Presenter(s)

Neal Novotny

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Description

A novel solution to circumventing the requirement of large scale wind turbines for increased power output is the Wind Lens Turbine (WLT). WLTs have been shown to improve power output by a factor of 2-5 when compared to traditional style wind turbines. This work presents the use of several small-scale WLTs (1 ft. in diameter) in a grid configuration as a solution to large scale wind turbines and outlines the methodology and power output from a grid. Further, this work presents an analysis of the Reynolds number effects on small-scale WLTs. All experimental investigations were conducted in the University of Dayton Low Speed Wind Tunnel (UD-LSWT). Initially, the individual rotor performance is optimized for low Reynolds numbers. A sensitivity on the number of blades was conducted through a numerical analysis tool called Q-blade. Initial results displayed that an increase in the number of blades (8-14) is more effective for small scale wind turbine power output. Effective airfoils for low Reynolds number applications were found to be thin, highly cambered airfoils. The results of this numerical study was validated using wind tunnel testing. The aerodynamic interaction of the lenses in a 1-D and 2-D grid will be quantified. This will be performed as a force-based testing of flat, circular disks (analogous to WLTs) in close-proximity. The final step is to perform field testing to validate and model the interaction of multiple WLTs in 1-D, 2-D and 3-D grid.

Publication Date

4-24-2019

Project Designation

Graduate Research

Primary Advisor

Sid Gunasekaran

Primary Advisor's Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords

Stander Symposium project

Design and Characterization of a Wind Lens Grid Array

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