AUTHOR=Mohamed Mohamed H. , Alqurashi Faris , Thévenin Dominique 

TITLE=Automatic Blade Shape Optimization of a Three-Bladed Modified Savonius Turbine

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Energy Research

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/energy-research/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2021.796860

DOI=10.3389/fenrg.2021.796860

ISSN=2296-598X

ABSTRACT=<p>In this study, the performance of a new wind turbine design derived from a conventional Savonius turbine is optimized by numerical simulation. The new design consists of three blades without passage between them (closed center). The coupling between the CFD codes (ANSYS Fluent) and the optimizer (OPAL) is used through an automatic procedure in-house codes, as documented, for example, in Thévenin et al.’s Optimization and Computational Fluid Dynamics (2008). A single-objective function (output power coefficient, <bold><italic>C</italic></bold><sub><bold><italic>p</italic></bold></sub><bold>)</bold> is considered as the target of the optimization technique and the shape of the blade as an optimization parameter and relies on evolutionary algorithms. An optimal solution can emerge from this optimization study. By comparison between regular design (semi-cylindrical shape blades) and the optimal configuration, a considerable improvement (up to 7.13% at <italic>λ</italic> = 0.7) of the optimal configuration performance can be obtained in this manner.</p>