Experimental and Numerical Studies on the Possibility of Duct Flow Low-power Generation Using a Butterfly Wind Turbine

Abstract

An objective of this study is to demonstrate the validity of using a small wind turbine to recover the fluid energy flowing out of an exhaust duct for the generation of power. In these experiments, a butterfly wind turbine of a vertical axis type (D = 0.4 m) is used. The output performance is measured at various locations relative to the exit of a small wind tunnel (W = 0.65 m), representing the performance expected in an exhaust duct flow. Two-dimensional numerical analysis qualitatively agrees with the experimental results for the wind turbine power coefficient and rate of energy recovery. When the turbine is far from the duct exit (more than 2.5 D), an energy recovery rate of approximately 1.3% is obtained.