Investigation of Effect of Cambered Blades on Darrieus VAWTs

With wind energy technology growing rapidly in the energy production sector, Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) are coming to the forefront, to tackle challenges in areas with low wind speeds. It is of great importance to know the optimum configuration of these VAWTs to maximize their performance. In this study, cambered blades are investigated using high fidelity CFD modelling under unsteady, turbulent regimes using arbitrary Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches with sliding mesh configuration to gain more knowledge of their interactions and the effect on turbine performance. This study reveal that VAWT with cambered blades are at higher Coefficient of performance (Cp) compared to symmetrical bladed turbines. It was also found that the turbines achieved this higher Cp at lower tip speed ratios allowing them to combat low wind speed challenges. They also produce more consistent torque within a full rotor revolution. Moderate camber also improved the self-starting ability of the VAWT whereas, high camber negatively affected the self-starting capability due to the interactions between the blades.