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine 

Vertical axis wind turbines exhibit superior structural performance compared to horizontal-axis wind turbines, as they do not require a yaw system. Additionally, the generator can be placed at the base of the platform, lowering the center of gravity, enhancing stability, and reducing operation and maintenance costs. However, the power efficiency of a single VAWT is relatively lower than that of HAWTs. The chord length (or solidity) of the blade is a crucial geometric parameter influencing aerodynamic performance. This study aims to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of the Darrieus-Φ turbine at the rotational speed, but across different blade heights. In this study, a two-dimensional transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to simulate the aerodynamic performance of a three-bladed VAWT with varying radii (and heights). And the influence of chord length (or solidity) on the aerodynamic performance across different radii is analyzed, with the aim of determining the optimal power output for blade sections at varying heights. The corresponding optimal chord lengths for these sections are also obtained and analyzed.The function for the optimal chord length of the Φ-type wind turbine, varying with radius and height, is derived through polynomial fitting. Finally, both the Darrieus-Φ VAWT with optimized chord length and the one with unoptimized chord length are modeled in three dimensions. The power coefficients of the optimized and original turbines are then compared using three-dimensional CFD simulations.

Presenting Author: Zhijia Suo South China University of Technology

Presenting Author Biography: The author is pursuing her doctoral degree at South China University of Technology. Her research is dedicated to advancing offshore renewable energy technologies, centering on the performance evaluation and optimal arrangement of vertical-axis wind turbine arrays.

Authors:

Zhijia Suo South China University of Technology
Chaohe Chen South China University of Technology
Mengjie Jiang South China University of Technology