Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862

www.elsevier.com/locate/renene

A double-step Savonius rotor for local

production of electricity: a design study5
J.-L. Menet

ENSIAME/Groupe de Recherche Énergies et Environnement (GREEn) Université de Valenciennes—Le
Mont Houy—F59313 Valenciennes Cedex 9, France
Received 6 November 2002; accepted 21 February 2004

Abstract

This paper presents a study, carried out with the help of the French Agency of Innovation
(ANVAR). It deals with the conception of a small Savonius rotor (i.e. of low power) for
local production of electricity. Our challenge was to design, develop and ultimately build a
prototype of such a rotor, which was considered as a complete electromechanical system. An
optimised configuration was chosen for the geometry of the present prototype. The building
data were calculated on the basis of the nominal wind velocity V ¼ 10 m=s. Particular care
was necessary to choose the appropriate generator, which was finally a rewound conven-
tional car alternator. The whole design of the prototype has confirmed the high efficiency
and the low technicality of the Savonius rotors for local production of electricity. The
present prototype is to be tested in situ.
# 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Savonius rotor; Wind turbine; Vertical axis; Electricity; Design

1. Introduction

Recently, there has been an increase in electricity generation by wind power. In

most cases, principally because of their higher efficiency, two- or three-bladed fast
running wind turbines are preferred. Although it has undeniably high performances,

5
The author dedicates this paper to the memory of André Desseaux who was not only a friend but
also a true researcher with who I have had the pleasure to work.


Tel.: +33-03-27-51-1171; fax: +33-03-27-51-1200.
E-mail address: Jean-Luc.Menet@uni-valenciennes.fr (J.-L. Menet).

0960-1481/$ - see front matter # 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.renene.2004.02.011
1844 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862

Nomenclature

Specifications
A swept area of the rotor
Cm torque coefficient
Cp power coefficient: Eq. (1)
M mechanical axial torque
N rotational speed (rpm)
P aerodynamic power delivered by the rotor
U x.R: peripheral velocity of the rotor
V wind velocity
k velocity coefficient: Eq. (2)
x angular velocity of the rotor (rad/s)
q specific mass of the air

Geometrical parameters of the prototype

a diameter of the shaft inside the rotor
d mean diameter of the cylinders in the rotor (chord of each paddle):
Fig. 3
di nominal diameter of the cylinders constituting the rotor
D diameter of the rotor
Df diameter of the end-plates
Du diameter of the rotor
e gap between the two paddles: main overlap (Fig. 3)
e0 gap between the two paddles: second overlap (Fig. 3)
ep thickness of the paddle
H height of the rotor
R radius of the rotor: R = D/2
ra overlap (Fig. 6)
a aspect ratio: Eq. (4)
b overlap ratio: Eq. (5)

this type of wind-powered engine is not necessarily the one which enables the extrac-
tion of the maximal energy from a wind site.
Let us call Cp the aerodynamic power coefficient of a wind turbine, i.e. the aero-
dynamic power of the turbine divided by the power of the incident wind, which is
deduced directly from the aerodynamic power delivered P:

1
P ¼ Cp : q A V 3: ð1Þ
2
 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862 1845

The usual parameter k, usually called the velocity coefficient is defined as

follows:
U
k ¼ ; ð2Þ
V
where U ¼ x:R is the tip peripheral velocity of the rotor (x is the angular velocity
of the blades; R is the radius of the revolving part of the turbine).
It is suitable to define few other coefficients, such as the mechanical torque coef-
ficient Cm given in Eq. (3):
1
M ¼ Cm : q D A V 2: ð3Þ
4
Wind turbines are defined by a performance curve which gives Cp (or Cm) as a
function of k. Such a curve is determined experimentally (Fig. 1, [1]). It is known
(Betz theory) that for a horizontal axis wind turbine, the power coefficient is
always inferior to the theoretical value 0.593. In fact, the best modern wind
machines hardly reach this maximal value of the power coefficient.
The fast running wind turbines, the efficiencies of which are the highest, are one
of the outcomes of the wing profiles theory [2–4]; so it is relatively easy to predict
their aerodynamic performances, which has progressively made the improvement
of their aerodynamic behaviour possible. On the contrary, slow running vertical-
axis wind turbines, with their lower angular velocity, have an aerodynamic
behaviour resulting from an extremely non-stationary flow, which is consequently
difficult to predict theoretically; furthermore, they are ascribed to performances
which are largely inferior to the ones of fast running wind turbines [5–7].

Fig. 1. Performances of main conventional wind machines [1].

1846 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862

Slow running vertical-axis wind turbines, such as Savonius [7] rotors are known
to have miscellaneous advantages [8]:

. they are simple machines, so they are easy to build;

. their high starting torque enables them not only to run, but also to start
whatever the wind velocity;
. they are supposed to run even in case of ‘‘strong’’ winds (when most of fast
running wind turbines must be stopped);
. the components which convert the mechanical energy extracted from the wind
into electrical energy can be located at the surface level;
. maintenance operations are considerably simplified.

The main disadvantages of Savonius rotors are :

. their slow-running behaviour: the paddles are running at a speed of the same
order as the wind velocity, which makes it difficult to use them for the
production of electric energy, especially when the current produced is directly
transferred on the electricity distribution network.
. they have a rather low efficiency: in fact, the maximal value of the corresponding
power coefficient Cp (which can be identified with the efficiency) reaches only
50% of the one of the best fast running horizontal axis wind turbines (this is
essentially due to the low aerodynamic performances of such rotors, based on
the difference between the drag forces on the paddles).

The true question which should be asked is to know if a Savonius rotor can be
an efficient machine for the production of energy, and not to know if it has a good
efficiency, i.e. a good delivered power.
By the use of a new comparison method, namely the L-sigma criterion, Menet
et al. have shown that the Savonius rotors are in fact more resistant to mechanical
stresses than all fast running wind turbines [9,10]. The base of the concept is to
compare the mechanical power delivered by a vertical axis wind machine with the
one produced by a horizontal axis wind machine: the base of the comparison is to
consider the same front width of wind (i.e. diameter of the rotor) and the same
mechanical stresses due to the centrifugal forces on the paddles for the two
turbines. Then it is possible to compare a few wind machines themselves.
Fig. 2 gives a representation of the estimated power PSavonius produced with a
Savonius rotor relatively to the one delivered by a horizontal axis wind turbine:
PHAWT, for the same intercepted front width of wind, and for the same value
of the maximal mechanical stress on the paddles or the blades [9]. It is clear that,
considering the L-sigma criterion, the Savonius rotor is a better wind machine than
all the fast running horizontal axis wind turbines.
Thus, at high values of wind velocity, when most wind machines must be slowed
down or even stopped, the Savonius rotors still, theoretically, produce energy.
Besides, because they start operating at low wind velocities, it is expected that the
 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862 1847

Fig. 2. Comparison of the Savonius rotor and main horizontal axis wind turbines using the L-sigma cri-
terion [9,10].

overall energy produced in a given period is at least equal to the one given by a
conventional machine, despite a fairly poor efficiency.
In fact, the Savonius rotors can be said to be high productivity and low techni-
cality wind machines. It is probably the reason why they are often used for water
pumping, especially in poor countries and in isolated sites [11,12].
Our challenge was to design, develop and ultimately build a small prototype of
Savonius rotor (featuring approximately a 0.5 m2 swept area) in order to produce
autonomous electricity (for example to charge batteries). This kind of wind
machine is not readily available on the market, especially for small installations.
To our knowledge, there is no published study relating to such a conception.
However, the design of a such a machine can be find in a recent publication [13].
The choice which has been made in this case, i.e. dynamos assembling, is an econ-
omic and practical solution in developing countries, but is probably a rather com-
plicated and poor solution everywhere else, especially because of the very low
efficiency of the dynamos. It is the reason why we have chosen another solution to
lead the present design.
Instead of particularly studying the aerodynamic performances of such a rotor,
i.e. studying only the delivered power (or the power coefficient Cp), we have chosen
to consider its overall performance, the machine being designed as a complete elec-
tromechanical system.
All the following study is based on the different and numerous results which can
be found in the literature, in order to improve the design.

2. Description and expected performances of Savonius rotors

The Savonius rotor is a very simple concept which has often been constructed,
and used successfully, from oil drums. It is made with two half cylinders (nominal
1848 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862

diameter d, height H), the whole rotor turning around a vertical axis, as shown in
Fig. 3. The movement is mainly the result of the difference between the drag on the
advancing paddle and the drag on the other one.
Although the efficiency of the basic Savonius rotor is relatively low, there are a
number of geometrical parameters which affect this efficiency [14–16].
Among those parameters, the aspect ratio represents the height of the rotor rela-
tively to its diameter, this is a very important criteria for the aerodynamic perfor-
mances of a Savonius rotor:
H
a¼ : ð4Þ
D
Globally, high values of the parameter a should greatly improve this efficiency.
Values of a around 4.0 seem to lead to the best power coefficient for a conven-
tional Savonius rotor [15].
It is known that end-plates lead to better aerodynamic performances. The influ-
ence of the diameter Df of these end-plates relatively to the diameter D of the rotor
has been experimentally studied [17]. The higher value of the power coefficient is
obtained for a value of Df around 10% more than D, whatever the velocity coef-
ficient.

Fig. 3. Scheme of a single-step Savonius rotor. (a) Front view; (b ) top view (conventional Savonius
rotor: e0 ¼ 0).
 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862 1849

The influence of the overlap ratio b given in the following equation:

e
b ¼ ; ð5Þ
d
where e is the overlap (Fig. 3) and d is the diameter of each cylinder constituting
the paddles (chord), has also been studied [15–18]. The best efficiencies are
obtained for values of b between 20 and 30%.
It is not necessary to create another separation gap e0 between the paddles,
which would consist of removing the chord of the paddles from the diameter of the
rotor (Fig. 3): on the contrary, the power coefficient and the torque coefficient
decrease when the separation gap e0 is superior to zero [15,19].
The number of paddles have also been studied, but the results seem to point out
better performances for two-bladed Savonius rotor, concerning either the obtained
torque coefficient or the power coefficient [15]. But concerning the paddle itself, no
study has been found to estimate the influence of the paddle thickness, ep.
All these results have lead us to build a particular rotor (see Section 3), the
expected aerodynamic performances of which should be the ones we can see in
Fig. 4 [16]. These experimental curves have been obtained with what is called the
optimum Savonius rotor, for which the overlap ratio b is equal to 1/6 (with no shaft
between the paddles).
This configuration should allow the best power coefficient to be obtained, but
if we had considered only the starting torque, we should have seen that for few
directions of the wind velocity, this starting torque would be so low that the rotor
could not start alone. It is the reason why many authors have chosen to use a
double-step Savonius rotor, where the upper and the lower paddles pairs are set at
v
90 to each other. In any case, the double-step rotor is said to be lightly superior to
the corresponding single-step turbine (conventional Savonius rotor) in both torque
and power characteristics [15].
In order to estimate the advantage of such a solution, we have represented in
Fig. 5 the expected starting torque for a single-step turbine (conventional Savonius

Fig. 4. Expected aerodynamic performances for an optimum Savonius rotor [16].

1850 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862

Fig. 5. Expected starting torque for the present prototype.

rotor) and for a double-step rotor. Experimental data extracted from reference [16]
have been used for this representation.
Note that the starting torque coefficient of the double-step rotor is never nega-
tive, whatever the direction of the wind, and never around the value zero. Then,
after each period without wind, the starting of the rotor will be facilitated. A good
angular stability of the dynamic torque during the running of the rotor is also
expected.
A similar calculation made for a triple-step rotor would have shown us that
either the starting torque or the dynamic torque should have been relatively con-
stant whatever the angle of the wind. Nevertheless, the building of such a rotor is
rather more difficult; besides, our aim was to conceptualise the whole electromech-
anical system: the number of steps was not the main criterion for this design study,
so that we have confirmed the choice of a double-step rotor.
Another possibility, to solve the problem of the ‘‘pulsing’’ torque while the rotor
v
is running, should be to use a three-paddled rotor (three blades at 120 each to
the other arranged on the rotor). But as seen above, many authors note that this
solution leads to lower performances, so we have preferred to optimise the classical
Savonius rotor [15].

3. Design procedure for the present prototype of Savonius rotor

All the results described in Section 2 have been taken into account for the
present prototype which is destined to produce electricity.
 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862 1851

3.1. Choice of the material for the paddles and the end-plates

The choice of the material was obviously crucial. Different criteria were con-
sidered for this choice: low price, building easiness, low weight, good resistance to
outside elements (humidity, temperature variation, etc.), good rigidity, ‘‘recyclable’’
power. Instead of metals, we decided to use plastic. Table 1 represents the decisio-
nal matrix leading to the final choice, using six criteria (A: price; B: rigidity; C:
weight; D: outside conditions; E: temperature sensitivity; F: assembly easiness) to
choose among seven different plastics. Using this classical method in Engineering
Conception, we have attributed a number between 0 and 5 to each cell of the table,
bound to the influence of the corresponding (0: very bad behaviour; 5: very high
behaviour). We can see that the PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is clearly the best plastic,
referring to the previous criteria.
3.2. Choice of the geometry (Fig. 6)

We have seen in Section 2 what should be the optimum geometry of a Savonius

rotor, leading to the expected performances of Fig. 4.
To improve the total rigidity of the rotor, we have chosen to use a central shaft
for the rotor (diameter a), and the dimensions of the prototype have been adapted
to take this fact into account. In particular, we must choose an appropriate value
for the overlap ratio b. Now the definition given in Eq. (5) has been changed to
take into account the influence of the shaft; then we use the following expression
for b (Fig. 6a):
ra  a
b ¼ ; ð6Þ
di

where ra is the overlap. Let us notice than Eq. (6) leads to the expression given in
Eq. (5) when a ¼ 0, i.e. when there is no shaft inside the rotor.

Table 1
Decisional matrix for the choice of the material

A B C D E F Total
PEHD 4 4 5 2 5 0 20
PP 4 3 5 2 4 0 18
PVC 5 5 2 4 4 5 25
PMMA 2 4 3 3 5 3 20
PSC 4 3 4 2 1 2 16
ABS 2 3 4 2 0 2 13
AS 2 3 4 3 0 1 13
Criteria: A: price; B: rigidity; C: weight; D: outside conditions; E: temperature sensitivity; F: assembly
easiness.
Choice: 1: very bad; 2: medium; 3: good; 4: very good; 5: perfect.
Material: PEHD: polyethylene high density; PP: polypropylene; PVC: polyvinyl chloride; PMMA: plex-
iglas; PSC: shock polystyrene; ABS: acrylonitril butadene styrene; AS: acrylonitril styrene.
1852 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862

Fig. 6. Scheme of the present prototype.

We have seen in Section 2 that the best efficiency of a Savonius rotor is obtained
for values of the overlap ratio b between 20 and 30%. Martin [8] and Le Gourières
[16] attribute to b the value 1/6, i.e. the stream-surface of the flow going out of the
rotor after having made it turn is five times larger than the one coming ‘‘inside’’
the rotor (between the two paddles). Even if the behaviour of the flow is not the
same if a shaft is present between the two paddles, we have chosen to respect this
criterion for the present prototype, so that the overlap ratio b of Eq. (6) has been
fixed to the following value: 0.207, for a diameter of the shaft: a ¼ 14 mm (see
Section 3.3).
The double-step rotor was ended with two circular PVC plates
(thickness ¼ 5 mm), and another plate was used for the separation between the two
steps (thickness ¼ 5 mm). Finally, PVC half-ducts (thickness ep ¼ 2:5 mm; nominal

Table 2
Building data for the prototype, and expected nominal characteristics

Total height of the rotor H 1015 mm

Nominal diameter of the paddles di 245 mm
Diameter of the shaft a 14 mm
Diameter of the rotor D 445 mm
Overlap ratio b 0.207
Swept area of the rotor A 0.450 m2
Nominal velocity of the wind V 10 m/s
Expected mechanical power at 10 m/s P10 81 W
Expected rotational speed at 10 m/s N10 386 rpm
Expected mechanical torque at 10 m/s M10 2 Nm
 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862 1853

diameter d ¼ di ¼ 245 mm; height ¼ 50 cm), have been used for the paddles. The
total height H of the prototype is then around 1015 mm, so that the global aspect
ratio a is equal to 4.14. The final drawing of this rotor is shown on Fig. 6b.
The prototype was designed for a nominal wind velocity, which is an essential
datum for the choice of the generator. In the present study, we have chosen a value
of 10 m/s for this quantity. This value is often used for the design of low power
wind turbines which are proposed to the sale. Few experimental studies have been
made at this velocity [20,21]. In the following, Q10 represents the value of the quan-
tity Q (for example the mechanical power) considered at the nominal velocity
V ¼ 10 m=s. The knowledge of this nominal velocity and the use of the data
drawn in Fig. 4 permit the calculation of the expected characteristics of the present
prototype. The present design could be easily made for another wind velocity, the
value of which would lead to another choice for the generator (see Section 3.4).
Table 2 presents the main geometrical data for the present prototype, and the
corresponding expected characteristics [22].
3.3. Calculation of the shaft and the bearings

It is possible to estimate the compressive stresses on the shaft of the rotor, due
to the axial loading, using for example the empirical Johnson Eq. [23], and to
choose the diameter which ensures a safe load: a ¼ 14 mm. This shaft, which has
been made by machining a steel bar, is completely described in reference [22]. Note
that it must set the bearings.
The complete calculation of the bearings can be found in reference [22]. This cal-
culation has been made on the following bases:

. the bearings will be exposed to dust and humidity because they are obviously
destined to be used outside;
. they must run continuously for a few thousands hours;
. they must support mechanical stresses due to the weight of the rotor, the cen-
trifugal forces, and the drag of the rotor (especially in case of drastic wind velo-
city distributions).

The first two criteria have led us to choose ball bearings SKF S6203-2RS. The
third one has permitted us to fix the length l between the two bearings along the
shaft of the rotor: l ¼ 50 cm [22]. With this value of l, the life of the bearings
should be equal to 120,000 hours, i.e. more than ten years under normal work con-
ditions.
3.4. Choice of the generator

The transformation of the mechanical torque into electrical energy was the
main aim for the prototype, especially because of the slow-running concept of the
Savonius rotors. Many solutions have been considered to solve this problem, and it
was decided to use a conventional car-alternator, the electrical power of which
should be around 80 W (Table 2).
1854 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862

Car-alternators have in fact many advantages, mainly their low price and high
reliability. However, they run and correctly produce electricity at high rotational
speeds (much more than 1000 rpm) whereas the expected nominal angular velocity
of the prototype is around 400 rpm (Table 2).
A solution would have been to increase the rotational speed of the rotor, for
example by the use of a step-up gear. This solution is rather complicated and is
said to have a poor efficiency; thus, this mechanical system should have made it
difficult to start the rotor after each ‘‘low wind’’ period.
It is the reason why we have preferred to rewind a conventional car-alternator,
using a classical method in electric engineering.
Another alternative is to use a dynamo with the new Chinese ceramic magnets,
but their price is known to be rather high for the moment.
The car-alternator which was used is a Ford A127 12V 55 A (Fig. 7), and was
modified as follows: the standard copper wire diameter, which was initially equal
to 1.25 mm, was divided by two, whereas the number of armature slots were raised
from 11 to 44. The main electrical characteristics of this generator after the rewind-
ing are plotted in Fig. 8. They were obtained by testing the alternator for three
angular velocities (200, 300 and 800 rpm) while charging a classical 12 V battery.

Fig. 7. The modified car-alternator under the prototype.

 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862 1855

Fig. 8. Electrical behaviour of the modified alternator.

3.5. The shaft coupling

To assemble correctly the shaft of the rotor and the shaft of the modified alter-
nator, we chose to use a flexible coupling, type JFLEX S50 VKR (for more infor-
mation see Ref. [22]). This kind of coupling has a good efficiency when
transmitting the mechanical torque; thus it compensates alignment errors of the
two shafts; Finally, it can dissipate efficiently the mechanical vibrations. It can be
seen in Fig. 7 the present coupling installed between the shafts of the rotor and the
shaft of the generator.

3.6. The chassis

The chassis on which the whole rotor was implanted has not been completely
designed [22]. Particularly, it must support mechanical stresses and assure a com-
plete stability to the rotor. For our study, we have just build a ‘‘minimalist’’ chassis
in order to make some experimental measurements in real wind conditions.

3.7. The storage of electric power (batteries)

For our prototype, we should have used stationary or semi-stationary batteries,

which are ‘‘slow discharge batteries’’, because this type of accumulator permits fre-
quent charges and discharges: it is consequently adapted to ‘‘wind electricity’’.
However their price is twice that of a conventional battery, usually called ‘‘starting
battery’’ (car industry). As our prototype is destined to be first tested during a
‘‘short’’ period, we have chosen this last kind of battery. However, our system is
dimensioned for every kind of 12 V battery.
Note that the choice of the diameter of the wire used to connect the modified
alternator to the present battery must be high enough to accept rather high electric
currents in them.
1856 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862

3.8. The present prototype

The methodology described previously has lead us to different choices which are
regrouped in Table 3.
It is easy to predict the expected performances of the prototype for the present
design. The methodology of such a prediction, which should be used in all design
procedures follows; the corresponding results are regrouped in Table 4.
As seen previously, the power curve of a Savonius rotor (Fig. 1 or Fig. 4) can be
represented by an analytical equation Cp ¼ f ðkÞ, where Cp is the power coefficient
and k the speed ratio. The function f is supposed to be known. For example, if f is
approximated by a parabola (Fig. 4), in the present case we can write:
Cp ¼ f ðkÞ ¼ 0:3656
ðxR=V Þ2 þ 0:6505
ðxR=V ÞÞ; ð7Þ
and then, because of Eq. (1), the expected delivered power should be:
1
PSavonius: ¼ f ðkÞ
q A V3 ¼ ð0:3656
ðxR=V Þ2 þ 0:6505
ðxR=V ÞÞ
2
1

qAV 3 : ð8Þ
2
The electrical behaviour of the alternator (Fig. 8) can also be approximated with
a parabola, so that we can write in the present case:
Igenerator ðAÞ ¼ 0:0024x2 þ 0:4138x  7:6; ð9Þ
where Igenerator is the current delivered by the alternator under a voltage of 12 V
and where x must not exceed 83.78 rad/s (800 rpm).
Eqs. (7) and (8), which give an approximate analytic function of the power coef-
ficient and the delivered current respectively, are supposed to fit the data given
in Figs. 4 and 8. A better fitting (i.e. with a better correlation) is possible but is not
necessary: first, the power coefficient as much as the delivered current come from

Table 3
Different choices made for the present prototype
Theme Description Choice

Material for the paddles and the end plates Item 3.1 and Table 1 PVC
H ¼ 1015 mm;
Main building data Item 3.1 and Table 2
D ¼ 445 mm
Nominal velocity Item 3.2 V ¼ 10 m=s
Shaft Item 3.3 a ¼ 14 mm
Bearings Item 3.3 SKF S6203-2RS
Item 3.4 Ford A127(12 V,
Generator
Fig. 8 55A) rewound
Shaft coupling Item 3.5 JFLEX S50 VKR
Chassis Item 3.6 See Ref. [22]
Storage of electric power Item 3.7 Starting battery
Item 3.8
Performances of the prototype See Fig. 9
Table 4
 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862 1857

Table 4
Prediction of the behaviour of the present prototype

Starting velocity 3 m/s

Velocity for the maximum production 13 m/s
Mean efficiency between 5 and 10 m/s
29 %
(neglecting mechanical and electrical losses)
Range of the angular speed (rpm) 200–800
Nominal power (at 10 m/s) 81 W
Maximal delivered power 120 W

experimental data which already give an approximation of the aerodynamic or

electrical behaviour (in particular, it is known that the power coefficient is also a
function of the Reynolds number); secondly, it would make the modelling more
complicated, which is not recommended for a design study.
Under these assumptions, the expected delivered power is a function of the rota-
tional speed x:
Pgenerator ðW Þ ¼ 0:0288x2 þ 4:9656x  91:2: ð10Þ
Obviously we have:
PSavonius ¼ gPgenerator ; ð11Þ
where g is the product of the mechanical efficiency of the shaft coupling (which is
supposed to be known) and of the electrical efficiency of the alternator (which is a
function of the rotational speed x).
Neglecting all the mechanical and electrical losses, in order to simplify the prob-
lem, let us write that:
PSavonius: ¼ Pgenerator ; ð12Þ
i.e. the global efficiency of the installation is equal to 1.0 .
Eqs. (8) and (12) lead to the following equation:
ð4:8869:103 :V  0:0288Þx2 þ ð3:9086:102 :V 2 þ 4:9656Þx  91:2 ¼ 0; ð13Þ
the solution of which can be written as follows:

pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
0:039086 V2  4:9656 þ ð4:9656  0:039086 V2 Þ2 þ 364:8ð0:0048869 V  0:0288Þ
x¼ :
2ð0:0048869 V  0:0288 Þ
ð14Þ
Including the angular velocity x given in Eq. (14) either in Eq. (8) or in Eq. (10),
we find the expected performances of the present prototype (Fig. 9). Obviously, the
maximum power is obtained at the nominal velocity V ¼ 10 m=s, and corresponds
to the maximal value of the power coefficient represented in Fig. 4, because we
have supposed g ¼ 1, but the present procedure can be made for another value of
g. In any way, the present results are qualitatively acceptable.
1858 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862

Fig. 9. Expected performances of the present prototype. (a) Expected delivered power; (b) expected rota-
tional speed; (c) expected efficiency.

The main conclusion that can be made is that the maximum delivered power is
obtained for a wind velocity (13 m/s) which is higher than the velocity used for the
initial design (10 m/s). This is due to the fact that the rewinding of the alternator
has led to a nominal rotational speed of 386 rpm (Table 2), which gives the expec-
ted delivered power of 81 W at a wind velocity of 10 m/s (nominal value). Never-
theless, the power given by the alternator grows up for higher rotational speeds
(Fig. 8): then it reaches a maximum at a velocity of about 13 m/s (Fig. 9a) while
the rotational speed grows with the wind velocity (Fig. 9b).
The result is here an efficiency which is relatively constant between V ¼ 5 m=s
and V ¼ 10 m=s. Note that this calculation is done under the hypothesis of
neglecting mechanical and electrical losses, i.e. g is constant (equal to 1.0) in the
studied range of wind velocities.
 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862 1859

We can see that the choice of the nominal velocity value is crucial: for example,
for a nominal wind velocity value of 10 m/s, the present prototype should not pro-
duce enough energy under wind velocity values of about 5 m/s. Then, we can see
that this choice must be made carefully, and should be adapted to the place where
the wind turbine is supposed to run, using a wind map of the region.
Fig. 10 illustrates the present prototype completely built and assembled. This
prototype is to be tested in situ. The wind velocity will be measured, simultaneously
with the rotational speed of the rotor and the charge current in the battery, in order
to obtain the values of the instantaneous electrical power. After that, the rotor
will be tested during a longer period, and we will measure, not only the delivered
electrical power, but the total electrical energy, whatever the wind (productivity).

Fig. 10. The present prototype.

1860 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862

The first results are only qualitative, but they seem to confirm all that has been
written previously: the Savonius rotors should produce at least as much energy as
conventional wind machines. However, some vibrations appeared during the first
tests, because of an insufficient rigidity of the rotor; this problem should be solved
by using an external chassis around the rotor.
Moreover, a rapid calculation enabled us to estimate the cost of such a wind tur-
bine in a supposed series fabrication: it should be less than 350 4 ($350), which is
about four times lower than the sales price of equivalent conventional wind
machines: the Savonius rotors are very simple and of low price, so that they can be
said to be low technical machines, whereas they are of rather high productivity.

4. Recommendations on installation

This paper only deals with a design study. However, the present prototype is to
be tested in situ, not only to verify its energetic performances, but also to point out
different problems which could appear during a normal and long use.
Note that the nominal velocity V ¼ 10 m=s has been chosen to compare the per-
formances of the present prototype with the ones given in the literature (see Ref.
[20,21] for example). Many distributors usually give the performances of small
wind machines at this nominal velocity, probably because this can then put for-
ward a much larger delivered power. Obviously, the mean wind velocity in numer-
ous sites is lower than 10 m/s.
Nevertheless, if the site where the described wind machine is to be installed has a
different mean wind velocity, another nominal velocity must be chosen, and the
design of the wind machine will be made following the procedure described in
Section 3.8.
Do not forget that the chassis described in this study is a ‘‘minimalist’’ one,
which will not be sufficient in most cases. However, it is easy to design another
chassis. The real problem is not the chassis itself but the fixation on the ground,
which must be made carefully: reinforced concrete at every foot of the chassis
should be sufficient. Even if the estimated values of the global thrust, for example,
can be easily found in the literature (Ref. [16] for example), we propose to design
this chassis and its fixation with the hypothesis that the wind induces a drag which
will always be inferior to the one induced on a fixed cylinder or a flat plane.
Another possibility is to set the wind machine on the top of a house or a build-
ing, for example. In these cases, the chassis is not really a problem because the
wind machine will be installed near the local ground level, and the fixation is sim-
plified. Besides, even if there is a separation zone just above the top of a building,
the wind velocity should be higher than the one at a lower height.
Concerning the generation of electricity, do not forget that the intensity of the
current will be rather high because the power is generated in a ‘‘low voltage bat-
tery’’. Then, the electric cables must be thick enough to avoid electrical losses due
to the Joule–Thomson effect. It is also possible to use a 24 V battery for example,
instead of a 12 V one.
 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862 1861

In all cases, the installer will be careful with the security, either because of the
electrical system or the mechanical one. Paddles in movement near the local
ground should be a problem: the recommendation is to put around the rotor a
cylindrical grid, or to install the machine at a position where nobody can go,
excepted authorised personal (for example for maintenance operations).
Obviously, the electric cables and the generator must be protected against water
projections: it is easy to install hermetic walls around these elements, which should
be situated just under the rotor.
For developing countries, such an installation is rather practical. First it repre-
sents an interesting solution to produce electricity from wind in places where this
electricity is usually delivered by a generator set. Besides there is the possibility of
creating a global service of electricity distribution, using batteries that people can
take or buy there: this service which could be animated by only one person who
could be in the same time responsible for the maintenance on the rotor. In that
case, one must pay attention to collect run-down batteries [23].

5. Conclusion

Our work, carried out with the help of the French Agency of Innovation
(ANVAR), was to design and to build a prototype of a Savonius rotor.
The prototype has been built, and the whole electromechanical system has been
dimensioned, so that it has been possible to predict its expected performances. An
optimum configuration has been chosen for the geometry of the present prototype.
Then the building data have been calculated on the basis of the nominal wind velo-
city V ¼ 10 m=s. A particular care was necessary to choose the appropriate gener-
ator, which is finally a rewound conventional car alternator.
This prototype should be tested in a wind tunnel to verify the design perfor-
mances; after that, experiments will be realised in situ.
It is clear that this kind of rotor is cheaper to build than a conventional horizon-
tal axis wind machine (airscrew). Besides, it should produce enough electricity to
charge a conventional ‘‘starting battery’’.
In other words, a Savonius rotor coupled with a modified car-alternator is a
wind machine of low technicality (implying low production costs, especially in case
of industrial scale manufacture), and of high productivity (considering not only the
delivered power, but the whole produced energy during a given period of use).
Thus it is particularly adapted to local production of electricity, such as in sailing
applications, to generate electricity on a sailboat.

Acknowledgements

The author thanks the French Agency of Innovation (ANVAR) for its financial
help, and also Dr. Christophe Delebarre (who was the Vice-President in charge of
the Research at the Valenciennes, during the period of this work) who permits us
1862 J.-L. Menet / Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 1843–1862

to develop this project. Finally, I am grateful to the few students who have partici-
pated to this study (especially Mr. Jolly) and to Mr. René Cavel who has helped
me for the present English version of this text.

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