Publicación:

Aerodynamic characterization of a helical darrieustype vertical wind turbine using cfd simulation

Resumen

This research conducts a comprehensive computational evaluation of the aerodynamic behavior of a three-blade helical Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) of the Darrieus type. Using geometric modeling in SolidWorks and CFD simulations in ANSYS CFX, the turbine's behavior was evaluated under Wind Speeds (WSs) of 2, 4, and 8 m/s. Special attention was given to the influence of the Tip Speed Ratio (TSR), Power Coefficient (Cp), torque, angular velocity, and pressure distribution. The blade geometry was designed using symmetric airfoils similar to the NACA 0012 profile, widely used in vertical turbines due to their low drag coefficient and aerodynamic stability. The results obtained show representative values for power output, torque, angular velocity, and Cp, validating the methodology implemented for energy quantification in distributed generation applications. Furthermore, the study highlights the usefulness of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling as a predictive tool in the design for the development and improvement of wind turbines intended for urban settings, where airflow patterns tend to be irregular and constantly changing.