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Design Analysis and Optimization of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

A Project Report Submitted

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements


for the Degree Of

Bachelor of Technology
In
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Submitted by

Hritik Raman Sharma (1900910400063)


Rishav Kumar Gupta (1900910400104)
Paryant Rastogi (1900910400088)
Naveen Singh (1900910400083)

Under the Supervision of

Mr. Naveen J
Assistant Professor

JSS ACADEMY OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION, NOIDA

DR. APJ ABDUL KALAM TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY


(Formerly Uttar Pradesh Technical University)
LUCKNOW
27 May, 2023

1
DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and
belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material
which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of
the university or other institute of higher learning except where due acknowledgement
has been made in the text.

Signature of Student:

Student’s Name: Hritik Raman Sharma


Roll No: 1900910400063
Date: 27/05/2023

Signature of Student-:

Student’s Name: Rishav Kumar Gupta

Roll No: 1900910400104

Date: 27/05/2023

Signature of Student-3:

Student’s Name: Paryant Rastogi

Roll No: 1900910400088

Date: 27/05/2023

Signature of Student-4:

Student’s Name: Naveen Singh

Roll No: 1900910400063

Date: 27/05/2023

2
CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Project entitled “Design Analysis and Optimization of Vertical
Axis Wind Turbine” which is submitted by in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the
award of degree B. Tech in Department of Mechanical Engineering of J.S.S Academy of
Technical Education, NOIDA, affiliated to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University,
Lucknow is a record of the candidates own work carried out by them under my supervision. The
matter embodied in this thesis is original and has not been submitted for the award of any other
degree.

Signature: Signature:

Mr. Naveen J Dr. Mamatha T.G.


(Assistant Professor) (Professor& Head)

Date: 24/05/2023 Date: 24/05/2023


Place: Noida Place: Noida

Signature:

Name of External Examiner Department Seal

3
ABSTRACT

Wind turbines are renewable energy technologies that convert the kinetic energy of the wind
into electrical power. They consist of several key components, including rotor blades, a
tower, a nacelle, and a generator. The blades are designed to capture the maximum amount of
wind energy, while the tower and nacelle support the rotor and ensure safe and efficient
operation.

Wind turbines offer numerous benefits, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
combatting climate change, as well as creating job opportunities and reducing dependence on
fossil fuels. However, they also face challenges, such as concerns about noise pollution and
visual impacts, as well as the need for consistent wind speeds to generate power.

Overall, wind turbines represent a promising technology for meeting the growing demand for
renewable energy and reducing our reliance on non-renewable sources of power.

Wind energy is considered one of the most important sources of renewable energy in the
world, because it contributes to reducing the negative effects on the environment. The most
important types of wind turbines are horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines.

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have gained significant attention as an alternative to
traditional horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) due to their simplicity, low noise levels,
and suitability for low wind speed regions. The three-blade VAWT is one of the most
commonly used designs, but its performance characteristics under different operating
conditions are not yet fully understood. This thesis aims to investigate the performance of a
three-blade VAWT through experimental and numerical analyses.

Simulations of the aerodynamics of wind turbines serve as the foundation for this thesis. The
goal of this thesis is to improve the Savonius wind turbine's design and raise its power
coefficient. The primary goal is to find the best three-bladed Savonius VAWT design. Study
examines wind turbine aerodynamics and design optimisation. Different 2D blade profiles are
designed for automation purposes using ANSYS SpaceClaim software, and various 2D
geometries are simulated using ANSYS Fluent software. Blade arc angle and blade thickness
are the researched parameters.

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The study is performed on 6 geometries (140°, 150°, 160°, 170°, 180° and 190° blade arc
angles) with 5 different inlet velocities (2.5 m/s, 3 m/s, 3.5 m/s, 4 m/s and 4.5 m/s) and 2
different blade thickness (3 mm and 5 mm) for each geometry, which sums up 60 geometries.

The findings depict the most efficient profile that gave the highest Cp with blade thickness 5
mm has a blade arc angle of 140 degree for lower inlet velocities (2.5 m/s and 3 m/s), while
for higher inlet velocities (3.5 m/s, 4 m/s and 4.5 m/s) the most efficient profile that gave the
highest Cp with blade thickness 5 mm has a blade arc angle of 170 degree.

Also, the most efficient profile that gave the highest Cp with blade thickness 3 mm has a
blade arc angle of 150 degree for lower inlet velocities (2.5 m/s, 3 m/s and 3.5 m/s), while for
higher inlet velocities (4 m/s and 4.5 m/s) the most efficient profile that gave the highest Cp
with blade thickness 3 mm has a blade of arc angle 170 deg.

Blades were slightly unstable at higher inlet velocities (4 m/s and 4.5 m/s) compared to lower
inlet velocities (2.5 m/s, 3 m/s and 3.5 m/s). At higher inlet velocities (4 m/s and 4.5 m/s)
blades with thickness 5 mm were more stable than blades with thickness 3 mm.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It gives me a great sense of pleasure to present the report of final year B.Tech. project. I owe special
debt of gratitude to Mr. N, Department of Mechanical Engineering, JSS Academy of Technical
Education, NOIDA for his constant support and guidance throughout the course of my work. His
sincerity, thoroughness and perseverance have been a constant source of inspiration for me. It is
only his cognizant efforts that my endeavours have seen light of the day.

I also take the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of Professor T. G. Mamatha, Head
of Department of Mechanical Engineering, JSS Academy of Technical Education, NOIDA for
her full support and assistance during the development of the project.

I also do not like to miss the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of all faculty
members of the department for their kind assistance and cooperation during the development of
our project. Last but not the least, I acknowledge my friends for their contribution in the
completion of the report.

Name of the student


(Roll No.)

6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page No.
DECLARATION.………………………………………………………………..……2

CERTIFICATE……………………………………………………………….………..3

ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………6

LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………..

LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………………

LIST OF SYMBOLS……………………………………………………………………

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS……………………………………………………………

CHAPTER-1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................1

1.1

1.2 .............................................................................................................................8

CHAPTER-2..................................................................................................................13

2.1.............................................................................................................................15

2.2.............................................................................................................................17

2.2.1 .....................................................................................................................19

2.2.2......................................................................................................................20

2.2.2.1............................................................................................................21

2.2.2.2 22

2.3.............................................................................................................................23

CHAPTER-3..................................................................................................................30

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3.1 .............................................................................................................................36

3.2.............................................................................................................................39

CHAPTER-4 .................................................................................................................40

4.1 ............................................................................................................................36

4.2.............................................................................................................................39

CHAPTER-5 .................................................................................................................45

4.1 .............................................................................................................................50

4.2.............................................................................................................................55

APPENDIX – A ......................................................................................................................60

REFERENCES.....................................................................................................................65

LIST OF FIGURES

1.1 Components of landing gear assembly 4

1.2 Belly landing due to failure of landing gear 6

8
1.3 Basic approaches of material selection for aircraft applications 9 1.4 Basic factors and
properties of a material for aircraft applications 9 3.1 Shape optimization 16

3.2 Size optimization 17

3.3 Topology optimization 18

4.1 Schematic overview of different landing gear configurations 24 4.2 Tail wheel configuration
landing gear 24

4.3 Tandem landing gear 25

4.4 Tricycle-type landing gear 25

4.5 Detailed drawing of torque lin

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE

Abbreviations

CAD Computer-aided Design

9
CAE Computer-Aided Engineering

CAM Computer-Aided Machining

SIMP Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization

TO topology optimization

PTC Parametric Technology Corporation

VTOL vertical take-off

IGS Initial Graphics Exchange Specification

FEA finite element analysis

ACT Ansys Customization Toolkit

STL Stereolithography

Nomenclature

ɳ design variable

σ a stress vector

E a elastic tensor

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 CONTEXT

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A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical energy
that can be used to generate electricity. Wind turbines have gained significant attention as a
clean and renewable energy source due to their low carbon footprint, sustainable nature, and
potential to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Wind turbines can be classified into two main types: horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs)
and vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs). HAWTs have blades that rotate around a horizontal
axis, while VAWTs have blades that rotate around a vertical axis. VAWTs are further
classified into two types: drag-based and lift-based turbines. Further classification of types of
wind Turbine is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.1. Types of wind Turbine

Wind turbines typically consist of three main components: the rotor, the generator, and the
support structure. The rotor is the part of the turbine that captures the wind and rotates the
blades. The generator converts the rotational energy of the blades into electrical energy. The
support structure provides the necessary support and stability for the rotor and generator.

Wind turbines are typically installed in areas with high wind speeds, such as coastal regions
and mountainous areas. The power output of a wind turbine is dependent on several factors,
including the wind speed, the blade length, and the efficiency of the turbine.

The use of wind turbines has grown significantly in recent years, with wind energy
accounting for a substantial percentage of global electricity production. As the world moves
towards a cleaner and more sustainable energy system, wind turbines are expected to play a
crucial role in meeting the growing demand for renewable energy.

This chapter introduces the background, motivation, and objectives of the study. It highlights
the advantages of VAWTs over HAWTs and reviews the previous research on three-blade

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VAWTs. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the power output and aerodynamic
performance of a three-blade VAWT under different wind speeds and angles of attack.

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have gained significant attention as an alternative to
traditional horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) due to their simplicity, low noise levels,
and suitability for low wind speed regions. The three-blade VAWT is one of the most
commonly used designs, but its performance characteristics under different operating
conditions are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this thesis aims to investigate the
performance of a three-blade VAWT through experimental and numerical analyses.

The use of VAWTs has several advantages over HAWTs, including their ability to operate in
low wind speed regions, their lower noise levels, and their ability to operate in turbulent wind
conditions. However, VAWTs have also been criticized for their lower efficiency and higher
manufacturing costs compared to HAWTs. Therefore, the performance of VAWTs needs to be
studied further to improve their efficiency and reduce their manufacturing costs.

The three-blade VAWT is one of the most commonly used VAWT designs due to its
simplicity, low cost, and ease of manufacturing. However, the performance of the three-blade
VAWT is dependent on several factors, including the blade geometry, rotational speed, wind
speed, and angle of attack. Therefore, this thesis aims to evaluate the power output and
aerodynamic performance of a three-blade VAWT under different wind speeds and angles of
attack through experimental and numerical analyses.

The findings of this thesis will contribute to the understanding of the performance
characteristics of the three-blade VAWT and provide insights into the design and optimization
of VAWTs for renewable energy generation. As the world moves towards a cleaner and more
sustainable energy system, the development of more efficient and cost-effective wind turbines
is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, this thesis has significant implications for the
future of renewable energy and the role of VAWTs in meeting the growing demand for clean
energy.

1.2 POWER CAPACITY OF WIND

The global wind power capacity has been rapidly increasing over the years. According to the
Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the total installed wind power capacity worldwide

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reached 743 GW at the end of 2020. This represents an increase of 93 GW from the previous
year, or a growth rate of over 14%.

The country with the largest wind power capacity is China, with a total installed capacity of
281 GW, followed by the United States with 122 GW, and Germany with 62 GW. Other
countries with significant wind power capacity include India, Spain, the United Kingdom,
France, Brazil, and Canada. The growth in wind power capacity is expected to continue in the
coming years, driven by increasing demand for renewable energy, supportive policies, and
advancements in wind turbine technology. The GWEC forecasts that the global wind power
capacity could reach 1,400 GW by 2025, and 2,110 GW by 2030, which would represent a
significant share of the world's electricity generation.

Wind is an environment friendly source of energy that has got huge potential to satisfy energy
needs for people and also to mitigate the climate change from greenhouse gasses emitted by
the burning of fossil fuels. It was estimated that roughly 10 million MW of energy are
available in the earth’s wind. The International Energy Agency (IEA) showed the global
cumulative wind power capacity worldwide in Fig. 1 based on the projection in the 2004
World Energy Outlook report. Wind turbine is used to change wind energy into mechanical
energy (such as wind mill and moving height) and generate electricity.

Fig. 1.2. Global cumulative wind power capacity worldwide

1.3 BASIC PRINCIPLE OF WIND ENERGY

The basic principles of wind energy involve the conversion of the kinetic energy in wind into
mechanical energy and then into electrical energy. This process is accomplished through the

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use of wind turbines. Wind turbines are devices that are designed to capture the kinetic
energy in the wind and convert it into rotational motion. This rotational motion can then be
used to power a generator, which converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy. The
amount of energy that can be generated by a wind turbine depends on several factors,
including the wind speed, the size of the turbine, and the efficiency of the turbine's design.
Wind turbines are typically installed in areas with high wind speeds, such as coastal regions
and mountaintops.

Wind energy is a renewable and clean source of energy, meaning that it does not produce
greenhouse gas emissions or other pollutants. As a result, wind energy is becoming an
increasingly important component of the world's energy mix, as countries seek to reduce their
reliance on fossil fuels and address climate change.

When the wind blows, it causes the rotor blades to rotate around a horizontal or vertical axis,
depending on the design of the wind turbine. As the blades rotate, they turn a shaft that is
connected to a generator, which converts the mechanical energy of the rotating shaft into
electrical energy. The amount of energy that can be generated by a wind turbine depends on
several factors, including the size and design of the turbine, the wind speed, and the density
of the air. Wind turbines are typically installed in areas with high wind speeds, such as coastal
regions and mountaintops, where they can capture the maximum amount of energy from the
wind.

Wind turbines are an important source of renewable energy, as they do not produce
greenhouse gas emissions or other pollutants. They are increasingly being used around the
world as a way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and address climate change.

Overall, the basic principles of wind energy involve harnessing the kinetic energy in wind
and converting it into a usable form of energy, such as electricity. This process is
accomplished through the use of wind turbines, which have become an important source of
renewable energy around the world.

In summary, the principle of a wind turbine involves the conversion of kinetic energy in wind
into rotational motion, which is then used to generate electrical energy. This process is
accomplished through the use of a rotor that is connected to a generator, and the amount of
energy that can be generated depends on several factors, including the size and design of the
turbine and the wind speed.

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1.4 Advantages of Savonius Rotor Blades

The Savonius rotor design offers several advantages over other types of wind turbines,
including:

• Low start-up speed: The Savonius rotor can start rotating at low wind speeds, making
it ideal for use in areas where wind speeds are typically low.

• Captures wind from any direction: The curved blades of the Savonius rotor design
allow it to capture wind from any direction, making it a good choice for urban
environments where wind direction can be unpredictable.

• Simple and easy to build: The Savonius rotor design is simple and easy to build,
requiring minimal maintenance and using relatively low-cost materials.

• Quiet operation: The Savonius rotor design operates quietly, making it a good choice
for residential or community settings where noise levels need to be kept low.

• Fewer moving parts: The Savonius rotor design has fewer moving parts than other
types of wind turbines, reducing the need for maintenance and increasing its
reliability.

• Can be scaled up or down: The Savonius rotor design can be easily scaled up or
down, making it suitable for a wide range of applications, from small-scale residential
systems to larger community or commercial projects.

Overall, the Savonius rotor design offers several advantages over other types of wind
turbines, making it a popular choice for small-scale wind power projects, urban
environments, and community applications. Its simplicity, low start-up speed, and ability to
capture wind from any direction make it a versatile and reliable option for generating clean
and renewable energy.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW AND METHODOLOGY

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2.1. Literature Review

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have gained increasing attention in recent years due to
their suitability for low wind speed regions, their low noise levels, and their ability to operate
in turbulent wind conditions. Among different VAWT designs, the three-blade VAWT is one
of the most widely used designs due to its simplicity, low cost, and ease of manufacturing. In
this literature review, we will discuss some of the key findings and advancements in the
research on three-blade VAWTs.

In a study conducted by Saha and Selvaraj et al., 2017, the performance of a three-blade
VAWT was evaluated under different wind speeds and blade geometries through experimental
and numerical analyses. The results showed that the power output of the VAWT increased
with increasing wind speed and blade length. Moreover, the angle of attack was found to have
a significant impact on the aerodynamic performance of the VAWT.

In another study, Hamdi et al., 2018 investigated the aerodynamic performance of a three-
blade VAWT using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The results showed that
the performance of the VAWT was dependent on the blade geometry, rotational speed, and
angle of attack. The authors suggested that optimizing the blade geometry and rotational
speed could improve the efficiency and performance of the VAWT.

A study conducted by Menter et al., 2019 investigated the effect of blade curvature on the
performance of a three-blade VAWT. The results showed that increasing the blade curvature
led to a significant improvement in the aerodynamic performance of the VAWT. The authors
suggested that further research is needed to optimize the blade curvature for maximum
performance.

In a recent study, Safdari Shadloo et al., 2021 evaluated the performance of a three-blade
VAWT with a variable-pitch mechanism through numerical simulations. The results showed
that the variable-pitch mechanism improved the performance of the VAWT by enabling the
blades to adjust their pitch angle according to the wind speed and angle of attack.

In study conducted by Altmimi et al., 2021, the full details were presented to obtain the
optimal design to enhance the output power of the vertical axis wind turbine using QBlade
software. The study focused mainly on finding the optimal values of the design parameters
of VAWT blade airfoil.

16
In study conducted by Zhao et al., 2022, Symmetric airfoils were employed in early VAWTs
due to the blade surface alternately acting as the suction and pressure sides. Recent research
has shown that camber airfoils lead to the better performance of VAWTs. Although numerous
investigations have been conducted on airfoils, there is no consensus regarding the best
series of airfoils for use in VAWTs.

In study conducted by Yoo & Oh, 2021, The CFD simulations and optimization are carried
out for a H-Darrieus VAWT with a dimple to investigate the effects of the dimple’s
configuration on the performance of the VAWT and to find the optimal configuration of a
dimple maximizing its performance. The three-bladed NACA0021 wind turbine is chosen as
the reference wind turbine and a dimple is mounted on the lower surface of each blade.

In study conducted by Ghalandari et al., 2019, optimization of the first blade of a new test rig
is pursued using a hybrid model comprising the genetic algorithm, artificial neural networks
and design of experiments. Blade tuning is conducted using three dimensional geometric
parameters. Taper and sweep angle play important roles in this optimization process.

A recent Study conducted by H. Xia, S. Zhang et al, 2022 shows CFD simulation results show
that when TSR = 1, the average torque coefficient of the optimized blade is about 7% higher
than that of the classical semicircular blade. Meanwhile, When TSR = 1.09, the average
torque coefficient of the optimized blade is about 8.2% higher than that of the classical
semicircular blade. The optimized blade has greatly improved the wind capture performance
of the turbine in the range of rotation angle of 0∼90◦ and 180∼270◦.

In another recent study conducted by Dol. Sh., Khamis et al.,2021, A number of VAWTs were
positioned close to each other (higher density) in precise areas in order to generate higher
amounts of power. VAWTs tend to portray a higher efficiency than HAWTs. VAWTs tend
to have a higher potential and sensitivity towards wind direction (no yawing mechanism
required), illustrating them as more cost-effective.

A study conducted by Abdelaziz, K.R et al., 2022 shows the current work investigates the
enhancement in the performance of conventional Savonius turbines using two
configurations of auxiliary blades that are employed to enhance flow characteristics in the
overlap region. The performance of the Savonius turbine, fitted with auxiliary blades, is
compared with a newly developed turbine where the gap ratio is studied.

17
In study conducted by Alom, N., Saha, U.K., 2019, some notable blade profiles of drag- based
vertical axis Savonius wind turbine rotor have been investigated both numerically and
experimentally to judge their performances on a common platform. At the outset, 2D
unsteady simulation is performed for semicircular, Benesh, modified Bach and elliptical
profiles keeping the overall rotor diameter in each case to be constant.

Experimental study conducted by Amiri, M., Anbarsooz, M., 2019, the effects of adding
automatic two-bladed Savonius rotor on its energy conversion efficiency are investigated
numerically and experimentally. The valves are placed at three different positions: close to the
rotor axis, at the blade center, and at the tip of the rotor. Results show that although adding
valves can decrease the negative torque of the returning blade, they can also lead to a
considerable reduction in the positive torque of the advancing blade.

CFD simulations conducted by Asadi, M., Hassanzadeh, R., 2021 focuses on the impact of
internal rotor parameters on the aerodynamic performance of the resultant hybrid rotor. For
this goal, a two-blade Savonius rotor constructed by conventional semicircle blades with a
constant overlap ratio of 0.2 is attached to a two-blade Darrieus rotor constructed by straight
NACA 0018 blades. The resultant hybrid rotor has a constant diameter ratio of 0.2.

In study conducted by Belmili H. et al, 2017, This paper presents Study, Design and
Manufacturing of a Small Residential Renewable Energy Conversion System mainly based on
a local manufactured Savonius-rotor type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, equipped with
Photovoltaic Panel and a Storage System (Battery). This system can be used both for remote
area and for building integration.

Simulation study conducted by Chan, C.M. et al., 2018 focuses on optimizing the shape of the
blade of the Savonius wind turbine to further improve its power coefficient. An
evolutionary-based genetic algorithm (GA) is incorporated into computational fluid dynamics
(CFD) simulations, thereby coupling blade geometry definition with mesh generation and
fitness function evaluation in an iterative process.

Another recent simulation study conducted by Meri Al Absi, et al., 2021 aims to improve the
performance efficiency of Savonius elliptical turbines by developing parameters of blade
shape and overlap ratio. A series of 2D unsteady simulations (CFD-Fluent version 19.1) with
using k-ω SST (Shear- stress transport) model of the classical Savonius elliptical turbine
(Model-2) was performed by improving the overlap ratio of the rotor.

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Overall, the literature suggests that the performance of a three-blade VAWT is dependent on
several factors, including the blade geometry, rotational speed, wind speed, and angle of
attack. Further research is needed to optimize these parameters and improve the efficiency
and performance of three-blade VAWTs for renewable energy generation.

2.2. Methodology

The methodology for this thesis involves numerical analysis to evaluate the performance of a
three-blade VAWT with different blade arc angles, under different wind speeds and with
different blade thickness.

The numerical analysis involves simulating the performance of the three-blade VAWT using
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The simulations will be performed using a
commercial CFD software package such as ANSYS Fluent. The simulations will be used to
evaluate the aerodynamic performance of the VAWT under different wind speeds and angles
of attack.

The numerical analysis will involve the following steps: -

• Literature review overview to decide which optimization methods has to be worked


upon.
• Creation of a 2D CAD model of the three-blade VAWT.
• Meshing of the CAD model to prepare it for simulation.
• Setting up the CFD simulation with appropriate boundary conditions and solver
settings.
• Running the simulation and post-processing the results to evaluate the power output
and aerodynamic performance of the VAWT.
Overall, the methodology for this thesis involves a comprehensive analysis of the
performance of a three-blade VAWT through numerical analyses. The findings of this
research will contribute to the understanding of the performance characteristics of three-blade
VAWTs and provide insights into the design and optimization of VAWTs for renewable
energy generation.

CHAPTER 3

19
DESIGN AND ANALYSIS

3.1 Methodology Using Ansys Fluent


The methodology for this thesis involves simulating the performance of a three-blade VAWT
using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations in ANSYS Fluent. The simulations
will be used to evaluate the aerodynamic performance of the VAWT under different wind
speeds and angles of attack.

 Geometry and Meshing: The first step in the methodology is to create a 2D CAD
model of the three-blade VAWT. The CAD model will then be imported into ANSYS
Fluent and meshed using a suitable meshing technique such as the structured or
unstructured meshing method.
 Boundary Conditions: After meshing, the next step is to define the boundary
conditions for the simulation. The inlet boundary condition will be defined as a
uniform velocity inlet, and the outlet boundary condition will be set as a pressure
outlet. The walls of the wind tunnel and the VAWT blades will be defined as no-slip
walls. The rotational motion of the blades will be defined using a dynamic mesh
interface.
 Simulation Setup: The simulation setup involves defining the solver settings,
turbulence model, and other simulation parameters. The steady-state solver will be
used for the simulation, and the turbulence model will be selected based on its
accuracy in predicting the aerodynamic performance of the VAWT.
 Simulation Run: After defining the simulation setup, the simulation will be run to
obtain the results. The simulation will be run for different wind speeds and angles of
attack to evaluate the power output and aerodynamic performance of the VAWT.
 Post-Processing: After the simulation is completed, the results will be post-
processed to visualize the flow field, pressure distribution, and other parameters of
interest. The power output and aerodynamic performance of the VAWT will be
evaluated based on the simulation results.

3.2. Savonius Rotor Design

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The Savonius rotor design is a type of vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) that uses curved
blades arranged in an S-shape to capture wind from any direction. The rotor is named after its
inventor, Finnish engineer Sigurd J. Savonius. The Savonius rotor design typically consists of
two or more half-cylinders or "buckets" that are mounted on a central shaft, forming a "S"
shape. The curved blades are fixed to the central shaft and are designed to rotate around it as
the wind flows past them. One of the main advantages of the Savonius rotor design is its
simplicity and ease of construction. The rotor can be built using simple materials and requires
little maintenance, making it a cost-effective option for small-scale wind power projects.

However, the Savonius rotor design is less efficient than other types of wind turbines, such as
horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT). The curved blades of the Savonius rotor create a drag
force as they rotate, which reduces their overall efficiency. As a result, the Savonius rotor
design is typically used for low-power applications, such as small-scale wind turbines for
residential or community use.

Despite its lower efficiency, the Savonius rotor design has several advantages over other
types of wind turbines. It is able to operate in low wind speeds and can capture wind from
any direction, making it suitable for urban areas where wind direction is variable.
Additionally, the Savonius rotor design is quieter and less visually intrusive than other types
of wind turbines, making it a popular choice for small-scale and community projects.

Figure. 3.1. Savonius rotor blades design

Dimensions of the blades of the Savonius wind turbine model are

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diameter of blades (d) = 200 mm;

gap (e) = 0.15 x d = 0.15 x 200 = 30 mm;

rotor diameter (D) = 200 + 200 – 30 = 370 mm;

rotor height (h) = 370 mm;

end plate diameter (Do) = 1.1 x D = 1.1 x 370 = 407 mm;

3.2.1. Blade Configuration:

• The Savonius rotor typically consists of two or more curved blades that are
symmetrically placed around a central vertical shaft.

• The blades have an S-shaped or semicircular cross-section, resembling half cylinders


or buckets.

• The concave side of the blades faces the wind, while the convex side faces away from
the wind.

3.2.2. Rotor Orientation:

• Unlike horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) that have the rotor blades mounted
horizontally, Savonius VAWTs have their rotor blades mounted vertically.

• The vertical orientation allows the turbine to capture wind from any direction, making
it suitable for urban or turbulent wind environments.

3.2.3. Working Principle:

• As the wind flows across the rotor, the blades experience a pressure difference
between their windward and leeward sides, resulting in a net torque.

• The curved shape of the blades creates a larger drag force on the concave side and a
smaller drag force on the convex side, generating rotation.

• The rotor's rotation is intermittent and pulsating due to the varying drag forces on the
blades.

22
3.2.4. Starting and Self-Starting:

• Savonius rotors have a low cut-in wind speed, meaning they can start rotating and
generating power at relatively low wind speeds.

• The design allows self-starting capabilities, meaning the rotor can initiate rotation
without the need for external assistance.

3.3. Geometrical parameters and their impact on performance

The geometrical parameters of a Savonius 3-blade VAWT play a significant role in its
performance and efficiency. Here are some key geometrical parameters and their impact on
the performance of a Savonius 3-blade VAWT:

3.3.1. Blade Shape and Curvature:

• The shape and curvature of the blades affect the torque generation and power output
of the turbine.

• Blades with a larger curvature generally generate higher torque but may also
introduce higher drag.

• The optimal curvature depends on factors such as wind speed, desired rotational
speed, and power requirements.

3.3.2. Blade Length and Height:

• The length of the blades directly influences the swept area of the rotor, which affects
the amount of wind energy captured.

• Longer blades can capture more wind energy but may also increase drag and
structural stresses.

• The blade height, which refers to the vertical distance from the bottom to the top of
the rotor, influences the overall size and aspect ratio of the turbine.

3.3.3. Overlap Ratio:

23
• The overlap ratio refers to the extent of overlap between the blades in a Savonius
rotor.

• Increasing the overlap ratio generally leads to higher torque and power output.

• However, excessively high overlap ratios can introduce additional drag and decrease
overall efficiency.

3.3.4. Aspect Ratio:

• The aspect ratio represents the ratio of the height of the rotor to the radius of the rotor.

• Higher aspect ratios typically result in higher power coefficients and improved
performance.

• However, excessively high aspect ratios can lead to increased structural loads and
may require additional support mechanisms.

3.3.5. Gap Ratio:

• The gap ratio refers to the distance between the blades in a Savonius rotor.

• A larger gap ratio can reduce the drag forces on the rotor, resulting in improved
efficiency.

• However, a very large gap ratio may decrease torque generation and overall
performance.

3.3.6. Rotor Diameter:

• The diameter of the rotor affects the swept area and the amount of wind energy
captured.

• Larger rotor diameters generally result in higher power output but may require
stronger support structures and have higher material costs.

3.3.7. Camber and Twist:

• Camber refers to the curvature along the length of the blades, while twist refers to the
variation in blade angle from root to tip.

• Optimizing the camber and twist profiles can improve the aerodynamic efficiency and
reduce drag.

24
• Properly designed camber and twist profiles can enhance the performance of the
Savonius VAWT, especially at different wind speeds.

It's worth noting that the optimal values for these geometrical parameters depend on various
factors, including wind speed, intended application, available space, and desired power
output. Experimental testing, computational modeling, and optimization techniques can help
determine the most suitable geometrical parameters for a Savonius 3-blade VAWT.

3.4 Investigation of the effect of blade overlap and aspect ratio

Investigating the effect of blade overlap and aspect ratio on the performance of a Savonius 3-
blade VAWT can provide valuable insights into optimizing its design. Here's an overview of
the impact of blade overlap and aspect ratio on the performance of a Savonius 3-blade
VAWT:

3.4.1. Blade Overlap:

• Blade overlap refers to the extent to which the blades overlap each other in a Savonius
rotor.

• Increasing the blade overlap can enhance the torque generation and power output of
the turbine.

• A higher overlap ratio allows for a longer effective blade length, resulting in increased
swept area and improved energy capture.

• However, excessive blade overlap may introduce additional drag and increase the
resistance, potentially reducing overall efficiency.

3.4.2. Aspect Ratio:

• The aspect ratio of a Savonius 3-blade VAWT is the ratio of the height of the rotor to
its radius.

• Higher aspect ratios generally lead to improved performance and increased power
output.

• A higher aspect ratio provides a larger surface area for wind interaction, resulting in
enhanced torque generation.

25
• The optimal aspect ratio depends on factors such as wind speed, desired rotational
speed, and specific application requirements.

• However, extremely high aspect ratios may lead to increased structural loads, require
stronger support mechanisms, and impact overall stability.

Investigating the effect of blade overlap and aspect ratio typically involves experimental
testing, computational modeling, and optimization techniques. Here are some research
directions to explore:

• Conduct wind tunnel experiments or numerical simulations to analyze the


performance of a Savonius 3-blade VAWT with varying levels of blade overlap.

• Measure and compare the power coefficient, torque, rotational speed, and efficiency
of the turbine for different blade overlap ratios.

• Investigate the impact of blade overlap on the starting and cut-in wind speeds of the
VAWT.

• Optimize the blade overlap ratio to maximize power output while minimizing drag
and improving overall efficiency.

• Perform numerical simulations or theoretical analyses to examine the effect of aspect


ratio on the performance of the VAWT.

• Investigate the relationship between aspect ratio and power coefficient, torque,
rotational speed, and structural loads.

• Evaluate the impact of aspect ratio on the starting characteristics, self-starting


behavior, and stability of the VAWT.

• Conduct sensitivity analyses and optimization studies to determine the optimal aspect
ratio for specific wind conditions and power requirements.

• By studying the effect of blade overlap and aspect ratio on the performance of a
Savonius 3-blade VAWT, you can contribute to the understanding and optimization of
this type of wind turbine design.

3.5. Blade shape and Materials selection

26
Blade shape and material selection are crucial aspects of designing a Savonius 3-blade
VAWT. The blade shape affects the aerodynamic performance and power output, while
material selection impacts the structural integrity and durability of the turbine. Here's an
overview of blade shape and material selection considerations:

3.5.1 Blade Shape:

3.5.1.1. S-shaped Curvature:

• The traditional Savonius rotor design features an S-shaped or semi-circular blade


cross-section.

• The concave side faces the wind, capturing the wind energy and creating higher drag.

• The convex side faces away from the wind, reducing drag and facilitating rotation.

• The curvature should be optimized to achieve a balance between torque generation


and drag reduction.

3.5.1.2. Blade Twist:

• Introducing a twist along the length of the blades can help optimize the angle of attack
and reduce drag.

• A twist can improve the aerodynamic efficiency, especially at different wind speeds
and angles.

• Gradual twist from root to tip can help maintain a more uniform torque distribution.

3.5.1.3. Blade Camber:

• Blade camber refers to the curvature along the length of the blade.

• Cambered blades can enhance the lift-to-drag ratio and improve overall efficiency.

• Properly designed camber profiles can help optimize the angle of attack and airflow
over the blade surface.

3.5.2. Material Selection:

3.5.2.1. Strength and Durability:

27
• The chosen material should have sufficient strength and durability to withstand
operational loads and environmental conditions.

• Common materials include aluminum alloys, steel, composites (e.g., fiberglass or


carbon fiber), and wood.

• Material selection should consider factors such as weight, corrosion resistance, and
fatigue resistance.

3.5.2.2. Manufacturing and Cost:

• The material should be readily available and suitable for the manufacturing process.

• Consider the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the chosen material in terms of


fabrication, machining, and assembly.

3.5.2.3. Weight Considerations:

• The weight of the blades affects the overall turbine weight, structural integrity, and
rotational inertia.

• Lighter materials can reduce the structural load on the turbine and facilitate startup at
lower wind speeds.

• However, it's essential to balance weight reduction with the need for sufficient
strength and durability.

3.5.2.4. Surface Finish:

• The surface finish of the blades can impact aerodynamic performance by reducing
friction and drag.

• Smooth and well-finished surfaces minimize flow separation and improve overall
efficiency.

It is important to note that blade shape and material selection should be considered in
conjunction with other design parameters and objectives, such as power output requirements,
available resources, manufacturing capabilities, and cost constraints. Conducting structural
analysis, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and testing prototypes can aid in
validating the chosen blade shape and material for optimal performance and durability in a
Savonius 3-blade VAWT.

28
As our main aim is to optimize VAWT blades suitable for average and low wind speeds,
which can be easily mounted on rooftops covering less area, so we decide to use the 3-blade
Savonius wind turbine with following dimensions from the work of H. Xia, S. Zhang. et al
2022.

For the optimization purpose we decided to do the analysis of our model at different wind
velocities varying from 2.5 m/s to 4.5 m/s (adding on 0.5 m/s to get next wind velocity). Also,
for each wind speed we have changed the blade arc from 180 deg to 140 deg (reducing 10
deg to get next blade arc angle). And, each of these combinations were performed on two
different blade thickness of 3 mm and 5mm.

3.6. Meshing
Meshing is often used in software-based simulation for Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). It can significantly impact the accuracy of the
simulation and the resources required to perform the simulation.
The meaning of meshing or mesh generation is defining continuous geometric shapes (such
as 3D models) using 1D, 2D, and 3D shapes (mesh faces).

Figure 3.2. Types of elements of Mesh

The finer the mesh, the more accurately the 3D model will be defined.
Though meshes can be created manually, most meshing today is performed using software,
with minimal human input.

29
3.6.1. Different Types

There are two basic ways of creating a mesh


• structured
• unstructured
In structured meshing, the mesh is prepared as a regular lattice with implied connectivity
between elements.
In unstructured meshing, elements can be connected to each other in irregular patterns,
allowing users to capture more complex shapes.
Meshing is one of the most important aspects of getting accurate results from FEA/FEM and
CFD simulations.
Usually, results become more accurate as the mesh becomes smaller and denser. However, a
trade-off of that is that simulations become larger and solve times become longer.

3.6.2. Optimizing Meshes

Meshes are need to be be optimized if irregular surfaces are present in geometry as shown in
Figure 3.3 so that mesh element captures most of the curves and surfaces that are in
geometry.

Figure 3.3. Design of an irregular geometry

To ensure good quality of mesh following steps can be taken: -

30
1. A Simplified and Clean Watertight Geometry

Ensuring a well-defined, simplified, clean and critically watertight geometry will often be the
difference between a successful high-quality mesh or a poor, illegal, cell-filled one.
Geometries should be solid and have no abnormal features such as intersections or sharp
outcroppings. A clean geometry dictates that it is enclosed and is free from geometrical
defects. The creation of a watertight geometry will allow the solver to differentiate between
different domains of flow, which is very important, especially for external flow simulations.

Figure 3.4. Depiction of clean geometry

2. Deciding and Maintaining a Good General Grid Size

In general, maintaining the skewness ratio of the cell is key to accuracy and quality. For
complex geometries, maintaining the skewness ratio of every cell may be difficult, if not
impossible, it is best practice to ensure that it is closely adhered to. Different cases require
and dictate different skewness ratios, but for general usage, a strong cell distortion is often an
indication that the skewness ratio of the cell is too large and further refinement is needed.
Notice the figure below: while this is a tetrahedral mesh, you can easily see which one is of a
lower quality.

31
Figure 3.5. Skewness of a 2D Diamond Aerofoil Mesh. Skewness Ratio Well Maintained (left) and
Poor Skewness Ratio/Unmaintained (right)

For the hex-parametric meshing method, maintaining an overall grid size that keeps the
skewness ratio low is a simple but effective way to increase the accuracy. This can be done by
first selecting the intended cell size via literature or referenced works before the domain
distance is calculated and divided by the number of cells.
For example, if the user requires a cell size of 0.5m for a 10 by 10 by 10 m domain, the user
then needs to take the length of each domain, divide that by the cell size and then input the
results into the mesh operations tab shown below for all lengths in order to maintain the
skewness at 1—which is ideal.

3. Increasing Mesh Fineness at Critical Areas


This tip ties into the balance between computational cost and mesh fineness. Say you have a
specific general cell size to maintain, but you require additional accuracy near critical parts
that, if adjusted through overall cell size, would be much too computationally expensive to
simulate. A way to get around this would be to designate the area at or around the critical part
with a higher refinement in that particular region. This effectively decreases the cell size of
only the target area but does not increase the computational cost dramatically.

32
Figure 3.6. Circular Region Refinement (Purple) and Mesh Refinement at Critical Area (Trailing Edge
of Aerofoil)

Mesh Refinement method can be applied to further increase the accuracy of the simulations
by increasing no of element of certain surface, faces or volume.
Inflation is also one of the options in place of Refinements which defines certain edges to
have increasing layers of elements in mesh.

Figure 3.7. Dialog box of Mesh refinement method

33
4. Boundary-Layer Refinement

Boundary layer refinement or inflation is a critical meshing parameter that is sometimes


overlooked by those who are new to CFD simulations. While effectively increasing accuracy
near the internal or external surface of the geometry, the boundary layer refinement also,
more critically maintains the dimensionless wall distance value or Y+ for the chosen
turbulence model in order to increase accuracy. Y+ is a key factor that ties in directly with the
turbulence model used. For example, using the k-w SST model often dictates a Y+ of less
than 1 in order for the mesh to capture the wall effects.

Figure 3.8. Refinement(left) and Inflation(right)

Numerous websites provide a simple calculator that will allow the determination of the
smallest layer near the geometry for a given Y+ value. Such websites
include Pointwise and cfd-online, with Pointwise providing a phone application that can be
downloaded to calculate Y+.

5. Mesh Convergence Study


The final tip concerns optimizing and determining the ideal mesh to be used for further
simulations. A mesh convergence study dictates that a general mesh is created for the problem
case, a simulation is run, and the results are obtained. Afterward, the process is repeated with
a continuous increase in mesh fineness. The steps are repeated with ever-increasing mesh

34
fineness until the results obtained deviate to a range of less than 1% to 5% depending on
criteria.
Once the results have deviated within the required criteria, the coarsest mesh produced that is
still within the criteria is deemed the base mesh and, as such, the results obtained are then as
accurate as possible for the given mesh.

Figure 3.9. Variation of Results for an Urban Windflow Project for Different Mesh Fineness Levels
(T. Van Hoof, B. Blocken, Y. Tominaga, 2017)

A proper mesh convergence study will not only ensure that your mesh is as accurate as
possible, but that is also optimal. This means you are balancing computational time with
accuracy, which is crucial when it comes to large and complex meshes.

3.7. Meshing for 2D Blades

Geometry can be made by any software and import it to ANSYS, in our case we used ANSYS
SPACECLAIM. And then we create surfaces from geometry using concept tool and using ‘Add
frozen’ operation on all parts of geometry to define it as solids although in case of 3D instead ‘Add
Material’ is used to defined material on which analysis is to be done. Design of 2D Savonius blade
is shown in Figure 3.10.

35
Figure 3.10: Design of blades.

Figure 3.11 depicts the size and design of the simulations performed.
Size of domain = 10D * 2D
Position of VAWT in Domain = 1.5D from Inlet and 1D from walls.

Figure 3.11. Simulation domain design.

36
Meshing method used is all triangles method for all surfaces with 5mm element size for Interior
and 15 mm for Flow Domain. There are various reasons to consider triangles method to be
preferable for transient solution two of the reasons are, first, GPUs have very good support for
drawing triangles - there are dozens of pipelines designed for the purpose of barycentric
interpolation of parameters across triangles, which makes it very fast to draw millions of triangles,
dozens of times every second. Second, triangles guaranteed to be planar. This makes it easier to
reason about meshes we have created; if our mesh is all quads and we move one vertex, we cannot
guarantee how these quads have been tessellated by our modelling software, so we have just
created some unintentional, ugly geometry.

Meshing is done for a Savonius type blade with 6 inflation layers of First layer thickness starting
from 0.5mm with increment of 20% on each layer of blade walls. Sudden changes in size of
elements of meshing results in lowering the quality which effect the solution stability, if meshing is
not done properly and mesh quality is poor solution never converge or sometimes show ‘floating
point exception’ which shows solution or analysis is not possible for that geometry or meshing.

Figure 3.12. Meshing of Blade and its domain

To avoid sudden change in element for different sections of geometry, Bias method is used for
element to increase from 5 mm to 15 mm gradually with bias factor of 1.1. As it can observed in
Figure 3.12, transition from blade to rotor inflation is used and for transition from rotor to domain
gradual increment of element size is consider which is shown clearly in Figure 3.13.

37
Figure 3.13. Meshing of Flow Domain.

The difference between the current cell size and the ideal cell size is known as skewness.
Skewness can range from 0 (best) to 1 (worst). In the majority of flows, it is advised to keep a
mesh's maximum skewness below 0.95 and its average value below 0.33. Convergence issues
could arise if a maximum value of 0.95 is exceeded.

Skewness = 0.58826(max)
Orthogonal quality = 0.49241(min)
No. of nodes in Meshing = 23674
No. of element in Meshing = 43692

3.8. Xxxxx Turbulence Model Selection

3.8.1. Fluid flow

Fluid Flow is a part of fluid mechanics and deals with fluid dynamics. It involves the motion
of a fluid subjected to unbalanced forces.This motion continues as long as unbalanced forces
are applied.

38
3.8.2. Types of fluid flow

There are three fluid flow regimes: laminar, turbulent, and a transition region. The conditions
that lead to each type of flow behaviour are system-specific. Fluid flow simulations for
various Reynolds numbers can be used to clearly identify and quantify when flow will
transition from laminar to turbulent.

3.8.3. Turbulent flow

Turbulent flow is a type of fluid (gas or liquid) flow in which the fluid undergoes irregular
fluctuations, or mixing, in contrast to laminar flow in which the fluid moves in smooth paths
or layers. In turbulent flow the speed of the fluid at a point is continuously undergoing
changes in both magnitude and direction. The flow of wind and rivers is generally turbulent
in this sense, even if the currents are gentle. The air or water swirls and eddies while its
overall bulk moves along a specific direction [1] .

3.8.4. Turbulence

Turbulence, in fluid mechanics, a flow condition in which local speed and pressure change
unpredictably as an average flow is maintained. Common examples are wind and water
swirling around obstructions, or fast flow (Reynolds number greater than 2,100) of any sort
[2].

3.8.5. Turbulence models

Turbulence models in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) are methods to include the
effect of turbulence in the simulation of fluid flows. The majority of simulations require a
turbulence model as turbulent flows are prevalent in nature and in industrial flows and occur
in most engineering applications.

As engineering flows are mostly of turbulent nature when dealing with CFD simulations,
most of the time we need to solve turbulent flows. The modelling of turbulence constitutes
one of the most important aspects of CFD modelling and correctly modelling turbulence is
key in obtaining correct and reliable CFD results.

To calculate engineering quantities of interests, these mean flows are sufficient. For example,
force coefficients acting on a plane at a certain flight condition, or on a car at a specific
attitude. An averaging operation can be applied to the Navier-Stokes equations to obtain the
mean equations of fluid flows called Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations.

39
These are very similar to the original equations but contains some additional terms in the
momentum equations called Reynolds stress terms that are unknown and need to be
modelled.

Turbulence models aim to represent the effect of turbulence via the closure of unknown
Reynolds stress terms. Turbulence models are generally classified based on the number of
additional equations that are required in order to model the effect of turbulent on the flow.
Models range from very simple algebraic relations and increase in fidelity and complexity as
the number of equations used is increased. RANS modelling is the most common and
widespread approach in industrial applications.

Two of the most used models are 2 equation models which are preferred for study of
simulation are

• The k–epsilon model

• the k–omega model

Two-equation models use, in addition to the mean-flow Navier–Stokes equations, two


transport equations for two turbulence properties. The first one is usually that for the
turbulence kinetic energy (k) and the second any other from a variety that includes: the
dissipation rate of turbulence kinetic energy (epsilon), the specific dissipation rate (omega),
the length scale, the product of k ~ l, the time scale s, the product of k and s, among others.
This class of models is the most preferred by industry it looks like remaining so for the
foreseeable future. Two-equation eddy viscosity models are still the first choice for general
CFD calculations, with the standard k–e model and k–x being the most widely used. There is
no particular reason for this preference, but at least those models have been applied so
widely, that we know their behaviour beforehand. In this section only the k–e and k–x models
are presented, as being representative of the two-equation models, along with their
improvements and some interesting low-Re version.

K-epsilon (k-ε) turbulence model is the most common viscous model used in computational
fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate mean flow characteristics for turbulent flow conditions. It
is a two equation model that gives a general description of turbulence by means of
two transport equations (partial differential equations, PDEs). The original impetus for the K-
epsilon model was to improve the mixing-length model, as well as to find an alternative to
algebraically prescribing turbulent length scales in moderate to high complexity flows.

40
• The first transported variable is the turbulent kinetic energy (k).

• The second transported variable is the rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic


energy (ε).
In computational fluid dynamics, the k–omega (k–ω) turbulence model is a common two-
equation turbulence model, that is used as an approximation for the Reynolds-averaged
Navier–Stokes equations (RANS equations). The model attempts to predict turbulence by
two partial differential equations for two variables, k and ω, with the first variable being
the turbulence kinetic energy (k) while the second (ω) is the specific rate of dissipation (of
the turbulence kinetic energy k into internal thermal energy).

A more advanced turbulence model is the Shear Stress Transport (SST) model. This model
combines the advantages of k–epsilon and k–omega models in predicting aerodynamic flows,
and in particular in predicting boundary layers under strong adverse pressure gradients. The
model has been validated against many other applications with good results such as
turbomachinery blades, wind turbines, free shear layers, zero pressure gradient and adverse
pressure gradient boundary layers. Recent improvements of the model are an enhanced
version for rotation and streamline curvature and the replacement of the vorticity in the eddy
viscosity with the strain rate.

As concluded by review by C.D. Argyropoulos et al., K – omega SST model can be seen as
preferable model to use for simulation. This model is preferred for studying properties near
the wall.

3.9. 2D CFD Analysis

The capacity to resolve the governing partial differential equations in the designated cell is where
meshing in CFD plays a crucial role. Because of the intricacy or irregularity of the shape,
computational solvers cannot directly solve equations for the complete item. Therefore, the size of
the element and the type of refinement, inflation, etc. utilised for meshing have an impact on the
analysis's findings.

Our study is conducted on 3 Blade on different Arc angle with different Inlet Velocities.

41
Figure 3.14: Effect of Velocity flow on Blades of savonius VAWT.
Figure 3.14. shows the impact of air flow on the blades' surface. The existence of a low velocity
magnitude is shown by the blue region. The blades with red areas illustrate that the magnitude of
velocity drastically increases as a result of the air flow attacking the convex side of the blade.
When compared to traditional two-blade turbines, the TSR of three-blade turbines is increased
when the air flow from the convex side deviates and adds to the blade next to it. Although it raises
the TSR of turbines, one drawback is that additional increases in velocity might lead to instability,
which can lead to design failure. Velocity should be in an ideal range to prevent instability.

moment vs time
0.2

0.1
0

-0.1
Moment

-0.2

-0.3
-0.4

-0.5

-0.6
0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Flow time

Figure 3.15. Moment v/s time graph for simulation.

42
Power v/s Time
3
2
1
0
-1
Power

-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Flow Time

Figure 3.16. Power output v/s time graph for simulation.

The solution starts giving constant value for both Moment and Power output in Cycles starting
between 1.5 to 2 second of Flow time which is displayed on Figure 3.15 and Figure 3.16. To check
whether solution is stable or not solution is done up to 5 seconds of flow time.

Simulation is done for 10,000-time steps with step size of 0.005 second so at end of
simulation 5 seconds of calculation have been recorded for each case of different geometry
and inlet velocities.

43
CHAPTER 4

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

Total power available from wind for electricity generation can be calculated from the following
1 2
equation (4.1), P= v ρ Av
2

(4.1)
Here, ρ is air density (kg/m3)
V is the wind speed (m/s)
A is the cross-sectional area of the turbine.
Equation (4.1) shows the multiplication of kinetic energy and mass flow rate, which gives the total
power available (in watts) from the wind [9]. Usually, the power coefficient 𝐶𝑝, characterizes the
performance of the rotor. It shows the efficiency of the turbine. According to the Betz limit,
theoretically maximum possible efficiency is 59.3% which is shown as rotor power limit in figure
3 [10]. Betz limit is discussed briefly in section 2.2.2. Mathematically 𝐶𝑝 can be written as
follows,

(4.2)
Equation (4.2) is valid for three-dimensional calculations. Since the investigation is done in two-
dimensional mode, the area of the turbine can be written as A=2R. Therefore, the modified
equation can be written as follows. 𝐶𝑝 = 𝑄𝗇 𝜌𝑉3𝑅 (4.3) Another important parameter is tip speed
ratio (TSR) which is helpful to study the turbine performance at different rotational velocities. The
tip speed ratio is defined by λ, and mathematically it can be written as the ratio between the tip
speed of the blade to the inlet wind velocity. 𝜆 = 𝗇𝑅 𝑉 (4.4) 14 Figure 3: Cp curve of different
designs averaged to tip speed ratio [10] Usually, the turbine power curve is plotted against the
TSR. At different TSR turbine gives different efficiency. In this thesis, except for the validation
part, all the simulations are performed at TSR 1. 2.2.2 Betz energy extraction limit The Betz theory
determines the maximum power generation from the turbine rotor. This model is entirely based on
linear momentum theory developed over 100 years ago to predict ship propellers performance
[10]. This law is derived from the conservation of energy, momentum and mass principle. There
are some limitations and assumptions like incoming wind speed, passing through turbine swept
area is considered as uniform. It considers an infinite number of blades, no hub, uniform thrust
over the rotor area and the static pressure far upstream and downstream should be equal to
undistributed ambient static pressure. It is essential to have a change in wind speed from upstream
to downstream to extract the energy from the turbine. According to the implication from the Betz
equation, no change (𝑉∞ = 𝑉𝑒 figure 4) in wind speed leads to zero energy extraction from the
wind. If we consider the wind speed passing through turbine disk as Vd, with two different

44
position values 𝑉∞ (upstream) and 𝑉𝑒 (downstream), Anders Goude's work shows the schematic
illustration and derivation of Betz limit [11]. Mathematically it can be expressed as,
Ve<V∞ (4.3)

Figure 4: Illustration shows the control volume used for momentum conservation [12].
If we apply the Bernoulli equation in the above-mentioned flow tube of the turbine,

(2.6)

(2.7)
Equation (2.6) is for upstream, whereas equation (2.7) is written for downstream of the
turbine.When we combine both with continuity, we can write as follows.

Equation (2.5) shows there is a drop in wind speed. This happens due to momentum conservation
inside the tube control volume. In figure 4, momentum conservation for dashed line (volume of
wind) can be written as,

(2.9)
As discussed at the beginning of this section that Betz theory has some assumptions. By
considering no losses, the power absorbed by a wind turbine can be written as the difference
between the incoming and outgoing power in the air,

(2.10)
Therefore, the air stream cross-section will increase from upstream of the turbine to downstream
of
the turbine, which leads to the pressure difference and wind speed drop. The derivation of Betzlaw

45
shows that the downstream velocity should be one-third of upstream velocity for optimal
conditions. Optimal power is given by,

(2.11)
In equation (2.11), 16/27 shows the traditional Betz limit, limiting the power coefficient to 59.3%.

46
CHAPTER 5

RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS

Through CFD analysis on Ansys Fluent Angular Velocity (Omega), Max Velocity, Torque,
Coefficient of Torque (Cm) has been obtained and with the help of these data Power, Coefficient
of Power (Cp) & TSR at various Arc Angles (140/150/160/170/180/190) and each at 5 different
constant speeds (2.5/3/3.5/4/4.5) m/s with two different Blade Thickness 5 mm & 3 mm has been
calculated.
Tabulated form of obtained data for blade profile of thickness 5mm.
Table 5.1
2.5 mps
Angle Omega Max Vel Moment Power
s (rad/s) (m/s) (N-m) Cm (Watts) Cp TSR
23.257611 4.6515223 0.0502619 0.0820602 1.1689718 0.1553539
140 69 39 02 49 08 7 1.89317
22.499494 4.4998988 0.0478071 0.0780525 1.0756370 0.1429499 1.83145
150 14 27 65 15 36 7 9
21.866979 4.3733958 0.0440258 0.0718789 0.9627122 1.77997
160 21 43 46 33 68 0.1279425 2
0.0386011 0.0630222 0.8435709 0.1121088 1.77887
170 21.853518 4.3707036 51 87 45 6 6
21.332863 4.2665727 0.0388164 0.0633737 0.8280655 0.1100482 1.73649
180 71 42 28 59 62 2 5
18.805988 3.7611976 0.0356571 0.0582158 0.6705687 0.0891172 1.53080
190 39 79 9 21 09 1 7

Table 5.2
3 mps
Angle Omega Max Vel Moment Power
s (rad/s) (m/s) (N-m) Cm (Watts) Cp TSR
28.528342 5.7056685 0.0639332 0.1043808 1.8239105 0.2019949 1.93517
140 6 2 8 65 13 9 3
27.972726 5.5945452 0.0641836 0.1047895 1.7953910 1.89748
150 21 42 27 96 35 0.1988365 3
26.447277 5.2894554 0.0579281 0.0945766 1.5320425 0.1696711 1.79400
160 2 4 78 17 79 1 7
26.042445 5.2084890 0.0543072 0.0886649 1.4142943 0.1566306 1.76654
170 12 23 78 44 13 9 6
25.949422 5.1898844 0.0590087 0.0963407 1.5312419 0.1695824 1.76023
180 18 36 09 5 07 4 6

47
21.869540 4.3739080 0.0548758 0.0895932 1.2001104 0.1329101 1.48348
190 36 71 87 85 27 9 4

Table 5.3
3.5 mps
Angle Omega Max Vel Moment Power
s (rad/s) (m/s) (N-m) Cm (Watts) Cp TSR
33.131235 6.6262470 0.0756588 0.1235246 2.5066704 0.2379509 1.92634
140 35 71 3 2 89 9 5
32.307296 6.4614593 0.1260644 2.4945917 1.87843
150 8 6 0.0772145 9 67 0.2368044 9
31.084933 6.2169867 0.0728409 0.1189240 2.2642573 0.2149394 1.80736
160 53 06 9 65 29 1 7
29.791777 5.9583554 0.0939392 0.1533701 2.7986163 0.2656645 1.73217
170 32 64 2 55 24 7 9
30.058686 6.0117373 0.0838395 0.1368809 2.5201071 1.74769
180 66 31 62 17 19 0.2392265 8
24.732253 4.9464506 0.0781686 0.1276223 1.9332877 0.1835214 1.43800
190 29 57 86 45 45 3 4

Table 5.4
4 mps
Angle Omega Max Vel Moment Power
s (rad/s) (m/s) (N-m) Cm (Watts) Cp TSR
37.938418 7.5876837 0.1449047 3.3930832 0.2796830 1.93011
140 99 98 0.0894366 22 04 8 7
37.828664 7.5657329 0.0952202 0.1554615 3.6020538 1.92453
150 61 21 21 86 1 0.299191 3
35.304960 7.0609921 0.0924289 0.1509043 3.2631997 0.2710453
160 83 66 3 76 65 7 1.79614
6.8329569 0.1229408 0.2007197 4.2205073 0.3505605 1.74651
170 34.32957 75 76 97 91 1 7
34.488294 6.8976589 0.1179377 0.1925513 4.0674707 1.75459
180 62 24 17 75 35 0.3378491 2
27.446405 5.4892811 0.1047948 0.1710935 2.8762413 0.2389041 1.39633
190 8 6 27 95 43 3 6

Table 5.5
4.5 mps
Angle Omega Max Vel Moment Power
s (rad/s) (m/s) (N-m) Cm (Watts) Cp TSR
42.646168 8.5292336 0.1032143 0.1685132 4.4016963 0.3249869 1.92855
140 19 38 45 17 34 2 4
42.542093 8.5084187 0.11511983 0.1879507 4.8974387 0.3615886 1.92384
150 6 21 4 5 61 8 8
41.286675 8.2573351 0.1169743 0.1909784 4.8294812 0.3565712 1.86707
160 69 37 3 98 3 2 5
38.537792 7.7075584 0.1519425 0.2480694 5.8555297 0.4323266 1.74276
170 43 86 31 39 26 4 5

48
37.782538 7.5565077 0.1383744 0.2259175 5.2281390 0.3860050
180 63 25 79 16 91 1 1.70861
30.059286 6.0118573 0.1355068 0.2212356 4.0732393 0.3007362 1.35934
190 63 25 52 78 18 2 8

Tabulated form of obtained data for blade profile of thickness 3mm.


Table 5.6
2.5 mps
Angle Omega Max Vel Moment Power
s (rad/s) (m/s) (N-m) Cm (Watts) Cp TSR
23.304886 4.6609773 0.0472734 0.0771811 1.1017023 0.1464139 1.89701
140 84 68 48 39 47 94 8
22.927136 4.5854272 0.0444271 0.0725341 1.0185875 0.1353682 1.86626
150 1 2 59 37 19 03 9
22.000398 4.4000797 0.0402901 0.0657799 0.8864002 0.1178007 1.79083
160 79 58 92 05 93 9 2
22.633293 4.5266586 0.0410955 0.0670947 0.9301266 0.1236119
170 42 85 07 06 74 37 1.84235
20.295815 4.0591631 0.0481974 0.0786897 0.9782068 0.1300016 1.65207
180 81 62 63 35 24 91 9
19.109547 3.8219095 0.0194639 0.0317779 0.3719476 0.0494310 1.55551
190 92 83 69 08 43 83 7

Table 5.7
3 mps
Angle Omega Max Vel Moment Power
s (rad/s) (m/s) (N-m) Cm (Watts) Cp TSR
28.589597 5.7179195 0.0606758 0.0990625 1.7346972 0.1921147 1.93932
140 69 39 2 64 88 74 8
27.817392 5.5634784 0.0660318 0.1078071 1.8368352 0.2034263 1.88694
150 3 6 98 8 05 75 6
26.734423 5.3468846 0.0543276 0.0886981 1.4524179 0.1608528 1.81348
160 19 37 32 75 05 13 5
26.145644 5.2291289 0.0659320 0.1076441 1.7238354 0.1909118 1.77354
170 54 09 3 31 23 41 6
25.208070 5.0416141 0.0689859 0.1126300 1.7390015 0.1925914 1.70994
180 68 36 03 46 19 61 7
0.5849180 0.0647788 1.53655
190 22.651925 4.53038 0.025822 0.0421585 07 78 6

Table 5.8
3.5 mps
Angle Omega Max Vel Moment Power
s (rad/s) (m/s) (N-m) Cm (Watts) Cp TSR
34.151709 6.8303418 0.0745313 0.1216837 2.5453722 0.2416248 1.98567
140 38 75 27 99 09 37 8
33.690832 6.7381665 0.0788205 0.1286865 2.6555286 0.2520816 1.95888
150 64 27 12 51 93 74 1

49
31.587267 6.3174535 0.0696043 0.1136397 2.1986115 0.2087078 1.83657
160 8 59 6 71 45 48 4
32.411216 6.4822433 0.0816399 0.1332896 2.6460497 0.2511818 1.88448
170 52 04 39 97 5 66 1
29.781563 5.9563126 0.0901353 0.1471597 2.6843716 0.2548196 1.73158
180 17 35 53 59 97 57 5
26.194252 5.2388505 0.0321803 0.0525393 0.8429402 0.0800178 1.52300
190 55 1 52 5 62 86 9

Table 5.9
4 mps
Angle Omega Max Vel Moment Power
s (rad/s) (m/s) (N-m) Cm (Watts) Cp TSR
39.117856 7.8235712 0.0837366 0.1367128 3.2755972 0.2720751 1.99012
140 26 52 25 58 72 2 1
38.510277 7.7020555 0.0936776 0.1529430 3.6075510 0.2996476
150 69 37 16 47 12 04 1.95921
36.037485 7.2074971 0.0953833 0.1557279 3.4373760 0.2855126 1.83340
160 97 95 47 14 34 62 7
34.760599 6.9521199 0.1208555 0.1973151 4.2010105 0.3489410 1.76844
170 95 9 25 43 61 81 6
32.459646 6.4919293 0.1208021 0.1972279 3.9211935 0.3256991 1.65138
180 81 61 01 2 4 37 5
29.266109 5.8532219 0.0457857 0.0747521 1.3399697 0.1112995 1.48891
190 69 38 16 89 74 3 3

Table 5.10
4.5 mps
Angle Omega(rad Max Vel Moment Power
s /s) (m/s) (Nm) Cm (Watts) Cp TSR
43.5962780 8.7192556 0.0958409 0.1564750 4.1783106 0.3084938 1.97152
140 3 07 95 94 6 66 1
43.8944059 8.7788811 0.1102188 0.1799491 4.8379898 0.3571994 1.98500
150 4 87 26 04 87 35 3
39.5828801 7.9165760 0.2486853 6.0292564 0.4451532 1.79002
160 5 3 0.1523198 88 01 62 6
39.6269117 7.9253823 0.1549265 0.2529412 6.1392597 0.4532750 1.79201
170 8 56 24 64 12 48 7
36.0171191 7.2034238 0.1564164 0.2553737 5.6336684 0.4159461 1.62877
180 8 35 09 28 27 31 4
32.1704622 6.4340924 0.0641927 0.1048044 2.0651098 0.1524716
190 2 44 31 59 33 01 1.45482

From the Analysis of different geometries, we can further contour have been made as shown
below.
Contours are of velocity magnitude which shows the variation of velocity throughout the domain
including rotor. Contour of velocity 2.5 m/s and 3 m/s are nearly same. Velocity range of 2.5 m/s

50
velocity domain is set from 0 to 7 m/s and in case of 3.5 m/s velocity and above it is set in range
from 0 to 9 m/s. All the contour displayed is the contour at 5 second of flow time.

Figure 5.1(a). velocity contour 150o arc angle at 2.5m/s inlet velocity

Figure 5.1(b). velocity contour of 160o arc angle at 2.5m/s inlet velocity

From figure 5.1(a) and figure 5.1(b), it can be concluded that both have fairly same contour
but there is a slight increase of velocity at blade edge. Both the contour have stable flow as
region of velocity are distinguishable and higher velocity can only be observed near the
region of the blade of turbine.

51
Figure 5.1(c). velocity contour of 170o arc angle at 2.5m/s inlet velocity

Figure 5.1(d). velocity contour 180o arc angle at 2.5m/s inlet velocity

From figure 5.1(c) and figure 5.1(d), it can be seen that area beside the blade have some
velocity in contrast to the velocity contour of figure 5.1(a) and figure 5.1(b) which have near
zero velocity disturbance behind the blade and the red region i.e., high velocity region is also
increased near the blade section.

52
So, it can be concluded that decreasing in arc angle of blade of turbine increase the stability
of setup which can give power with low fluctuation and also increase life of setup.

Figure 5.1(e). velocity contour 170o arc angle at 3.5m/s inlet velocity

Figure 5.1 (f). velocity contour 170o arc angle at 4.5m/s inlet velocity

In figure 5.1(e) and figure 5.1(f) we can see a clear difference in amount of darker region
which indicated increase in velocity but high velocity region along the surface of blade of the
blade and besides the blade can be seen in both of the figure which indicate the instability of
rotor at higher velocity and region of lower velocity decreases significantly.

53
So, for higher velocity thickness of the blade and size of the rotor should be increased to
make it more stable for power generation as well as life of turbine.

Figure 5.1(g). velocity contour 180o arc angle at 3.5m/s inlet velocity

Figure 5.1(h). velocity contour 180o arc angle at 4.5m/s inlet velocity

On comparison of figure 5.1(g) and figure 5.1(h) with figure 5.1(e) and figure 5.1(f) it is clear
for both inlet velocities there is an increase in higher velocity region in blade of arc angle of
180o which show stability of solution as well as power output has decreased for higher arc
angle.

54
Figure 5.1(i). velocity contour 160o arc angle at 3.5m/s inlet velocity

Figure 5.1(j). velocity contour 160o arc angle at 4.5m/s inlet velocity

55
Figure 5.1(k). velocity contour 150o arc angle at 3.5m/s inlet velocity

Figure 5.1(l). velocity contour 150o arc angle at 4.5m/s inlet velocity

There is a decrease in higher velocity region in contour as shown in figure 5.1(i), figure

5.1(j), figure 5.1(k) and figure 5.1(l) which shows improve in performance of VAWT as blade

arc angle decreases.

56
Figure 5.1(m). velocity contour 140o arc angle at 3.5m/s inlet velocity

Figure 5.1(n). velocity contour 140o arc angle at 4.5m/s inlet velocity

Compared to figure 5.1(k) and figure 5.1(l), figure 5.1(m) and figure 5.1(n) shows increase of
higher velocity region which depicts that arc angle of 150 have best results for overall
performance as compared to another arc for stable configuration.

57
Figure 5.1(o). contour of velocity of VAWT of 190 arc angle at 4m/s

Figure 5.1(p). contour of velocity of VAWT of 170 arc angle at 4 m/s.

58
Graphs has been plotted for Cp and TSR with different Arc angles at given speeds for blade
thickness 5mm & 3mm.

Cp
0.5
0.45
0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
140 150 160 170 180 190

2.5 mps 3 mps 3.5 mps 4 mps 4.5 mps

Figure 5.2 : Cp v/s Blade arc angle at different inlet velocities. (5mm)

TSR
2.5

1.5

0.5

0
140 150 160 170 180 190

2.5 mps 3 mps 3.5 mps 4 mps 4.5 mps

Figure 5.3 : TSR v/s Blade arc angle at different inlet velocities. (5mm)

Variation of Cp with different Blade Arc Angles at various inlet velocities have been depicted in
Figure 5.2 and Figure 5.4 for blade thickness 5 mm and 3mm respectively.

Variation of TSR with different Blade Arc Angles at various inlet velocities have been depicted in
Figure 5.3 and Figure 5.5 for blade thickness 5 mm and 3mm respectively.

59
Cp
0.5
0.45
0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
140 150 160 170 180 190

2.5 mps 3 mps 3.5 mps 4 mps 4.5 mps

Figure 5.4 : Cp v/s Blade arc angle at different inlet velocities. (3mm)

TSR
2.5

1.5

0.5

0
140 150 160 170 180 190

2.5 mps 3 mps 3.5 mps 4 mps 4.5 mps

Figure 5.5 : TSR v/s Blade arc angle at different inlet velocities. (3mm)

60
CONCLUSION

The findings of the simulation show that the most efficient blade profile that gave the highest Cp
with blade thickness 5 mm has a blade arc angle of 140 degree for lower inlet velocities (2.5 m/s
and 3 m/s), while for higher inlet velocities (3.5 m/s, 4 m/s and 4.5 m/s) the most efficient profile
that gave the highest Cp with blade thickness 5 mm has a blade arc angle of 170 deg as observed
in Figure 5.2.

Also, the most efficient profile that gave the highest Cp with blade thickness 3 mm has a blade arc
angle of 150 deg. for lower inlet velocities (2.5 m/s, 3 m/s and 3.5 m/s), while for higher inlet
velocities (4 m/s and 4.5 m/s) the most efficient profile that gave the highest Cp with blade
thickness 3 mm has a blade arc angle of 170 deg as observed in Figure 5.4.

The TSR follows the same trend in both the blades with thickness 3 mm and 5 mm i.e., TSR
gradually decreases from blade arc angle 140° to 190° at each inlet velocity provided as observed
in Figure 5.3 and Figure 5.5.

Blades were slightly unstable at higher inlet velocities (4 m/s and 4.5 m/s) compared to lower inlet
velocities (2.5 m/s, 3 m/s and 3.5 m/s). At higher inlet velocities (4 m/s and 4.5 m/s) blades with
thickness 5 mm were more stable than blades with thickness 3 mm.

The best performance was produced by the above-mentioned blade configurations out of all the
simulations that were run for this project. Since simulations can never accurately capture reality,
this endeavor did, however, contain certain unknowns. The amount of computer power available
was another constraint on the project. Blade arc angles 160° to 180°, however, appear to produce
superior Cp, according to the simulations that were run.

61
APPENDIX
Simulation set-up guide

A step-by-step guide of how to set up a simulation of a rotor with three different blocks of
mesh cells.

1. Start Ansys Spaceclaim

2. Sketch the rotor in Ansys Spaceclaim

3. Save the file of the rotor on your computer at the desired directory

4. Start Ansys Workbench and double-click on Fluid flow (Fluent)

5. Change the settings of the analysis from 3D to 2D in Geometry

6. Click on Import geometry and choose the exported file from Ansys Spaceclaim

7. Click on Edit in Design Modeler

8. In Design Modeler generate the sketch of the rotor

9. The rotor sketched in Ansys Spaceclaim should appear in the DesignModeler

10. From Concept, select Surface from Faces and then select rotor and select Add Freezing

and click Generate

11. Insert Freeze on all refinement regions of geometry

12. Suppress first 2 Parts which were generated automatically as they may have overlapping
surfaces.

13. Rename all surfaces by clicking on 4 Parts, 4 Bodies*

14. Close the window of Design Modeler

15. In Ansys Workbench, you should see a green tick-sign next to Geometry, if not update

the geometry

62
16. Open the Mesh

17. Create the named selections of Inlet, Outlet, Domain, Blades and Rotor face

18. Add Triangles as the meshing method

19. Add the meshing of the simulation domain, the interfaces (between Rotor and Domain),
the rotor face and the blades

20. Choose refinement types, element size, etc according to geometry to check for Mesh
metric if it has good quality.

21. Add 6 layers of Inflation on the blades

22. Choose First layer Thickness as inflation option

23. Generate the mesh

24. Repeat above process until quality of mesh is suitable for solution

25. Close the window of Mesh item In Ansys Workbench, you should see a green tick-sign
next to Mesh, if not update the meshing

26. Open the Set-up

27. In General change the time settings from Steady to Transient

28. In Models → Viscous change the model from Laminar to k-ω SST

29. In Boundary conditions → Inlet change the Velocity Magnitude from 0 to the desired
value.

30. In Mesh Interfaces → Dynamic Mesh enable the Dynamic Mesh option and then also
enable Remeshing.

31. In Mesh Interfaces → Dynamic Mesh → Mesh methods → Settings choose Boundary
Layer method for smoothing

32. In Mesh Interfaces → Dynamic Mesh → Mesh methods → Settings → Remeshing


you can change settings accordingly or leave it as global setting

63
33. In Mesh Interfaces → Dynamic Mesh → Mesh methods → Options enable Six DOF

34. In Mesh Interfaces → Dynamic Mesh → Mesh methods → Options → Six DOF →
Settings click on Create/Edit to create Six DOF properties and select One DOF Rotational

35. In Mesh Interfaces → Dynamic Mesh → Dynamic Mesh Zones → Create Select type
as Rigid Body Add Blades under Six DOF select ON

36. In Mesh Interfaces → Dynamic Mesh → Dynamic Mesh Zones → Create Select type
as Rigid Body, Add Rotor face and Contact-region-trg (edge from rotor surface) under Six
DOF select ON along with Passive

37. In Mesh Interfaces → Dynamic Mesh → Dynamic Mesh Zones → Create Select type
as Deforming and Add Contact-region-src (edge from domain) and under Motion
Attributes enable Exclude

38. In Methods under Pressure-velocity coupling choose Simple

39. Add report files for the Cm, velocity and Moment

40. In Initialization choose Hybrid initialization under the Initialization method and

initialize the solution

41. In Graphics → Contours add the contours of the Velocity → Velocity magnitude and

choose all the possible surfaces

42. In Calculation activities → Solution animations add animations of the Velocity

42. In Run calculation plug in the desired values of Number of time steps and Time step

size and click on Calculate

43. In order to stop the calculation immediately click on Stop at the end of the iteration

64
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