Aerodynamic analysis of Savonius and 3-bladed Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbine utilizing NACA0012 and NACA0015 airfoils
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, TSSM’s Bhivarabai Sawant College of Engineering & Research, Savitribai Phule Pune University
- 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, JSPM’s Jayawantrao Sawant College of Engineering, Savitribai Phule Pune University
- 3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Savitribai Phule Pune University
- 4Department of Vehicles Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Debrecen
- 5TSSM’s Padmabhooshan Vasantdada Patil Institute of Technology, Savitribai Phule Pune University
- 6Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Savitribai Phule Pune University
Abstract
This study investigates the aerodynamic performance of vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) operating under low wind-speed conditions representative of inland and urban environments. A combined numerical-experimental approach was adopted, wherein the aerodynamic characteristics of a three-bladed Darrieus-type VAWT employing NACA0012 and NACA0015 airfoils were evaluated numerically, while complementary wind tunnel experiments were conducted on a geometrically accurate Savonius rotor to examine its low-speed performance. The numerical methodology for the Darrieus turbine was first validated against established benchmark studies and subsequently employed to perform transient Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations using the sliding-mesh technique in ANSYS Fluent. Simulations covered Reynolds numbers (Re) ranging from 5.3 × 104 to 2.67 × 105, with a near-wall grid resolution of 10−5 m, convergence criterion of 10−6, and appropriate viscous models (laminar and k–ω SST) selected according to the flow regime. Experimental investigations on the Savonius turbine were carried out in a calibrated subsonic wind tunnel using 3D-printed Polylactic Acid (PLA) models over a Re range of 2.53 × 104 to 1.27 × 105. The numerical study examined the influence of freestream velocity and tip speed ratio (2.0 ≤ TSR ≤ 3.0) on the lift coefficient, drag coefficient, and aerodynamic torque of the Darrieus turbine. At TSR = 2.5 and 6–10 m/s, the NACA0015 airfoil produced 21.9–84.3% higher cycle-averaged aerodynamic torque while reducing the Moment Fluctuation Index (MFI) by 14.8–22.6% compared to the NACA0012 airfoil. The experimental observations on the Savonius rotor further confirm its suitability for low-wind-speed operation and provide practical validation of VAWT performance under realistic conditions. The study highlights the influence of airfoil geometry on Darrieus turbine performance while demonstrating the effectiveness of Savonius rotors for low-speed applications, offering useful design insights for decentralized wind energy systems in regions with limited wind resources.
Related
- Clinical Utility of Aerodynamic Measures in Vocal Fold Augmentation Outcomes
- Aerodynamic effectiveness of positioning methods for conventional positive pressure ventilators operating in variable configurations
- New Insights into Avian Aerodynamic Valving: CT-Based CFD Analysis of Bronchial Airflow in the Domestic Chicken.
- Aerodynamic and anatomical changes of the upper airway after maxillary skeletal expansion in adults
- Thrust prediction for hybrid rocket motors with aerodynamic throats based on radial basis function neural networks
BibTeX
@article{bagade2026aerodynamic,
title = {{Aerodynamic analysis of Savonius and 3-bladed Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbine utilizing NACA0012 and NACA0015 airfoils}},
author = {Pramodkumar Bagade and Ashish Chaudhari and Avinash Somatkar and Masuk Abdullah and Preeti Gaikwad and Atul Kulkarni and József Menyhárt},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-63045-6},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-63045-6},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Aerodynamic analysis of Savonius and 3-bladed Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbine utilizing NACA0012 and NACA0015 airfoils
AU - Pramodkumar Bagade
AU - Ashish Chaudhari
AU - Avinash Somatkar
AU - Masuk Abdullah
AU - Preeti Gaikwad
AU - Atul Kulkarni
AU - József Menyhárt
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-63045-6
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-63045-6
AB - This study investigates the aerodynamic performance of vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) operating under low wind-speed conditions representative of inland and urban environments. A combined numerical-experimental approach was adopted, wherein the aerodynamic characteristics of a three-bladed Darrieus-type VAWT employing NACA0012 and NACA0015 airfoils were evaluated numerically, while complementary wind tunnel experiments were conducted on a geometrically accurate Savonius rotor to examine its low-speed performance. The numerical methodology for the Darrieus turbine was first validated against established benchmark studies and subsequently employed to perform transient Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations using the sliding-mesh technique in ANSYS Fluent. Simulations covered Reynolds numbers (Re) ranging from 5.3 × 104 to 2.67 × 105, with a near-wall grid resolution of 10−5 m, convergence criterion of 10−6, and appropriate viscous models (laminar and k–ω SST) selected according to the flow regime. Experimental investigations on the Savonius turbine were carried out in a calibrated subsonic wind tunnel using 3D-printed Polylactic Acid (PLA) models over a Re range of 2.53 × 104 to 1.27 × 105. The numerical study examined the influence of freestream velocity and tip speed ratio (2.0 ≤ TSR ≤ 3.0) on the lift coefficient, drag coefficient, and aerodynamic torque of the Darrieus turbine. At TSR = 2.5 and 6–10 m/s, the NACA0015 airfoil produced 21.9–84.3% higher cycle-averaged aerodynamic torque while reducing the Moment Fluctuation Index (MFI) by 14.8–22.6% compared to the NACA0012 airfoil. The experimental observations on the Savonius rotor further confirm its suitability for low-wind-speed operation and provide practical validation of VAWT performance under realistic conditions. The study highlights the influence of airfoil geometry on Darrieus turbine performance while demonstrating the effectiveness of Savonius rotors for low-speed applications, offering useful design insights for decentralized wind energy systems in regions with limited wind resources.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -