Wind tunnel experiment on improvement of performance of straight bladed vertical-axis wind turbine with NACA airfoil blades

Abstract

As a new form of wind energy utilization, we believe that small vertical axis wind turbines that can be installed on the roofs of buildings are promising. When considering installation in residential areas, the ideal type of wind turbine should be a low-speed, high-torque type, that differs from conventional wind turbines in terms of noise and safety issues. In this study, wind tunnel tests were conducted on a small vertical axis wind turbine with NACA 4-digit blades were conducted, and the performance was evaluated based on the power coefficient at each blade shape and installation angle. As a results, it was confirmed that the power coefficient increased at low speed increased as the maximum camber increased. The effects of changing the maximum camber position and increasing or decreasing the maximum blade thickness were also examined.