Wind Booster Optimization for On-Site Energy Generation Using Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines.

Area of Science:

• Renewable Energy Engineering
• Aerodynamics
• Urban Planning

Background:

• Urban environments present underutilized building roof spaces suitable for on-site renewable energy generation.
• Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are a viable option for urban energy generation, but often face low wind speeds.
• Wind Boosters can enhance energy generation for VAWTs in low-wind urban conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a methodology for selecting and optimizing the key components of a Wind Booster system.
• To apply this methodology to design a Wind Booster for a VAWT, considering specific urban wind flow characteristics.
• To validate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology through a case study in Mexico City.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for detailed wind flow analysis.
• Employed Design of Experiments (DOE) techniques for component optimization.
• Simulated Wind Booster performance under Mexico City's specific urban wind conditions.

Main Results:

• Developed a state-of-the-art Wind Booster design tailored for urban VAWTs.
• Achieved a 35.23% increase in torque with the optimized Wind Booster configuration in Mexico City simulations.
• Demonstrated the potential of the methodology to significantly improve VAWT performance in diverse urban settings.

Conclusions:

• The proposed methodology is effective for optimizing Wind Boosters for urban VAWTs.
• The optimized Wind Booster design shows significant performance improvements, particularly in torque generation.
• This approach offers a valuable framework for researchers and engineers implementing wind energy solutions in cities worldwide.