Numerical and experimental analysis of a 3D printed Savonius rotor with built-in extension plate

Abstract

In this study, the enhancement of the conventional Savonius wind rotor performance with extension plate has been investigated experimentally and numerically. Experimental models used in the study have been produced with 3D (three dimensional) printing, which is one of the rapid prototyping techniques. Experiments of produced Savonius wind rotor models have been carried out in a wind tunnel. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analyses have been performed under the same experimental conditions to ensure that experiments and numerical analyses are supported to each other. An additional extension plate has been used in order to enhance the performance of the conventional Savonius wind rotor with a gap distance between blades. It can be called modified Savonius rotor or Savonius rotor with built-in extension plate. Thus, the performance of the rotor has been enhanced without using additional equipment other than the rotor itself. Numerical and experimental analyses of Savonius wind rotor models with extension plate have been carried out under predetermined boundary conditions. It has been found that the power coefficient of the modified Savonius rotor is increased about 15% according to the conventional Savonius rotor. Copyright © 2018 Techno-Press, Ltd.