Flow field and performance of a vertical-axis wind turbine on model buildings

Abstract The placement of a scaled-down Savonius (drag) vertical-axis wind turbine on model buildings is analysed experimentally by the use of turbine performance and flow field measurements in a wind tunnel. The set-up consists of two surface mounted cubes aligned in the flow direction. The turbine is tested at six different streamwise positions – three on each cube. Velocity field measurements are performed with particle image velocimetry along the centreline of the cubes with and without the turbine. The performance at each position is evaluated based on measurements of the produced torque and the rotational speed of the turbine. It is demonstrated that the common practice of estimating wind resources based on the urban flow field without the turbine present is insufficient. The turbine has a substantial influence on the flow field and thus also on the available power. The performance is found to be optimal in the front and centre of the first building with a significant drop-off to the back. This trend is reversed for the downstream building. Holistically, for more generic geometries and varying wind directions, the results suggest the central position on a building is a good compromise.