The energy crisis has forced researchers to look for various non-conventional energy sources. Wind energy is one of the potential sources, and researchers have invested resources in developing different kinds of wind turbines. Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) have received less attention than their horizontal-axis counterparts. A helical-bladed VAWT is preferred because it makes perfect sense as an improvement in design, as they have higher azimuth angles of power generation capabilities. This paper studies the effects of the helix angle of blades in the aerodynamic performance of VAWT using 3D numerical simulations. Three different helix angles of 60°, 90°, and 120° of a three-bladed VAWT operating across different tip speed ratios were studied. Turbulence is modelled using a four-equation transition SST k-ω model (shear stress transport). The 60° helical-bladed VAWT was found to be better performing in comparison with all other helical-bladed and straight-bladed VAWT. The ripple effects on the shaft are also analysed using a standard deviation plot of the moment coefficient generated by a single blade over one complete cycle of its rotation. It was observed that the greater the helix angle, the lower the standard deviation. The paper also tries to analyse the percentage of power generated by each quartile of flow and the contribution of each section of the blade. Ansys FLUENT was employed for the entire study. A comparative study between different helical-bladed VAWT and straight-bladed VAWT was carried out along with wake structure analysis and flow contours for a better understanding of the flow field.

Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) have proven to be suitable for changing wind conditions, particularly in urban settings. In this paper, a 2D URANS (Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes) numerical analysis is employed for an H-Darrieus VAWT. A turbulent domain is created through systemically randomising the inlet velocity to create macro-turbulence in front of the VAWT. The parameters for spatial and temporal randomisation of velocity and its effects on the turbine performance are studied for a mean free stream velocity, U_∞ = 10 m/s, and a tip speed ratio (TSR) of 4.1. The mean Coefficient of power (C_p) for randomised fluctuation of 2 m/s and half-cycle randomisation update frequency is 0.411 and for uniform inlet velocity is 0.400. The C_p vs. Tip Speed ratio plot suggests that the optimal tip speed ratio for operation is around 4.1 for this particular wind turbine of diameter 1 m, chord 0.06 m, and NACA 0018 airfoils. The effect of randomisation for tip speed ratio λ = 2.5, 3.3, 4.1, and 5.3 on the performance of the turbine is studied. Turbine wake recovers at a faster rate for macro-turbulent conditions and is symmetric when compared to wake generated by uniform velocity inlet. The maximum velocity deficit for a distance behind the turbine, x/d = 8 at TSR (λ) = 4.1 is 46% for randomised inlet and 64% for uniform inlet. The effect of randomisation for λ = 2.5 to 5.3 on the performance of the turbine is analysed. A time-varying gust based on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Extreme Operating Gust is used to study the effect of fluctuating wind conditions in a turbulent environment. Since real-time conditions often exceed gust factors mentioned by IEC, winds with large gust factors such as 1.50, 1.64, and 1.80 are analysed. With an increase in gust amplitude, U_gust = 6 m/s to U_gust = 12 m/s on a free stream velocity of U∞ = 10 m/s, the mean C_p decreases from 0.41 to 0.35 since the wind turbine operates under tip speed ratios outside optimal range due to large fluctuations in incoming velocity.

This numerical study investigates steady separated flow past a grooved circular cylinder within the Reynolds number range $7.5\le R{e}_D\le 30$, comprising variations in groove depth ($h$) and spacing ($\beta$). The groove width ($w$) is kept constant, while h/w varies across four levels ($0.5\le h/w\le 2$) and $\beta$ across five angles ($10°\le \beta \le 45°$). The results exhibit strong agreement with unbounded flow data, confirming blockage independence across the examined regime. Detailed analysis shows that $\beta$ has a stronger influence than $h/w$ on surface-pressure-dependent variables ($C_{p,0}$, $C_{p,b}$, $C_D$, ${\theta }_{sep}$) and wake-defining parameters ($L_w$, $W_w$, $\xi$, $\eta$), underscoring the dominant role of $\beta$ in rectilinear groove aerodynamics. In this regard, a critical spacing of $\beta =20°$ is observed, beyond which the sensitivity of the parameters toward the cylinder configuration decreases. Thus, significant flow control and drag reduction are attained for $R{e}_D=7.5$ at the lowest spacing $\beta =10°$, regardless of the groove’s $h/w$. Among these, the streamwise-oriented variables, $C_{p,0}$, $C_D$, $L_w$, $\xi$, and $u_{min}$, exhibit monotonic trend with respect to $\beta$ and are modeled using power-law relations. The models for $C_{p,0}$ and $C_D$ exhibit significant accuracy with $R^2\approx 0.999$ across all $\beta$ values considered, while it is 0.89–0.98 for $L_w$, $\xi$, and $u_{min}$, depending on $R{e}_D$. Transverse-oriented parameters ($W_w \mathrm{a}\mathrm{n}\mathrm{d} \eta$) vary non-monotonically. In addition, it is found that the streamwise locations of maximum wake width ($x_{w,max}$) and minimum velocity ($x_{u,min}$) are unaffected by the grooved cylinder configuration.