Design and Experimental Analysis of the Effect of Winglets on the Performance of a Hybrid Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of winglets on the performance of a hybrid Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) with a combined Savonius Darrieus configuration. Winglets, known for reducing aerodynamic drag in aeroplane were applied to the blades to assess improvements in efficiency, torque and power output. Comparative experiments were conducted on two configurations: one with winglets and another without winglets, under varying wind speeds (2 – 6 m/s). Results showed that the configuration without winglets achieved higher rotational speeds (about 10 rad/s) and torque (about 6 x 10^-6 Nm). However, the turbine with winglets demonstrated superior self-starting ability at low wind speeds . The findings suggest that while winglets aid in low - speed operations, there is increase in drag, necessitating design optimization to improve overall efficiency.