Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Energy Conversion and Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/enconman

A review of the optimization studies for Savonius turbine considering

hydrokinetic applications
Nauman Riyaz Maldar a, Cheng Yee Ng a, *, Elif Oguz b, c
a
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak 32610, Malaysia
b
Hydraulics Laboratory, Civil Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, 06800, Turkey
c
Center For Wind Energy Research (METUWIND), Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: The trend of utilizing renewable energy sources is witnessing a brisk growth around the world. Among the
Hydrokinetic energy various sources of renewable energy, hydropower is considered the most favorable due to its high potential and
Vertical axis turbine distinct advantages such as predictability, high energy density etc. Moreover, to extract the hydrokinetic energy
Savonius
from flowing streams, different designs of hydrokinetic turbines have emerged which operate on a similar
Optimization
Turbine performance
principle as the wind turbines. The Savonius turbine is a drag-based device reported to have good starting
Efficiency characteristics, which makes it a fitting choice for hydrokinetic energy extraction, especially in low-velocity
flows. However, along the development, it was noted that somehow this turbine has a poor energy conversion
efficiency. To overcome this limitation, various design optimization strategies have been proposed. This paper
attempts to review the optimization studies of Savonius turbine regarding its probable applications in harnessing
hydrokinetic energy. The studies concerning each of the structural parameters influencing the turbine perfor­
mance are discussed thoroughly. There is hardly any review study available hitherto, which exclusively discusses
and summarizes the optimization studies conducted for Savonius design by solely considering water as the
operating medium. Hence, the data presented in this study will serve as a basis to understand the existing
research on Savonius turbine, thereby enabling researchers to fill the gaps in this area with reference to hy­
drokinetic applications.

1. Introduction 621 GW (24%) and 585 GW (23%), respectively. The remaining

With the growing industrialization and advancements in technology
over recent decades, there has been a consistently rising demand for
energy. The global electricity demand which stood at 13,152 TWh in the
year 2000 has shown a considerable surge of 75%, equivalent to 23,031
TWh by 2018 and is expected to grow another 58% by 2040 [1].
Although many countries across the globe are taking significant mea­
sures to turn towards renewable energy sources in order to meet the
power demands, it is still a challenging task to completely replace fossil
fuels with the renewable energy technology options at hand without
hampering the pace of socio-economic development. Nevertheless, the
total installed renewable energy capacity has shown a substantial in­
crease of more than 100% over the last decade from 1135 GW in 2009 to
2536 GW by the end of 2019 [2]. As shown in Fig. 1, hydropower
accounted for the largest share of global total with an installed capacity
of 1310 GW (51%) followed by wind and solar energy with capacities of
renewable energy sources were estimated at 104 GW (2%) which consist
of geothermal, biomass, and marine energy.
With water bodies constituting more than 75% of the earth’s surface,
hydropower is a considerably cleaner, predictable and reliable source as
compared to other energy sources [3]. Another important factor that
makes hydropower favorable is the equivalent CO2 emissions produced
during the operation of hydropower plants which is equal to 41 g CO2-
eq/KWh, analogous to the 90 g CO2-eq/KWh and 80 g CO2-eq/KWh
produced by the solar and wind energy, respectively [4]. Similarly, the
construction phase of hydropower plants results in relatively lower CO2
emissions compared to most of the other types of energy generation
facilities [5]. Furthermore, the development of large wind or solar farms
can have a substantial visual impact on the existing landscape and
dramatically transform its aesthetics, thereby resulting in opposition to
such projects by the local population [6]. These concerns are mitigated
for hydropower plants since they can be deployed offshore or installed

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: chengyee.ng@utp.edu.my (C.Y. Ng).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2020.113495
Received 20 July 2020; Received in revised form 29 September 2020; Accepted 30 September 2020
Available online 26 October 2020
0196-8904/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Fig. 1. Total Renewable generation capacity by energy source at the end of
2019 [2].
across running streams for multiple purposes such as flood control,
irrigation and water supply, in addition to generating power [7]. The
capacity factor for hydropower is also higher in contrast to wind and
solar energy systems. It implies that the hydropower plants will be
operational and generate power for a reasonably greater period of time
throughout the year [8]. A comparison of hydropower with other types
of energy sources including fossil fuels based on different factors that
influence the preference and development is presented in Table 1.
In general, there are two principle approaches for the extraction of
hydropower. The traditional large scale hydro technology relies on
harnessing the potential energy of water, which basically involves
construction of dams, barrages, or other water storage reservoirs across
the water bodies to create a hydraulic head difference [23]. The other
approach is termed as hydrokinetic technology. It is associated with
utilizing the kinetic energy of flowing water to drive the blades of a
turbine, hence converting it to mechanical energy and further into
electricity by means of transmission systems [24]. The hydrokinetic
turbines are simple, cost-effective, and have a minimal ecological impact
as they do not require any impoundments. For remote villages with
proximity to rivers or streams with low water heads, the hydrokinetic
turbines can be deemed more suitable in comparison with the traditional
hydropower plants [25]. Unlike other clean energy sources, necessity of
land for deployment of hydrokinetic power systems is rarely a hin­
drance. These distinguished advantages have sparked the research in­
terest of many countries to determine the potential areas for its
deployment and to carry out extensive research on hydrokinetic tur­
bines. The extractable hydrokinetic current resource is estimated to be
about 800 TWh/year throughout the world, with certain locations
having energy density up to 15 KW/m2 [26]. Hence, this resource has
the potential to contribute a major share for the world’s electricity
supply and demand. The only challenge associated with the future
development of this technology is the poor power conversion efficiency
exhibited by the hydrokinetic turbines [27]. To overcome this challenge,
a number of studies involving the optimization of hydrokinetic turbines
have been conducted.
Several studies have reported Savonius type turbine to be an ideal
option for harnessing energy particularly from low velocity flows,
whereby other types of turbine may not be an economically feasible
option. Nevertheless, there still exists considerable scope for the overall
performance improvement of this device. Many researchers have pro­
posed differing geometrical modifications to the conventional design to
optimize its efficiency. Review studies carried out by Salleh et al. [4],
Kumar and Saini [28], Doso and Gao [29], Roya and Saha [30] etc. have
attempted to summarize the research studies reported for Savonius
turbine. However, it can be noted that the discussions presented in re­
view articles on Savonius turbine thus far do not explicitly focus on a
particular area of application among wind or hydrokinetic energy. The
discussions rather provide a general overview of the research trends for
the turbine. Nonetheless, given the discrepancies between the flow
physics for wind and water, it is important to establish a performance
benchmark for each of these applications separately. Hence, this paper
aims to review and discuss the various investigations and optimization
studies undertaken for Savonius turbine, considering the associated
parameters solely for hydrokinetic energy. The information presented in
the paper will help to provide a clearer understanding of the existing
research background for the Savonius turbine, thus further enabling
researchers to explore the scope and gaps with respect to hydrokinetic
applications.
2. Concepts of hydrokinetic turbines
Hydrokinetic energy conversion devices have multiple areas of
application including tidal currents, deep ocean currents, and river
currents. A number of hydrokinetic energy conversion technologies, e.g.
the gravitational vortex, oscillating hydrofoil, piezoelectric polymer etc.
have been introduced over the years [31]. However, the advancements
have been mostly carried out for the turbine technology with two main
configurations. These configurations differ on the basis of the turbine
axis orientation with respect to the incoming flow and are termed as-
axial-flow turbines and cross-flow turbines [32]. The broader classifi­
cation for both categories is given in Fig. 2.
All the categories consist of blades mounted on a support structure,
which is connected to a gearbox and generator system. The axial-flow
turbines consist of a rotor axis rotating parallel to the incoming water
flow. Meanwhile, the cross-flow turbines can be divided into two cate­
gories, i.e. the vertical axis and in-plane axis. The vertical axis turbines
have the rotor axis vertical to the water plane, whereas the rotor axis for
the in-plane turbine is on the horizontal plane of water surface. The
designs for different categories is illustrated in Fig. 3.
The choice of the turbine design depends on the flow conditions and

Table 1
Comparison of various energy sources.
Hydropower Onshore Wind Offshore wind Solar Biomass Geothermal Fossil
Fuels

Energy density [9,10] High Low Moderate Low Low Low Very high
Predictability in terms of power production High Low except in some Moderate Varying Varying High High
[11,12] sites
Capacity factor [13,14] 35%-50% 25%-35% 25%-45% 10%- 35%-55% 50%-70% 70%-90%
30%
CO2 emissions during operation (g-eq/KWh) 41 80 53 90 49 170 900–1200
[4,15–17]
CO2 emissions during construction (g-eq/KWh) 9.3 21.2 11.4 2.4 16.90 5.3 3.6
[5,18–20]
Visual Impact [6,7] Minimal Moderate Low to Moderate Moderate to Moderate to Very high
Moderate High High
Cost per Kilowatt hour (USD) [21,22] 3–7 ¢ 5–8 ¢ 12–14 ¢ 12–25 ¢ 8–12 ¢ 4–6 ¢ 5–9 ¢

2
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Fig. 2. Classification of Hydrokinetic turbines [33].

(a)
(b)

Fig. 3. (a) Axial-flow turbines (b) Cross-flow turbines [33].

power potential for the respective sites of deployment. Axial-flow tur­
bines operate on a similar mechanism as the propeller blades with
variable or fixed pitch blades and primarily rely on the generation of lift
force for its operation [34]. These devices are considered to be an
appropriate choice for sites having high-velocity flows (above 2 m/s)
and greater water depths (above 2000 m) [35]. In such conditions, the
axial-flow turbines are able to produce a higher starting torque with less
fluctuations, which eventually leads to achieving a higher efficiency
[36].
The cross-flow turbines, in particular the vertical axis, can start
generating power at moderate flow velocities but suffer from high
torque fluctuations. Hence, they are mostly considered for low-velocity
applications and shallow depths [37]. The in-plane axis turbines are
based on the concept of waterwheels and are mainly driven by the drag
force. This turbine is also known to have lesser efficiency compared to
their vertical axis counterparts. The straight-bladed Darrieus turbine is
the most commonly used design from the vertical axis category. It is a
lift-based device with airfoil blades introduced by George Darrieus, a
French Engineer in 1920 [38]. This device was further optimized by
Alexander Gorlov in 1995, who modified the turbine using helical blades
to overcome the drawbacks of low starting ability and high torque
fluctuations [39]. The Savonius turbine with semicircular blades, a drag

3
N.R. Maldar et al.
force driven turbine, was invented by Sigurd Johannes Savonius in 1922
[40]. It was initially designed for wind turbine applications and was
later considered for hydrokinetic energy extraction. From the available
discussions in the literature, a major advantage highlighted with the
cross-flow turbines is their ability to operate regardless of the flow di­
rection, without any need for complex yaw mechanisms, as in the case of
axial-flow turbines [41]. Moreover, the cross-flow turbines have a wider
applicability potential, since they do not face the constraints of lower
flow depths and can be installed across wider channels.
The first large scale offshore hydrokinetic turbine installed was an
axial device named Seaflow, with a capacity to generate 300 KW of
power [42]. It was designed with a rotor diameter of 11 m and installed
by Marine Current Turbine Ltd. in 2003 at Lynmouth Devon, England.
Following this, several hydro turbine projects like the SeaGen S (2008),
Open Hydro turbine (2008), Gorlov Helical turbine (2009), Hammerfest
Strom 1000 (2011), Atlantis AR1000 (2011), Alstom tidal turbine
(2013) etc., as shown in Fig. 4 have been undertaken, tested, and suc­
cessfully completed [43].
The axial-flow turbines do not have a wide variety of designs and are
mostly lift-based. On the other hand, the cross-flow turbines can have
either lift-based or drag-based blades. Both categories employ the same
working principle as wind turbines, where the blades are driven by
pressure difference caused by the fluid flow. Subsequently, it drives the
generator coupled with the gearbox units to generate electrical energy
[44]. Many studies have reported the superiority of axial-flow turbines
over the cross-flow concerning the energy conversion efficiency for large
scale applications. However, the former is known to exhibit consider­
ably low efficiency in case of slow-moving flows and is deemed uneco­
nomical for small scale applications [45].
In recent years, researchers have carried out comparative studies to
determine the most optimal configuration of hydrokinetic turbines
based on various aspects. According to Khan et al.[33], vertical axis
turbines like the Savonius and Darrieus can have multiple rotors stacked
side by side across the width of a low head river or stream to harness the
energy from the flow. This arrangement is not possible for axial turbines
(a)
(d)
Fig. 4. (a) SeaGen S turbine (b) Open Hydro turbine (c) Gorlov Helical turbine (d) Hammerfest Strom 1000 turbine (e) Atlantis AR 1000 turbine (d) Alstom tur­
bine [43,46].
Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495
with disc-type rotors as their efficient performance depends upon the
larger diameter of the blades. They also reported that vertical axis tur­
bines equipped with augmenting or channeling devices demonstrate
higher efficiency, thus making them a viable option for large scale ap­
plications. Another study was carried out by Li et al. [47] to investigate
the blade designs for different turbine configurations. The authors
concluded that even though vertical axis turbines have a simpler design,
yet they suffer to generate high starting torque. It eventually results in
no self-starting ability for the device. Rourke et al. [46] studied the
prospects for possible application of hydrokinetic turbines in Ireland. It
was reported that the majority of sites in Ireland experience flow ve­
locity of less than 2 m/s. These conditions are appropriate for the
installation of vertical axis cross-flow turbines. Guney [48] stated that
the transmission systems, generator, and gearbox for vertical axis cross-
flow turbines can be assembled above the water head level. Such
arrangement can better facilitate the installation and maintenance op­
erations. Similarly, Zhou et al. [49] reviewed the hydrokinetic turbines
currently installed and operating on a commercial scale. Based on their
study, it is noteworthy that the axial turbines are highly favored for large
scale Megawatt projects. Based to the various findings reported, a
comparison with respect to different aspects for both axial and cross-
flow turbines is given in Table 2.
The research and development for hydrokinetic energy is at its peak
mainly in the USA and European regions [50]. This is attributable to the
significant potential identified in these areas due to the presence of
adequately swift ocean and tidal currents. On the other hand, for regions
with low flow velocities and limited water head, vertical axis turbines
seem to be a feasible option. Hence, this category still offers ample room
for performance improvement and needs to be further explored.
3. Concept of Savonius turbine
3.1. Working mechanism and geometry
The Savonius vertical axis turbine was first designed and developed
(b) (c)
(e) (f)
4
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Table 2 Savonius turbine has a simple structural design and it is easy to

Comparison of axial and cross-flow turbines.
No. Aspects
1 Energy conversion
efficiency
2 High starting
torque
3 Manufacturing and
installation cost
4 Airfoil Blade
5 Diameter of blade
6 Turbine type
7 Flexibility to flow
direction
8 Debris control
9 Suitable
applications
10 Other
requirements
manufacture at low cost. Its semicircular shaped blades are simple to
Axial-Flow Cross-flow fabricate compared to the intricate airfoil profiles employed by its lift-
based counterparts like Darrieus turbine. Moreover, Savonius turbine
High Low
has also shown good starting characteristics, especially for lower wind
Yes No velocities [52–54]. These features make Savonius turbine a competent
and feasible option for small scale energy applications, particularly in
High Low case of remote communities with limited or no grid connection.
Yes Not obligatory
The operation of Savonius turbine mainly relies on using the fluid
High Low stagnation pressure acting on the concave side of advancing blade to
Circular disc type Cylindrical type facilitate rotation around a central shaft. The drag force exerted by the
No Yes flow generates a positive torque on the advancing blade. At the same
time, a negative torque is experienced by the convex surface of returning
Considerably affected Less affected
Deep ocean currents, and Mostly suitable for low blade. Since the drag coefficient for the concave surface is higher than
tidal currents. head applications like that for the convex profile, a higher drag force is experienced by the
Uneconomical for small river currents advancing blade. This overall difference in drag occurring on both the
scale surfaces results in a net positive torque, which facilitates the rotation of
Requires water sealed No such requirement as
transmission system transmission system can
turbine [55]. Apart from the drag force, contribution of lift force in the
be installed above overall torque generated by the Savonius blades at certain turbine angles
surface has also been reported [56].
The advantages of Savonius turbine include design simplicity, low
manufacturing cost, minimal operational noise and better starting
characteristics as compared to other types of turbine designs. However,
the drawbacks such as low operational efficiency, large cyclic torque
variations, and influence of negative torque on the overall performance
are the root causes for this design being overlooked with regards to the
commercial-scale applications. Despite having a simple design, the
performance of Savonius turbine is also affected by number of
geometrical parameters as shown in Fig. 6. Modifications in each of
these parameters to achieve a better performance has been the prime
focus of optimization studies conducted on this design over the past
years.

3.2. The key performance measurement parameters

The operating principle for hydrokinetic turbines is quite similar to

Fig. 5. Initial concept of Savonius turbine.
wind turbines. From large scale applications such as tidal currents,
ocean currents and deep marine currents, these turbines can also be
by a Finnish Engineer named Sigurd Johannes Savonius for wind energy
installed in irrigation canals, rivers, narrow streams, downstream of a
harvesting applications [51]. The design was inspired from the turbine
dam or reservoir etc. For any of the application, the theoretical power
of a Flettner ship and formed by splitting the cylindrical Flettner turbine
available (Pavail ) in Watts (W) for extraction from the flow can be ob­
in half. The two semicircular sections were then moved sideways and
tained by the equation [57]:
attached to a vertical shaft by maintaining a small overlap in between as
shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 6. Geometrical parameters for Savonius turbine.

5
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Fig. 7. Power density comparison for wind and hydrokinetic turbine. Fig. 8. Power curve for different turbine types [64].

1 using the equation [62]:

Pavail = × ρ × A × v3 (1)
2 Tmax − Tmin
where, ρ is the fluid density (kg/m3), A is the cross-sectional swept area
of the turbine blades (m2) and v is the incoming flow velocity for the
turbine (m/s). Eq. (1) indicates that the Pavail is proportional to the cube
of flow velocity and is particularly sensitive to the fluctuations in flow
velocity. Besides, the power in the flow is also influenced by fluid den­
sity, which in case of water is around 800 times higher in comparison
with air [58]. Henceforth, it signifies that for a given similar flow ve­
locity of water and air, the hydrokinetic turbine will generate consid­
erably higher power compared to wind turbine. For instance, the power
density (W/m2) for a hydrokinetic turbine in a stream velocity of 1.5 m/s
will be equivalent to that of wind turbine operating in 14 m/s flow ve­
locity as shown in Fig. 7.
The mechanical power (P) captured by a hydrokinetic turbine is
given by the equation [59]:
P=T ×ω (2)
where T represents the torque generated by the turbine (Nm), and ω
gives the angular velocity for the turbine (rad/s).
The torque generated is another crucial parameter since it is directly
related to the power generated by of the turbine. The static torque pri­
marily represents the net torque generated at static condition. It is also
an important factor influencing the self-starting ability of a turbine. The
dynamic torque is the torque produced at the rotating condition and is
mainly responsible for the power converting capability of the turbine.
The static torque coefficient (Cts) and the dynamic torque coefficient (Ct)
are given by equations [60]:
Ts
Cts = (3)
0.5 × ρ × A × v2 × r
γ= (5)
Tavg
where Tmax and Tmin are the maximum and minimum values of torque
generated, respectively, and Tavg is the average torque value over the
azimuthal cycle.
The coefficient of power (Cp ) is a ratio of the power extracted by the
turbine to the power available in the flow, which is given by [63]:
P
Cp = (6)
Pavail
For any given wind or hydrokinetic turbine, the maximum achiev­
able value of Cp shall not exceed 0.59. This value is referred to as the Betz
limit and is derived by a German physicist, Albert Betz [64]. The value
was originally derived in 1919 for wind turbines, based on the laws of
conservation of mass and momentum for a fluid stream flowing through
an actuator disk. It has also been considered to be very much applicable
for hydrokinetic turbines. In general, the most efficient hydrokinetic
turbine designs may reach up to a maximum Cp of 75% to 90% of the
Betz limit, due to the mechanical losses occurring in the transmission
systems. However, the Betz limit is only applicable to turbines operating
in unconstrained flow. Many studies employing duct or channeling de­
vices around the blades have reported for Cp values exceeding 0.59. The
ducts increase the mass flux flowing through the turbine located in the
constricted region, eventually resulting in acceleration of the flow and
effectively increasing Cp value over the Betz limit.
Also, the Cp value of a hydrokinetic turbine depends on its tip-speed
ratio (TSR). The tip-speed ratio of a hydrokinetic turbine is the ratio of
its tangential velocity to the incoming velocity of free stream flow and is
given by [63]:

T
Ct = (4)
0.5 × ρ × A × v2 × r
In both the Eqs. (3) and (4), the whole term in the denominator
represents the total torque available in the flow where Ts and T are the
static and dynamic torque generated by the hydrokinetic turbine (Nm),
respectively, and r is the turbine radius. The vertical axis cross-flow
turbines mainly suffer from low starting torque, which eventually af­
fects the dynamic torque. To overcome this limitation, a blade design
that can generate higher starting torque to maximize power production
is commonly emphasized in most optimization studies. Besides,
emphasis is also given to the harmonic fluctuations of torque experi­
enced by the turbine over every azimuthal rotation. Large fluctuations in
torque create high vibrations in the turbine structure, subsequently
affecting the longevity of turbine lifespan [61]. A measure of the
magnitude of torque fluctuations is performed using a dimensionless
parameter termed as torque ripple factor (ϒ), which can be calculated
Fig. 9. Power output schematic for a turbine.

6
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

TSR =
ω×r
(7) turbines maintain the maximum Cp value for a relatively wider TSR
v range than the drag-based turbines. Thus, the power curve plays a
The TSR provides an operating range for different types of turbines as pivotal role in determining the ideal type of turbine that suits the
shown in Fig. 8. For any given turbine configuration, the value of Cp rises probable area of application depending upon the flow conditions.
until a certain value of TSR where the Cp reaches its maximum and later Fig. 9 shows the power output schematic for a typical hydrokinetic
declines with the further increment in TSR. Such trend occurs because turbine. The cut-in speed is the flow velocity at which the turbine blades
each type of turbine has a rated angular speed, at which it provides start rotating, and a fraction of power is generated. For turbines with low
maximum performance. Nevertheless, the turbine rated performance self-starting ability, the generators can be utilized as a motor at this
also relies on its cross-sectional swept area and number of blades. From point to overcome the water flow inertia and help start turning the
the power curves for different types of turbine shown in Fig. 8, it can be blades until the free stream velocity reaches the rated speed. At the rated
observed that the operating TSR range is higher (4 to 7) for turbines such speed, the turbine operates at its maximum efficiency and generates an
as Darrieus or the axial propeller type, whereas the Savonius turbine optimal amount of power. Finally, the turbine is braked at the cut-out
operates at a lower range (0 to 2). This demonstrates the fact that drag- speed and is shut down in order to prevent over-speeding of blades
based devices have a lower TSR range of operation, as compared to the and avoid any other structural damages [65].
lift-based ones. Another notable observation is that the lift-based
4. Research history of Savonius wind turbine and optimization
studies
Table 3
Maximum Cp and optimum TSR values obtained for conventional Savonius wind Sir Savonius initially investigated a total of 30 different designs in a
turbine design.
wind tunnel and open wind conditions separately to determine the most
No Authors Year Method Maximum Optimum optimum geometry with highest efficiency. The most optimal amongst
Cp TSR his models achieved an efficiency of 32% in the wind tunnel tests and
1 Simonds and Bodek 1964 Experimental 0.140 0.73 37% in the open wind condition [40]. The Savonius turbine was further
[70] investigated by Bach in 1931, incorporating the turbine blades with zero
2 Newman [68] 1974 Experimental 0.300 0.82
overlapping to form an ‘S’ shape. The results recorded a highest effi­
3 Sheldahl et al. [71] 1977 Experimental 0.256 0.90
4 Alexander and 1978 Experimental 0.150 0.60 ciency of 24% [66]. Later, studies were carried out by MacPherson in
Holownia [72] 1972 in a low head channel [67] and Newman in 1974 by varying the
5 Baird and Pender 1980 Experimental 0.185 0.78 overlap distance [68]. These studies reported maximum efficiency
[73] values of 33% and 20%, respectively. Modi et al. in 1984 investigated
6 Bergeles and 1982 Experimental 0.128 0.70
Athanassiadis [74]
the use of Savonius turbine for utilizing wind energy to drive irrigation
7 Sivasegaram and 1983 Experimental 0.200 0.75 systems, whereby the turbine exhibited a maximum efficiency of 22%
Sivapalan [75] [69]. The use of Savonius turbine was also reported for water pumping
8 Bowden and 1984 Experimental 0.150 0.72 operations in remote locations by Simonds and Bodek [70].
McAleese [76]
Over the years, many researchers have investigated the performance
9 Huda et al. [77] 1992 Experimental 0.170 0.71
10 Fujisawa and Gotoh 1994 Experimental 0.170 0.90 of conventional Savonius design using experimental and numerical
[78] methods such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). These studies
11 Rabah and Osawa 1995 Experimental 0.240 0.62 have been conducted for different areas of application with varying flow
[79] conditions. As shown in Table 3, majority of the researchers have ob­
12 Saha and Rajkumar 2006 Experimental 0.210 0.65
[80]
tained maximum Cp value ranging from 0.15 to 0.30 for an optimum TSR
13 Saha et al. [81] 2008 Experimental 0.180 0.75 range of 0.6–0.9.
14 Kamoji et al. [82] 2009 Experimental 0.180 0.80 Extensive numerical and experimental studies concerning the
15 D’Alessandro et al. 2010 Experimental 0.240 0.85 different geometrical parameters of conventional design have been
[83]
carried out to optimize its performance. For example, the investigation
16 Dobrev and 2011 Experimental 0.180 0.80
Massouh [84] of aspect ratio involves determining the changes in overall performance
17 Torresi et al. [85] 2013 Experimental 0.210 0.90 with the variations in the turbine height and diameter [98]. Similarly,
18 Banerjee et al. [86] 2014 Numerical 0.280 0.80 the ideal overlap ratio and gap ratio control the flow of fluid from the
(CFD) advancing blade to the concave surface of returning blade, which re­
19 Mao and Tian [87] 2015 Numerical 0.267 1.00
(CFD)
duces the negative torque production and improves the turbine perfor­
20 Shaheen et al. [88] 2015 Numerical 0.230 1.00 mance [99]. In addition to the optimization of geometrical parameters,
(CFD) structural modifications such as multi-stacking of rotors, alterations in
21 Kim and Choeng 2016 Numerical 0.230 0.80 the blade profile, variations in the number of blades, and use of deflector
[89] (CFD)
and augmenting plates, as shown in Fig. 10, have also been explored to
22 Alom et al. [90] 2016 Numerical 0.250 0.77
(CFD) enhance the overall turbine performance.
23 Al-Faruk & 2017 Numerical 0.206 0.66 The use of end plates on either side of the blades was noticed to
Sharifian [91] (CFD) restrain the fluid from flowing sideways after it hits the blades. This
24 Ferrari et al. [92] 2017 Numerical 0.202 0.80 results in an increased flow concentration on the concave surface and
(CFD)
25 Mercado- 2018 Experimental 0.252 0.72
generates greater positive torque due to higher resultant pressure [101].
Colmenero et al. Similarly, turbines stacked one over another with a 90◦ phase difference
[93] were found to reduce the large torque variations and improve the self-
26 Saeed et al. [94] 2019 Numerical 0.154 0.7 starting ability of the Savonius turbine. Most of the studies have re­
(CFD)
ported optimum performance for two-stage turbine [106].
27 Al-Ghriybah et al. 2019 Numerical 0.160 0.4
[95] (CFD) Likewise, the twisted and modified blades were observed to increase
28 Kumar et al. [96] 2020 Numerical 0.201 1 the overall torque generation compared to the conventional semicircular
(CFD) blades [107]. Similarly, a decrease in the magnitude of negative torque
29 Laws et al. [97] 2020 Numerical 0.250 0.9 produced on returning blades was observed, with the use of deflector
(CFD)
and augmentation plates at the upstream of the turbine [108]. The plates

7
N.R. Maldar et al.
(a)
(c)
(d)
Fig. 10. (a) Multi-stacking [100] (b) Alterations in blade profile [101,102] (c) Number of blades [103] (d) Use of deflector and augmentation plates [104,105].
shielded the returning blade from the incoming fluid flow, thus ampli­
fying the values for net torque generated. As a result, the efficiency of
the turbine was subsequently improved.
A brief history covering some of the optimization studies concerning
the geometrical parameters and structural modifications is provided in
Table 4.
5. Influence of operating medium on Savonius performance
As the use of Savonius turbine for harvesting wind energy has been
studied long before its hydrokinetic applications, numerous optimiza­
tion studies considering wind as the working medium are already
available. However, taking into account the discrepancies in flow
physics between the two fluids, i.e. wind and water, a difference in the
performances of Savonius turbine can be expected when it operates
distinctly in wind and water environment.
The principal difference between the two flows is that water flow is
governed by gravity, while wind flow is predominantly driven by
8
Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495
(b)
pressure differences [128]. In case of an open channel flow, a constant
hydrostatic pressure increment vertically is expected as we move
downwards, as shown in Fig. 11. The magnitude of pressure is equiva­
lent to the weight density of water at a particular point [129]. For a
turbine operating in a water stream, these pressure variations are
experienced along its height. As a result, each portion of the blade
operates under different hydrostatic pressure, which significantly affects
the flow pattern around the turbine. Also, unlike wind flow, water flow
has a defined free surface. Hence, if a turbine is operating in a relatively
low water depth, it can affect the free surface profile of the flow. This
will subsequently alter the overall flow depth and influence the velocity
variations around the turbine, ultimately affecting its performance
[130]. Nevertheless, the associated flow dynamics are also affected by
the high differences in viscosity and density of both fluids. Furthermore,
the wind flow direction has a relatively lower degree of predictability
and is subjected to change frequently. On the other hand, the respective
scenario for water flow is different, as most of the potential hydropower
sources are found to be unidirectional and highly predictable [131].
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Table 4
Optimization studies for Savonius wind turbine.
Optimization focus area

Aspect Author Method Turbine design Range of Aspect Remarks

ratio ratio studied

Alexander and Numerical 2-bladed helical turbine 1.2–4.8 Highest Cp obtained for aspect ratio of 4.8
Holownia [72] (CFD)
Zhao et al. [109] Experimental 2-bladed conventional semicircular 1–7 Highest Cp obtained for aspect ratio of 4.6
turbine
Mahmoud et al. Numerical 2-bladed conventional semicircular 0.5–5 Increase in Cp value was observed with the increase in
[110] (CFD) turbine aspect ratio
Kamoji et al. [111] Experimental 2-bladed single-stage semicircular turbine 0.6–1 Aspect ratio of 0.8 achieved highest value of Cp
Overlap Authors Method Turbine design Range of overlap Remarks
ratio ratio studied
Mahmoud et al. Experimental 2-bladed single-stage semicircular turbine 0.0–0.35 Turbine with zero overlap showed greatest
[110] performance
Fujisawa [112] Numerical 2-bladed helical turbine with 180◦ twist 0.0–0.50 Max value of Cp obtained at overlap ratio of 0.15
(CFD) angle
Roy and Saha Numerical 2-bladed single-stage semicircular turbine 0.0–0.30 Overlap ratio of 0.2 generates highest Cts
[113] (CFD)
Gupta et al. [114] Experimental 3-bladed turbine 0.0–0.20 Highest Cp obtained for 0.2 overlap ratio
Multi- Authors Method Turbine design Number of stages Remarks
stacking studied
Saha et al. [81] Experimental Two models; 2-bladed semicircular 1–3 stages Two-stage twisted blade turbine achieved the max Cp
turbine, 2 twisted blades semicircular value
turbine
Jian et al. [115] Experimental 2-bladed turbine 1–2 stages The values of Cts and Cp were higher for single-stage
turbine
Frikha et al. [116] Numerical 2-bladed turbine 1–5 stages Cp and Cts increases with the increase in number of
(CFD) stages
Kamoji et al. [117] Experimental 2-bladed semicircular turbine 1–3 stages Max Cp was achieved for single-stage turbine while the
three-stage turbine showed minimum torque variations

Blade profile Authors Method Turbine design Blade shape studied Remarks

Kamoji et al. [82] Experimental 2-bladed turbine with Helical shaped blades with 90◦ The helical bladed turbine without shaft
and without shaft twist exhibited better performance
Kang et al. [118] Numerical (CFD) 2-bladed turbine Spiral shaped blades with spiral Spiral shaped blades improved the torque
angle of 180◦ variations
Ghatage and Experimental 2 and 3-bladed turbine Twist angle range of 0 − 180◦ for Max Cp value reported for 2-bladed turbine
Joshi [119] 2-bladed and 0 − 60◦ for 3- with 30◦ twist angle
bladed
Kamoji et al. Experimental 2-bladed turbine Round and flat blade edges were Round edged blades showed better
[120] studied performance in terms of Cts
Number of blades Author Method Turbine design Number of Blades studied Remarks
Sheldahl et al. Experimental Single-stage turbine 2 and 3 2-bladed turbine achieved higher Cp
[71] with semicircular blades
Frederikus et al. Numerical (CFD) Single-stage turbine 2 to 4 4-bladed turbine performs better at low TSR
[121] with semicircular blades while the 3-bladed turbine is suitable for
higher TSR
Amiri et al. [122] Numerical (CFD) and Single-stage turbine 3, 4 and 6 3-bladed turbine shows better performance
Experimental with pivoted blades
Emmanuel and Experimental Single-stage turbine 2 and 6 6-bladed turbine achieved higher Cp
Jun [123]
The use of Author Method Turbine design Augmenting technique Remarks
augmenting
devices
Irabu and Roy Experimental 2 and 3-bladed turbine Use of guide box tunnel Max Cp values increased by 1.5 times for 3-
[124] bladed turbine and 1.23 times for 2-bladed
turbine
Ogawa et al. Experimental 2-bladed turbine Use of deflector plates The deflector plate at 30◦ upstream of the
[125] turbine increased the Cp by 27%
Shaughnessy et al. Experimental 2-bladed turbine Use of ‘V’ shaped deflector plate The Cp value increased by 20%
[126]
Altan and Atilgan Numerical (CFD) 2-bladed turbine Use of curtain plates Increase in the Cp value by 16%
[127]

Therefore, considering the above mentioned and other dissimilarities
for both the fluids, it is very crucial to carry out a benchmark study to
analyze the performance of Savonius turbine for wind and hydrokinetic
applications separately. Based on the desktop study performed by the
authors, only two studies by Sarma et al. [132] and Talukdar et al. [133]
were found that compared the performance differences for Savonius
wind turbine (SWT) and Savonius hydrokinetic turbine (SHT). Sarma
et al. investigated the performance of a 3-bladed Savonius turbine in
wind and water flow with the same input power values using three
different inlet velocities. The flow velocity values adopted for water
were 0.30 m/s, 0.65 m/s, and 0.90 m/s, while the wind inlet velocities
were 2.82 m/s, 6.13 m/s, and 8.46 m/s. These values were selected such
that the respective fluid velocities may provide an equivalent input
power value of 0.61 Watts, 6.2 Watts, and 16.45 Watts for both the
cases. Based on the findings, the maximum power extracted by SHT was
found to be 1.61 times higher than that by the SWT (Fig. 12). The au­
thors stated that the higher drag force exerted on SHT was a result of the
greater fluid density. Eventually, it also induced a higher torque on the

9
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

From the above-mentioned studies, a noteworthy difference is

evident in the performance of Savonius turbine and its surrounding flow
behavior when it is subjected for the two different applications of wind
and hydrokinetic energy. Hence, in order to establish a research back­
ground for SHT and facilitate a better understanding of the advance­
ments in its design, the optimization studies conducted solely for the
SHT are provided in the following section.

6. Optimization studies for Savonius hydrokinetic turbine (SHT)

The experimental and numerical studies for SHT involving alter­

Fig. 11. Turbine operating condition and surrounding flow behavior.
ations in the geometrical parameters, i.e. Aspect Ratio, Overlap Ratio,
Gap Ratio, and Number of blades are discussed. Similarly, the in­
vestigations regarding modifications in structural arrangement, i.e.
multi-stacking of turbines and use of deflectors or ducts are also
addressed in the subsequent sections.

6.1. Aspect ratio (AR)

The AR of a Savonius turbine is the ratio of turbine height to its

diameter. This parameter plays a crucial role in determining the varia­
tions in the turbine performance with respect to alterations in its di­
mensions. The application of Savonius turbine can be subjected to
different site conditions with varying water depths. In cases where the
height of turbine is constrained due to shallow water depths, the

Fig. 12. Maximum power extracted by the turbines for the respective input
power [132].

blades, resulting in a higher power generation by the SHT.

The authors further studied the flow physics around both the SWT
and SHT at 60◦ and 90◦ rotor angles. Large flow separations and circu­
lations at the tip of the advancing and returning blade were observed for
the SWT at 90◦ turbine angle as shown in Fig. 13. This led to the gen­
eration of greater negative thrust on the second returning blade, which
deteriorated the performance of SWT. The magnitude of flow separation
was comparatively lower for the case of SHT.
A similar study was performed by Talukdar et al., where they
compared the efficiency of a 2-bladed SWT with SHT for an equivalent
input power of 15.9 Watts. They concluded that the maximum Cp value
for SHT was equivalent to 0.29, which was 1.2 times higher relative to
the Cp value of 0.25 for SWT. Another notable observation made by
Talukdar et al. is that the SWT is able to operate over a slightly wider
range of TSR compared to the SHT. Fig. 14. Maximum Cp values for the overall range of AR [136].

(b)
(a)

Fig. 13. Velocity vectors at 90◦ turbine angle (a) SHT (b) SWT [132].

10
N.R. Maldar et al.
Table 5
Summary of the studies conducted for determining optimum AR.
No Author Method Turbine design
1 Mabrouki et al. [134] Experimental 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine
2 Payambarpour et al. CFD 2-bladed turbine with twisted blade angle varying from 50◦ to
[135] 80◦
3 Patel et al. [136] Experimental 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine with endplates
optimum AR can play a decisive role to determine the optimal diameter
required to maintain the maximum performance. The parameter of AR
for SHT has been studied very scarcely, and after an extensive search of
the literature, the authors could find only three studies performed.
Mabrouki et al. investigated the influence of blade height variations
on the performance of a SHT [134]. They experimentally studied two 2-
bladed semicircular turbine models with a similar diameter of 190 mm
but varying overall height. The AR values depending on the two
different heights of 100 mm and 200 mm can be calculated to be 0.53
and 1.06, respectively. Their findings indicated that the turbine with AR
of 0.53 achieved a maximum Cp value of 0.19 while the model with AR
of 1.06 achieved a significantly lower Cp value of 0.05. Therefore, the
authors concluded that the turbine with lower AR shows better
performance.
However, contradicting findings were revealed in the study by
Payambarpour et al. [135]. They tested an in-pipe modified Savonius
turbine using three different AR of 0.4, 0.7 and 0.9. According to their
results, increasing the AR resulted in an increased pressure drop across
the turbine. Henceforth, higher efficiency values were achieved
consistently with the increment in AR.
The conclusion was also supported by Patel et al. [136], who carried
out a comprehensive experimental analysis for a 2-bladed conventional
Savonius turbine over a wide range of AR from 0.21 to 4.44. From their
results shown in Fig. 14, it can be noted that the performance of the
turbine improved with the increase in AR. However, stagnation in the
maximum Cp value was noted after the AR value of 1.8. It was observed
that the magnitude of flow diversion after hitting the blades, is relatively
higher for the turbine with smaller AR. This eventually leads to a
decrease in the fraction of fluid mass flux hitting the blades, resulting in
loss of energy. The effect becomes less pronounced with the increase in
AR and is quite negligible after it reaches a certain AR value. In this case,
the optimum AR was found to be 1.8, owing that no influence on the
performance of turbine was observed with the further increase in AR.
A summary of the optimization studies discussed above, concerning
the optimal AR for SHT, is provided in Table 5.
6.2. Overlap ratio (OR) and gap ratio (GR)
Referring to Fig. 6, the OR and GR are quite inter-related as both
Fig. 15. Cp vs TSR for different overlap ratios [138].
11
Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495
Range of AR Optimum Cp value
studied value achieved
0.53 and 1.06 0.53 0.190
0.4, 0.8 and 0.9 0.90 0.103
0.21 to 4.44 1.80 0.200
parameters define the spacing between the blades at the turbine center
and create a passage for the fluid to flow from the concave face of
advancing blade to that of the returning blade. This action provides a
positive thrust to the returning blade to overcome the negative torque
thus improving the overall performance. However, determining the
optimum value for both these ratios is important, as a higher value may
result in excess gap and overlapping major portion of the advancing
blade. This may further obstruct the flow from generating a higher drag
force on the advancing blade, which will consequently reduce the per­
formance of turbine.
An experimental study was carried out by Yakoob et al. [137] to
identify the ideal OR value over a range of 0.1 to 0.3. The parameters
measured were torque and Cp. The turbine with OR of 0.21 showed the
best performance acquiring maximum values of 0.43 Nm and 0.135 for
the torque and Cp, respectively.
Yao et al. [138] numerically studied the effect of OR on the perfor­
mance of a 2-bladed conventional Savonius design. Three different OR
values of 0, 0.15, and 0.30 were adopted for the study. The highest Cp
value achieved was 0.228 for the OR of 0.15, whereas average Cp values
of 0.186 and 0.181 were reported for OR of 0 and 0.3, respectively. The
results shown in Fig. 15 clearly demonstrate that besides exhibiting the
most efficient performance, the turbine with 0.15 OR performed
significantly better over the entire range of TSR, in comparison with the
other two.
The performance of a horizontal-axis Savonius turbine with and
without overlap in a 3-inch diameter pipe was investigated by Hadi et al.
[139]. The OR studied were 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 for four different
discharge rates. Their study concluded that the turbine with OR of 0.3
recorded the highest value of Cp, thus generating maximum power for all
the discharge rates. Another notable observation from their study was
that the turbine with no overlap performed better than the OR values of
0.1, 0.2 and 0.4.
A CFD analysis on a two-stage Savonius turbine with a 90◦ phase
difference was carried out by Yakoob et al. [140] to determine the op­
timum OR. The values of OR in the range of 0.2 to 0.6 were studied as
shown in Fig. 16. The parameter of torque was measured in flow velocity
of 0.169 m/s. The highest torque value was generated for the 0.21 OR.
With the further increase in OR, the performance of turbine was found to
deteriorate consistently.
Another comparison between the performance of a conventional
design without overlap and a design with an OR value of 0.2 can be
found in the study carried out by Thiyagaraj et al. [141]. The results
indicated that the use of overlap completely eliminated the generation of
negative torque, thus reducing the torque variations over the azimuthal
rotation of turbine. In addition, the turbine with overlapped blades
showed a wider TSR operational range and a higher value of efficiency
as compared to the turbine with no overlap.
The effect of varying OR was also studied experimentally by Patel
et al. [136] for a flow velocity of 0.5 m/s. They investigated six different
values ranging from 0 to 0.174. The turbine showed higher efficiency in
the OR values ranging from 0.08 to 0.14. The highest value of Cp was
0.151, which was achieved for the OR of 0.109. With a further increase
in OR, formation of vortices was observed in the overlapping region
which resulted in low efficiency.
Ramdhani et al. [142] also carried out a CFD analysis for a 3-bladed
helical Savonius turbine in a horizontal orientation to determine the
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Fig. 16. Range of OR investigated [140].

(a) (b)

Fig. 17. Pressure contour (a) No overlap (b) Overlap of 15 mm [144].

Table 6
Summary of the studies conducted for determining optimum OR and GR.
No Author Method Turbine design Range of OR and GR Optimum Cp value achieved
studied value

1 Patel et al. [136] Experimental 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine with 0–0.174 0.109 0.151
endplates
2 Yakoob et al. [137] CFD 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine 0.1–0.6 0.21 Torque coefficient
investigated
3 Yao et al. [138] CFD 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine 0, 0.15 and 0.3 0.15 0.228
4 Hadi et al. [139] Experimental 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine with 0–0.4 0.3 0.19
endplates
5 Yakoob et al. [140] Experimental 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine 0.1–0.3 0.21 0.16
6 Thiyagaraj et al. Experimental 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine with 0 and 0.2 0.2 0.16
[141] endplates
7 Ramdhani et al. CFD 3-bladed helical turbine with a twist angle of 45◦ 0.1–0.4 0.1 Torque coefficient
[142] investigated
8 Kerikous and Optimization code 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine OR-0–0.42GR- OR-0.161GR- 0.23
Thevenin [143] OPAL++ 0–0.42 0.033
9 Nag and Sarkar [144] Experimental 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine with 0 and 0.075 0.075 0.10
endplates and a central shaft
10 Mabrouki et al. [145] Experimental 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine with a 0–0.3 0.3 0.32
central shaft
11 Patel et al. [146] CFD 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine with 0–0.2 0.2 0.4
endplates and a central shaft

ideal OR. They measured the pressure drop occurring from the upstream
to downstream of the turbine and average Ct for four different OR values
of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4. The maximum pressure drop of 344 Pa was
experienced for the turbine with OR value 0.1, while the minimum was
experienced for the OR of 0.4. A similar trend in the average values of Ct
was observed, whereby the highest and lowest values were achieved by
OR of 0.1 and 0.4, respectively.
Similarly, Kerikous and Thevenin [143] determined the optimum
value of OR and GR by using an in-house optimization code OPAL++,
which relies on evolutionary algorithms. They found the best range of
operation for OR to be between 0.12 and 0.21 and optimal GR in the
range of 0 to 0.1. The maximum value of Cp equal to 0.23 was obtained
for the turbine configuration with an OR of 0.161 and GR of 0.033,
which was higher by 8% than that achieved by the conventional Savo­
nius turbine. From the velocity contours, it was observed that high OR
leads to the formation of bigger vortices around the overlapping area,
which affected the turbine performance.
An experimental and numerical investigation was carried out by Nag

12
N.R. Maldar et al.
Fig. 18. (a) 2-bladed turbine (b) 3-bladed turbine [147].
and Sarkar [144] for Savonius turbine with and without an overlap of
15 mm. The study was conducted for three different flow velocities.
From the results, it was observed that the turbine with overlap per­
formed better in all the flow conditions. They further investigated the
flow characteristics around both the designs. From the pressure contours
shown in Fig. 17, it can be observed that the presence of overlap be­
tween the blades resulted in a more concentrated pressure on the
concave surface of advancing blade. Meanwhile, a decrease in the
magnitude of pressure on the convex surface of returning blade, espe­
cially in the overlap region, was also reported. Due to the flow escaping
through the overlap between the blades, a slightly greater pressure in­
tensity on the concave surface of returning blade can also be noticed,
which helped minimize the generation of negative torque and improve
performance.
Similar studies were carried out by Mabrouki et al. [145] and Patel
et al. [146] to compare and investigate the influence of OR on the power
output of SHT. Both studies concluded that the use of overlap between
the blades improved the performance and contributed to achieve higher
Ct and Cp values in comparison to the turbines with no overlap. How­
ever, the use of excessively high OR has been reported to decrease the
turbine efficiency. A higher value of OR and GR results in the least
resistance to the incoming flow from the turbine as the water flows
smoothly through the gap without inducing substantial drag force on the
blades. This results in a reduced pressure drop from the upstream to
downstream of the turbine, consequently reducing its efficacy.
A summary of the optimization studies discussed above, to determine
the optimum values of OR and GR for SHT, is provided in Table 6.
Fig. 19. Flow streamlines for two blade and three blade turbine [149].
13
Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495
6.3. Number of blades
The number of blades for a Savonius turbine is another important
aspect and its preference is mainly dependent upon the operating con­
ditions. Generally, a 2-bladed turbine exhibits better performance
compared to other configurations. However, increasing the number of
blades has been reported to reduce the fluctuations for Ct.
A comparative study between 2-bladed and 3-bladed turbine models
as shown in Fig. 18 was carried out by Salleh et al. [147] to determine
the optimum configuration. Both models fabricated with 2 mm-thick
blades and attached to a central shaft were tested in a flow velocity of
0.57 m/s. The 3-bladed turbine achieved higher Ct value, which high­
lights the enhanced torque generation ability with the increment in
number of blades. Nevertheless, the study concluded that the 2-bladed
turbine demonstrated higher efficiency compared to the 3-bladed one.
With the objective of investigating the application of Savonius tur­
bine in rainwater and household waste pipes, Hamzah et al. [148] tested
five different models with blade numbers varying from 2 to 6. Each of
the models consisted of an AR of 1 and a blade arc angle of 70◦ . The
models were tested for four different flow rates in a 3-inch diameter
pipe. The results indicated that the 3-bladed turbine showed compara­
tively better performance by achieving a maximum Cp of 0.23 at a TSR of
1.8. The lowest performance was observed for the 6-bladed turbine. It
was also reported that the difference in performance for all the designs
was very negligible at the lowest flow rate. However, this difference
increased considerably with the increasing flow rate, which thus ex­
plains the significance of blade number effect for higher flow velocities.
Talukdar et al. [133] performed a comparative study for 2 and 3-
bladed semicircular turbines with an OR of 0.15. The experiments
were performed in a water treatment plant with a flow depth of 0.4 m
and velocity of 0.80 m/s. According to their results, the efficiency of 2-
bladed turbine was higher by 64% than that for the 3-bladed turbine.
Also, the 2-bladed turbine was observed to operate at a moderately
wider range of TSR. The authors further investigated the lift and drag
characteristics of the models. Based on the evaluation of lift and drag
coefficients, relatively better performance was reported for the 2-bladed
turbine over majority of the azimuthal angle range. The reason for the
same was attributed to the excessive deflection of flow in the case of 3-
bladed turbine due to the presence of an extra blade. As a result, large
vortices are created near the blade region, which degrade the turbine
performance. The authors also reported a ϒ value of 1.88 and 1.25 for
the 2 and 3-bladed turbine, respectively, indicating a lower torque
fluctuation for the 3-bladed device.
The flow characteristics around the 2-bladed and 3-bladed turbines
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Fig. 20. Pressure contours for two blade and three blade turbine [149].

Table 7
Summary of the investigations concerning optimum number of blades.
No Author Method Turbine design Number of Blades Optimum number of Cp value
studied blades achieved

1 Talukdar at al. [133] Experimental Single-stage semicircular blades turbine with OR 2 and 3 2 0.28
0.15
2 Yao et al. [138] CFD Single-stage semicircular blades turbine with OR 2, 3 and 4 2 0.23
0.15
3 Thiyagaraj et al. Experimental Single-stage semicircular blades turbine with OR 0.2 2 and 4 4 0.19
[141]
4 Salleh et al. [147] Experimental Single-stage semicircular blades turbine with central 2 and 3 2 0.007
shaft
5 Hamzah et al. [148] Experimental Single-stage turbine with 70◦ blade arc angle 2 to 6 3 0.23

were studied in [149]. It was observed that the presence of an extra
blade leads to higher vorticity downstream of the turbine. Moreover, the
vortices also occur in a comparatively closer vicinity of the blades for the
3-bladed device, as shown in Fig. 19. Usually, a Coanda type flow takes
place at the downstream of advancing blade for a 2-bladed turbine,
which reverses the downstream flow on the following blade, thus
contributing to positive torque. This phenomenon is destabilized in case
of 3-bladed turbine due to the large vortices emerging closer to the
blade. Eventually, this leads to high-pressure regions downstream of the
turbine, and hence less power is extracted. The pressure contours in
Fig. 20 show that the pressure difference from the upstream to down­
stream for the 2-bladed turbine is considerably higher as compared to
the 3-bladed turbine, which demonstrates higher extraction of energy
from the flow. Likewise, the concave surface of the advancing blade
experiences relatively greater drag force in case of 2-bladed turbine.
A modified 4-bladed turbine was studied experimentally by Thiya­
garaj et al. [141] in an irrigation channel with a flow velocity of 0.82 m/
s. An efficiency of 19% was reported at a TSR around 0.6. Also, the
design showed lower Ct variations with no negative torque over the
azimuthal rotation. However, it was observed to have a lower operating
range of TSR when compared with the conventional 2-bladed design.
Yao et al. [138] carried out a CFD analysis for a 2, 3, and 4-bladed
turbine with an OR of 0.15 to analyze the effect of the number of
blades. The highest value of Cp equal to 0.228 was obtained for the 2-
bladed turbine while the 3 and 4-bladed turbines attained average Cp
of 0.145 and 0.082, respectively. Furthermore, the 2-bladed turbine
showed significantly better performance over the other two designs for
the entire range of TSR. The authors also reported that the length of
wake recovery downstream of the turbine increased with the increasing
number of blades, which can prove to be a disadvantage in case of
deployment of multiple turbines in arrays.
A summary of the optimization studies discussed above, concerning
the number of blades for SHT, is provided in Table 7.

Fig. 21. Turbine models studied by Hadi et al. [150].

14
N.R. Maldar et al.
Fig. 22. Cp values for the twist angles studied [153].
6.4. Blade orientation and shape
The power harnessed by the Savonius turbine is a function of torque
generated and angular rotation of the turbine. These two parameters are
mainly dependent upon the drag force exerted by water on the blades.
Similarly, the drag force to be experienced by the turbine heavily relies
on the blade profile and its alignment which makes the shape of blade an
important aspect to be considered during the design stage. Although the
conventional turbine designed by Savonius consisted of two semi­
circular blades with blade arc angle of 180◦ , many researchers have later
proposed a number of modifications in the blade shape which has
proven to upgrade the turbine performance.
The performance of a 2-bladed turbine with 90◦ blade twist angle
was studied by Nag and Sarkar [144]. They also compared its perfor­
mance with two conventional models, one with no overlap while the
other having an overlap distance of 15 mm between the blades. The
turbines were experimentally and numerically tested in a flow with
Reynolds number (RE) varying from 2.36 × 105 to 7.08 × 105. It was
reported that the power generated by the turbine with twisted blades
was 14% and 17% higher as compared to the turbine with overlap and
without overlap, respectively. Positive torque at all the turbine angles
was reported for the helical turbine. Furthermore, from the velocity
vectors, it was observed that the distance of vortex formation down­
stream of the turbine was extended in case of twisted blades. This sub­
sequently contributed to the smooth operation of blades, thus resulting
in increased efficiency.
Five different turbine models with varying blade twist angles from
0◦ to 60◦ , as shown in Fig. 21 were investigated in a water pipe by Hadi
et al. [150]. Each of the models designed with two blades and AR of 1
was subjected to four different discharge rates of 2.9 × 10− 3 m3/s, 5.7 ×
10− 3 m3/s, 8.1 × 10− 3 m3/s and, 11.9 × 10− 3 m3/s. An interesting
outcome from the study was that the most efficient design was found
different for each discharge rate. This exhibits the performance sensi­
tivity of blade twist angle to the flow conditions. In general, the twisted
Fig. 23. Blade profiles studied by Zhao et al. [157].
15
Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495
turbines performed better than the conventional designs for all cases.
From the overall analysis, the highest power coefficient value of 0.188
was reported for the turbine with 60◦ blade twist at a flow rate of 8.1 ×
10− 3 m3/s.
Hassanzadeh et al. [151] conducted a comparative study using three-
dimensional CFD simulations between 2-bladed conventional and heli­
cal Savonius turbine. The blade twist angle of 180◦ was adopted for the
helical turbine, and the analysis was carried out in flow velocity of
0.177 m/s. Based on the results, the helical turbine performed better by
obtaining a maximum value of Cp 0.13 at a TSR of 0.9, whereas the
conventional turbine achieved a value of 0.1 at the same TSR.
In order to investigate the effect of twisted blade, Singha and Saini
[152] carried out a numerical analysis using the k-ω turbulence model
on a helical turbine with a twist angle of 12.5◦ . The model with a turbine
diameter of 159 mm and a blade arc angle of 135◦ was simulated in three
different velocities of 1 m/s, 1.5 m/s, and 2 m/s. The authors reported an
increase in the average values of Cp and Ct with the increasing flow
velocity. However, the maximum Cp value in each case was recorded at a
TSR of 1.4.
To identify the optimum twist angle, Kumar and Saini [153]
analyzed and compared the performance of three different turbine
models with no shaft and blade twist of 0◦ , 12.5◦ , and 25.0◦ . The turbine
models, each with two blades, were tested for the RE range from 8.9 ×
104 to 35.9 × 104. In common, a hike in the value of Cp was observed
with the increase of RE. As shown in Fig. 22, the turbine with a 12.5◦
twisted blade showed superior performance in all the flow conditions.
Meanwhile, the maximum values of Cp for each turbine were obtained at
the same TSR value of 0.9. From the study of flow characteristics around
each of the models, comparatively higher turbulence and larger wake
length downstream for the turbine with 0◦ twist was reported. In the
same study, the authors also investigated the blade arc angle for the
twisted blade turbine over a range of 110◦ to 150◦ . Ultimately, it was
concluded that the 12.5◦ twisted blade an arc angle of 150◦ demon­
strated the optimum performance.
A 3-bladed helical turbine with 90◦ twisted blade and a shaft diam­
eter of 20 mm was investigated by Mobashi et al. [154]. The twisted
blade generated positive torque at all the rotor angles with an average Ct
value of 0.17. A similar cyclic variation for every 120◦ angle was
observed for the torque. The maximum value recorded for Cp was 0.14 at
a speed ratio of 0.7. In another study carried out by Hassan and Khan
[155] for a quarter-pitch (25◦ ) twisted Savonius turbine, maximum ef­
ficiency of 7% at a TSR of 0.4 was obtained.
The use of an optimization tool OPAL++ driven by STAR-CCM+ to
achieve an optimized blade profile was explored by Kerikous and The­
venin [156]. In this study, more than 636 profiles were tested with
variations in the designated co-ordinates on both concave and convex
surfaces. The efficiency of the most optimal profile achieved at the end
of the process was 12% higher than the conventional design. Also, an
improvement in the value of Cts was observed at turbine angles between
60◦ and 75◦ .
In order to improve the performance of the Savonius turbine, Zhang
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Fig. 24. Combination of lift and drag profile [158].

Fig. 25. Pressure contour for conventional and modified blades [160].

et al. [157] studied three different modified blade profiles as shown in

Fig. 23. The three profiles differed on the basis of variations in blade
shape factor (L/R) and arc angle (α) such that the rotor 3 has the highest
blade shape factor, followed by rotor 2 and 1. The study was carried out
in a flow velocity range of 1.3 m/s to 4.0 m/s. From the results reported,
the rotor 3 blade profile achieved the highest efficiency and operated in
a considerably wider range of TSR compared to other profiles. From the
study of pressure contours, the reason for the better performance of rotor
3 was attributed to its higher blade shape factor. The higher blade shape
factor increased the circumference of the concave surface which further
improved the water trapping capability of the advancing blade. As a
result, a higher upstream pressure was experienced by rotor 3, which led
to the generation of higher torque and hence better performance.
Basumatry et al. [158,159] introduced an innovative design of a
modified Savonius turbine driven by the combination of lift and drag
force. The blade design consisted of a straighter profile for most of the
part with the leading edge designed with an airfoil section of NACA
0018, as shown in Fig. 24. The authors investigated the various struc­
tural parameters to determine the optimum arrangement of the modified
Fig. 26. Elliptical shaped blades studied by Talukdar et al. [149].
blades and later compared its performance with that of the conventional
model in a flow velocity of 0.7 m/s. The optimal design was reported to
exhibit a better performance over the entire TSR range with a maximum
Cp value of 0.284. High-velocity distributions near the airfoil section of

16
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Table 8
Summary of the investigations conducted to optimize blade shape.
No Author Method Turbine design Blade orientation and shape Observation Cp value achieved
optimization

1 Nag and Sarkar Experimental 2-bladed single-stage 90◦ twisted blade Twisted blade eliminated negative torque 0.115
[144] turbine with endplates
2 Hadi et al. [148] Experimental 2-bladed single-stage 0◦ –60◦ twisted blade Blade with 60◦ twist achieved highest Cp 0.188
turbine with endplates
3 Talukdar et al. CFD 2-bladed single-stage Elliptical-shaped blades Modified blade showed weaker 0.20
[149] turbine performance
4 Hassanzadeh et al. CFD 2-bladed single-stage Helical blades with a twist Modified blade achieved higher Cp 0.13
[151] turbine with endplates angle of 180◦
5 Singha and Saini CFD 2-bladed single-stage Blade twist angle 0◦ –25◦ ; Positive torque at all turbine angles 0.19
[163] turbine Blade arc angle-110◦ –150◦ improved performance
6 Kumar and Saini Experimental Conventional 2-bladed Blade twist angle 0◦ –25◦ ; Optimum performance at twist angle of 0.39
[153] semicircular turbine Blade arc angle-110◦ –150◦ 12.5◦ and blade arc angle 150◦
7 Mobashi et al. Experimental 3-bladed single-stage Helical with 90◦ twisted blade Positive torque at all turbine angles 0.17
[154] turbine with shaft
8 Kerikous and CFD 2-bladed single-stage Optimization of concave and Modified blade achieved 12% higher Cp 0.23
Thevenin [156] turbine with OR of 0.161 convex blade surface
9 Zhang et al. [157] CFD 2-bladed single-stage Modifications in blade shape Optimum performance identified for 0.161
turbine factor and arc angle blade shape factor 0.81 and 134◦ arced-
angle
10 Basumatry et al. CFD 2-bladed single-stage Blade profile incorporating lift Contribution of lift force at certain turbine 0.284
[158,159] turbine and drag force angles improved performance
11 Ramadan et al. CFD 2-bladed single-stage ‘S’ shaped blade with Modified blade reduced negative drag 0.24
[160] turbine with no overlap straighter blade sections force
12 Wahyudi et al. CFD 4-bladed single-stage Use of tandem blades Maximum pressure drops observed for Pressure drop values
[161] turbine with no overlap convergence type tandem blades were measured

blade 1 and high-pressure distribution on the suction side of blade 2
facing the flow were reported. Similarly, high-velocity vectors were
observed in the overlap region between the blades, which resulted in
enhanced turbine performance. A notable contribution of lift force in the
rotation of the turbine was measured at turbine angles specifically
around 90◦ and 270◦ , whereas the drag force was dominant for the rest
of the angles.
A modified turbine with ‘S’ shaped blades and turbine diameter of
0.3 m was investigated by Ramadan et al. [160] for its application in the
downstream location of the Aswan dam in Egypt. The CFD analysis was
carried out for 4 different flow velocities ranging from 0.5 m/s to 3 m/s.
The results demonstrated an increment in the average values of Ct and Cp
along with the concurrent increment of flow velocity. A highest effi­
ciency value of 24.6% was recorded for the 3.0 m/s flow. From the
comparison of the modified device with the conventional one, it was
observed that the Cp value of ‘S’ shaped blades was higher by 40%. This
better performance was attributed to the distribution of negative pres­
sure on the convex surface of returning blade into two components, i.e.
the drag force (FD) and lift force (FL), as shown in Fig. 25. As a result of
the pressure distribution, the magnitude of negative moment opposing
the turbine rotation was reasonably lowered. On the other hand, the lift
component enhanced the rotational acceleration of the blades, thus
adding to the net positive torque and improving the overall efficiency.
A design of Savonius turbine with tandem blades (TBS) was inves­
tigated by Wahyudi et al. using CFD simulations [161]. The pressure
variations from the upstream to downstream for the three different
models, i.e. the Overlap TBS, the Symmetrical TBS, and the Convergence
TBS, were studied at different turbine rotational angles ranging from
0◦ to 120◦ . In common, maximum pressure was observed at the 90◦
turbine angle for all the three turbine designs with the highest pressure
drop occurring for the Convergence TBS model. In a later study by
Wahyudi et al. [162], the optimized values of 2.75 mm and 27.00 mm
for tandem blade radius and blade clearance, respectively, were deter­
mined using Response Surface Methodology (RSM).
Talukdar et al. [149] developed and studied a modified Savonius
turbine with elliptical shaped blades, as shown in Fig. 26. Its perfor­
mance was compared with a conventional 2-bladed semicircular turbine
having a similar chord length of 144 mm and a swept area of 0.0625 m2.
The maximum value of Cp for the elliptical blades was found to be less by
40% relative to the conventional turbine. Highly aggravated velocity
vectors separating from the tip of elliptical blades were observed at 90◦
turbine angle. This subsequently led to lower energy exchange between
the flow and blades, which further deteriorated the turbine perfor­
mance. Besides, the overlapping flow, which counters the negative
torque on the returning blade was seen to be more prominent for the
case of conventional turbine compared to the modified one. Also,

Fig. 27. Stacking configurations studied by Khan et al. [164].

17
N.R. Maldar et al.
intensely turbulent wakes and high vorticity occurring downstream of
the modified turbine degraded its overall performance.
A summary of the optimization studies discussed above, concerning
the blade orientation and modification for SHT, is provided in Table 8.
6.5. Multi-stacking arrangement
During its rotation, Savonius turbine undergoes large fluctuations in
torque over the different azimuthal angles. From a commercial point of
view, such fluctuations over the turbine structure can significantly affect
its service life, thereby questioning its feasibility. Stacking of individual
turbines one over another with a certain phase difference between the
blades has been one of the prominent techniques used in optimizing the
turbine in wind applications. Such an arrangement has resulted in
lowering the torque fluctuations to a considerable extent. Several studies
have also reported better performance for multi-stacked turbines
compared to the conventional single-stage design. Considering the
effectiveness of the multi-stacked turbines, researchers have carried out
studies to investigate the effect of multi-stacking of Savonius turbine for
hydrokinetic energy extraction.
Khan et al. [164] experimentally studied three different configura­
tions of single-stage, two-stage, and three-stage turbines with the same
AR. A 90◦ phase difference for the two-stage arrangement and a 60◦
phase difference for the three-stage arrangement was adopted, as shown
in Fig. 27. The models were tested by attaching to a towing carriage that
moved at a velocity of 1.0 m/s. The best performance was demonstrated
by the two-stage turbine, which achieved an efficiency around 5% at a
TSR of 0.7. The two-stage turbine generated a power output of 2.2 Watts
and was able to operate over a slightly broader range of TSR. Mean­
while, the single-stage and three-stage turbines both showed a similar
performance with efficiencies around 4% at a TSR of 0.8 and 0.7,
respectively.
A comparative CFD analysis was carried out by Prabowoputra et al.
[165] for a single and two-stage turbine with a 90◦ phase difference. The
results reported an 80% higher Cp value for the two-stage turbine
compared to the single-stage one. The findings also indicated a notable
difference between the average torque value for both designs. From the
pressure contours for the two-stage turbine, it was observed that the
lower stage turbine at 0◦ orientation experiences relatively higher up­
stream pressure, as its complete swept area is directed towards the
incoming flow.
Another experimental comparison between the conventional single
and two-stage turbines was carried out by Nakajima et al. [166]. In this
study, both turbine models measure the same dimension, i.e. 0.142 m in
diameter and 0.36 for OR. Meanwhile, the two-stage turbine was
Fig. 28. Three-stage turbine studied by Kumar and Saini [169].
18
Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495
investigated with a phase difference of 0◦ and 90◦ . Based on the findings,
the two-stage turbine with 90◦ phase difference was reported to have the
highest efficiency of 28% of all the designs studied. Besides, the two-
stage turbine with 0◦ phase angle was found to perform even weaker
than the conventional single-stage turbine. In the same study, the au­
thors studied the flow physics for the two-stage turbine using the
pigment streak-line method. A generation of lift force at every 90◦ tur­
bine angle was revealed due to the attached flow at the convex surface of
advancing blade. The attached flow was further observed to traverse
towards the convex profile of returning blade on the other stage during
blade rotation. This phenomenon was observed to occur on both the
turbine stages, which subsequently reduced the negative drag experi­
enced by the returning blades, thus highlighting the significance of
phase difference arrangement for enhanced performance. A similar
study was conducted by Golecha et al. [167], except in this case, the
two-stage turbines with 0◦ and 90◦ phase differences were compared
with a three-stage turbine having a 60◦ phase difference. The results
concluded that the three-stage turbine exhibited the lowest performance
of the three designs.
A more advanced study to measure the performance of a multi-
stacked twisted blades turbine was performed by Kumar and Saini
[168]. They studied single-stage, two-stage (90◦ phase difference) and
three-stage (60◦ phase difference) configurations consisting of twisted
blades with 12.5◦ twist angle. Nonetheless, a similar trend as in the case
of conventional bladed turbines was observed in their findings, where
the two-stage design was concluded to be the most efficient one followed
by the three-stage and single-stage turbines.
Considering the velocity profile along the water column for an open
channel, a three-stage turbine varying in diameter and AR along its
height, as shown in Fig. 28 was investigated by Kumar and Saini [169].
The idea behind the concept was to have a higher swept area for the
water column section with highest kinetic energy and vice versa as in
case of realistic conditions. To demonstrate the same, each stage from
the top was subjected to three different flow velocities of 2.20 m/s, 2.10
m/s, and 1.96 m/s, respectively. The maximum value of Cp measured for
the turbine was 0.32 obtained at a TSR of 0.8. However, no further
comparisons were made with the conventional type three-stage turbine
to evaluate the credibility of the proposed design.
Table 9 given below summarizes the findings for the research studies
focusing on the effect of multi-stacking on the overall turbine
performance.
6.6. Use of deflectors and ducts
The rotating mechanism of Savonius turbine is mainly influenced by
the higher drag force induced on the concave surface of advancing
blade. Nevertheless, a drag force with similar magnitude is also expe­
rienced by the returning blade, which instigates resistance to the
rotating motion. The net torque generation for the turbine is signifi­
cantly affected by this opposing drag force. To minimize this effect,
barriers or shield plates were proposed to shield the returning blade and
deflect the flow towards the advancing blade. Similarly, the use of ducts
to augment the flow towards the blades has been reported to increase the
starting capacity and the overall performance of Savonius turbine.
To identify the optimum position of a shield plate upstream of the
turbine, Basumatary and Biswas [170] carried out a CFD analysis for a 2-
bladed turbine, as shown in Fig. 29. They studied five different config­
urations for the shield plate by varying the values for X1, X2, Y1, and β.
With the most optimum configuration obtained for the shield plate, a
maximum Cp value of 0.54 was reported in flow velocity of 0.9 m/s.
Superior performance in terms of Ct was also observed for the turbine
with shield plate compared to the conventional turbine at almost all the
turbine angles except for 0◦ , 180◦ , and 360◦ . At these positions, the
blade swept area exposed to the flow was minimal due to the presence of
shield plate and hence resulted in lower values for the torque.
In a similar study, Golecha et al. [167] experimentally investigated
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Table 9
Summary of the investigations to determine optimal stacking configuration.
No Author Method Turbine design Number of stages Optimum number of Cp value
studied stages achieved

1 Khan et al. [164] Experimental 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine 1, 2 and 3 2 0.05
2 Prabowoputra et al. CFD 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine 1 and 2 2 0.50
[165]
3 Nakajima et al. [166] Experimental 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine with OR 0.36 1 and 2 2 0.28
4 Kumar and Saini [168] CFD 2-bladed turbine with a twist angle of 12.5◦ 1, 2 and 3 2 0.23
5 Kumar and Saini [169] CFD 2-bladed conventional semicircular turbine with varying 3 Only 1 model was 0.32
stage heights studied

60◦ were experimentally tested in a flow velocity of 0.57 m/s. The au­
thors performed a comparison between the two models with and
without deflector. The 2-bladed turbine exhibited better performance
for the case without deflector. However, the scenario was different for
the case with deflector, whereby the 3-bladed turbine achieved sub­
stantially higher values for torque and efficiency. The reason for the
same was attributed to the direct flow impingement on the blades with a
shorter interval of 120◦ in case of 3-bladed turbine, unlike the 180◦
interval between the blades for 2-bladed model. The operating TSR
range also widened considerably with the use of deflector for both the
designs.
An optimization procedure driven by the STAR-CCM+ code
OPAL++ was adopted by Kerikous and Thevenin to obtain an ideal
deflector profile [171]. The code simulated 463 different configurations
to identify the optimum position and dimensions for the deflector. The
Fig. 29. Shield plate configuration studied by Basumatary and Biswas [170].
standard Savonius design was further simulated with and without the
deflector to determine the efficiency. As shown in Fig. 30, the turbine
with the optimized deflector showed consistently higher Cp and Ct values
the influence of deflector on the performance of single-stage, two-stage,
over the entire range of TSR. The highest Cp value was measured at the
and three-stage turbines with the same AR at RE flow of 1.32 × 105.
TSR of 1.1, which was greater by 12% compared to the turbine without
Eight different arrangements of the deflector were proposed and
deflector. The optimized deflector also improved the Cts for the device,
analyzed in their study. The power output of the models with different
thus improving the self-starting ability for the turbine angle range from
number of stages was later compared for the cases with and without the
0◦ to 40◦ and 140◦ to 180◦ .
deflector plate. At its optimal position, the deflector was reported to
Prasetyo et al. [172] also investigated the optimum angle of an up­
have the maximum influence on the single-stage turbine with an effi­
stream deflector for a 5-bladed Savonius turbine operating in a 3-inch
ciency improvement of 50%. The two and three-stage turbines achieved
diameter pipe. The analysis was conducted for deflector angles vary­
an improvement of 31% and 17%, respectively. However, the conclusion
ing from 20◦ to 50◦ and four different flow discharge variations. Based
from the overall study was found to differ from the hypothesis, whereby
on the findings, the highest power of 18.04 Watts was extracted for 30◦
the single-stage turbine achieved a higher Cp value of 0.21 compared to
deflector angle at the discharge rate of 12.2 × 10− 3 m/s. On the other
other cases. From these results, it can be deduced that the theory of
hand, the lowest power value was measured for 50◦ deflector angle.
multi-stacking the turbines for enhancing the performance is not
Similar research studies focusing on the use of deflector for Savonius
entirely applicable when the deflector or shielding plates are employed.
turbine in a pipe are mentioned in [135,173,174].
The effect of deflector for varying number of blades was studied by
With an idea of diverting the upstream flow towards the advancing
Salleh et al. [168]. 2-bladed and 3-bladed turbine models with a diam­
blade, the use of a circular cylinder as a deflector was considered by
eter of 0.14 m and a deflector installed on the upstream with an angle of

(a) (b)

Fig. 30. (a) Cp vs TSR (b) Ct vs TSR [171].

19
N.R. Maldar et al.
Fig. 31. Quadrant deflector studied by Alizadeh et al. [178].
Fig. 32. Two deflector configuration studied by Golecha et al. [179].
Setiawan et al. [175–177]. The circular cylinder with a diameter of 0.3D
(D-diameter of turbine) was installed at a distance of 0.5D upstream
from the center of the turbine next to the advancing blade. An acceler­
ation in the momentum of upstream flow approaching the advancing
blade was observed from the velocity contours. As a result, the efficiency
of a 2-bladed conventional turbine bettered by 17.31%. Additionally,
the Ct values were observed to improve in the turbine angle ranges of
0◦ –60◦ , 150◦ –240◦ , and 330◦ –360◦ [177].
The concept of employing a quadrant surface to deviate the flow
from the returning bucket was proposed and investigated by Alizadeh
Fig. 33. a) STB with moving tangential deflector b) STB with moving radial deflector [182].
20
Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495
et al. [178]. The authors conducted a CFD analysis for 10 different
configurations of the quadrant section covering the returning blade, as
shown in Fig. 31. Among all the layouts studied, case 4–6 (extending
from point 4 to point 6) was found to be the most efficient layout,
enhancing the maximum Cp value by 19% at the TSR of 0.8. From the
pressure contours, it was observed that the presence of the quadrant
deflector reduced the average pressure distribution on the convex side of
returning blade. In addition, an increase in the magnitude of flow
streamlines directed towards the advancing blade was noticed, which
ultimately improved the net torque generation. The values of the min­
imum and maximum torque also showed considerable growth, espe­
cially in the turbine angles 0◦ –50◦ and 170◦ –220◦ .
From the studies mentioned above, it is apparent that a deflector or a
barrier placed near the returning blade diverts the incoming flow. As a
result, the influence of negative drag is minimized on the overall per­
formance. However, the use of a second deflector plate near the
advancing blade to concentrate the flow towards the turbine was studied
by Golecha et al. [179]. They analyzed the impact on power harnessing
efficiency by installing two deflectors upstream of the turbine, as shown
in Fig. 32. The optimum position of the deflector near the returning
blade was investigated by the authors in an earlier study cited above
[167]. To determine the ideal arrangement for the second deflector,
eight different configurations were studied experimentally by varying
the distance Z and angle α. The most optimal arrangement achieved for
the two deflectors at the end of the study gained a peak Cp value of 0.35.
This value was greater by 1.67 times and 2.5 times than the Cp achieved
N.R. Maldar et al.
(a)
(c)
Fig. 34. (a) Impinging jet duct studied by Thakur et al. [183] (b) Ducted Savonius turbine studied by Goundar et al. [184] (c) Ducted nozzle system studied by
Elbatran et al. [185].
by a single deflector and no deflector configurations, respectively. Also,
the turbine with two deflectors operated over a comparatively broader
range of TSR up to 1.8.
Similar studies were conducted by Yakoob et al. [180] and Hemida
et al. [181] to assess the influence of two deflectors over the perfor­
mance of a bare turbine. The study carried out by Yakoob et al. for a two-
stage turbine with the deflectors in a flow velocity of 0.5 m/s yielded an
efficiency increment by 28%. Likewise, the optimum configuration of
two deflectors investigated by Hemida et al. resulted in an enhancement
of the Cp value by 84%.
The use of an airfoil NACA 0021 for the profile of deflector near the
returning blade of a 90◦ twisted helical turbine was considered by
Mobashi et al. [154]. A flat profile was adopted for the deflector near the
advancing blade. In this study, six different configurations varying the
length and angle of the deflectors were studied. An acceleration in the
upstream flow velocity was reported with the use of deflectors. Simi­
larly, high tip vortices were produced at the downstream, which
increased the turbulence intensity of the flow. As compared to the bare
turbine, an increase in the values of Ct along the overall azimuthal
rotation was observed. A highest Cp value of 0.14 was achieved at the
TSR of 0.7 for the turbine with deflectors. However, the resultant vari­
ations in the behavior of incoming flow streamlines due to the use of
NACA deflector profile were not discussed.
To minimize the effect of negative torque on the returning blade,
Wahyudi et al. [182] carried out a CFD study for the Savonius tandem
blade (STB) turbine with moving deflectors. The arrangement of moving
deflectors was studied in terms of radial and tangential positions to the
blade tip, as shown in Fig. 33. The angle values of 46◦ and 0◦ were
specified for the tangential and radial deflector, respectively. The
21
Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495
(b)
turbine operates such that the four deflector plates located on the outer
periphery of STB move along with the blades. The presence of deflectors
triggers a jet-like flow effect between the advancing tandem blades,
which is directed towards the concave profile of returning blades, thus
minimizing the impact of negative torque. The jet effect was seen to be
more prominent when tangential deflectors were used. As a result, the
turbine with moving tangential deflector exhibited higher torque,
especially at the rotor angle ranges of 30◦ –100◦ , 200◦ –270◦ , and
320◦ –360◦ . The STB showed an efficiency of 7% and 25% for the radial
and tangential deflector, respectively.
As mentioned earlier, the use of duct around the turbine augments
the incoming flow towards the blades. This phenomenon has been re­
ported to improve the overall performance of Savonius turbine. The
schematics of duct designs incorporating the Savonius turbine, investi­
gated by the different researchers, are given in Fig. 34.
An impinging jet duct design with an inlet width of 5.7R (R-radius of
turbine) as shown in Fig. 34(a) was studied by Thakur et al. [183]. The
CFD simulations were carried out in a flow velocity range from 0.3 m/s
to 1.5 m/s. A distinct feature of the duct design studied is that in addition
to shielding the returning blade, the flow is directed by the bottom
nozzle towards the concave surface of returning blade. This feature is
referred by the authors as the impinging jet effect. Simultaneously, the
top wall of the duct with 15◦ inlet angle concentrates the flow towards
the advancing blade, subsequently improving the net torque. Maximum
power of 31.02 Watts in flow velocity of 1.5 m/s was generated by the
ducted turbine, which was substantially higher than the 17.5 Watts
generated by the conventional non-ducted turbine. The velocity
streamlines revealed flow acceleration through the bottom nozzle to­
wards the returning blade. The acceleration effect was observed to be of
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

Table 10
Summary of the investigations conducted to optimize blade shape.
Sr. Author Method Turbine design Augmentation technique Observation Cp value
No achieved

1 Mobashi et al. Experimental 90◦ twisted and 2-bladed Use of a NACA 0020 Acceleration in the upstream flow velocity was 0.14
[154] helical turbine profile for the deflector observed which improved the efficiency
2 Golecha et al. Experimental 2-bladed single, two and three- Use of single deflector Highest improvement in efficiency was reported 0.21
[167] stage turbines plate for single-stage turbine
3 Salleh et al. Experimental 2-bladed and 3-bladed Use of single deflector 3-bladed turbine with deflector achieved highest 0.045
[168] turbines plate efficiency
4 Basumatary and CFD 2-bladed turbine with no OR Use of single deflector Positive Ct at all turbine angles 0.54
Biswas [170] plate
5 Kerikous and Optimization 2-bladed single-stage Use of single deflector Increased efficiency and better self-starting 0.237
Thevenin [171] code OPAL++ conventional turbine plate ability as compared to conventional design
6 Prasetyo et al. Experimental 5-bladed single-stage Use of single deflector Enhanced efficiency 0.13
[172] semicircular turbine plate
7 Setiawan et al. CFD 2-bladed single-stage Use of circular cylinder as Efficiency improved by 17.3% relative to that of 0.27
[175–177] semicircular turbine with no a deflector conventional turbine
OR
8 Alizadeh et al. CFD 2-bladed single-stage Use of a Quadrant surface Increased value of minimum torque and 0.29
[178] semicircular turbine with a to deviate the upstream efficiency.
central shaft flow
9 Golecha et a1. Experimental 2-bladed single-stage turbine Use of two deflector plates Higher efficiency value compared to the turbine 0.35
[179] with blade shape factor 0.2 with single deflector and bare turbine
and arc angle 124◦
10 Yakoob et al. CFD 2-bladed turbine Use of two deflector plates Better performance as compared to a single 0.21
[180] deflector
11 Wahyudi et al. CFD 2-bladed turbine with tandem Use of 4 deflectors, radial Use of tangential deflector resulted in higher 0.25
[182] blades and tangential to the efficiency as compared to radial
blade tip
12 Thakur et al. CFD 2-bladed single-stage Use of an impinging jet Increase in the positive thrust on returning blade 0.5
[183] semicircular turbine with a duct was observed which enhanced the turbine
central shaft performance
13 Goundar et al. CFD 3-bladed single-stage Use of bidirectional Acceleration in the upstream flow velocity due to 0.53
[184] semicircular turbine with a venturi duct the presence of duct was observed
central shaft
14 Elbatran et al. CFD 2-bladed single-stage Use of a ducted nozzle The recirculating flows at the blade tip were 0.35
[185] semicircular turbine with no eliminated with the use of duct which improved
OR the performance as compared to the bare turbine

the highest magnitude when the rotor azimuthal position was 130◦ .
Almost same amount of positive thrust was measured for both the
advancing and returning blades, which can be attributed to the
impinging jet effect. The maximum Cts values were obtained at 135◦ and
330◦ rotor angles.
Goundar et al. [184] investigated a 3-bladed ducted Savonius turbine
with a diameter of 156 mm, as shown in Fig. 34(b). The turbine with a
cut-in velocity of 0.2 m/s was tested for the flow conditions at Gun
Barrel Passage in Fiji. The ducted turbine with an optimum inlet angle
calculated as 15◦ was simulated in varying flow velocities from 0.5 m/s
to 2.15 m/s for the TSR range of 1–5. The authors concluded that
maximum efficiency of 53% was achieved at the TSR of 3.5. The device
was further proposed for locations with low flow velocities.
Elbatran et al. [185] studied a ducted nozzle system, shown in Fig. 34
(c) to increase the efficiency of Savonius turbine. Six different configu­
rations, varying in duct diameter ratio (Dd2/Dd1) were simulated to
attain the optimum duct dimensions. The numerical simulations were
conducted for the RE flow of 1.32 × 105 using the SST k-ω turbulence
model. Based on the findings, the most optimum configuration of ducted
turbine achieved a maximum Cp value of 0.35, while the non-ducted
turbine achieved 0.14 at the same TSR of 0.8. For the non-duct con­
ventional turbine, two re-circulation flows were observed at the blade
tips, which lead to high frictional losses and thus resulted in perfor­
mance degradation. This effect was mitigated with the use of duct due to
the jetting effect from increased flow velocity at the duct nozzle. Also,
length of vortex formation downstream of the turbine was greater for the
ducted turbine as compared to the non-ducted turbine. This resulted in
less turbulence and loss of energy around the blades. An extensively
higher pressure drop was also experienced in the case of ducted turbine,
which subsequently boosted the power output and efficiency.
A summary of the optimization studies discussed above, concerning
the use of deflector plates and flow augmenting arrangements, is pro­
vided in Table 10.
7. Principle observations and recommendations
7.1. Technical observations and recommendations
The potential of Savonius turbine for harnessing hydrokinetic energy
has been assessed in many research studies concerning the various pa­
rameters influencing its performance. With regards to the extensive
literature study carried out, some noteworthy observations for each of
the optimizing techniques discussed are provided below
a) Aspect ratio (AR) – The studies investigating this parameter for SHT
were found to be very scarce. Nonetheless, from the available
studies, a most common observation was that the increase in AR
resulted in enhanced performance. However, given the phenomenon
of variations in static pressure at the different depths for a water
channel, this parameter can prove to be very crucial in terms of flow
behavior along the turbine height and its subsequent effect on the
hydrodynamic performance. Henceforth, there is still substantial
scope for research studies to determine the optimum range of AR for
SHT.
b) Overlap ratio (OR) and Gap ratio (GR) – The OR and GR were found
to have a considerable positive impact on the turbine performance.
However, after a certain value of OR, the turbine efficiency deteri­
orated. This occurs due to the decreased resistance of blades to the
flow as a result of the easy flow passage through the wider overlap.
Besides, the formation of vortices in larger overlapping regions also
affects the overall performance significantly. In most of the studies,
the ideal value for OR was found to be in the range of 0.15–0.30.

22
N.R. Maldar et al. Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495

However, given the high susceptibility of turbine performance even Table 11

to a fractional variation in OR, this range can be said to be much Key observations in the optimization studies for SHT.
wider and hardly draws a conclusion to highlight the most optimum Parameters Optimum range/ Cp values Remarks
value. The reason for the same can be hypothesized to the differing configuration achieved
flow conditions in which each of the optimum values were achieved. AR Majority studies Up to 0.20 for an The studies
A noteworthy observation that can be made from the discussed indicated increment AR of 1.86 investigating this
literature is that most of the authors have adopted a constant flow in efficiency with parameter are very
velocity throughout their respective studies for the entire range of the increasing AR sparse and hence
insufficient to draw
OR values being tested. In a future study, an investigation can be any conclusion. An
conducted to study the effect of flow condition variations and its extensive research
influence on the optimal value of OR. scope is available.
OR and GR OR-0.15–0.30GR- Up to 0.228 for The influence of
0.033 OR of 0.15 varying flow
Also, the majority of studies focused on the sole aspect of OR while
conditions on the
the effect of varying GR was discussed only in one of the studies by optimal OR can be
Kerikous and Thevenin [143], where the optimum value obtained was investigated. GR still
0.033. Thus, the parameter of GR still requires significant research. requires significant
research.
Number of 2 to 3-bladed Up to 0.28 for a Most of the studies
c) Number of Blades – The effect of varying number of blades has been Blades 2-bladed turbine had a limited scope
studied both in enclosed pipes and open channel conditions. From comparing 2 and 3-
the literature, the designs with greater number of blades were found bladed turbines.
to improve the starting characteristics of the SHT. Meanwhile, a Hence a wider
comparison with
highly turbulent flow around the turbine was observed with the
different number of
concurrent increase in number of blades, which affected the overall blades and its effect
performance. The 2-bladed turbine was identified to have the highest on azimuthal Ct can
efficiency in most of the investigations. Nevertheless, this parameter be considered for
still remains to be thoroughly explored, as the majority of studies future studies.
Blade Different blade Up to 0.39 for a Considerable
were carried out with a very limited scope of only 2 and 3 blades.
orientation shapes have been twisted blade research has been
Besides, the imperative factors such as the azimuthal Ct variations for and shape investigated with twist angle performed for this
varying number of blades and Cts at various turbine angles, were of 12.5◦ parameter.
rarely discussed. This demonstrates the lack of comprehensiveness in Furthermore, multi-
stacking of modified
the studies performed relevant to this parameter.
blade designs can be
d) Blade orientation and shape – A number of different blade shapes a potential area for
were proposed and investigated for the SHT. The use of twisted future research.
blades was one of the most favored approach, since the twisted blade Multi- Two-stage turbine Up to 0.32 for a Limited study is
considerably reduced the torque fluctuations and improved the stacking of with 90◦ phase two-stage available for this
turbines difference exhibited configuration parameter
starting characteristics. The better performance can be attributed to
best performance concerning the
the fact that the maximum fluid force acts at the blade tip for a surrounding flow
twisted section, which would otherwise act centrally at the curvature dynamics, and hence
in case of semicircular blades. As a result of this effect, the twisted it carries reasonable
research scope. In
blades acquire a relatively longer moment arm, thus generating a
addition, all the
higher net positive torque and extracting more energy from the flow. studies have
considered 2-bladed
Furthermore, alterations in the concave blade profile, use of different turbines. Future
geometrical blade shapes, and inclusion of lift generating blade sections studies can be
conducted to
were some of the other modification techniques researched. These
investigate the
modifications exhibited promising performance gains over the conven­ performance of multi-
tional design. Nevertheless, analogous to that observed in the case of stacked turbines with
conventional bladed turbine, a multi-stacked arrangement for the different number of
blades.
different modified blade designs can be expected to further elevate the
Use of The best results Up to 0.53 using Flow augmentation
efficiency. deflectors were achieved for a nozzle duct using the deflectors
and ducts ducted turbines or ducts can result in
e) Multi-stacking of turbines – From the multi-stacking configurations followed by the two undermining the
studied, the two-stage turbine with 90◦ phase difference was pre­ and one flow simplicity of
deflectors, Savonius turbine
dominantly reported to be the most optimal arrangement. The three-
respectively. rendering it
stage and two-stage turbines without any phase difference were uneconomical for
observed to have an even lower efficiency compared to the single- small-scale
stage conventional design. The phase difference of 90◦ for the two- applications. Hence,
stage turbine was, therefore, determined to be a very critical a preliminary
feasibility study may
aspect accounting for the improved performance of SHT. However, be needed for
discussions regarding the torque fluctuations and surrounding flow consideration of
characteristics for the multi-stacked designs were very limited and commercial
can be a potential area for future research. Similarly, investigating applications.
multi-stacked turbines with different number of blades can be an
interesting prospect to be explored.
f) Use of deflectors and ducts – The use of deflectors or other flow
diverting barriers around the returning and advancing blades was

23
N.R. Maldar et al.
Fig. 35. Percentage wise distribution of total publications on SHT over
the years.
found to be a very effective technique to eliminate the negative
torque and boost the overall performance of SHT. The studies
investigating the effect of duct around SHT were found to be sparse.
Nonetheless, the duct effect resulted in an acceleration of the
incoming flow velocity, subsequently increasing the power output.
Efficiency values up to 53% were reported for the flow augmentation
using ducts and deflectors. However, with reference to practical
considerations, installation of flow deflectors around the Savonius
turbine or use of ducts incorporating the turbine can transform it into
a complex structure. Eventually, it may result in the Savonius design
losing its inherent advantages of structure simplicity and low
manufacturing cost. Hence, a preliminary feasibility study may be
necessary for the implementation of such arrangements at commer­
cial scale.
From the above discussion, it is evident that there is still ample scope
for research studies to be carried out with regards to the performance
enhancement of Savonius turbine for hydrokinetic applications. An
overall summary and the key observations for the optimization studies
performed for SHT is provided in Table 11.
7.2. Statistical observation of the research trend on SHT
As stated earlier in section 4, substantial research that can be dated
back as far as 1970s has been conducted on the performance evaluation
of Savonius turbine for wind applications. In this article, the authors
have attempted to cover every available literature concerning the per­
formance analysis and optimization of SHT. A percentage-wise distri­
bution of the available literature for SHT over the years and discussed in
this paper is shown in Fig. 35. It can be observed that even though the
application of Savonius turbine for hydrokinetic energy was considered
much later than wind energy, a notable growth in the studies of SHT can
be witnessed in the last few years from 2016. This increment can be
attributed to the consistently obtained reasonable efficiency of the
design, especially when tested in low-velocity wind and water flows.
Also, other advantages such as simple fabrication and low cost, add to its
suitability for being an appropriate option for small scale energy con­
version. This is particularly significant for countries such as those in
South-East Asia and other regions with abundant hydrokinetic energy
resource but facing constraints such as insufficient flow velocities [186].
In order to utilize this untapped energy, more profound research in the
near future can be expected on SHT. On that account, the review articles
specifically emphasizing on the discussion of studies undertaken for
Savonius turbine with water as operating medium, can play a crucial
role to present a clear understanding of the existing research
background.
24
Energy Conversion and Management 226 (2020) 113495
8. Conclusion
In contrast to the eminent advantages such as simple design and
ability to operate at low speeds, Savonius turbine suffers from poor ef­
ficiency. To overcome this drawback, several research studies have been
conducted involving the optimization of different structural parameters.
These studies have been, however, mostly carried out for wind appli­
cations. Hence, extensive literature is available concerning the optimi­
zation studies for Savonius turbine in wind energy applications. With the
objective of providing a broader research background for Savonius
turbine in terms of hydrokinetic application, the optimizations studies
conducted with water as the working medium were reviewed in this
paper. From the overall discussions, it is apparent that notable research
has been performed for areas concerning overlap ratio, blade orientation
and shape, and the use of augmenting arrangements. However, the other
parameters such as aspect ratio, gap ratio, number of blades, and multi-
stacking of the turbines still carrying a significant research scope for
hydrokinetic applications. In addition, some of the possible optimization
strategies were further suggested by the authors. From the overall ob­
servations and discussions, it can be stated that as compared to the
existing broad research background of Savonius wind turbine, its hy­
drokinetic counterpart is still in its fancy and requires comprehensive
research.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Nauman Riyaz Maldar: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing -
original draft. Cheng Yee Ng: Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing -
review & editing. Elif Oguz: Supervision, Writing - review & editing.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to acknowledge Universiti Teknologi PET­
RONAS, Malaysia and Middle East Technical University, Turkey for their
continuous support and encouragement.
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