Optimization of staggered array configurations to enhance the aerodynamic performance of Darrieus wind turbines

Yosua Heru Irawan (Institut Teknologi Nasional Yogyakarta (ITNY))
Aditya Sukma Nugraha
Po Ting Lin

Journal of Energy, Mechanical, Material and Manufacturing Engineering
Vol. 9 No. 1 (2024)

This research focuses on optimizing the arrangement of Darrieus wind turbines through an adjustable R array, which represents the spacing between the turbine rotors. The ANSYS Fluent solver, employing the k-epsilon turbulent model and sliding mesh technique, is utilized to predict turbine performance. Additionally, a grid independence test is conducted to validate the solver's effectiveness. The optimization of the R array is achieved using the conjugate gradient method. Simulation results indicate that a blade grid size of 1 mm results in an error under 1%. A smaller R array yields a lower average coefficient of power (Cpaverage) due to the wake interactions between the rotors. The optimal spacing for each turbine to achieve a Cpaverage value of 0.4088 is determined to be 1.772 meters.