The Archimedes

Does the most efficient wind turbine really have three blades? This is a question Richard Ruijtenbeek of “The Archimedes” has been pondering for a long time. The wind turbine of The Archimedes has a totally different shape.

The design of “The Archimedes” wind turbine

The wind turbine is based on a mathematical shape constructed by the Greek scientist and mathematician Archimedes in the third century BC. The idea is that this shape is more three dimensional and therefore able to transfer more wind energy into electricity.

Results of the CFD-simulations of wind speed and pressure

BPO has analysed this turbine using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulations. The flow of air was charted and the theoretical amount of power was calculated. Different shapes, wind speeds and diameters of the turbine were looked at. The analyses showed that the turbine does indeed have a very good theoretical efficiency. Also in wind tunnel tests, the turbine has achieved good results.

Wind energy is a very important source for sustainable energy. This design seems very suited to smaller wind turbines that can for instance be used in urban environments.

For more information please visit: www.dearchimedes.nl.