Effect of the bionic blade on the flow field of a straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine

This paper uses the Particle Image Velocimetry technique through wind tunnel experiments to investigate the spanwise velocity and vortex characteristics of a straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) and to verify the reliability of the numerical simulation model. The aerodynamic forces are obtained by a multiport pressure measurement device. To assess the flow field of VAWT with bionic blades, this paper compares results between numerical simulations and experiments. Different flow field characteristics of wind turbines have been found in the baseline blades and bionic blades. The research shows that the bionic blade can suppress the influence of the tip vortex on the velocity of the cross-section z/(H/2) = 1.0, and the wake recovery velocity of VAWT with bionic blades is lower than that with baseline blades. By comparing the tangential force coefficients of the blades, it has been found that the tangential force of the bionic blades increases in azimuth angle regions 30 degrees < 116 degrees and 193 degrees< 301 degrees. It has also been proven that the aerodynamic performance of the bionic blade is slightly better than the baseline blades at TSR = 2.19. This study provides a better understanding of the devel-opment of aerodynamic forces and vortex characteristics through torque and velocity measurements. (c) 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the flow field and vortex characteristics of a straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) using Particle Image Velocimetry technique and wind tunnel experiments. The study compares the results between numerical simulations and experiments to assess the flow field of VAWT with bionic blades. The research finds that the bionic blades can suppress the influence of the tip vortex and have a lower wake recovery velocity compared to the baseline blades. The study also shows that the bionic blades have slightly better aerodynamic performance in certain azimuth angle regions.