Numerical study of the interference effects in small vertical axis wind turbines

Two dimensional flows around multiple small wind turbines installed in a line are investigated by numerical simulation. The turbines which studied in this research are cross-flow type with vertical axis. Incompressible Navier-Stokes equation is solved by the finite difference method based on the Fractional Step method. Overset grid system is employed in this simulation. A rotating coordinate system, which rotates at the same speed of the turbines, is used for a vicinity of the rotor and a stationary coordinate system is used for the other area. The interference among lined cross-flow wind turbines is investigated for their urban area use.