Enhanced Aerodynamic Performance of Savonius Wind Turbines Through Blade Design Modifications: A CFD Study

ABSTRACT The conventional Savonius wind turbine's power coefficient is comparatively low, which limits its efficiency. Because the power coefficient depends significantly on the blade design, this study investigates the potential of improving the turbine performance by modifying the rotor blade designs. Two modified models are proposed, which are investigated numerically using CFD methods in ANSYS Fluent. Improving the efficiency of Savonius turbines could offer substantial benefits for energy generation, given the significance of wind energy in pursuing renewable energy solutions. The shear stress transport (SST) k‐omega model, which allows a detailed analysis of the turbine's aerodynamic performance, is utilized here under transient conditions. At different tip speed ratios (TSRs), the torque coefficient and power coefficients are calculated. Additionally, the flow structure around the rotor is evaluated. The study demonstrates the impact of rotor blade design on power and torque coefficients, revealing that at a TSR of 1, the modified models demonstrated better performance than the base conventional model, with increases of power coefficient by 9.37% and 12.5%. These results suggest that better blade designs have the potential to greatly improve Savonius wind turbine performance and increase their efficiency for real‐world applications.