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Numerical and experimental characterization of multi-stage Savonius rotors

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DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2016.08.017

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 Energy 114 (2016) 382e404

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/energy

Numerical and experimental characterization of multi-stage Savonius

rotors
Sobhi Frikha*, Zied Driss, Emna Ayadi, Zied Masmoudi, Mohamed Salah Abid
Laboratory of Electro-Mechanic Systems (LASEM), National School of Engineers of Sfax (ENIS), University of Sfax, B.P. 1173, km 3.5 Soukra, 3038 Sfax, Tunisia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: In this paper, numerical simulation and experimental validation were performed to study the effect of
Received 9 February 2016 multi-stage on the performance of a Savonius rotor. We tested five configurations with different stage
Received in revised form number and we were particularly interested in visualizing the velocity field, the static pressure, the
28 July 2016
dynamic pressure, the vorticity, the turbulent kinetic energy, the turbulent dissipation rate and the
Accepted 5 August 2016
turbulent viscosity. The software “SolidWorks Flow Simulation” has been used to present the local
characteristics in different transverse and longitudinal planes. The considered numerical model is based
on the resolution of the Navier-Stokes equations in conjunction with the standard k-ε turbulence model.
Keywords:
Wind tunnel
These equations were solved by a finite volume discretization method. The wind tunnel experiment
Turbulent flow results were compared to the numerical results in terms of velocity profile, dynamic torque coefficient
Aerodynamic structure and power coefficient.
Multistage © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
CFD

1. Introduction rotor and compared the performance with conventional semi-

A renewable energy is an energy that is generated from natural
processes that are continuously replenished. This includes solar
energy, geothermal heat, wind, tides, water, and various forms of
biomass. In recent years, many researchers have proposed
different optimization techniques for enhancing the performance
of the renewable energy systems [1e4]. An interest in wind en-
ergy has been growing and researchers have attempted the
development to introduce cost-effective, reliable wind energy
conversion systems. Wind turbines can rotate around either a
horizontal or a vertical axis. Savonius wind rotors are a vertical-
axis wind turbine. Their best qualities are the simplicity, the
reliability and the low noise production. Because of its lower
rotation speed, Savonius rotors show lower efficiencies and are
incapable of providing adequate electricity. To increase the effi-
ciency of the wind turbine, the designing of blades plays a very
important role and many works have been made on the design
improvements of the original Savonius rotor. Grinspan et al. [5]
developed a new blade shape with a twist for the Savonius
rotor. They got a maximum power coefficient of 0.5. Saha and
Rajkumar [6] performed work on twist bladed metallic Savonius
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: frikha_sobhi@yahoo.fr (S. Frikha).
circular blades having no twist. They got an efficiency of 0.14.
Their rotor also produced good starting torque and larger rota-
tional speeds. Mohamed et al. [7] considered an improved design
to increase the output power of a Savonius rotor with either two
or three blades. Other works [8e10] performed unsteady simu-
lation and compared improved version of Savonius rotor. Menet
and Bourabaa [11] studied the influence of some geometrical pa-
rameters on the aerodynamic behavior of the flow around a
Savonius rotor. Thus, they made a numerical simulation and
compared results with experimental studies. They studied the
effect of the overlap ratio, the shaft, the chassis and the Reynolds
number. Influence of Reynolds number was investigated by
Kamoji et al. [12] for a modified Savonius rotor without shaft. The
coefficient of power increases by 19% as the Reynolds number
increases from 80,000 to 150,000. The maximum coefficient of
power increases with the increase of the Reynolds number. Ush-
iyama and Nagai [13] tested several parameters of the Savonius
rotor including the gap ratio, the aspect ratio, the number of cy-
lindrical buckets, the number of stages, the endplate effects, the
overlap ratio and the bucket design. The highest efficiency of all
tested configurations was 24% for a two-stage, two-bucket rotor.
Akwa et al. [14] studied the influence of the buckets overlap ratio
of a Savonius wind rotor on the averaged torque and power co-
efficients by changing the geometry of the rotor. It has been found

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2016.08.017
0360-5442/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404 383

Nomenclature V inlet velocity, m.s1

Vq tangential Velocity, m.s1
Cmd dynamic torque coefficient, dimensionless, sij component of the strain rate tensor, s1
Cmd ¼ rV42Md
D2 H
ui velocity components, m.s1
Cp power coefficient, dimensionless, Cp ¼ HD2rPV 3 u0i fluctuating velocity components, m.s1
C1ε constant of the k-ε turbulence model, dimensionless xi cartesian coordinate, m
C2ε constant of the k-ε turbulence model, dimensionless x cartesian coordinate, m
Cm constant of the k-ε turbulence model, dimensionless y cartesian coordinate, m
D rotor diameter, m z cartesian coordinate, m
m bucket thickness, m ε dissipation rate of the turbulent kinetic energy, W.kg1
Md dynamic torque, N.m l tip speed ratio, dimensionless, l ¼ UVr
Fi force components, N m dynamic viscosity, Pa.s
Gk production term of turbulence, kg.m1.s3 mt turbulent viscosity, Pa.s
H bucket height, W.m3 r density, kg.m3
k turbulent kinetic energy, J.kg1 sk constant of the k-ε turbulence model
p pressure, Pas sε constant of the k-ε turbulence model
P power, W tRij component of the Reynolds stress tensor, N.m2
r rotor radius, m tij component of the laminar stress tensor, N.m2
Re reynolds number, dimensionless, Re ¼ rVDm U angular velocity, rd.s1

that the maximum device performance occurs for buckets overlap 2. Material and method
ratios with values close to 0.15. Khan et al. [15] tested different
blade profiles of a Savonius rotor both in tunnel and natural wind 2.1. Savonius wind rotors
conditions and they varied the overlap. Roy et al. [16] reviewed
the numerical works. They have shown that with a proper In this study, we have an interest in a vertical-axis wind turbine
computational methodology, the design, the performance and the (VAWT), used for converting the force of the wind into torque on a
efficiency of a Savonius rotor can be enhanced. The highest Cp of rotating shaft. The wind turbine consists of a Plexiglas bucket at
0.375 was achieved for a blade profile of S-section Savonius rotor height H ¼ 200 mm, Diameter D ¼ 173 mm, aspect ratio (H/
at an optimum overlap ratio of 30%. Driss et al. [17] made a nu- D) ¼ 1.15 and overlap ratio (m/D) ¼ 0.034. Fig. 1 presents the
merical simulation of the turbulent flow around a small incurved configuration of the bucket geometry studied in this work.
Savonius rotor and compare the results with experimental results
conducted in an open wind tunnel. In comparison with a circular
Savonius rotor, the flow circulation of this rotor is enhanced. Driss 2.2. Wind tunnel
et al. [18] compared different design of rotors characterized by the
bucket angles equal to j ¼ 60 , j ¼ 75 , j ¼ 90 and j ¼ 130 . It The overall design of the open circuit wind tunnel is presented
has been noted that the depression zones increase with the in- in Fig. 2. This tunnel is formed by the ventilation chamber (1), the
crease of the bucket arc angle. The acceleration zone, where the
maximum velocity values are recorded, is formed in the convex
surface of the rotor bucket and gets greater as the bucket arc. The
wakes characteristics of the maximum turbulent values are more
developed with the increase of the bucket arc angle. Sharma et al.
[19] have studied the performance of a two-stage two-bladed
configuration of the Savonius rotor. They conducted experiments
in a subsonic wind tunnel. The studied parameters were the
overlap, the tip speed ratio, the power coefficient and the torque
coefficient. The study showed that a maximum power coefficient
of 0.517 was obtained at 9.37% overlap condition. Similarly, power
and torque coefficients decrease with the increase of overlap from
9.37% to 19.87%. Saha et al. [20] conducted tests by varying the
number of stages from one to three. They concluded that when the
number of stages got increased from one to two, the rotor shows
better performance characteristics. However, the performance
gets degraded when the number of stages becomes three. Ac-
cording to these anterior studies, it is clear that the study of the
Savonius rotor design is very important to improve the aero-
dynamic characteristics and the rotor performance. In this
context, we are interested in the study of the multi-stage number
effect on the aerodynamic characteristics of the flow around a
Savonius wind rotor. For thus, we have developed a numerical and
experimental characterization of multi-stage Savonius rotor in
order to choose the most effective rotor. Fig. 1. Vertical axis Savonius semi-circular.
384 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404

Fig. 4. Characteristics of the tachometer.

Fig. 2. Wind tunnel components.

diffuser (2), the test section (3), the collector (4), the plenum (5),
the support (6), and the wind turbine (7). The total length of the
wind tunnel is 3857 mm. The test vein is of 400 mm of width,
800 mm of length and 400 mm of height. The test section facilitates
the visualization of phenomena that occur around the prototype
studied in experimental tests. The collector takes a large volume of
air at low speed and low pressure and reduces it to a small volume
of high-velocity air without creating turbulence. The plenum helps
straighten the flow of air entering the blower. The ventilation
chamber allows the control of air flow in the wind tunnel. The
diffuser slows the speed of the airflow in the wind tunnel. The
support eliminates all kinds of vibration and ensures a good sta-
bility of the tunnel during the experimental tests. Fig. 5. Characteristics of the static torque meter.

2.3. Experimental method

tachometer CA-27 model (Fig. 4). To measure the static torque on
the rotor shaft, a torque meter TQ-8800 model was used (Fig. 5).
The rotor axis has been placed in the middle of the test vein. An
The dynamic torque exerted on the rotor shaft was measured with a
anemometer AM-4204 was used to measure the wind speed in
DC generator which transforms the torque on its axis at an elec-
different positions with an accuracy of 0.1 m/s (Fig. 3). The rota-
trical current. The generator is coupled to the dynamometer RZR-
tional speed of the wind turbine rotor was measured with a digital

Fig. 3. Anemometer. Fig. 6. Calibration curve electric current-torque.

 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404 385

Fig. 7. Savonius with different stages assembled with a dynamometer.

2102 model which provide mechanical power to the generator and
display simultaneously the speed and the dynamic torque. The
calibration curve that connects the electric current supplied by the
generator to the dynamic torque is shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 7 presents
the different multi-stage Savonius rotors assembled with a
dynamometer.
3. Numerical model
3.1. Governing equations
In this study, the continuity equations, the momentum equa-
tions, the turbulent kinetic energy (k) and the dissipation rate of
turbulent kinetic energy (ε) equations have been solved with the
CFD code “Solid Works Flow simulation”. This code allowed us to
deepen the knowledge of the aerodynamic structure of the turbu-
lent flow in different configurations. “Solidworks Flow simulation”
combines a high level of functionality and accuracy with ease-of-
use. While, the original fluid-flow simulation tool was developed
exclusively for SolidWorks users; “Solidworks Flow simulation”
gives insight into designs related to fluid flow, heat transfer, and
forces on immersed or surrounding components. The code is based
on solving Navier-Stokes equations with a finite volume dis-
cretization method. This technique consists in dividing the
computational domain into elementary volumes around each node
in the grid; it ensures continuity of flow between nodes. The spatial
discretization is obtained by following a procedure for the tetra-
hedral interpolation scheme. As for the temporal discretization, the

Fig. 8. Boundary conditions and rotating area.

386 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404

 " !#
vðr ui Þ v r ui uj vP v vuj vuj 2 vui
þ ¼ þ m þ  d
vt vxj vxi vxj vxj vxi 3 ij vxi
 
v  r ui uj
0 0

þ þ Fi (2)
vxj

They appear a number of additional unknown ðr ui uj Þ defined

0 0

by:
!
vui vuj 2
rui uj ¼ mt  r k dij
0 0
þ (3)
vxj vxi 3

The Kronecker delta is defined by dij ¼ 0 if i s j elsewhere, dij ¼ 1.

Closing the system of equations in this case is necessary. To solve
these equations can be presented using several turbulence models
such as k-ε model, k-omega model and Reynolds Stress model also
known as RSM. In the present work, we have used the modified k-ε
turbulence model with damping functions proposed by Lam and
Bremhorst [21]. This model describes laminar, turbulent and tran-
sitional flows of homogeneous fluids consisting of the following
turbulence conservation laws [22]. The transport equation of the
turbulent kinetic energy k is written as follows:
  
vðrkÞ vðrkui Þ v mt vk vu
þ ¼ mþ þtRij i  rε þ mt PB (4)
vt vxi vxi sk vxi vxj

The transport equation of the dissipation rate of the turbulent

kinetic energy ε is written as follows:
   !
vðrεÞ vðrεui Þ v m vε ε vu
þ ¼ mþ t þCε1 f tR i þC m P
vt vxi vxi sε vxi k 1 ij vxj B t B
rε2
f 2 Cε2
k
(5)
The laminar stress tensor is defined by:

tij ¼ m sij (6)

And the Reynolds stress tensor is defined by:

2
tRij ¼ m sij  r k dij (7)
3

Where:

vui vuj 2 vuk

sij ¼ þ  d (8)
vxj vxi 3 ij vxk
Fig. 9. Meshing.

gi 1 v r
PB ¼  (9)
implicit formulation is adopted. The transport equation is inte- sB r vxi
grated over the control volume. The turbulent viscosity is defined as follows:
The mathematical formulation is based on the Navier-Stokes
equations. The equations for the conservation of the mass and k2
momentum for the compressible and incompressible flow posi- mt ¼ r f m Cm (10)
ε
tions in the numerical analysis can be written as follows in the
Cartesian system: Where Cm¼0.09, Cε1 ¼1.44, Cε2 ¼ 1.92, sk ¼ 1, sk ¼ 1.3,
The continuity equation is: sB ¼ 0.9,CB ¼ 1 if PB > 1 and CB ¼ 0 if PB < 1.
Lam and Bremhorst damping function fm is defined by:
 2  20:5

vr vðr ui Þ f m ¼ 1  e0:025Ry 1þ (11)
þ ¼0 (1) Rt
vt vxi
The Momentum equation is: Where:
 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404 387

Fig. 10. Studied Savonius stages.

!3
0:05
f1 ¼ 1 þ
fm

and
2
f 2 ¼ 1  eR t : (14)
Lam and Bremhorst's damping functionsfm, f1, f2 decrease the
turbulent viscosity and the turbulent kinetic energy and increase
dissipation rate of the turbulent kinetic energy when the Reynolds
number Ry based on the mean velocity of fluctuations and the
distance from the wall becomes too small. Whenfm¼1, f1 ¼1, f2 ¼ 1,
the approach obtains the original k-ε model. This model has been
used by Frikha et al. [23] and satisfactory results were obtained.

3.2. Boundary conditions

The computational domain is defined by the interior volume of

the wind tunnel blocked by two planes. The first one is in the
Fig. 11. Visualization planes. tranquillization chamber entry and the second one is in the exit of
the diffuser. For the inlet velocity, we take V ¼ 3 m s1, and for the
outlet pressure, a value of 101,325 Pa. The Multi-Reference Frame
(MRF) approach has been adopted to consider the rotor rotation
defined by an angular velocity of U ¼ 52 rd s1 for all the cases
pffiffiffi (Fig. 8). In this case, the Reynolds number is equal to Re ¼ 34,362.
r ky
Ry ¼ (12) The MRF is as an alternative to the sliding mesh approach for
m modeling flow field in geometry where there are parts that rotate
relative to each other. This method was introduced by Luo et al. [24]
for the prediction of flow fields induced by impellers in mixing
rk2 vessels. The rotating area is defined by a cylindrical geometry. It is
Rt ¼ : (13)
mε limited by a flat surface in the top and the bottom. In the present
application, the same geometrical arrangements were considered
y is the distance from point to the wall and Lam and Bremhorst's for all rotors. For the initial conditions, we consider a solution who
damping functions f1 and f2 are: contributes to the fast convergence of calculations. Among these
388 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404

Fig. 12. Distribution of the velocity field in the longitudinal planes.

 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404
Fig. 13. Distribution of the velocity field in the transverse planes.
conditions, we take a tangential velocity equal to Vq¼ru in the
rotating domain. Elsewhere, the velocity fields is null. For the un-
steady case, it is more adequate to consider the solution of the
steady state calculations.
3.3. Meshing
In this study, we have used the Local Initial Mesh option. This
mesh option allows us to specify an initial mesh in a local region of
the computational domain to better resolve the model geometry
and flow particularities in this region. The initial mesh is con-
structed from the basic mesh by refining the basic mesh cells in
accordance with the specified mesh settings. The Basic mesh is
formed by dividing the computational domain into slices by par-
allel planes which are orthogonal to the global coordinate system's
axes. In our simulations, we have used a number of cells equal to
66,946 cells (Fig. 9). The solutions obtained to that computed by
using a time-step equal to 0.001 s.
389
4. Numerical results
By changing the number of stages from five to one, we are
interested in the study of the multi-stage effect on the performance
of the Savonius rotor (Fig. 10). We are particularly interested in
visualizing the local characteristics of the turbulent flow around the
Savonius rotors. As represented in Fig. 11, two longitudinal planes
defined by x ¼ 0 mm and y ¼ 0 mm and three transverse planes
defined by z ¼ 150 mm, z ¼ 0 mm and z ¼ 150 mm are considered
to visualize the velocity field, the static pressure, the dynamic
pressure, the turbulent kinetic energy, the dissipation rate of the
turbulent kinetic energy, the turbulent viscosity and the vorticity.
4.1. Velocity field
Figs. 12 and 13 present respectively the distribution of the ve-
locity field in the longitudinal planes defined by x ¼ 0 mm and
y ¼ 0 mm and the transverse planes defined by z ¼ 0 mm,
390 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404

Fig. 14. Distribution of the static pressure in the longitudinal planes.

z ¼ 150 mm, and z ¼ 150 mm. According to these results, it has
been noted that the velocity is weak in the inlet of the collector.
Indeed, it is governed by the boundary condition value of the inlet
velocity, which is equal to 3 m s1. In this region, the velocity field is
uniform and increases progressively downstream of the collector.
In the test vein, an important increase has been noted due to the
reduction of the tunnel section that causes the throttling of the
flow. The upstream of the rotor is characterized by the high-
velocity values. Downstream of the rotor, the velocity keeps
increasing till the out of the test section. The maximum velocity
values are located close to the test vein walls, basing on the dis-
tribution shown on the y ¼ 0 mm plane. These planes show a
deceleration of the velocity downstream of the rotor and in the
middle of the test vein. Then, a decrease of the velocity has been
 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404 391

Fig. 15. Distribution of the static pressure in the transverse planes.

noted through the diffuser where the maximum velocity values are
recorded on the lateral walls of the diffuser except for the three-
stage rotor. The velocity fields on the transverse planes show a
symmetric distribution. Around the rotor and based on the planes
defined by x ¼ 0 mm, y ¼ 0 mm and z ¼ 0 mm, the maximum values
are obtained with the one, three and four-stage rotors when the
minimum values are obtained with the five-stage rotor.
4.2. Static pressure
Figs. 14 and 15 present respectively the distribution of the static
pressure in the longitudinal planes defined by x ¼ 0 mm and
y ¼ 0 mm and the transverse planes defined by z ¼ 0 mm,
z ¼ 150 mm and z ¼ 150 mm. Regarding these results, it has been
noted that the static pressure is at its maximum in the collector and
is globally uniform in the upstream of the rotor in the test vein. A
drop of the static pressure has been observed downstream of the
rotor for all the configurations. The highest depression was ob-
tained with the three-stage rotor while the lowest depression was
obtained with the four-stage rotor. Downstream of the rotor, the
static pressure decreases gradually in the way out of the test vein
and keeps decreasing through the diffuser. The distribution in the
392 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404

Fig. 16. Distribution of the dynamic pressure in the longitudinal planes.

 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404 393

Fig. 17. Distribution of the dynamic pressure in the transverse planes.

plane defined by y ¼ 0 mm shows a compression zone character-
istic of the maximum values of the pressure on the convex surface
of the Savonius rotor except for the five-stage rotor. The maximum
values of the pressure have been observed for the four-stage rotor
while the minimum values are obtained with the three-stage rotor.
A depression zone characteristic of the minimum pressure was also
obtained on the concave surface of the Savonius rotor. Around the
rotor and based on the transverse plane defined by z ¼ 0 mm, the
maximum values of the static pressure are obtained with the four-
stage rotor.
4.3. Dynamic pressure
Figs. 16 and 17 present respectively the distribution of the dy-
namic pressure on the longitudinal planes defined by x ¼ 0 mm and
y ¼ 0 mm and the transverse planes defined by z ¼ 0 mm,
z ¼ 150 mm and z ¼ 150 mm. The dynamic pressure is found to be
weak in the collector inlet and increases gradually through the
collector as long as the tunnel section gets smaller. Then, the dy-
namic pressure keeps increasing in the upstream of the diffuser. A
compression zone characteristic of the maximum value of the dy-
namic pressure is recorded on the convex surface of the buckets
except for the three and one-stage rotor. The maximum value of the
dynamic pressure is recorded downstream of the rotor in the
middle of the test vein. The minimum value of the dynamic pres-
sure has been observed with the Savonius rotor with five stages as
shown on the longitudinal planes defined by x ¼ 0 mm and
y ¼ 0 mm and the transverse plane defined by z ¼ 0 mm. The dy-
namic pressure on the transversal plane defined by z ¼ 0 mm
shows also a symmetric distribution.
4.4. Turbulent kinetic energy
Figs. 18 and 19 present respectively the distribution of the
394 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404

Fig. 18. Distribution of the turbulent kinetic energy in the longitudinal planes.
 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404 395

Fig. 19. Distribution of the turbulent kinetic energy in the transverse planes.

turbulent kinetic energy on the longitudinal planes defined by
x ¼ 0 mm and y ¼ 0 mm and on the transverse planes defined by
z ¼ 0 mm, z ¼ 150 mm and z ¼ 150 mm. From these results, it has
been noted that the turbulent kinetic energy presents a uniform
distribution and weak values in the collector except for the five-
stage rotor. A decrease of the turbulent kinetic energy has been
observed around the rotor. The distribution of the turbulent kinetic
energy shows also an increase of the turbulent kinetic energy in the
diffuser. Around the rotor, the minimum values of the turbulent
kinetic energy were recorded for the one-stage rotor, as shown in
the distribution of the turbulent kinetic energy in the longitudinal
planes defined by x ¼ 0 mm, y ¼ 0 mm and z ¼ 0 mm. The plane
defined by z ¼ 0 mm confirms that the maximum values of the
turbulent kinetic energy were obtained with the five-stage rotor.
4.5. Dissipation rate of the turbulent kinetic energy
Figs. 20 and 21 present respectively the distribution of the
dissipation rate of the turbulent kinetic energy respectively in the
longitudinal planes defined by x ¼ 0 mm and y ¼ 0 mm and the
transverse planes defined by z ¼ 0 mm, z ¼ 150 mm and
z ¼ 150 mm. From these results, it has been noted that the
dissipation rate of the turbulent kinetic energy is uniform and weak
in the collector except for the five-stage rotor. Indeed, it has been
396 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404

Fig. 20. Distribution of the turbulent dissipation rate in the longitudinal planes.
 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404
Fig. 21. Distribution of the turbulent dissipation rate in the transverse planes.
observed an important increase around the rotating area for all
Savonius rotors where a wake zone characteristic of the maximum
value has been created. The zone characteristics of minimum values
is recorded on the concave surface of the rotor buckets. The dis-
tribution of the dissipation rate of the turbulent kinetic energy in
the transverse planes shows a symmetric distribution. Around the
rotor and based on the transverse plane defined by z ¼ 0 mm, the
minimum values of the dissipation rate of the turbulent kinetic
energy are obtained with the one and the two stages.
4.6. Turbulent viscosity
Figs. 22 and 23 present respectively the distribution of the tur-
bulent viscosity in the longitudinal planes defined by x ¼ 0 mm and
y ¼ 0 mm and the transverse planes defined by z ¼ 0 mm,
z ¼ 150 mm and z ¼ 150 mm. According to these results, the
turbulent viscosity is low, and uniform in the collector with the
Savonius rotor except with the one having five stages. In fact, the
397
turbulent viscosity is at its maximum starting from the collector
until the end of the diffuser as shown in the longitudinal plane
defined by y ¼ 0 mm. A rapid decrease has been observed around
and downstream of the rotor. The maximum value of the turbulent
viscosity value is recorded on the concave surface of the buckets
while a decrease of the turbulent viscosity has been observed on
the convex surface of the buckets. The turbulent viscosity is found
to be weak in the interior of the collector but it increases consid-
erably in the diffuser. The distribution of the turbulent viscosity in
the transverse planes shows a symmetric distribution. According to
the planes x ¼ 0 mm, y ¼ 0 mm and z ¼ 0 mm, it is clear that the
turbulent viscosity is almost weak in the Savonius with one stage
and it is relatively high when increasing the number of stages.
4.7. Vorticity
Figs. 24 and 25 present respectively the distribution of the
vorticity in the longitudinal planes defined by x ¼ 0 mm and
398 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404

Fig. 22. Distribution of the turbulent viscosity in the longitudinal planes.

 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404
Fig. 23. Distribution of the turbulent viscosity in the transverse planes.
y ¼ 0 mm and the transverse planes defined by z ¼ 0 mm,
z ¼ 150 mm and z ¼ - 150 mm. Basing on these results, the vorticity
is considered to be near to zero almost everywhere except in the
region around the rotor. The maximum vorticity values are reached
in the internal and external sides of the buckets. Around the rotor
and based on the distribution of the vorticity in the longitudinal
plane defined by y ¼ 0 mm, it has been noted that the minimum
values are obtained with the five-stage rotor. The distribution of the
turbulent viscosity in the transverse planes shows a symmetric
distribution. According to the distribution of the vorticity in the
transverse plane z ¼ 0 mm, it is clear that the minimum values of
the vorticity are obtained with the two and the five-stage rotors.
5. Comparison with experimental results
5.1. Velocity profiles
Experimental values of velocity taken with an anemometer are
399
compared with the numerical values obtained with the one-stage
rotor. According to the velocity profiles in the transverse planes
defined by z ¼ 150 mm and z ¼ 150 mm, a good agreement be-
tween the numerical and the experimental velocity profiles was
obtained and confirmed the numerical model validation (Fig. 26).
5.2. Dynamic torque coefficient
Fig. 27 presents the variation of the dynamic torque coefficient
as a function of the tip speed ratio. According to these results, it has
been observed that the maximum value of the dynamic torque
coefficient depends directly on the stages number. Particularly, we
find that the dynamic torque coefficient decreases when the
number of stages decreases. With the five-stage rotor, the
maximum value of the dynamic torque coefficient is equal to
Cmd ¼ 0.35. Otherwise, it has been noted that the values of the tip
speed ratio increase with the increase of the stage number. The
comparison between the numerical and experimental results
400 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404

Fig. 24. Distribution of the vorticity in the longitudinal planes.

 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404 401

Fig. 25. Distribution of the vorticity in the transverse planes.

Fig. 26. Comparison of the velocity profiles.

402 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404

Fig. 27. Dynamic torque coefficient.

appears in a good agreement. This confirms the validity of the
numerical method.
5.3. Power coefficient
Fig. 28 presents the evolution of the power coefficient as a
function of the tip speed ratio for different stage numbers. Ac-
cording to these results, it is clear that the power coefficient and the
rotation speed increases with the increase of the stage number. The
maximum values of the power coefficient increase also with the
increase of the stage number. For example, the maximum value of
the power coefficient is equal to Cp ¼ 0.132 for a Savonius rotor
with five stages. However, the power coefficient becomes equal to
Cp ¼ 0.081 for a Savonius rotor with two stages.
6. Conclusions
In this paper, numerical and experimental characterization of
multi-stage Savonius rotors were investigated. Five configurations
with different number of stages were used and numerical results,
such as velocity fields, pressure and turbulent characteristics are
presented in different longitudinal and transversal planes of the
 S. Frikha et al. / Energy 114 (2016) 382e404
Fig. 28. Power coefficient.
considered wind tunnel. Basing on the obtained results, the num-
ber of stages affects the aerodynamic behavior of the turbulent flow
around the Savonius rotor. In fact, the maximum values of the ve-
locity are obtained with the one, three and four-stage rotor. The
maximum values of the static pressure are recorded with the four-
stages rotor while the minimum values of the dynamic pressure are
obtained with the five-stage rotor. The minimum values of the
turbulent characteristics are recorded with the one and two-stages
rotor while the maximum values of the vorticity are obtained with
the two and five-stages rotor. Experiments were also conducted in
an open wind tunnel. According to these results, the dynamic tor-
que coefficient and the power coefficient increase when the num-
ber of stage increases. The comparison of the local and the global
characteristics with our experimental results presents a good
403
agreement and validate the used numerical model. Use of this
knowledge will assist the design of packaged installations of the
multi-stage Savonius wind rotor.
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