Abstract
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) have proven to be suitable for changing wind conditions, particularly in urban settings. In this paper, a 2D URANS (Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes) numerical analysis is employed for an H-Darrieus VAWT. A turbulent domain is created through systemically randomising the inlet velocity to create macro-turbulence in front of the VAWT. The parameters for spatial and temporal randomisation of velocity and its effects on the turbine performance are studied for a mean free stream velocity, U-infinity = 10 m/s, and a tip speed ratio (TSR) of 4.1. The mean Coefficient of power (C-p) for randomised fluctuation of 2 m/s and half-cycle randomisation update frequency is 0.411 and for uniform inlet velocity is 0.400. The C-p vs. Tip Speed ratio plot suggests that the optimal tip speed ratio for operation is around 4.1 for this particular wind turbine of diameter 1 m, chord 0.06 m, and NACA 0018 airfoils. The effect of randomisation for tip speed ratio lambda = 2.5, 3.3, 4.1, and 5.3 on the performance of the turbine is studied. Turbine wake recovers at a faster rate for macro-turbulent conditions and is symmetric when compared to wake generated by uniform velocity inlet. The maximum velocity deficit for a distance behind the turbine, x/d = 8 at TSR (lambda) = 4.1 is 46% for randomised inlet and 64% for uniform inlet. The effect of randomisation for lambda = 2.5 to 5.3 on the performance of the turbine is analysed. A time-varying gust based on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Extreme Operating Gust is used to study the effect of fluctuating wind conditions in a turbulent environment. Since real-time conditions often exceed gust factors mentioned by IEC, winds with large gust factors such as 1.50, 1.64, and 1.80 are analysed. With an increase in gust amplitude, U-gust = 6 m/s to U-gust = 12 m/s on a free stream velocity of U infinity = 10 m/s, the mean C-p decreases from 0.41 to 0.35 since the wind turbine operates under tip speed ratios outside optimal range due to large fluctuations in incoming velocity.