Biography:

Abstract:

The current work investigates the flow characteristics of an innovative small-scale wind turbine designed for remote electricity generation, using a commercial computational package, ANSYS CFX. The chosen wind turbine is a horizontal axis, spiral, self-orienting turbine with a smooth aerodynamic profile that minimizes the drag force resulting in an efficient compact design. With minimum parts, the turbine is almost maintenance free which makes it perfect for off-grid small-scale applications. Additionally we explore the effect of adding a shroud on the wind turbine performance since previous work conducted in this area indicate that shrouded turbines supersede their bare counterparts which means that for the same power density, the turbine will be more compact and hence less expensive than the traditional designs which makes it feasible to fabricate and install in urban settings where the wind turbine speed is small or moderate.