Renewable Energy Technology: Transient 3D CFD and Experimental Electrical Evaluation of a Cycloidal-Enhanced Rotor Versus a Savonius and Gorlov-Savonius Rotor with Blade Rotation Angle

Vega, María Angélica Luján; González-Duran, José Eli Eduardo; Olivares-Ramírez, Juan Manuel; Rojo, Leonel Estrada; Franco, Jesus Alejandro; Rodríguez Reséndiz, Juvenal

doi:10.3390/technologies14010027

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Renewable Energy Technology: Transient 3D CFD and Experimental Electrical Evaluation of a Cycloidal-Enhanced Rotor Versus a Savonius and Gorlov-Savonius Rotor with Blade Rotation Angle

by

María Angélica Luján Vega

¹

,

José Eli Eduardo González-Duran

^2,*

,

Juan Manuel Olivares-Ramírez

^1,*

,

Leonel Estrada Rojo

³

,

Jesus Alejandro Franco

⁴

and

Juvenal Rodríguez Reséndiz

⁵

¹

Department Renewable Energy, Universidad Tecnológica de San Juan del Río, San Juan del Río 76800, Mexico

²

Automotive Engineering Department, Universidad Politécnica de Querétaro, Santiago de Querétaro 76240, Mexico

³

Departamento de Ingeniería Electrónica, TecNM/IT Celaya, Celaya 38010, Mexico

⁴

Department Renewable Energy, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, Mexico City 76230, Mexico

⁵

Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Santiago de Querétaro 76010, Mexico

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Technologies 2026, 14(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14010027 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 14 November 2025 / Revised: 19 December 2025 / Accepted: 23 December 2025 / Published: 1 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technological Advances in Science, Medicine, and Engineering 2025)

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Abstract

This study presents a numerical and experimental analysis of vertical-axis Cycloidal rotors (

R_{C}

) versus Savonius rotors (

R_{S}

), with and without coupling to a Gorlov rotor (

R_{G}

), designed to operate under low wind speed conditions of 2.5 m/s. Using transient Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), numerical mesh stability was evaluated as a function of rotor power, achieving convergence with 8,199,923 nodes and a stable angular momentum after 10 s. In the experimental phase, electrical characterization was conducted by coupling the rotors to a direct current generator, allowing for the determination of the optimal electrical load as a function of rotational speed (RPM). The results show that electrical power output and power coefficient (Cp) increased with rotational speed, reaching a maximum of 39.22 mW and Cp = 0.126 for the Cycloidal rotor (

R_{C} θ_{R} 45

), which exhibited the best overall performance. When coupling a Gorlov rotor with a torsion angle of 90° (

R_{G} θ_{G} 90

), maximum power of 52.45 mW and Cp = 0.168 were obtained for the hybrid configuration

R_{C}, θ_{R} 0

-

R_{G} θ_{G} 90

, confirming the aerodynamic and electrical performance improvement due to geometric coupling compared to a standalone Savonius rotor. The comparison between the numerical and experimental results showed consistent trends in Cp values, with slight deviations attributed to friction and alignment effects during physical testing. This study proposes an integrated methodology in renewable energy technologies that combines 3D transient CFD simulation with experimental characterization under variable electrical load conditions to determine the optimal operating power of novel Cycloidal rotors for low-wind-speed applications.

Keywords: CFD; cycloidal rotor; electrical characterization; gorlov rotor coupling; low-wind conditions; power coefficient; savonius rotor; renewable energy technology

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MDPI and ACS Style

Vega, M.A.L.; González-Duran, J.E.E.; Olivares-Ramírez, J.M.; Rojo, L.E.; Franco, J.A.; Rodríguez Reséndiz, J. Renewable Energy Technology: Transient 3D CFD and Experimental Electrical Evaluation of a Cycloidal-Enhanced Rotor Versus a Savonius and Gorlov-Savonius Rotor with Blade Rotation Angle. Technologies 2026, 14, 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14010027

AMA Style

Vega MAL, González-Duran JEE, Olivares-Ramírez JM, Rojo LE, Franco JA, Rodríguez Reséndiz J. Renewable Energy Technology: Transient 3D CFD and Experimental Electrical Evaluation of a Cycloidal-Enhanced Rotor Versus a Savonius and Gorlov-Savonius Rotor with Blade Rotation Angle. Technologies. 2026; 14(1):27. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14010027

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vega, María Angélica Luján, José Eli Eduardo González-Duran, Juan Manuel Olivares-Ramírez, Leonel Estrada Rojo, Jesus Alejandro Franco, and Juvenal Rodríguez Reséndiz. 2026. "Renewable Energy Technology: Transient 3D CFD and Experimental Electrical Evaluation of a Cycloidal-Enhanced Rotor Versus a Savonius and Gorlov-Savonius Rotor with Blade Rotation Angle" Technologies 14, no. 1: 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14010027

APA Style

Vega, M. A. L., González-Duran, J. E. E., Olivares-Ramírez, J. M., Rojo, L. E., Franco, J. A., & Rodríguez Reséndiz, J. (2026). Renewable Energy Technology: Transient 3D CFD and Experimental Electrical Evaluation of a Cycloidal-Enhanced Rotor Versus a Savonius and Gorlov-Savonius Rotor with Blade Rotation Angle. Technologies, 14(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14010027

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Renewable Energy Technology: Transient 3D CFD and Experimental Electrical Evaluation of a Cycloidal-Enhanced Rotor Versus a Savonius and Gorlov-Savonius Rotor with Blade Rotation Angle

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