A Straight-Bladed Variable-Pitch VAWT Concept for Improved Power Generation

The paper presents three modifications for an improved performance in terms of increased power output of a straight-bladed VAWT by varying its pitch. Modification I examines the performance of a VAWT when the local angle of attack is kept just below the stall value throughout its rotation cycle. Although this modification results in a very significant increase in the power output for higher wind speeds, it requires abrupt changes in the local angle of attack making it physically and mechanically impossible to realize. Modification II improves upon the first by replacing the local angle of attack by the blade static-stall angle only when the former exceeds the latter. This step eliminates the two jumps in the local effective angle of attack curve but at the cost of a slight decrease in the power output. Moreover, it requires a discontinuous angle of attack correction function which may still be practically difficult to implement and also result in an early fatigue. Modification III overcomes the limitation of the second by ensuring a continuous variation in the local angle of attack correction during the rotation cycle through the use of a sinusoidal function. Although the power output obtained by using this modification is less than the two preceding ones, it has the inherent advantage of being practically feasible.