Ahmed A. L. Hamadani

In this research article, a developed approach was introduced for the design and optimization of small wind turbine blades based on computational tools such as FAST and QBlade to address challenges in aerodynamic analysis, structural integrity, and power output prediction. A key focus is on optimizing airfoil selection based on lift-to-drag ratios, with the NACA4412 airfoil emerging as the most suitable choice for enhancing turbine performance. The optimization process includes a linearization approach for adjusting the chord and twist angles of the blade, which proved beneficial in streamlining the design. This approach led to notable improvements in the power coefficient across a range of rotational speeds, achieving an average increase of up to 8% and boosting power generation at a wind speed by 6.38%. These findings underscore the effectiveness of a targeted, systematic design optimization in enhancing turbine efficiency and output.

Wind energy is considered one of the most important sources of renewable energy in the world, because it contributes to reducing the negative effects on the environment. The most important types of wind turbines are horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines. This work presents the full details of design for vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) and how to find the optimal values of necessary factors. Additionally, the results shed light on the efficiency and performance of the VAWT under different working conditions. It was taken into consideration the variety of surrounding environmental conditions (such as density and viscosity of fluid, number of elements of the blade, etc.) to simulate the working of vertical wind turbines under different working conditions. Furthermore, the effect of the design factors was investigated such as the number and size of the blades on the behavior and performance of VAWT. It was assumed that the vertical wind blade works in different sites of Iraq. QBlade software (Version 8) was used to achieve the calculations and optimization processes to obtain the optimal design of vertical axis wind turbines that is suitable for the promising sites. The results proved that accurate results can be obtained by using QBlade software.