Study on flow field characteristics and performance of the prairie dog burrow-inspired ducted wind turbine in yaw conditions

For the bio-inspired ducted wind turbine (BDWT) proposed by our team, inspired by prairie dog burrows, a systematic investigation is conducted into the effects of varying yaw angles (0°~40°) on its internal flow characteristics and output performance. Findings indicate that as the yaw angle increases, the maximum wind velocity within the duct gradually decreases, with its location shifting forward from the C2 region. Conversely, the maximum turbulent kinetic energy progressively rises, exhibiting particularly significant growth beyond a yaw angle of 25°, leading to heightened flow instability. At a yaw angle of 40°, wind velocity drops markedly while turbulent kinetic energy surges sharply, rendering the optimal installation position ineffective and causing substantial degradation in output performance. Performance comparisons reveal that at the yaw angle of 0°, the BDWT achieves a maximum power coefficient of 0.82, representing an approximately 3.04-fold improvement over a bare wind turbine. This study elucidates the key mechanisms by which yaw angle influences the internal flow structure and performance of BDWTs, providing a theoretical basis for optimizing duct design and installation strategies.