Design and fabrication of small scale hbrid wind turbines with 3D printing

Abstract

Small scale vertical-axis wind turbines are a promising candidate for powering urban electronics. In this document, we study the factibility of 3D printing a small scale Darrieus-Savonius wind turbine. We have used CFD and the one-dimensional Blade Element Moment theory and the Qblade software to perform computer simulations and address the performance of several asymmetrical profiles in a small scale VAWT. We characterized the power output and their dynamic response. We also studied the suitability of 3D printing techniques for manufacturing the simulated generators, judging their dimensional tolerance, printing speed, surface quality and their structural stability. We concluded that fabricating small scale hybrid turbines with commonly used materials as polylactic acid and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is feasible, provided the rotor in divided in parts.

From the studied profiles, we found several viable design options that have a good starting torque and wide operating window for energy generation.