An experimental study on the rotational behaviour of a Savonius wind turbine for two-lane highway applications

Abstract

The objective of this work is to understand the behaviour of a Savonius wind turbine (SWT) on two-lane highways located in Coimbatore district, India. Experiments were conducted by placing a Savonius wind turbine (SWT) on the sides of the highway during the southwest monsoon season in three different directional roads, i.e., southwest to northeast , south to north and west to east. Vehicles moving on the highway at varying speeds modify the velocity of air locally, which in turn results in varying the drag forces on the blades of SWT, setting it in motion. An economical SWT was designed, fabricated and tested in a wind tunnel and on the highways, and the angular rotational speeds were measured. Based on the data obtained, further analysis was done to understand the behavioural patterns of SWT. Data obtained from the experiments show a ''negative drag force'', which is created in two-way lanes by the vehicles moving in opposite direction, affecting the rotational speed of SWT by a significant proportion. These conditions have been studied and the results have been discussed.

Design, experimental and feasibility study for highway electricity generation using low‐cost wind turbine

“…In a previous study, the cut in speed of the proposed system is 3.5 m/s and the performance of the SWT system was examined in a wind tunnel and the results were discussed. 20 The total cost for fabricating a single SWT was only around $110. (Figure 4).…”

“…Since, the vehicles crossing in lanes L1 and L4 will not make any changes in rotational speeds of SWT. 20 The power output of the SWT was measured in varying wind speeds after vehicles in the lanes L2 and L3 crossed the SWT. The Estimated average vehicle traffic per 30 min in condition C at the selected geographical location is 36.…”

“…The modification was made by reducing the coil thinness and increasing the number of turns in stator winding. In a previous study, the cut in speed of the proposed system is 3.5 m/s and the performance of the SWT system was examined in a wind tunnel and the results were discussed 20 . The total cost for fabricating a single SWT was only around $110.…”

“…In the case of Four lane highways, the traffic of L2 and L3 lanes alone were examined to ascertain the electricity generation (Figure 4). Since, the vehicles crossing in lanes L1 and L4 will not make any changes in rotational speeds of SWT 20 …”

Performance Analysis of Highway Wind Turbine Enhanced with Wind Guide Vanes Using the Taguchi Method

“…Speeding vehicles produce a scattered wind flow with disturbances from crosswinds and other external wind sources. A study by Santhakumar et al, [5] revealed that vehicles moving in opposite directions affect the rotational speed of wind turbines and cause a negative drag force on the blades. Therefore, as an alternative, a curtain system can be placed in front of the wind turbine blades to prevent a negative torque [6].…”