Study of the Effect of Blade Shape and Angle on the Performance Characteristic of a Wind Turbine and Additional Equipment

The aerodynamic properties of the wind turbine design have a significant impact on the effectiveness of wind energy conversion into electricity. This is a crucial parameter, especially for small-scale wind turbines intended for individual home applications where the effective area of the wind turbine rotor and wind speed are severely constrained. In this research study, the analysis of the energy efficiency of a wind turbine with a horizontal axis of rotation concerning the type of blades and its inclination is carried out. The experimental study focuses on four different blade types developed for wind turbines with rotor diameters up to 2 m. The experimental measurements were carried out on a laboratory test stand. In addition to the design characteristics of the wind turbine, an essential aspect is the velocity of the incoming wind. CFD calculations were performed to explore this topic. The research aimed to verify the effect of the geometry of the confusor and diffuser and their combination on the air velocity incoming to the rotor section. Analyses were investigated for five different lengths of an aerodynamic shield with increasing/decreasing cross-sectional area and for four versions of their combination. It has been found that changing the turbine blade type results in the powers increase up to 32%. The variation of the inclination angle of wind turbine blades results in the changes in the generated power up to 65%. Furthermore, the use of additional components led to an increase in velocity by nearly 21%.