• Wind and Structures
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.147-155
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• 2022

This research proposes a wind-lens turbine design that can startup and operate at a low wind speed (< 5m/s). The performance of the wind-lens turbine was investigated using CFD and wind tunnel testing. The wind-lens turbine consists of a 3-bladed horizontal axis wind turbine with a diameter of 0.6m and a diffuser-shaped shroud that uses the suction side of the thin airfoil SD2030 as a cross-section profile. The performance of the 3-bladed wind-lens turbine was then compared to the two-bladed rotor configuration while keeping the blade geometry the same. The 3-bladed wind-lens turbine successfully startup at 1m/s and produced a torque of 66% higher than the bare turbine, while the two-bladed wind-lens turbine startup at less than 4m/s and produced a torque of 186 % higher than the two-bladed bare turbine at the design point. Findings testify that adding the wind-lens could improve the bare turbine's performance at low wind speed.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.199-217
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• 2014

Reported experimental and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) studies have demonstrated significant power augmentation of diffuser shrouded horizontal axis micro wind turbine compared to bare turbine. These studies also found the degree of augmentation is strongly dependent on the shape and geometry of the diffuser such as length and expansion angle. However study flow field over the rotor blades in shrouded turbine has not received much attention. In this paper, CFD simulations of an experimental diffuser shrouded micro wind turbine have been carried out with the aim to understand the mechanisms underpinning the power augmentation phenomenon. The simulations provide insight of the flow field over the blades of bare wind turbine and of shrouded one elucidating the augmentation mechanisms. From the analysis, sub-atmospheric back pressure leading to velocity augmentation at the inlet of diffuser and lowering the static pressure on blade suction sides have been identified as th dominant mechanisms driving the power augmentation. And effective augmentation was achieved for ${\lambda}$ above certain value. For the case turbine it is ${\lambda}$ greater than ${\approx}2$.

• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2017.04a
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• pp.94-94
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• 2017