Efficiency enhancement of a hybrid Vertical axis wind turbine by utilizing Optimum parameters

The present study suggests a conflation of the redesigned Savonius and Darrieus (airfoil S-1046) Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) to examine its efficiency. The hybrid version of VAWT was specifically proposed to imbricate the drawbacks of individual turbines, such as the substandard autorotation capability of the Darrieus turbine, high negative torque, and low efficiency of the Savonius turbine. The pressure based fluent solver has been implemented along with second-order upwind equations. The SST k-omega turbulence model is utilized, with an incoming wind velocity of 9 m/s. To demonstrate the turbine's performance, comprehensive comparisons of torque (C-m) and power (C-p) were performed at Tip Speed Ratios (TSR) ranging from 1 to 1.4. The current rotor overcomes the subpar autorotation capability of the conventional Darrieus rotor by attaining a maximum C-m of 0.21 at TSR 1.4. Further, it breaks the diminishing trend in efficiency with an increase in TSR compared to the conventional drag force-based rotor. In comparison to the conventional hybrid rotor, the present study enhances the C-p by 5.66% and 8.39% at TSRs of 1.3 and 1.4, respectively.Copyright (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.