Performance analysis of vertical-axis-wind-turbine blade with modified trailing edge through computational fluid dynamics

The design of turbine blades is a critical issue in the performance of vertical-axis wind-turbines (VAWTs). In a previous study, it is discovered that a loss of thrust in VAWT blades with a wave-like leading edge can be attributed primarily to vortex distribution. This finding prompted us to apply the wave-like blade design to the trailing edge rather than the leading edge. In this study, computational fluid dynamics was used to observe the flow field on straight and tubercle blades in order to predict the resulting thrust and power performance. Increasing the amplitude and wavelength of the tubercle was shown to increase the maximum thrust by as much as 2.31% and the power coefficient by 16.4%, compared to a straight blade. Furthermore, the overall and maximum thrust performance of blades with a modified trailing edge was shown to exceed those of blades with a wave-like leading edge, due to a shift in the location of the vortices by the induced flow.