Aerodynamic design of a small-scale model of a vertical axis wind turbine

Wind tunnel testing of small-scale models is one of the most useful techniques to predict the performance of real-scale applications. In this work, the aerodynamic design and the construction of a small-scale model of a straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine for wind tunnel testing has been performed. Using a double multiple streamtube model (DMST), different solidity values for the turbine and different airfoil geometries were compared to select the final design. Once an optimal design was selected, a numerical simulation using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was performed in order to obtain a more precise description of the flow field as well as the performance of the model. Future work will comprise the characterization of the model and the comparison of the experimental and numerical results

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This work has been supported by the “FPU” predoctoral research scholarship provided by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. The authors also want to acknowledge the support from the Projects “Prototipo experimental para la contrastación de modelos de predicción de prestaciones de turbinas eólicas de eje vertical (VAWT)” (SV-18-GIJON-1-05) from the University Institute of Industrial Technology of Asturias, financed by the City Council of Gijon, Spain, “Diseño optimizado de una turbina eólica de eje vertical” from the University of Oviedo Foundation, financed by the company AST Ingeniería and “Desarrollo y construcción de turbinas eólicas de eje vertical para entornos urbanos” (ENE2017-89965-P) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness