Numerical Analysis of Savonius Vertical Axis Wind Turbine with Dimpled Blades

To solve the increasing power demand of the growing population without increasing carbon footprint, energy efficiency for renewable sources needs to be improved. This paper focuses on the performance improvement of Savonius vertical axis wind turbine, commonly utilized to harness low wind speed potentials. Such turbines can find excellent use in places where the wind speed is not sufficient for introducing traditional horizontal axis wind turbines. To develop a better aerodynamic design that can reduce drag, dimples introduced on the blade profile. The effect of endplate also studied for improving the performance of the turbine. The design and comparative analysis performed with an endplate and dimpled blade profile. Computational fluid dynamics simulations carried out for understanding the performance of the turbine with dimples and endplates when subjected to low incoming wind velocity. Comparative analysis performed between the proposed design with the baseline design, i.e. with endplates, without endplates and with dimples on blades to show how it affects the efficiency of the turbine.