S051024 Measurement of Flow Field around Airfoil of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Abstract

Flow fields around an airfoil of a straight-wing vertical-axis wind turbine are measured using a PIV method to obtain a design guide for a more efficient wind turbine. The result shows that the flow field changes dramatically along with the tip speed ratio. High speed regions are generated near the airfoil because the flow must go around the airfoil, and the flow separation causes a part of fluid to accelerate and move with the airfoil. The timing of vortex shedding related to the flow separation is delayed when the tip speed ratio is high.