VAWT Airfoil Design: Learn How to Calculate Power Output

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    Airfoil Design
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the design of airfoil blades for a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) intended to produce 300 watts of power. Participants explore various resources, software, and design considerations relevant to airfoil selection and blade design procedures.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks guidance on starting the design of airfoil blades after calculating power output parameters.
  • Another participant requests more details about the VAWT project to provide better assistance.
  • Several participants share links to resources and documents related to airfoil design, including NACA airfoil series.
  • There is a suggestion that different airfoils may be needed along the span of the blade, and X-Foil is recommended for custom airfoil design.
  • One participant expresses uncertainty about which NACA foil to use and inquires about materials and manufacturing processes for the blades.
  • Another participant mentions the potential relevance of centrifugal fan design to the VAWT configuration.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the need for specific airfoil design considerations but do not reach consensus on which airfoil or materials to use. Multiple competing views and suggestions remain regarding design approaches and resources.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the specific requirements for airfoil design, including the selection of NACA foils and manufacturing processes. There are also mentions of varying design methodologies and software options, indicating a lack of clear guidelines.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for individuals involved in mechanical engineering, renewable energy projects, or those specifically interested in wind turbine design and aerodynamics.

jack001
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hello folks,

I am in mechanical stream & am working on a project of VAWT of power 300 watt. I found a link where i can calculate power output for different parameter. Here's the link:

http://usvawt.com/cgi/windpower.cgi

where i took height as 2m and width as 3m.

Now need to design airfoil blades. Guide me where to start from? Just know the concept of airfoil but don't know the design procedure.

Thank you.
 
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I visited the website you posted above, but I was not able to discover what is a US-VAWT. Will you please supply more detailed specifics of your project?
 
Thank you, I used Google and found what is a VAWT.

You may find some suggestions for the design of the airfoil blades here:
energy.sandia.gov/wp/wp-content/gallery/.../SAND2012-0304.pdf
 
Bobbywhy said:
Thank you, I used Google and found what is a VAWT.

You may find some suggestions for the design of the airfoil blades here:
energy.sandia.gov/wp/wp-content/gallery/.../SAND2012-0304.pdf

Thanks a lot..
 
there is nothing discussed of blade design. I want to design on Qblade software (or any other that is used to design blade) but no manuals found to learn this software. I am searching for blades used to run at 3m/s to 12m/s where height to diameter ratio is 1.25.
 
Possibilities are you're going to need different airfoils along the span of the blade. If there isn't any existing airfoil fitting your needs, try to design one with X-Foil.
 
Gotcha. I'll watch and learn..

helicopters are a bit too kinematic for me...
http://twitt.org/
 
  • #10
Aero_UoP said:
Possibilities are you're going to need different airfoils along the span of the blade. If there isn't any existing airfoil fitting your needs, try to design one with X-Foil.

thanks. I downloaded X-foil and see no difference. Qblade does the same as X-foil. Now i am stuck to which NACA foil should i use, what material, which process to manufacture.. It seems i have lot more work to do.

Done some study on NACA design and says as you shift down in number, the strength and size of the foil decreases. So i choose NACA 0021 for my blade(just an assumption).

I see people using FRP material for blades. What manufacturing process do they use? Is it carried out in plastic injection molding machine?
 
  • #12
most of the blades i have seen for VAWT is aerofoil designed but this one is out of blue for me to design. From where to start design and what are the things that i should kept in mind while designing.
Air flux it will take will be more but won't drag force more?
 

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  • #13
I think you should looking into centrifugal fan design, as this is similar to the configuration of your wind turbine. Also, if you PM me I have a contact that may be able to help you.
 

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