Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2023
27th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
Fluid dynamics analysis of a micro horizontal axis wind turbine
Submission Author:
Guilherme Toquini , MG
Co-Authors:
Guilherme Toquini, Celso Antonio Bittencourt Sales Junior, Felipe Eduardo de Farias, Angie Lizeth Espinosa Sarmiento, Diego Mauricio Yepes Maya
Presenter: Celso Antonio Bittencourt Sales Junior
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2023.COB2023-0572
Abstract
Wind turbines are turbomachinery that allow a conversion of kinetic energy from the winds into electrical energy, with no emission of pollutants. These machines are best known by their large size, although there are models that have smaller dimensions and, generally, when the rotor diameter is less than 2.5 meters are called micro turbines. These small horizontal axis aero generators produce much lower powers than usual, but have the potential to generate electricity in locations excluded from the grid, such as rural areas and isolated communities, even though there are only weak and moderate winds in these places. In this sense, in view of recent developments in technologies and computer capabilities, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are often being used to simulate the behavior of this type of turbine when in operation. Therefore, the present study aims to predict the aerodynamic performance of microturbines through the ANSYS® software to be implemented in remote regions of Brazil. Thus, the study was divided into two parts: the validation of a CFD simulation methodology and the fluid dynamic analysis of two models of turbines, with an analysis of the original geometry of the micro-wind turbine present at the Laboratory of Renewable Sources and Solar Energy of the Federal University of Itajubá and another made after the implementation of new 3D printed blades using the NACA4412 airfoil. For the simulations, in order to achieving a balance between simulation time and computational resources, analyses of a single rotor channel were carried out using the ANSYS Fluent® module, through the application of periodicity boundary conditions from a moving reference frame (MRF). Furthermore, the fluid domain was set in two zones: a rotating one, which involves the turbine area, discretized by a tetrahedral mesh by ANSYS Fluent Meshing® program; and a stationary one, discretized by a hexahedral mesh by ANSYS ICEM CFD® program. After the simulations, based on articles, it was possible to validate fundamental operating parameters, such as the Power Coefficient (Cp) and its corresponding tip speed ratio (TSR), the pressure and velocity variation along the blades and the torque produced by the rotor. Then, finally, such data will be later compared with experimental tests and will serve as a basis for future performance optimizing work of horizontal axis wind microturbines.
Keywords
Micro horizontal axis wind turbine, CFD, wind energy, Power coefficient, Tip speed ratio
