Vertical axis wind turbines! I have had quite a few requests for a video on this topic, people wanting to know about the aerodynamics so they can design one, and people wanting to know whether they are more efficient than horizontal axis turbines.
So here is that video! I’m going to talk about the different types, Savonius and Darrieus, how they differ from horizontal axis wind turbines, and advantages and disadvantages. I will be following up with a video on vertical axis wind turbine aerodynamic analysis and design, and I will put the link here when I release that.

02:04 What is a vertical axis wind turbine? How is a VAWT different to a HAWT
03:10 Complicated components can go at ground/ sea level
03:50 Simpler blade geometry
04:32 Lower blade tip speeds = lower noise
05:09 Omnidirectional - no yaw system
06:17 Urban wind resource compared to typical wind farm locations
06:28 Graph: wind power vs wind speed
06:38 Pie charts: Urban wind resources in perspective (wind power per square metre swept area)
06:57 Efficiency of vertical axis wind turbines
08:28 Table of some VAWT manufacturer specifications and calculated efficiencies
09:10 How can you improve the efficiency of a VAWT?

Wind turbine aerodynamics videos:
   • How Does a Wind Turbine Work?  

Image sources:
01:25 UGE VisionAir5 wind turbine. Photo by Vision Air Wind, NREL 39783
01:26 Windspire Energy Built Environment wind installation at rest stop in Missouri. Photo by Windspire Energy, NREL 18464
02:42 Photo montage includes The Mariah Windspire 1kW. Photo by Amy Bowen, NREL 15704, EddyGT. Photo by Vision Air Wind, NREL 39785
06:14 Agile Wind Power Vertical Sky turbine prototype (website link below)
03:28 SeaTwirl S1 (website link below)

Further information on vertical axis wind turbines:
There is a section on VAWT aerodynamic design and analysis in the following text book:
Wind Energy Explained: Theory, Design and Application, 2nd Edition
James F. Manwell, Jon G. McGowan, Anthony L. Rogers
https://amzn.to/3as89sz
(affiliate link)

Wind Works by Paul Gipe - a very comprehensive wind energy resource (not just VAWT) including history and critical analysis of many commercial turbines:
http://www.wind-works.org/cms/index.p...

Sandia research report: A retrospective of VAWT technology.
A summary of Sandia's VAWT research and development activities from the 1970s to 1990s. Describes in some detail all of the practical, commercial and design issues they faced. Highly recommended reading for anyone thinking about designing a VAWT.
https://energy.sandia.gov/wp-content/...

Agile Wind Power - Swiss company developing 750kW to 1.5MW VAWTs using continuous blade pitch adjustment to increase efficiency:
https://www.agilewindpower.com/en

SeaTwirl - Swedish company developing a 30kW (prototyped in 2015) and 1MW (for installation 2022) offshore VAWT:
https://seatwirl.com/

4Navitas website:
https://www.4navitas.com/vertical-axi...



#engineering #educational #stem

Thanks for watching the video Vertical Axis Wind Turbines