An experimental study on the rotational behaviour of a Savonius wind turbine for two-lane highway applications

The objective of this work is to understand the behaviour of a Savonius wind turbine (SWT) on two-lane highways located in Coimbatore district, India. Experiments were conducted by placing a Savonius wind turbine (SWT) on the sides of the highway during the south-west monsoon season in three different directional roads, i.e., south-west to north-east, south to north and west to east. Vehicles moving on the highway at varying speeds modify the velocity of air locally, which in turn results in varying the drag forces on the blades of SWT, setting it in motion. An economical SWT was designed, fabricated and tested in a wind tunnel and on the highways, and the angular rotational speeds were measured. Based on the data obtained, further analysis was done to understand the behavioural patterns of SWT. Data obtained from the experiments show a “negative drag force”, which is created in two-way lanes by the vehicles moving in opposite direction, affecting the rotational speed of SWT by a significant proportion. These conditions have been studied and the results have been discussed.