SBIR Phase I: Lowering Wind Power Costs Through Robust Vertical-Axis Turbines

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is the reduction of the cost of wind energy through a robust, inexpensive, and efficient vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT). This project has the potential to increase global wind power production through technological advancements that lower installation, operations, and maintenance costs via an innovative design which addresses reliability and efficiency concerns that have previously limited the penetration of VAWTs into the wind energy market. Compared to the common horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT), the proposed technology requires an order of magnitude fewer components. Additionally, heavy and maintenance intensive components are located at ground level for ease of access. One initial market for this technology will be stand-alone, small-scale generation, where this technology will provide long-lasting, low-maintenance power for remote locations. Another initial market is the repowering and augmentation of existing wind turbine arrays. Here, this technology will be a cost effective method of revitalizing underperforming or aging HAWT farms. The long-term objective is large-scale, VAWT-only arrays. Recent scientific advances indicate that, unlike HAWTs, interactions between VAWTs can be beneficial, resulting in cost-effective, high-output wind farms. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to address the reliability and efficiency concerns that have previously limited the penetration of VAWTs into the wind energy market. XFlow Energy's novel design utilizes a robust, stationary central shaft extending the length of the rotor, reducing harmful loading to the rotor structure. This design requires a larger central shaft than VAWTs tested to date, and the impact of a large central shaft on VAWT power output has not been previously investigated. Laboratory-scale tests will be performed on a range of geometries to analyze the fluid-dynamic impact of larger central shafts and the resulting changes in turbine performance and loading. This information will inform the design and structural simulation of a 500 W turbine. This design will be prototyped and will undergo thorough performance measurements. Ultimately destructive testing will be performed to identify structural deficiencies, and the design updated appropriately. The objective of SBIR Phase I is to produce a 500 W turbine that is thoroughly characterized, can survive up to 100 mph winds, and is ready for commercialization. This design will inform development of a utility-scale turbine (50 kW) which will be the focus of SBIR Phase II.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.