• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.1273-1283
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• 2011

A 3-dimensional unsteady numerical analysis has been performed to evaluate the aerodynamic characteristics of a Giromill. Generally, the structure of a Giromill is simple and therefore easy to develop. In addition, the high solidity of the Gironmill helps improve the self-starting capacity at a low tip speed ratio (TSR). However, contrary to the Darrieus wind turbine which has a TSR of 4-7, a Giromill has a low TSR of 1-3. In this study, the aerodynamic characteristics of the Giromill are investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Three straight-bladed wings are used, and the solidity of the Giromill is 0.75. In contrast to a Darrieus wind turbine having low solidity, the Giromill shows a sudden decrease in the aerodynamic performance because of the interference between the wings and an increase in the drag on the wings in the downstream direction where wind flow is significantly reduced. Consequently, the aerodynamic performance decreased at a TSR value lower than 2.4.