Computational assessment of the influence of the overlap ratio on the power characteristics of a Classical Savonius wind turbine

An influence of the overlap on the performance of the Classical Savonius wind turbine was investigated. Unsteady two-dimensional numerical simulations were carried out for a wide range of overlap ratios. For selected configurations computation quality was verified by comparison with three-dimensional simulations and the wind tunnel experimental data available in literature. A satisfactory agreement was achieved. Power characteristics were determined for all the investigated overlap ratios for selected tip speed ratios. Obtained results indicate that the maximum device performance is achieved for the buckets overlap ratio close to 0.