Experimental Study of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Performance under Vibration

Abstract

An experimental study was conducted to study the effects of flow uniformity on vibration and power generation of a small vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). Previous studies have confirmed that one of the sources of vibration in the turbine is due to aerodynamic forces, which are due to incident wind. Firstly, understanding vibration is essential before proceeding to the measurements. In this experiment, further understand the vibrations of the turbine in operation, the operating deflection shape (ODS) technique was used. A wind tunnel and flow conditioner were fabricated. Experimental modal analysis (EMA) was conducted, and the dynamic characteristics are gathered. The ODS was conducted for operating the turbine at different speeds, with and without the flow conditioner. Results from EMA and ODS are correlated to explain the behavior of structures. In conclusion, the flow conditioner tested did have a big impact on the response of the structure in terms of vibration up to 30% indifference, but not so much in power generated about 2% indifference.