IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v167y2019icp841-852.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Concept of flexible vertical-axis wind turbine with numerical simulation and shape optimization

Author

Listed:
  • Marinić-Kragić, Ivo
  • Vučina, Damir
  • Milas, Zoran

Abstract

Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWT) are becoming popular solutions for electric power generation. Among them, Savonius-type VAWTs have low rotational speed, reduced noise and ability to self-start, but their disadvantage is the low energy conversion efficiency. This paper investigates a novel VAWT concept and whether it can provide a higher energy conversion efficiency. The novel concept is a Savonius-type VAWT with flexible blades that change their shape passively due to aerodynamic and blade inertial forces during rotation. An initial design was optimized by a customized shape optimization workflow based on genetic algorithms. The blade design evaluation was performed by CFD model with two-way fluid-structure interaction. The optimization objective was to determine the optimal blade shape, thickness distribution and location of the blade support arms by maximizing the power coefficient and keeping structural stresses below the design limit. The results show that 8% improvement of the power coefficient is possible while keeping the structural stress within the design limit. A detailed performance analysis in the paper shows that there is potential for further optimization considering annual energy production for a selected location. For that purpose, the proposed optimization workflow can serve as a tool for development of future designs.

Suggested Citation

  • Marinić-Kragić, Ivo & Vučina, Damir & Milas, Zoran, 2019. "Concept of flexible vertical-axis wind turbine with numerical simulation and shape optimization," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 841-852.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:167:y:2019:i:c:p:841-852
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2018.11.026
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544218322308
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2018.11.026?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. Chan, C.M. & Bai, H.L. & He, D.Q., 2018. "Blade shape optimization of the Savonius wind turbine using a genetic algorithm," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 148-157.
    2. Saeidi, Davood & Sedaghat, Ahmad & Alamdari, Pourya & Alemrajabi, Ali Akbar, 2013. "Aerodynamic design and economical evaluation of site specific small vertical axis wind turbines," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 765-775.
    3. Bedon, Gabriele & Raciti Castelli, Marco & Benini, Ernesto, 2014. "Proposal for an innovative chord distribution in the Troposkien vertical axis wind turbine concept," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 689-698.
    4. Wang, Lu & Yeung, Ronald W., 2016. "On the performance of a micro-scale Bach-type turbine as predicted by discrete-vortex simulations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 823-836.
    5. Ritter, Matthias & Deckert, Lars, 2017. "Site assessment, turbine selection, and local feed-in tariffs through the wind energy index," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P2), pages 1087-1099.
    6. Ismail, Md Farhad & Vijayaraghavan, Krishna, 2015. "The effects of aerofoil profile modification on a vertical axis wind turbine performance," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 20-31.
    7. Joo, Sungjun & Choi, Heungsoap & Lee, Juhee, 2015. "Aerodynamic characteristics of two-bladed H-Darrieus at various solidities and rotating speeds," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(P1), pages 439-451.
    8. Lee, Young-Tae & Lim, Hee-Chang, 2015. "Numerical study of the aerodynamic performance of a 500 W Darrieus-type vertical-axis wind turbine," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 407-415.
    9. Baoshou Zhang & Baowei Song & Zhaoyong Mao & Wenlong Tian & Boyang Li & Bo Li, 2017. "A Novel Parametric Modeling Method and Optimal Design for Savonius Wind Turbines," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-20, March.
    10. Bedon, Gabriele & De Betta, Stefano & Benini, Ernesto, 2016. "Performance-optimized airfoil for Darrieus wind turbines," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 328-340.
    11. Roy, Sukanta & Saha, Ujjwal K., 2015. "Wind tunnel experiments of a newly developed two-bladed Savonius-style wind turbine," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 117-125.
    12. 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.
    13. Marinić-Kragić, Ivo & Vučina, Damir & Milas, Zoran, 2018. "Numerical workflow for 3D shape optimization and synthesis of vertical-axis wind turbines for specified operating regimes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 113-127.
    14. Pérez-Arribas, F. & Trejo-Vargas, I., 2012. "Computer-aided design of horizontal axis turbine blades," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 252-260.
    15. Hassanzadeh, Reza & Yaakob, Omar bin & Taheri, Mohammad Mahdi & Hosseinzadeh, Mehdi & Ahmed, Yasser M., 2018. "An innovative configuration for new marine current turbine," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 413-422.
    16. Cheng, Chin-Hsiang & Huang, Yu-Xian & King, Shun-Chih & Lee, Chun-I & Leu, Chih-Hsing, 2014. "CFD (computational fluid dynamics)-based optimal design of a micro-reformer by integrating computational a fluid dynamics code using a simplified conjugate-gradient method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 355-365.
    17. Gugliani, G.K. & Sarkar, A. & Ley, C. & Mandal, S., 2018. "New methods to assess wind resources in terms of wind speed, load, power and direction," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 129(PA), pages 168-182.
    18. Islam, Mazharul & Ting, David S.-K. & Fartaj, Amir, 2008. "Aerodynamic models for Darrieus-type straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbines," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 1087-1109, May.
    19. Kumer, Valerie-M. & Reuder, Joachim & Dorninger, Manfred & Zauner, Rudolf & Grubišić, Vanda, 2016. "Turbulent kinetic energy estimates from profiling wind LiDAR measurements and their potential for wind energy applications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 898-910.
    20. Bedon, Gabriele & Raciti Castelli, Marco & Benini, Ernesto, 2013. "Optimization of a Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbine using blade element – momentum theory and evolutionary algorithm," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 184-192.
    21. Menet, J.-L., 2004. "A double-step Savonius rotor for local production of electricity: a design study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(11), pages 1843-1862.
    22. Gomes, R.P.F. & Henriques, J.C.C. & Gato, L.M.C. & Falcão, A.F.O., 2012. "Multi-point aerodynamic optimization of the rotor blade sections of an axial-flow impulse air turbine for wave energy conversion," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 570-580.
    23. Bedon, Gabriele & Antonini, Enrico G.A. & De Betta, Stefano & Raciti Castelli, Marco & Benini, Ernesto, 2014. "Evaluation of the different aerodynamic databases for vertical axis wind turbine simulations," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 386-399.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Karimian, S.M.H. & Abdolahifar, Abolfazl, 2020. "Performance investigation of a new Darrieus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    2. Marzec, Łukasz & Buliński, Zbigniew & Krysiński, Tomasz, 2021. "Fluid structure interaction analysis of the operating Savonius wind turbine," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 272-284.
    3. Scheaua Fanel Dorel & Goanta Adrian Mihai & Dragan Nicusor, 2021. "Review of Specific Performance Parameters of Vertical Wind Turbine Rotors Based on the SAVONIUS Type," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-23, April.
    4. Yang, Yaru & Li, Hua & Yao, Jin & Gao, Wenxiang, 2019. "Research on the characteristic parameters and rotor layout principle of dual-rotor horizontal axis wind turbine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    5. Hu, Wenyu & E, Jiaqiang & Tan, Yan & Zhang, Feng & Liao, Gaoliang, 2022. "Modified wind energy collection devices for harvesting convective wind energy from cars and trucks moving in the highway," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    6. Farzadi, Ramin & Bazargan, Majid, 2023. "3D numerical simulation of the Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine with J-type and straight blades under various operating conditions including self-starting mode," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(PB).

    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. Marinić-Kragić, Ivo & Vučina, Damir & Milas, Zoran, 2018. "Numerical workflow for 3D shape optimization and synthesis of vertical-axis wind turbines for specified operating regimes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 113-127.
    2. Chen, Jian & Yang, Hongxing & Yang, Mo & Xu, Hongtao & Hu, Zuohuan, 2015. "A comprehensive review of the theoretical approaches for the airfoil design of lift-type vertical axis wind turbine," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1709-1720.
    3. 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.
    4. Wang, Ying & Shen, Sheng & Li, Gaohui & Huang, Diangui & Zheng, Zhongquan, 2018. "Investigation on aerodynamic performance of vertical axis wind turbine with different series airfoil shapes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 801-818.
    5. Kumar, Rakesh & Raahemifar, Kaamran & Fung, Alan S., 2018. "A critical review of vertical axis wind turbines for urban applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 281-291.
    6. Meana-Fernández, Andrés & Solís-Gallego, Irene & Fernández Oro, Jesús Manuel & Argüelles Díaz, Katia María & Velarde-Suárez, Sandra, 2018. "Parametrical evaluation of the aerodynamic performance of vertical axis wind turbines for the proposal of optimized designs," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 504-517.
    7. Marinić-Kragić, Ivo & Vučina, Damir & Milas, Zoran, 2022. "Robust optimization of Savonius-type wind turbine deflector blades considering wind direction sensitivity and production material decrease," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 150-163.
    8. Marinić-Kragić, Ivo & Vučina, Damir & Milas, Zoran, 2022. "Global optimization of Savonius-type vertical axis wind turbine with multiple circular-arc blades using validated 3D CFD model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    9. Chen, Jian & Pan, Xiong & Wang, Canxing & Hu, Guojun & Xu, Hongtao & Liu, Pengwei, 2019. "Airfoil parameterization evaluation based on a modified PARASEC method for a H-Darrious rotor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    10. Noman, Abdullah Al & Tasneem, Zinat & Sahed, Md. Fahad & Muyeen, S.M. & Das, Sajal K. & Alam, Firoz, 2022. "Towards next generation Savonius wind turbine: Artificial intelligence in blade design trends and framework," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    11. 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).
    12. Chen, Yaoran & Su, Jie & Han, Zhaolong & Zhao, Yongsheng & Zhou, Dai & Yang, He & Bao, Yan & Lei, Hang, 2020. "A shape optimization of ϕ-shape Darrieus wind turbine under a given range of inlet wind speed," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 286-299.
    13. Chen, Jian & Chen, Liu & Xu, Hongtao & Yang, Hongxing & Ye, Changwen & Liu, Di, 2016. "Performance improvement of a vertical axis wind turbine by comprehensive assessment of an airfoil family," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 318-331.
    14. 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.
    15. Guo, Fen & Song, Baowei & Mao, Zhaoyong & Tian, Wenlong, 2020. "Experimental and numerical validation of the influence on Savonius turbine caused by rear deflector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    16. Ma, Ning & Lei, Hang & Han, Zhaolong & Zhou, Dai & Bao, Yan & Zhang, Kai & Zhou, Lei & Chen, Caiyong, 2018. "Airfoil optimization to improve power performance of a high-solidity vertical axis wind turbine at a moderate tip speed ratio," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 236-252.
    17. Wong, Kok Hoe & Chong, Wen Tong & Poh, Sin Chew & Shiah, Yui-Chuin & Sukiman, Nazatul Liana & Wang, Chin-Tsan, 2018. "3D CFD simulation and parametric study of a flat plate deflector for vertical axis wind turbine," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 129(PA), pages 32-55.
    18. 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.
    19. Peng, H.Y. & Lam, H.F., 2016. "Turbulence effects on the wake characteristics and aerodynamic performance of a straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine by wind tunnel tests and large eddy simulations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 557-568.
    20. Asr, Mahdi Torabi & Nezhad, Erfan Zal & Mustapha, Faizal & Wiriadidjaja, Surjatin, 2016. "Study on start-up characteristics of H-Darrieus vertical axis wind turbines comprising NACA 4-digit series blade airfoils," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 528-537.

    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:energy:v:167:y:2019:i:c:p:841-852. 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/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.