Effect of solidity on aeroacoustic performance of a vertical axis wind turbine using improved delayed detached eddy simulation

Abstract

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) can be suitably installed in urban regions. Although the power performance is essential, the noise generated by a VAWT may influence the living environment. An accurate prediction of power and noise performance is therefore necessary. In the present study, a precise aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance assessment of a Darrieus VAWT is accomplished with the aim of exploring the effect of solidity parameter using a high-fidelity method. The improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) and the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic analogy approaches have been utilized for predicting flow field and noise level. The simulations were performed in three different solidities at a specific tip speed ratio (TSR). It is shown that changing the solidity parameter affects both power and noise level remarkably. Change in the aerodynamic performance mostly occurs due to variation in instantaneous effective angle of attack which comprises many detailed discussions. The lower the solidity the higher the value of effective angle of attack. The noise level also affects by changing solidity as consequence of flow field variation. It is discussed here how the noise level would alter in terms of solidity, TSR, distance and azimuth angle. As the solidity increases, the sound pressure level (SPL) at blade pass frequency increases. Since design of quieter VAWT with application in urban regions recently is of the most interest and importance therefore such deep studies could appropriately address hybrid criteria and be helpful in future investigations.