PERFORMANCE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LOW REYNOLDS NUMBER AIRFOILS UTILIZED IN VERTICAL-AXIS WIND TURBINES | ||||
| Journal of Al-Azhar University Engineering Sector | ||||
| Volume 19, Issue 72, July 2024, Page 147-161 PDF (915.11 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/auej.2024.257724.1548 | ||||
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| Authors | ||||
Muhammad Shaaban Abul-Ela  1; Ashraf Ibrahim Sayed2; Mohammed El-Faisal Elrefaei 3
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| 1Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ahram Canadian University, 6th October City, Egypt | ||||
| 2Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt | ||||
| 3Mechanical Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Recently, utilizing wind power has increased thanks to its cleanness, cheapness, and wide availability. In many countries, the dependency on wind power has become enormous and vital in industry. Consequently, the improvement of the wind turbine's aerodynamic performance is a crucial issue according to Egypt Vision 2030 for using new and renewable energy resources. Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are an appropriate solution in low-wind speed areas owing to their small size and ease of manufacturing. This paper presents a qualitative and quantitative comparative analysis of the aerodynamic performance of various low-Reynolds number airfoils of a small-scale, three-straight-bladed H-rotor vertical-axis wind turbine. The examined airfoils are NACA0021 (as a reference model), NACA6712, Eppler474, S1210, S1048, and DU-06-W-200 at tip-speed ratios (TSRs) ranging from 1.2 to 4.0. For the chosen airfoils, the maximum power coefficient and its corresponding tip-speed ratio were studied. ANSYS Fluent was used to execute 2D CFD simulations using the SST-k-ω turbulence model to solve Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations. The maximum power coefficient of the reference model, NACA0021, was approximately 0.3263 at TSR = 2.63. The results revealed that the NACA6712 airfoil possessed the best aerodynamic performance at low tip-speed ratios (from 1.2 to 2.4). It experienced a percentage improvement in power coefficient of about 12% at TSR = 2.037 relative to the reference model. In addition, the Eppler474 airfoil performed efficiently for almost all TSRs’ ranges, specifically high TSRs. Its power coefficient was enhanced by about 9% at TSR = 3.0 relative to the reference model. Special Issue of AEIC 2024 (Mechanical & Chemical and Material Engineering Session) | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Darrieus Turbine; Airfoils; Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine; Low Reynolds number flow; ANSYS Fluent; CFD; Unsteady Aerodynamics | ||||
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