Performance and wake of a Savonius vertical‐axis wind turbine under different incoming conditions

Abstract

In this study, the performance, drag, and horizontal midplane wake characteristics of a vertical‐axis Savonius wind turbine are investigated experimentally. The turbine is drag driven and has a helical configuration, with the top rotated 180° relative to the bottom. Both performance and wake measurements were conducted in four different inflow conditions, using Reynolds numbers of ReD≈1.6×105 and ReD≈2.7×105 and turbulence intensities of 0.6% and 5.7%. The efficiency of the turbine was found to be highly dependent on the Reynolds number of the incoming flow. In the high Reynolds number flow case, the efficiency was shown to be considerably higher, compared with the lower Reynolds number case. Increasing the incoming turbulence intensity was found to mitigate the Reynolds number effects. The drag of the turbine was shown to be independent of the turbine's rotational speed over the range tested, and it was slightly lower when the inflow turbulence was increased. The wake was captured for the described inflow conditions in both optimal and suboptimal operating conditions by varying the rotational speed of the turbine. The wake was found to be asymmetrical and deflected to the side where the blade moves opposite to the wind. The largest region of high turbulent kinetic energy was on the side where the blade is moving in the same direction as the wind. Based on the findings from the wake measurements, some recommendations on where to place supplementary turbines are made.