Theoretical Analysis of the Bladeless Wind Turbine Performance

Abstract

A bladeless wind turbine utilizes vortex formation to extract energy from the wind. Vortex formation are small swirls of air which occur as a result of the geometric shape of the device. This study designed a bladeless wind turbine which incorporates a structural support at a distance offset from the center axis of the cylindrical mast. Springs were added to the final design as means to provide the stiffness required to obtain resonance with the vortex shedding frequency and to also assist in supporting the structure. The analysis was conducted at wind speeds 1m/s, 4m/s and 7m/s, where the geometrical properties of the device remained constant. MATLAB was used to analyze the equation of motion derived for the device. The variables of interest in the studies were mainly the angular acceleration, power coefficient and the resonant frequency. The results obtained showed that for wind speeds above and below the designed wind speed of 4m/s the angular velocity remained the same. Results of this model showed that high amplitudes occur only at resonance. Results showed that with the current power generating mechanism, the average efficiency attainable is approximately 2% at steady state. This is the theoretical efficiency which could be achieved based on the current model. It was discovered that for linearly tapered cylinders, increased oscillations occurred during the ‘lock-in range’ for a range of reduced velocities. The reduced velocity of the designed wind speed is approximately Vr = 5m/s. This value lies within the theoretical range lock in range where increased oscillations are expected to occur between reduced velocities of 4.75m/s and 8m/s [1].