Journal of Applied Science and Engineering

Published by Tamkang University Press

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Optimization of VAWT via Coupled Guide Structure and Blade Pitch Angle

 2026

 Volume 34

Xiaoju Yin1 , Wei Zhang1, Jian Wang2, Yong Guo3, Zijing Wang1, and Tienan Yang3

1School of New Energy, Shenyang Institute of Engineering, No. 18, Puchang Road, Shenbei New District, Shenyang, Liaoning
110136, P. R. China

2Shenyang Urban Investment New Energy Group Co., Ltd., Shenyang, Liaoning 110000, P. R. China

3Huaneng International Power Co., Ltd., Yingkou Power Plant, Yingkou, Liaoning 115007, P. R. China

Received: June 06, 2026
Accepted: June 24, 2026
Publication Date: August 19, 2026

上傳圖片

Velocity triangle and aerodynamic analysis of the VAWT rotation cycle.

 Copyright The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are cited.

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The unsteady dynamic stall phenomenon in lift-type vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) severely limits their commercial deployment. This study proposes a strategy that integrates a circular-array air guide structure with blade pitch angle adjustment. The proposed “flow field enhancement–blade adaptation” coupling strategy employs the SST k-ω turbulence model to perform transient flow field analysis of a three-bladed VAWT under various operating conditions. Through numerical simulation, a combination of air guide structure and blade pitch angle β = 10° was identified as the most effective configuration. The numerical results show that the synergistic combination of the air guide structure and a blade pitch angle of β = 10° increases the peak power coefficient by 4.58% compared with the β = 0° baseline, while the average torque is increased by 48.3% relative to a conventional VAWT without the guide structure. The results indicate that under the modified flow conditions produced by the guide structure, a positive pitch angle—which is typically suboptimal for an unguided VAWT becomes the most effective setting, highlighting the importance of treating the guide structure and blade pitch as a coupled system, offering a promising approach for urban VAWT applications.

Keywords: VAWT, dynamic stall, air guide structure, pitch angle, coupled configuration, numerical simulation.

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