Taguchi-based multi-factor analysis of self-starting behavior in vertical axis wind turbine farms

A key aspect of system sustainability is the efficient use of energy. In this context, vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) require critical evaluation due to their relatively low electricity generation and poor self-starting performance. Accordingly, the present study extensively assesses the start-up performance of a VAWT farm comprising three H-Darrieus wind turbines (WT-1, WT-2 and WT-3), using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in combination with the Taguchi method. Initially, the self-starting behavior of individual turbines with solidity values of 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 was examined. Subsequently, a two-stage Taguchi analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of turbine and farm design parameters, specifically, the solidity of the turbines and their spatial arrangement. In the first stage, four factors at three levels were considered. The results at this stage indicated that minimizing the spacing between turbines improves self-starting performance. Following this, a second-stage Taguchi analysis was performed, incorporating a larger number of parameters to provide a more detailed evaluation of start-up performance in a wind farm configuration. This stage included six factors, each evaluated at three levels. The results demonstrated that the overall self-starting performance was enhanced by employing wind turbines with a solidity of σ = 1 . 00 . In addition, turbine spacing of 1 . 1 D was suggested as optimal for achieving improved start-up capability. Furthermore, to gain additional insight into the start-up behavior in a four-turbine arrangement, a fourth turbine (WT-4) was added to the optimal three-turbine configuration (P1). The results indicated that the inclusion of WT-4 improved the self-starting performance of WT-3. • The six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) method was utilized to model the self-starting behavior of H-Darrieus wind turbines. • The start-up process was analyzed for both individual turbines and VAWT clusters. • Increased solidity was found to enhance self-starting capability for both single turbine and VAWT clusters. • Improved start-up behavior within a wind farm was achieved by positioning H-Darrieus turbines in close proximity.