Open Access

ARTICLE

A Study on Design of A High Efficiency Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Blade Using Composite Materials

H. Park¹, H. Lee², G. Park²

1 Department of Defense & Science Technology, Howon University, Gunsan, Rep. of Korea
2 Department of Aerospace Engineering, Chosun University, Gwangju, Rep. of Korea

Structural Longevity 2012, 7(1), 59-65. https://doi.org/10.3970/sl.2012.007.059

Abstract

This work is to design a high efficiency 500W class composite VAWT blade which is applicable to relatively low speed region. In the aerodynamic design of blade, the parametric studies are carried out to decide an optimal aerodynamic configuration. The aerodynamic efficiency and performance of the designed VAWT is confirmed by the CFD analysis. The structural design is performed by the load case study, the initial sizing using the netting rule and the rule of mixture, the structural analysis using FEM, the fatigue life estimation and the structural test. The prototype blade is manufactured by the hand lay-up and the matched die molding. The experimental structural test results are compared with the FEM analysis results. Finally, to evaluate the prototype VAWT including designed blades, the performance test is performed using a truck to simulate the various range wind speeds and some measuring equipments. According to the performance evaluation result, the estimated performance is well agreed with the experimental test result in all operating ranges.

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Keywords

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