The Darrieus Wind Turbine: An Analytical Performance Study
Date
1976-05
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Publisher
Texas Tech University
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and predict the performance of the Darrieus Wind Turbine. The analysis employs a multiple stream tube concept. The standard blade element theory is applied to each of the stream tubes to calculate the induced flow velocity which is then used to estimate the force on each of the rotor blade elements. A computer model, which can predict the rotor performance with reasonable accuracy, was constructed. This model can be used to study the effects of rotor geometry variations such as blade solidity and rotor height to diameter ratios. In addition, the transient behavior of the Darrieus rotor is studied for a step change in wind speed and a step change in torque output.