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I'm looking for the best package for doing the following: building a 3D model (or loading externally) of a non-standard windmill shape, simulating an airflow over the model, and determining the generated torque. Ideally, it would be either open-source, or have a free demo/low-cost version. Nice-to-have, would be one reasonably simple for a beginner to use. (And Python-based scripting, as long as I'm making a wish...)

As an example, consider this conical wind turbine. How exactly could one determine its power output?

Although I've found various formulas for computing the efficiency of wind turbines, they only apply to the standard three-bladed horizontal-axis turbine. And I don't have the mathematical skills to derive a formula for any non-standard shape. So I'm wondering if a) it could be determined by a simulation, and b) if there's a package that I could manage to do it in.

Packages I've looked at, include numpy/scipy, Blender 3D, Unity 3D (game engine), and FreeCAD. It's possible one of those would manage it, but my cursory evaluation didn't determine that.

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I'm hoping this is on-topic - the FAQ does say packages are fair game. :) – John C Apr 25 at 23:51
OT: Wow, conical turbines look cool! – geometrikal Apr 25 at 23:58
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I think the answer is that, yes, these sort of things can be done but that it requires knowledge of numerical methods, high performance computing, aerodynamics, etc. You're rather unlikely to find well developed existing packages for non-standard tasks -- people develop software for standard tasks, nobody develops software that can solve any non-standard problem such as crazy-shaped wind turbines. – Wolfgang Bangerth Apr 26 at 2:02
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I would say this problem is still an active research topic, as the flow over a wind turbine cannot be described with simple physics. The closest start would be a tool like OpenFOAM, but you've still quite a ways to go from there. – Aron Ahmadia Apr 26 at 12:06
Knowing people who work on this sort of thing (they do what Wolfgang has described), yes, this sort of problem is an active area of research. – Geoff Oxberry Apr 29 at 3:28

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