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Performance enhancement of twin-rotor horizontal axis wind turbines by duct: A study using BEM and actuator disk theory

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  • Rahmatian, Mohammad Ali
  • Tari, Pooyan Hashemi
  • Mojaddam, Mohammad
  • Majidi, Sahand

Abstract

Considering the increasing significance of wind energy in urban applications, the present study explores the enhancement of wind turbine performance through the addition of an auxiliary rotor (to capture more wind energy) and a duct (to enhance wind speed). Firstly, the investigation begins with the application of the Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory to assess the individual impacts of the auxiliary rotor and duct on a single-rotor system. This approach is then developed to analyze a ducted twin-rotor configuration. Furthermore, the effect of parameters such as rotor size ratio, the effect of the distance between the rotors, the effect of the rear rotor on the front rotor, and the rotation direction of the rotors (co/counter) are considered in these equations. Secondly, using the actuator disk theory, the maximal theoretical power coefficient is evaluated due to the addition of an auxiliary rotor and a duct to the system. The findings demonstrate that the ducted twin-rotor system improves the total power coefficient by 3.19 times compared to the bare singular-rotor, and the ideal power coefficient for this system will not exceed 1.36. Moreover, the BEM theory can predict the power coefficient curve trend and optimal TSR of the system well. Notably, one challenge of the BEM model for ducted rotors is the need to estimate the speed increase ratio inside the duct using experimental/numerical results, which has been addressed in the present study using a regression technique.

Suggested Citation

  • Rahmatian, Mohammad Ali & Tari, Pooyan Hashemi & Mojaddam, Mohammad & Majidi, Sahand, 2025. "Performance enhancement of twin-rotor horizontal axis wind turbines by duct: A study using BEM and actuator disk theory," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:340:y:2025:i:c:s036054422504798x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.139156
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