Experimental validation of a ducted wind turbine design strategy

A synergistic design strategy for ducted horizontal axis wind turbines (DWTs), utilizing the numerical solution of a ducted actuator disk system as the input condition for a modified blade element momentum method, is presented. Computational results of the ducted disk have shown that the incoming flow field for a DWT differs substantially from that of a conventional open rotor. The rotor plane velocity is increased in the ducted flow field, and, more importantly, the axial velocity component varies radially. An experimental full-scale 2.5 m rotor and duct were designed, using this numerical strategy, and tested at the University of Waterloo's wind turbine test facility. Experimental results indicated a very good correlation of the data with the numerical predictions, namely a doubling of the power output at a given velocity, suggesting that the numerical strategy can provide a means for a scalable design methodology.