Experimental investigation and analysis of proposed hybrid vertical axis wind turbine design

In this research, an experimental and computational analysis of a novel hybrid vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) arrangement has been performed. We suggest an innovative VAWT design that has a high power coefficient and self-starting capability. The inner side of the proposed hybrid system has been integrated with the H-rotor turbine with cambered blades, which demonstrates strong self-starting capabilities at various azimuths. Three NACA0018 airfoil blades are mounted on the outside of the proposed hybrid wind turbine, while three DU 06-W-200 airfoil blades are installed on the inside. Based on a similarity analysis, a scaled-down model was developed, and performance characteristics such as the output power, power coefficient ( C p ), dynamic torque coefficient ( C t ), and static torque coefficient ( C t s ) were determined. An existing hybrid VAWT and a typical H-rotor Darrieus design were also examined for comparison. The highest C p for the proposed hybrid design was found to be 0.486 at a tip speed ratio (TSR) of 3, while the H-rotor Darrieus’ maximum value was 0.42 at a TSR of 2.62 and the existing hybrid VAWT’s value was 0.41 at a TSR of 2.5. Positive C t s values at all azimuths demonstrate that the proposed hybrid wind turbine can start entirely on its own. In comparison to the existing H-rotor and hybrid VAWT, this novel hybrid system has shown enhanced performance parameters ( C p , C t , C t s , output power) by around 11%–13% over a wide range of wind speeds.