A Vortex Model of the Darrieus Turbine: An Analytical and Experimental Study

Abstract

An aerodynamic prediction model has been formulated for two- and three-dimensional Darrieus turbines using a vortex lattice method of analysis. Experiments were conducted on a series of two-dimensional rotor configurations in a water tow tank. The agreement between analysis and experiment was in general found to be good. This model should allow one to make accurate predictions of instantaneous aerodynamic blade forces and to characterize the near wake flow behind the rotor.