Vertical Axis Wind Turbine with Individual Active Blade Pitch Control

Increasing attention has been paid on Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) to improve the poor aerodynamic performances. In this paper, we obtain the aerodynamic coefficients of blades by the method of simulation and experiments, and present along with a prototype of Variable-pitch VAWT. Then, mathematical model and dynamic model have been built, and individual active control for computing the optimal pitch angle of VAWT has been presented, which can maximize its power output at given operational conditions. Based on simulation, comparative analysis between fixed-pitch and individual active variable-pitch of prototype have been done. We have found that aerodynamic performances have been greatly improved, tangential force coefficient of which is twice as large as that of fixed-pitch VAWT. Moreover, an optimum active variable-pitch control strategy which is reliable and efficient has been proposed to achieve a better operation condition.