Experimental Performance of a Novel Dual−Stage Counter−Rotating Small Wind Turbine and Forming a Validatable CFD Computational Model

This paper publishes the experimental performance results of a novel small dual−stage wind turbine at different speeds under wind tunnel testing. The results confirm its superiority at low wind speeds <7 m/s, which is consistent with natural wind conditions in most countries around the world. At...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dang Huy Le, The Bao Nguyen, Van Minh Ngo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-07-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/14/5510
Description
Summary:This paper publishes the experimental performance results of a novel small dual−stage wind turbine at different speeds under wind tunnel testing. The results confirm its superiority at low wind speeds <7 m/s, which is consistent with natural wind conditions in most countries around the world. At lower wind speeds, the efficiency of the small, dual−stage wind turbine is higher than that of a conventional single−stage turbine. At wind speeds of <6 m/s, the novel dual−stage wind turbine always produces approximately 2.5 times more power than a single−stage wind turbine; the power coefficient is greater than 0.4. Thanks to this feature, the novel small, dual−stage wind turbine is effective in practical applications. For windy areas in Vietnam, the power generated over the same amount of time by the novel dual−stage wind turbine can be more than double that of a single−stage turbine. Next, a standard CFD model is established and validated with the above experimental measurements. This method ensures the objectivity and authenticity of the computational model. This standard CFD model is applicable to a horizontal double−stage wind turbine with any configuration and blade profile. The URANS simulation method, which uses sliding meshes and the k−omega SST turbulence model, was implemented with rotational domains of the minimum thicknesses of rotational domains (in this paper, 0.09R<sub>front</sub> and 0.06R<sub>rear</sub>, accordingly). This method predicts higher mechanical work for the turbine than the actual value by an interval of <10% in the same speed range as in the experiment. This is an acceptable deviation.
ISSN:1996-1073