Relevance of power from Small Wind Turbines: A case study for torque - speed characteristics of Small Vertical Axis Wind Turbine for Kota region of Rajasthan

摘要

Importance of Small Wind Turbines (SWTs) for harnessing wind energy in the context of India is stated. Relevance of vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) in the small wind is explained. In the present work, a three bladed Small Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (SVAWT) has been designed, manufactured and tested. Three NACA profile blades, namely NACA 0012, NACA 0015 and NACA 0018 were used to conduct the experiment. The blades, link rod, rotor, stator and column can be manufactured with the engineering facilities available even at sub-district (Tehsil) levels. The shaft hub assembly of the conventional system is replaced by the bicycle rear wheel hub shaft, which is easily available in the market, to make it cost effective. The blade parameters have been taken into consideration during the design stage. Experiment has been performed to find the torque - speed characteristics of the SVAWT. Comparison of various parameters has been made for the three types of NACA profiles for the wind conditions of Kota, Rajasthan, India.