Turbulence modelling of low Reynolds number flow effects around a vertical axis turbine at a range of tip-speed ratios

This paper presents a two-dimensional numerical investigation of a vertical axis turbine with focus on the prediction from two different turbulence modelling schemes. The three bladed turbine configuration tested is that of Roa et al. (2010) which has a high solidity of 1.1 and is tested at a chord-based Reynolds number of 1.5 × 105. Results are provided at three different tip speed ratios: the optimal value, and values 25% higher and lower. A detailed investigation of the flow ensues and results are presented as obtained from the original SST model and a modified version for low Reynolds number effects, recently tested by Wang et al. (2010) for a similar flow. Post-processing includes the evolution of the skin-friction coefficient over the blade throughout a cycle which enables a better understanding of the flow structure and the dynamic stall effects, as well as blade–vortex interaction. The low Reynolds number version of the model acts to reduce turbulence viscosity, leading to laminar flow at various parts of the cycle, which is seen to correctly enable the formation of leading edge vortices observed in the literature.