Abstract: The performance of airfoils on wind turbines has been found to be improved by the presence of endplates mounted to the airfoil. Using steady numerical simulations, the shape of the endplates that improves the lift coefficients and lift-to-drag coefficients to the greatest degree is a thin plate that follows the chord of the airfoil with a thickness that is between an eighth and a quarter of the length of the airfoil. Rounding the edges of the endplates further enhance the performance of the airfoil, and the overall effect of the endplates achieves nearly a 9.1% increase and 30% decrease in the lift and drag forces, respectively.

Abstract: A high-efficiency airfoil for VAWT is shown to demonstrate an increased power coefficient of higher than 0.4 due to increased lift at lower angle of attacks (“AOA”). The high efficiency airfoil of the present invention includes a modification to the leading and trailing edges, resulting in an improved power coefficient at higher AOAs. For the leading-edge modification, a cylindrical nose was placed at the leading edge, and for the trailing edge a scorpion tail was added to the trailing edge with angles at 20 degrees in either positive (CCW) or negative (CW) direction. The results of these modifications were compared with the corresponding results for the baseline model to illustrate their impacts on the lift and drag coefficients.

Abstract: A horizontal axis wind turbine airfoil segment with vortex generator tape (“VGT”) tape applied downstream of the leading edge and within the boundary layer is disclosed. Placing the VGT tape at distance of 60% chord results in the boundary layer profiles displaying increased momentum near the edge of the boundary layer. Tests show that the contribution of vortices generated from VGT tape cause the increased momentum within the boundary layer. Moreover, a reduced skin friction coefficient is observed with the tape and the pressure coefficient on the suction side display reductions further downstream of the chord length. Using the total drag, the present invention has produces up to 8% reduction in in drag coefficient and about 2% increase in lift coefficient for the airfoils.

Abstract: A wind turbine apparatus including a shaft, two wind turbines, and a two-piece alternator. The turbines and the alternator are mounted on the shaft. The alternator is located between the turbines. The alternator includes a circular permanent magnet component fixed to the first turbine, and a circular electrical winding component fixed to the second turbine so that, when an effective wind blows in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the first turbine and the circular magnet component will rotate around the shaft in a first direction and the second turbine and the circular winding component will rotate around the shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction, thereby generating electrical energy.

Abstract: A wind turbine apparatus including a shaft, two wind turbines, and a two-piece alternator. The turbines and the alternator are mounted on the shaft. The alternator is located between the turbines. The alternator includes a circular permanent magnet component fixed to the first turbine, and a circular electrical winding component fixed to the second turbine so that, when an effective wind blows in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the first turbine and the circular magnet component will rotate around the shaft in a first direction and the second turbine and the circular winding component will rotate around the shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction, thereby generating electrical energy.

Abstract: A high efficiency vertical axis wind turbine includes an optimized blade shape for increased torque output. The shape of the optimized profile includes a camber portion at a leading edge region of the blade with a maximum height to chord ratio (Y/C) at when the non-dimensional chord length (X/C) is approximately one third. An intermediate region follows the leading edge region and is characterized by a shallow convex region, followed by a flow reattachment surface at the trailing edge region characterized by a second concave region and a local maximum of the height to chord ratio at approximately four fifths of the non-dimensional chord length.