The impact of Trapezoidal Counter-rotating Vortex Generator on the H-Darrieus Turbine Performance: CFD Model

The Darrieus H-Rotor turbine is a vertical-axis wind turbine designed to capture wind from various directions. This research aims to enhance the performance of the Darrieus H-Rotor turbine by adding passive control devices, specifically Vortex Generators (VGs). Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methodology, using the ANSYS Fluent, is employed to calculate and analyze airflow contours in the turbine area. The turbine’s performance is assessed by it’s power coefficient (Cp). Using a trapezoid counter-rotating configuration, VGs are applied at 10%, 15%, and 20% chord length variations from each blade’s leading edge. The research findings indicate that the optimal position for the VGs is at 15% chord length, which results in the highest Cp value of 0.230 at a Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) of 1.25. Additionally, the average Cp is increased by 17% compared to the averages calculated at TSR values at 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, and 1.5, with a variation of 10% variation.