Numerical Analysis of Cross-Axis Wind Turbine for Different Pitch Angles

This work originated from my Bachelor’s thesis at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Mechanical Engineering). It was initially presented at the IUT International Conference on Core Engineering & Technology 2025 (IUT-ICCET 2025) and subsequently published in the Journal of Engineering and Technology (JET), 19(3), 2025, pp. 401–407. A Cross-Axis Wind Turbine (CAWT) is a cross-axis blade configuration where six horizontal and three vertical blades are stacked in a cross-axis arrangement. Contrary to conventional horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs), a yaw mechanism is not required for it to operate. It also outperforms the standard vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) by absorbing wind energy from all directions, making it flexible to variable wind conditions. The purpose of using a CAWT is to replace the traditional VAWT by generating more power. This study uses CAWT with different pitch angles to perform numerical analysis and determine the optimum one. All designs were assessed using ANSYS computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, with the wind speed kept constant at 10 m/s and TSR variables adjusted to evaluate output. The blade design with a 5-degree pitch angle showed improved torque and power coefficients, according to simulation data.