Aeroelastic and CFD Analysis of Bladeless Wind Turbines: Investigating the Impact of Reynolds and Strouhal Numbers on Performance

Bladeless wind turbines (BWTs) offer a novel approach to energy harvesting by utilizing vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) instead of traditional rotating blades. This paper presents a comprehensive study of BWT performance using a combination of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and aeroelastic analysis based finite element model. A two-dimensional CFD model is developed to simulate the flow behavior around a BWT mast at various Reynolds and Strouhal numbers. The CFD simulations focused on evaluating flow lift and vortex shedding frequency, which are subsequently integrated into a finite element method (FEM) model to assess aeroelastic response, including lift, displacement, and frequency. The results demonstrate a direct relationship between increasing wind speed, Reynolds number, and Strouhal number with enhanced aeroelastic lift and displacement. This study provides valuable insights into optimizing BWT design for improved energy harvesting efficiency.