Abstract
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) are appropriate for utilizing in remote areas. However, the aerodynamic noise of the VAWT is a serious issue that could limit the pervasion of that type of turbines. It significantly affects the annoyance level of the residents and hence their acceptance of the nearby VAWTs. Therefore, the present investigation introduces a novel design of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) with three small rotors in lieu of the standard single rotor design. Each of the three rotors has a diameter that is one-third the standard turbine diameter (D). The three rotors are arranged in a triangular shape. Computational fluid dynamics is used in the current work to assess the aeroacoustics of the proposed design. A combination between acoustic and turbulence models was simultaneously solved in the current paper. The effects of the rotors' direction of rotation and the spacing between rotors were investigated. An optimized configuration was achieved where the aeroacoustics (sound pressure level) of the standard turbine was reduced by 43%.