Blade pitching in vertical axis wind turbines: A double multiple stream tube theoretical approach to performance enhancement

This research delves into the performance enhancement of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) through the innovative approach of variable blade pitching based on Double Multiple Stream Tube theory principles. VAWTs, known for their potential in urban and low-wind environment, often face efficiency an...

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Main Authors: Antim Gupta, Ussama Ali, Hamid Ait Abderrahmane, Isam Janajreh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-02-01
Series:Heliyon
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025004815
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author Antim Gupta
Ussama Ali
Hamid Ait Abderrahmane
Isam Janajreh
author_facet Antim Gupta
Ussama Ali
Hamid Ait Abderrahmane
Isam Janajreh
author_sort Antim Gupta
collection DOAJ
description This research delves into the performance enhancement of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) through the innovative approach of variable blade pitching based on Double Multiple Stream Tube theory principles. VAWTs, known for their potential in urban and low-wind environment, often face efficiency and energy yield challenges. This study addresses these challenges by proposing a novel variable blade pitching mechanism that dynamically adapts to changing wind conditions, optimizing the aerodynamic performance, and enhancing the torque and overall performance of VAWT rotor. The efficiency of two pitching models is investigated on 3-bladed NACA0015 rotors, where the blade's local angle of attack is cyclically adjusted below the stall angle to maximize the lift force and torque throughout full revolution. In Model 1, the angle of attack experiences cyclic variation as a sinusoidal function providing smooth pitching, whereas in Model 2, the peak value of angle of attack was fixed below the stall condition forming linear function. The investigation showed substantial improvement in the VAWT performance using both pitching models. The variable blade pitching strategy significantly enhances the lift-to-drag ratio and thus improving the torque output across diverse wind scenarios/tip speed ratios, demonstrating its effectiveness in maximizing the operational efficiency of VAWTs. Blade pitching model 1 and 2 were found to be effective across all lower Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) values, suggesting its robustness in variable wind conditions. A peak average coefficient of performance (Cp) of 0.568 was achieved at TSR = 5 using pitching Model 1 with a maximum angle of attack of 8.5°, compared to a Cp of 0.48 for the fixed blade configuration, near to Betz's limit (Cp = 0.593). The findings confirm that integrating variable blade pitching would substantially improve VAWT performance and offer a clear direction for revolutionary future wind turbine aerodynamic design enhancements.
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publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Elsevier
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spelling doaj-art-920ebe78c9f541c1ad8850e277df3ef22025-01-25T04:11:23ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402025-02-01113e42101Blade pitching in vertical axis wind turbines: A double multiple stream tube theoretical approach to performance enhancementAntim Gupta0Ussama Ali1Hamid Ait Abderrahmane2Isam Janajreh3School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics, Oxford Brooke's University, Oxford, United Kingdom; Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Corresponding author.This research delves into the performance enhancement of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) through the innovative approach of variable blade pitching based on Double Multiple Stream Tube theory principles. VAWTs, known for their potential in urban and low-wind environment, often face efficiency and energy yield challenges. This study addresses these challenges by proposing a novel variable blade pitching mechanism that dynamically adapts to changing wind conditions, optimizing the aerodynamic performance, and enhancing the torque and overall performance of VAWT rotor. The efficiency of two pitching models is investigated on 3-bladed NACA0015 rotors, where the blade's local angle of attack is cyclically adjusted below the stall angle to maximize the lift force and torque throughout full revolution. In Model 1, the angle of attack experiences cyclic variation as a sinusoidal function providing smooth pitching, whereas in Model 2, the peak value of angle of attack was fixed below the stall condition forming linear function. The investigation showed substantial improvement in the VAWT performance using both pitching models. The variable blade pitching strategy significantly enhances the lift-to-drag ratio and thus improving the torque output across diverse wind scenarios/tip speed ratios, demonstrating its effectiveness in maximizing the operational efficiency of VAWTs. Blade pitching model 1 and 2 were found to be effective across all lower Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) values, suggesting its robustness in variable wind conditions. A peak average coefficient of performance (Cp) of 0.568 was achieved at TSR = 5 using pitching Model 1 with a maximum angle of attack of 8.5°, compared to a Cp of 0.48 for the fixed blade configuration, near to Betz's limit (Cp = 0.593). The findings confirm that integrating variable blade pitching would substantially improve VAWT performance and offer a clear direction for revolutionary future wind turbine aerodynamic design enhancements.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025004815Variable blade pitchingWind turbineSustainable energyWind energyDouble multiple stream tube (DMST)
spellingShingle Antim Gupta
Ussama Ali
Hamid Ait Abderrahmane
Isam Janajreh
Blade pitching in vertical axis wind turbines: A double multiple stream tube theoretical approach to performance enhancement
Heliyon
Variable blade pitching
Wind turbine
Sustainable energy
Wind energy
Double multiple stream tube (DMST)
title Blade pitching in vertical axis wind turbines: A double multiple stream tube theoretical approach to performance enhancement
title_full Blade pitching in vertical axis wind turbines: A double multiple stream tube theoretical approach to performance enhancement
title_fullStr Blade pitching in vertical axis wind turbines: A double multiple stream tube theoretical approach to performance enhancement
title_full_unstemmed Blade pitching in vertical axis wind turbines: A double multiple stream tube theoretical approach to performance enhancement
title_short Blade pitching in vertical axis wind turbines: A double multiple stream tube theoretical approach to performance enhancement
title_sort blade pitching in vertical axis wind turbines a double multiple stream tube theoretical approach to performance enhancement
topic Variable blade pitching
Wind turbine
Sustainable energy
Wind energy
Double multiple stream tube (DMST)
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025004815
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AT hamidaitabderrahmane bladepitchinginverticalaxiswindturbinesadoublemultiplestreamtubetheoreticalapproachtoperformanceenhancement
AT isamjanajreh bladepitchinginverticalaxiswindturbinesadoublemultiplestreamtubetheoreticalapproachtoperformanceenhancement