Effect of Concentrator, Blade Diameter and Blade Number on the Savonius Wind Turbine Performance

Abstract

Savonius turbine is a type of vertical-axis wind turbines. The turbine has a potential to be developed as it has a simple construction and is suitable for low wind speeds. However, the turbine is still rarely used because of the low efficiency of the turbine compared to other turbines. The low efficiency of the turbine is due to the negative moment. Some efforts have been done to reduce the negative moment such as by adding a wind concentrator. The wind concentrator can steer the incoming wind toward the turbine blades that generate positive moments, consequently, the generated power increases. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of the number and diameter of the Savonius blade wind turbine with an additional concentrator. The concentrator had a concentration ratio of 6:1 and it was tested at the lower wind speeds of 2-5 m/s. The result shows that adding a wind concentrator can increase the rotational speed of the rotor, power coefficient, and the turbine power. The Savonius turbine with two blades has the best performance compared to the three and four blades. The Savonius blade wind turbine with the rotor diameter of 12 cm is the best Savonius turbine for the concentration ratio of 6:1.