Performance Analysis and Aerodynamic Interaction of Triple Vertical Axis Wind Turbines in In-line and Staggered Configurations

The aerodynamic performance and mutual interaction of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) represent a complex fluid dynamics challenge. This study presents a numerical investigation into the power extraction efficiency and wake characteristics of Triple-VAWT systems using ۲D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The primary objective is to evaluate how spatial positioning influences the performance of a three-turbine cluster. To ensure reliability, a single turbine model was first validated against established ۳D CFD data across Tip Speed Ratios (TSR) from ۱.۴ to ۳.۳. The validation confirms that the ۲D model accurately captures performance trends, though it yields a higher power coefficient (Cp) due to the absence of ۳D tip vortex losses. Following validation, In-line and Staggered configurations were simulated at TSR = ۲.۳ using the k-ω SST turbulence model in ANSYS Fluent. With an inlet velocity of ۹ m/s, the unsteady flow field was resolved to capture dynamic stall and wake evolution. Analysis of velocity and pressure contours reveals that the in-line configuration suffers from severe "wake shadowing," significantly reducing torque in downstream turbines. Conversely, the staggered layout mitigates this effect by allowing downstream units to interact with higher-momentum flow. Results indicate that the staggered arrangement provides a more balanced Cp distribution and higher total efficiency. This study demonstrates that strategic spatial positioning is critical for optimizing the performance of Triple-VAWT clusters in compact energy systems.

کلیدواژه ها:

Triple-VAWT ، CFD ، Wake Interaction ، Power Coefficient