14th European Conference on Turbomachinery Fluid dynamics & Thermodynamics
Authors
Abstract
The Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) is a promising technology for energy harvesting in complex environments, including Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWT), which experience aerodynamic complexity due to the platform motion. The typical large-scale of FOWTs makes the troposkien design, the unique VAWT configuration suitable for such applications. In this paper, we propose an experimental and numerical study on a troposkien VAWT, considering the wind-tunnel model of a rotor suitable for upscaling to FOWT applications. The flow in the rotor equatorial plane is first investigated applying a validated CFD model, analysing the turbine performance and wake over the entire operational curve of the machine. Results are compared systematically to wind-tunnel measurements in controlled conditions. A 3D analysis is also proposed, to investigate the spanwise evolution of the rotor aerodynamics. Finally, a comparison to the aerodynamics of a H-shape turbine, featuring the same swept area and blade section, is proposed.
ETC2021-586
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