Effect of endplates and aspect ratio on performance of a Savonius wind turbine

Laboratory of Mechanical Modeling, Energy and Materials (LM2EM), National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabe, Tunisia

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Abstract

Wind energy plays a vital role in the current move towards sustainable and clean energy sources, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Research into turbine geometry has revealed significant effects on performance and efficiency. This experimental study aims to investigate the influence of endplates and aspect ratio on the performance of a Savonius wind turbine. Power coefficient (Cp) is calculated on the basis of measured parameters in the case of conventional turbine with and without end plates, and in the case of conventional Savonius turbine built from two and three conventional vertical rotors with no offset angles between them and with aspect ratios of 1 and 1.5, respectively. Each stage is composed of two semi-cylindrical blades made from plastic material (PLA) and characterized by a blade diameter (d) of 100 mm and a height (h) of 100 mm. Wind velocity was varied with a blower from 2 to 8 m/s. The results showed an improvement in Cp of about 72% related to using endplates and an over 200% enhancement has been achieved with a 50% increase in the turbine aspect ratio.