Airfoil Performance of Small-Scale Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Under Urban Low Wind Speeds Using DMST and LLFVW Models
Abstract
This work presents a comparative analysis of six airfoil profiles for small-scale vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) operating under low wind speeds (2–8 m/s) typical of urban environments. Aerodynamic performance during startup and nominal operation is investigated using two widely adopted modeling approaches, the Double Multiple Streamtube (DMST) and the Lifting Line Free Vortex Wake (LLFVW) methods, implemented in the open-source QBlade framework. The objective of the study is to evaluate relative airfoil performance and the consistency of observed trends across aerodynamic models commonly used in early-stage VAWT design. The results demonstrate a fundamental trade-off between self-starting capability at low tip-speed ratios (λ
Fields of Study & Subjects
Wind Energy Research and Development
Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms
Fluid Dynamics and Vibration Analysis
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Energies
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 945–945
- Publication date
- 11 February 2026
- Language
- EN