Experimental Investigation on a Ducted Savonius Vertical Axis Wind Turbine and its Performance Comparison with and without Endplates

Abstract

As the energy demand is growing and fossil fuel based energy resources are getting depleted, there has been an increased focus on the use of renewable energy resources. Wind energy is a highly suitable energy resource that can be harvested for the purpose. This research deals with the design and fabrication of novel designs as a mean to harness wind energy using a ‘Savonius' Turbine. It is generally employed to harvest the low to very low wind speed potentials. The paper introduces a novel concept about a Ducted Savonius wind turbine where power generation can increase more than 10 folds. The paper provides experimental validation of the effect of using a converging ducted structure with a single stage and double stage configurations of a Savonius wind turbine. The paper also compares the turbine's performance with and without endplates and compares Single Stage and Double Stage Turbine. The experiment results show that around 15% increase in tangential blade velocity in single stage rotor when end plates are used. The results of the study proves that power coefficient increases with the addition of a converging ducted structure with the Savonius wind turbine, and also with the use of endplates.