Benchmark experiments for simulations of a vertical axis wind turbine

• Published in: Applied energy Vol. 111; pp. 1183 - 1194
• Main Authors: Rolland, S.A., Thatcher, M., Newton, W., Williams, A.J., Croft, T.N., Gethin, D.T., Cross, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Experiments; Natural energy; Power output; Vertical axis wind turbine; Wind energy; Wind tunnel; Power output; Wind tunnel; Vertical axis wind turbine; Experiments; Wind energy; Simulation; Wind generator; Vertical axis
• ISSN: 0306-2619; 1872-9118
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.06.042

•Experimental investigation of a vertical axis wind turbine under controlled conditions.•Measurements of vertical wind turbine performance and pressure levels in the vicinity.•Provision of a benchmark test case for CFD of documented geometry without proprietary design restrictions.
Driven by the need to verify a CFD model of a novel vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) device, a 1.6m diameter prototype was designed, built to a high specification and tolerance and then tested in the industry standard MIRA wind tunnel over the full wind range that might be expected in an urban environment. Although the original intention was simply to provide data to verify a CFD model of the specific device – documented separately – it was realised that given (a) the repeatability and quality of the experimental data, and (b) its utility for the authors in verifying their CFD simulations, the data itself might well form the basis for a requirement for a reliable benchmark for the wind engineering community in assessing CFD simulation technology against a specific VAWT device design with the complexity of a housing. The experiments cover a full range of operational conditions for a specific design including the variation of wind speed, wind direction, tip speed ratio and blade pitch angle, recorded in the experiments as well as the torque output and the pressure levels at a range of specific locations. Over 60 tests were carried out in such a way as to assess the repeatability of the measurements; the results showed an overall remarkable degree of consistency.