• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.73-78
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• 2013

CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analyses that considered the dynamic interaction effects between the flow and a turbine were performed to evaluate the power output characteristics of two representative vertical-axis tidal-current turbines: an H-type Darrieus turbine and Gorlov helical turbine (GHT). For this purpose, a commercial CFD code, Star-CCM+, was utilized, and the power output characteristic were investigated in relation to the scale ratio using the relation between the Reynolds number and the lift-to-drag ratio. It was found that the power coefficients were significantly reduced when the scaled model turbine was used, especially when the Reynolds number was lower than $10^5$. The power output characteristics of GHT in relation to the twisting angle were also investigated using a three-dimensional CFD analysis, and it was found that the power coefficient was maximized for the case of a Darrieus turbine, i.e., a twisting angle of $0^{\circ}$, and the torque pulsation ratio was minimized when the blade covered $360^{\circ}$ for the case of a turbine with a twisting angle of $120^{\circ}$.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.13-20
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• 2006

The inherent problem of a Darrieus wind turbine is its inability to self-start. Usually, a motor is used to provide angular acceleration until lift forces are produced in the airfoil blades or up until the turbine can already sustain its speed on its own. This paper describes a method of improving the self-starting of an H-type Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) by incorporating a helical Savonius turbine thus utilizing a drag-lift combination. The effect of each turbine in the combination relative to each other is investigated by testing a prototype windmill consisting of three NACA 0015 airfoil blades combined with a Savonius rotor with a helix angle of 180 degrees and whose swept area equals 30% of the entire turbine.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.67-72
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• 2013

In this study, numerical analyses that considered the dynamic interaction effects between the flow and a turbine were carried out to investigate the power output performance of an H-type Darrieus turbine rotor, which is one of the representative lifting-type vertical-axis tidal-current turbines. For this purpose, a commercial CFD code, Star-CCM+, was utilized for an example three-bladed turbine with a rotor diameter of 3.5 m, a solidity of 0.13, and the blade shape of an NACA0020 airfoil, and the optimal tip speed ratio (TSR) and corresponding maximum power coefficient were evaluated through exhaustive simulations with different sets of flow speed and external torque conditions. The optimal TSR and maximum power coefficient were found to be approximately 1.84 and 48%, respectively. The torque and angular velocity pulsations were also investigated, and it was found that the pulsation ratios for the torque and angular velocity were gradually increased and decreased with an increase in TSR, respectively.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.647-670
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• 2013

The paper presents a numerical approach to study of fluid flow characteristics and to predict performance of wind turbines. The numerical model is based on Finite-volume method (FVM) discretization of unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations. The movement of turbine blades is modeled using moving mesh technique. The turbulence is modeled using commonly used turbulence models: Renormalization Group (RNG) k-${\varepsilon}$ turbulence model and the standard k-${\varepsilon}$ and k-${\omega}$ turbulence models. The model is validated with the experimental data over a large range of tip-speed to wind ratio (TSR) and blade pitch angles. In order to demonstrate the use of numerical method as a tool for designing wind turbines, two dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) simulations are carried out to study the flow through a small scale Darrieus type H-rotor Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT). The flows predictions are used to determine the performance of the turbine. The turbine consists of 3-symmetrical NACA0022 blades. A number of simulations are performed for a range of approaching angles and wind speeds. This numerical study highlights the concerns with the self-starting capabilities of the present VAWT turbine. However results also indicate that self-starting capabilities of the turbine can be increased when the mounted angle of attack of the blades is increased. The 2-D simulations using the presented model can successfully be used at preliminary stage of turbine design to compare performance of the turbine for different design and operating parameters, whereas 3-D studies are preferred for the final design.