Experimental Demonstration of Thrust Vectoring with a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine using Normal Load Measurements

Abstract

The aerodynamic loading of a vertical axis wind turbine varies with the azimuth position of the blades. The thrust of the VAWT can be computed as a decomposition of the normal force on each of the blades. By varying the blade loading as a function of turbine azimuth, it is possible to vary the direction of the average thrust of the turbine. An experiment is performed using an active pitch controlled H-VAWT turbine in the Open Jet Facility at TU Delft demonstrating the ability to actively vary the rotor aerodynamic loading and as a result the average thrust vector. By applying a sinusoidal pitch actuation with phase offsets, a directional change in the average thrust vector of over 78? was demonstrated.