Development of a Scaled Down Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine for Wind Tunnel Tests

Abstract

This paper presents a method to design and develop scaled down models of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) to test in a limited sized wind tunnel. The mathematical design of a HAWT is carried out at a rated speed of 5 m/s, by using QBlade, which is based on BEM theory. The 1.0 m long blade is scaled to 0.15 m with geometric, kinematic and dynamic similarity conditions. This model was tested in an existing open circuit wind tunnel with 0.38 x 0.38 m2 test section at Fluid Lab of Kathmandu University. A physical model of the turbine is developed using additive manufacturing method. For experiments conducted at pitch angles 0 degrees and 5 degrees, the turbine response is found to be better at the latter angle with a maximum coefficient of performance of 0.32. This paper also presents graphical analysis of experimental results along with computational analysis for model validation. The method described in this paper can be implemented for conducting a cost-effective experimental validation of wind turbines designed for laboratorial or industrial purposes.