# A Novel Proposal for a Bladeless Wind Turbine: Bio-Inspired Design of a Columnar-Cactus Type Mast

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a bladeless wind turbine inspired by cactus shapes, which can generate more energy through vibrations caused by wind.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is a bio-inspired bladeless wind turbine design using a columnar-cactus type mast to enhance energy conversion efficiency.

## Key findings

- Cactus-inspired masts with ribs produce higher vortex-induced vibrations compared to cylindrical masts at certain wind speeds.
- A 6-rib cactus-type mast shows 12 times greater vibration amplitude than a cylindrical mast at 6.0 m/s wind speed.
- Cylindrical masts perform better than cactus-type masts at wind speeds below 5 m/s.

## Abstract

This research presents an experimental study on a scaled prototype of a bladeless wind turbine that operates based on the principle of vortex-induced vibrations (VIV-BWT) with the implementation of bio-inspired design of a columnar-cactus type mast. The aerodynamic performance of columnar-cactus type masts with different numbers of ribs was investigated and compared with that of a conventional cylindrical mast. The objective of this novel proposal is to maximize wind energy conversion efficiency through vortex-induced vibrations, thereby enhancing energy generation. The present study focuses on the geometry of the columnar-cactus type mast as a vortex generator, which significantly influences the performance of this type of VIV wind energy harvester. The findings reveal that the geometric configuration of the cactus-inspired mast and the mast angle promote vortex formation, leading to higher lift coefficients and forces. Consequently, this results in greater vortex-induced vibration magnitudes. For instance, at a wind speed of 6.0 m/s and a mast angle of 0°, the 6-rib cactus-type mast exhibits 12 times greater VIV amplitude compared to the conventional cylindrical mast, while the 5-rib and 7-rib cactus-type masts show 2.4- and 2.2-times greater amplitudes, respectively. However, for wind speeds below 5 m/s, the cylindrical mast demonstrates superior VIV performance.