Experimental results of a vertical axis wind turbine

In the present paper the new wind tunnel located at the Fluid-dynamic Laboratory of the Department of Mechanical and Management Engineering (DIMeG) of the Polytechnic University of Bari will be shortly described and the first experimental measurements on a model of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) tested in the wind tunnel will be shown. The wind tunnel has been designed by the research group on wind energy of the Department. It is a subsonic, closed loop, wind tunnel with a transparent test section where small scale models can be analysed. The first experimental activity has been performed on a VAWT model, of the Giromill type with parallel blades. The turbine has been connected to an AC brushless servo, able to control either the braking torque or the rotational speed. Experimental results of the flow field in two horizontal planes have been set up using a two component hot wire probe.