Modeling and Design of Variable Stiffness and Geometry Wind Turbines

With climate change, the use of renewable energies is becoming a more important factor every day. That is why the use of this energy is constantly evolving in order to make the most of it. The objective of this work is the design, modeling, and simulation of a Savonius wind turbine able to change its geometry and stiffness, aiming to obtain a versatile design capable of operating efficiently at different wind speed regimes. Different geometries are evaluated at different speeds through 2D CFD simulations in ANSYS. Some insightful tendencies are obtained and analyzed after selecting the most suitable blade profiles for each wind speed regime. 3D CFD simulations are also carried out to evaluate the flow over the rotor and consider important phenomena not captured well enough in 2D simulations; hence, obtaining more realistic performance curves. The flow behavior is analyzed as well. Finally, some solutions for the geometry and stiffness change are proposed, together with their respective designs generated with the Solid Edge software.