Performance enhancement of rooftop turbine ventilators using wind deflectors

AbstractRooftop turbine ventilators are widely used to improve indoor air quality in residential buildings and industrial complexes. This study presents an approach to enhance the operational performance of commercially available turbine ventilators using wind deflectors. Wind deflectors guide the wind flow to minimize the forces acting on the turbine blades in a negative direction, thereby increasing the rotational speed and exhaust ability of turbine ventilators. Two different prototypes were built and experimentally analyzed, one with adjustable size that covered up to half of the turbine, and one made of flat metal sheets, which were placed in front of the turbine. Compared with traditional turbine ventilators, the results of the two different prototypes showed an average increase in air extraction rate at different wind speeds of 34 and 11%, as well as an average rise in the rotational speed of 36 and 33%, respectively. The present study clearly demonstrates the high potential of wind deflectors to e...