A numerical investigation of wake recovery for an H- and X-shaped vertical-axis wind turbine with wake control strategies

Abstract

Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs), particularly in offshore wind farms, are gaining attention for their capacity to potentially enhance wake recovery and increase the power density of wind farms. Previous research on VAWT wake control strategies have demonstrated that the pitch offset is favorable for VAWT wake recovery. In the present study, an investigation on the wake recovery and its mechanisms for an H-Rotor and a novel X-Rotor VAWTs with fixed blade pitch offsets is conducted through qualitative and quantitative methods. The actuator line method is utilized in this study. Results indicate that the two rotors produce distinct vortex systems that drive the wake recovery process—which is augmented with pitch offsets. Through quantitative studies, the contribution of wake recovery due to advection increases dramatically with pitch offsets in the near wake. With pitch offsets, the inline available power increases up to 2.3 times for the rotors when compared to when there is no pitch offset. The mean kinetic energy flux occurs mostly above and below the rotors as well as the windward side, suggesting the mechanism of power replenishment for these rotors with pitch offsets. These results encourage further research into the effectiveness of wake recovery in the wind-farm level with the ground and atmospheric boundary layer influences.