The effect of rotor aspect ratio, stages, and twist angle on Savonius wind turbine performance in low wind speeds environment

The Savonius wind turbine is considered suitable for use in a low wind speed site due to its omnidirectional and good self-starting ability. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the Savonius wind turbine performance with various aspect ratios, number of stages, and twist angles when placed in a l...

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Main Authors: Ivan Farozan, Tubagus Ahmad Fauzi Soelaiman, Priyono Soetikno, Yuli Setyo Indartono
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Results in Engineering
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259012302500129X
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author Ivan Farozan
Tubagus Ahmad Fauzi Soelaiman
Priyono Soetikno
Yuli Setyo Indartono
author_facet Ivan Farozan
Tubagus Ahmad Fauzi Soelaiman
Priyono Soetikno
Yuli Setyo Indartono
author_sort Ivan Farozan
collection DOAJ
description The Savonius wind turbine is considered suitable for use in a low wind speed site due to its omnidirectional and good self-starting ability. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the Savonius wind turbine performance with various aspect ratios, number of stages, and twist angles when placed in a low wind speed environment. Wind tunnel experiments were performed to obtain the turbine's static torque coefficient, self-starting wind speed, and power coefficient. A continuous observation of wind speed and the direction of an urban site was performed and analyzed using the Weibull distribution function. The experimental and the site wind assessment data were correlated to evaluate the average power output of each turbine. The result showed that the self-starting wind speed for a conventional Savonius rotor fluctuated due to variations in the rotor's azimuth angle. It was discovered that increasing the number of stages and twist angle, or lowering the aspect ratio, caused a reduction in the starting wind speed magnitudes and fluctuations. Furthermore, the lowest average self-starting wind speed of 2.5 m/s was achieved by a turbine with a 90° twist angle, while the highest power coefficient of 0.201 was produced at 45°. Despite the lower power coefficient of 0.184 compared to a conventional Savonius wind turbine at 0.190, the turbine with a 90° twist angle produced a significantly higher average power output ranging from 1.6 to 5.1 times. This finding showed the importance of starting wind speed for the Savonius wind turbine in a low wind speed environment.
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spelling doaj-art-5b3a7ea45cd4464c99098af1bc5772ba2025-01-24T04:45:37ZengElsevierResults in Engineering2590-12302025-03-0125104041The effect of rotor aspect ratio, stages, and twist angle on Savonius wind turbine performance in low wind speeds environmentIvan Farozan0Tubagus Ahmad Fauzi Soelaiman1Priyono Soetikno2Yuli Setyo Indartono3Faculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia; Corresponding author.Faculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia; Research Center for New and Renewable Energy, Gedung Riset dan Inovasi ITB, Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132, IndonesiaResearch Center for New and Renewable Energy, Gedung Riset dan Inovasi ITB, Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia; Mechanical Engineering Master Program, Pasundan University, Sumatra 41, Bandung 40132, IndonesiaFaculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia; Research Center for New and Renewable Energy, Gedung Riset dan Inovasi ITB, Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132, IndonesiaThe Savonius wind turbine is considered suitable for use in a low wind speed site due to its omnidirectional and good self-starting ability. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the Savonius wind turbine performance with various aspect ratios, number of stages, and twist angles when placed in a low wind speed environment. Wind tunnel experiments were performed to obtain the turbine's static torque coefficient, self-starting wind speed, and power coefficient. A continuous observation of wind speed and the direction of an urban site was performed and analyzed using the Weibull distribution function. The experimental and the site wind assessment data were correlated to evaluate the average power output of each turbine. The result showed that the self-starting wind speed for a conventional Savonius rotor fluctuated due to variations in the rotor's azimuth angle. It was discovered that increasing the number of stages and twist angle, or lowering the aspect ratio, caused a reduction in the starting wind speed magnitudes and fluctuations. Furthermore, the lowest average self-starting wind speed of 2.5 m/s was achieved by a turbine with a 90° twist angle, while the highest power coefficient of 0.201 was produced at 45°. Despite the lower power coefficient of 0.184 compared to a conventional Savonius wind turbine at 0.190, the turbine with a 90° twist angle produced a significantly higher average power output ranging from 1.6 to 5.1 times. This finding showed the importance of starting wind speed for the Savonius wind turbine in a low wind speed environment.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259012302500129XSavonius wind turbinePower coefficientSelf-startingLow wind speedAspect ratioMulti-stage
spellingShingle Ivan Farozan
Tubagus Ahmad Fauzi Soelaiman
Priyono Soetikno
Yuli Setyo Indartono
The effect of rotor aspect ratio, stages, and twist angle on Savonius wind turbine performance in low wind speeds environment
Results in Engineering
Savonius wind turbine
Power coefficient
Self-starting
Low wind speed
Aspect ratio
Multi-stage
title The effect of rotor aspect ratio, stages, and twist angle on Savonius wind turbine performance in low wind speeds environment
title_full The effect of rotor aspect ratio, stages, and twist angle on Savonius wind turbine performance in low wind speeds environment
title_fullStr The effect of rotor aspect ratio, stages, and twist angle on Savonius wind turbine performance in low wind speeds environment
title_full_unstemmed The effect of rotor aspect ratio, stages, and twist angle on Savonius wind turbine performance in low wind speeds environment
title_short The effect of rotor aspect ratio, stages, and twist angle on Savonius wind turbine performance in low wind speeds environment
title_sort effect of rotor aspect ratio stages and twist angle on savonius wind turbine performance in low wind speeds environment
topic Savonius wind turbine
Power coefficient
Self-starting
Low wind speed
Aspect ratio
Multi-stage
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259012302500129X
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