Performance investigation of a new Darrieus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

In present work, a new configuration of Darrieus type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) is introduced, and its aerodynamic performance is examined using three-dimensional numerical simulation by the solution of Reynolds averaged Naiver-Stokes equations. In comparison to each other, straight-blade VAWTs have higher average output torque and are simpler to manufacture while helical-blade VAWTs deliver non-oscillatory and smoother torque. To include advantages of both types of Darrieus VAWTs, a new straight-blade turbine is proposed which in general performs better than helical-blade VAWT. This turbine, called three-part-blade or simply 3-PB VAWT, includes straight blades where each of them is vertically cut into three parts. The objective of this paper is to show that while the proposed turbine is simple to manufacture, its performance is better than that of helical-blade VAWT. Present simulation is validated using experimental data. Having compared performance of the proposed turbine with a helical-blade VAWT, it is shown that 3-PB VAWT produces 6.06% higher average of total torque coefficient at low Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) of 0.44, and 158.19% at high TSR of 1.77. Based on these results, it is strongly recommended to use 3-PB VAWT considering its better aerodynamic performance and low cost of production. •A new low-cost Darrieus wind turbine, called three-part-blade (3-PB), is proposed.•Each 3-PB blade is similar to a helical one but includes small straight blades.•The solution of transient 3D RANS equations with SST k−ω turbulence model is used.•Total torque of 3-PB and helical turbines are compared at various TSRs (up to 1.8).•3-PB turbine gives higher average torque with less fluctuations over helical blade.