Small-Scale Diffuser-Augmented Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine

Project members

• Alexandra Gelastopoulos
• Giuseppe Reale
• Nicolas Tamburro
• Amy Tran
• Emilia Ventulieri

About the project

The goal of this capstone project is to demonstrate through testing and analysis that a diffuser-augmented vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) is more efficient in energy capture than a regular vertical-axis wind turbine. The use of a diffuser to create lower-pressure regions behind the wind turbine allows for an increase of the speed of the air going through the turbine, in turn increasing its efficiency. While the application of this technology to horizontal-axis wind turbines has become common, its application to vertical-axis wind turbines is still at its infancy. Since most studies only have simulated models, the objective would be to build a physical smallscale vertical-axis wind turbine and to compare its performance with and without a diffuser. The main stakeholder for this specific project is our project supervisor, Dr. Marius Paraschivoiu, as the objective is to test a hypothesis related to his field of research. However, the results from testing this hypothesis would have an impact not only on the wider scientific community that studies wind turbines, but it could also impact society at large by pushing forward innovation in wind turbines. As vertical-axis wind turbines work better with turbulent flows present in urban areas than horizontal-axis wind turbines, it can lower the dependance of urban communities on the grid and increase their resilience. Additionally, in communities with limited financial resources, the development of efficient vertical turbines will be particularly beneficial, as they are cheaper to make and easier to install than large horizontalaxis wind turbines.