Paper Title
Development of a Wind Turbine Simulator

Abstract
The development of an advanced wind turbine simulator is presented in the current study. The simulator is conceptualized by Shahid Beheshti University and designed and constructed by Sharif University. Further developments have been carried out in the wind system laboratory in Shahid Beheshti University. The simulator is employed to test and assess the design and the performance of small horizontal axis wind turbines. These turbines can be used as models of large wind turbines generating Mega-watt powers, as well as small/miniature wind turbines being utilized in home industry. The system consists of a wind simulator, models of rotor blades, a state-of-the-art yaw control system, a tower model with a nacelle at the top and a monitoring/controlling system. Nacelle comprises a low-power Step motor directly coupled with the turbines axis at its input and a designed circuit at its output in order to measure the power output. The wind speed can be set using a fan with the capacity to generate wind with the maximum velocity of 11 m/s. The results obtained from experimental investigations were compared with a CFD simulation of the performance of the turbine model. Overall, the results show reasonable response of the system in reproducing the characteristics of a given turbine at various conditions. Keywords - Wind energy, BEM, wind turbine simulator, experimental measurement, CFD simulation.