Numerical investigations on the performance of Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine with NACA0017 blade profile

The selection of effective blade profile for vertical axis wind turbines is an important criterion for harnessing wind energy. In this paper, transient simulation of Darrieus lift type turbine having NACA0017 blade profile is reported. URANS equations are solved with SST K-omega model for turbulent closure. The performance of NACA0017 airfoil is analysed for different inlet velocities and compared with already established NACA0015 airfoil. The effect of different inlet velocities on instantaneous net torque coefficient at several tip speed ratios (TSR) is investigated. Flow field characteristics are studied at TSR range up to 4. Numerical results predicted that power coefficient of NACA0017 is comparable to that for other blade profiles. Maximum power coefficient is found to be 0.21, 0.23 and 0.25 corresponding to inlet velocities of 3 m/s, 4 m/s and 5 m/s respectively.