Comparison of aerodynamic performance between two model wind turbines for the Bay of Bengal

Dependency on fossil fuels has increased with time; as a result, CO2 emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, etc. have also increased. So, there is no alternative to using renewable energy. Wind energy is a significant form of renewable energy source which has grown in prominence over time. Wind turbines are designed and optimized to convert wind energy into power. Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) are the most widely used wind turbines for capturing wind power. This study presents a site-specific aerodynamic comparison of two scaled horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) concepts for a low-wind offshore area of the Bay of Bengal. The novelty of the work lies in the comparative evaluation of two geometrically different reference turbines one derived from the NREL 5 MW turbine and the other from the NREL Phase VI turbine after rescaling them to the same target offshore operating condition, thereby enabling a like-for-like assessment for Bangladesh’s low-wind-speed coastal environment. Simulations were carried out in QBlade using the Blade Element Momentum (BEM) method, and the adopted numerical approach was validated against published FAST and experimental reference results for the NREL 5 MW turbine. The results show that Model 1 achieved a maximum power coefficient of 0.475, whereas Model 2 achieved 0.424. The maximum aerodynamic power outputs of Model 1 and Model 2 were 738 kW and 655 kW, respectively, at the rated wind speed of 8.3 m/s. Although both models yielded the same capacity factor of 27%, Model 1 demonstrated superior aerodynamic efficiency and a wider positive operating range, indicating that it is the more suitable rotor concept for the selected offshore region.