The dead band in the performance of cross-flow turbines: Effects of Reynolds number and blade pitch

摘要

The performance of a three straight bladed Cross-Flow or Vertical Axis Turbine based on symmetrical profiles, with a chord-to-diameter ratio of 0.16 has been studied in detail. The research is focused on the effects of Reynolds number and blade pitch angle, not only in the performance itself, but in the appearance or not of a dead band region in which aerodynamic loading cannot overcome resistive loads. Experiments were carefully designed in order to cover the transitional region were this dead band is incipient, for Reynolds numbers in the range from 3 to 5.10(5).