Bioinspired Fluid Dynamic Designs of Vertical-Axis Turbines: State-of-the-Art Review and the Way Forward

With the increasing popularity of vertical axis turbines (VATs), researchers are now focussing on their performance improvement. Instead of adopting conventional means of performance improvements such as augmentation techniques and exhaustive parametric design optimization, the bioinspired turbine designs have become a centre of attraction, especially during the last decade. This review article attempts to compile the bioinspired designs belonging to the VATs. Bioinspired designs implemented in Savonius and Darrieus turbines are elaborated besides giving a detailed explanation of the corresponding bio-organism and natural phenomenon. How are the working principles of bio-organisms emulated in the form of fluid dynamic design is explained thoroughly in this paper. The bioinspired designs for VATs are classified pragmatically for the future designs. Research gaps are highlighted for the aspiring researchers, and this is followed by the important strategies and allied challenges.