A low-fidelity analysis tool based on double multiple stream model has been built using an
extended airfoil database. It is validated using existing literature and a high-fidelity numerical
simulation based on the Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stoke equation. The results
show that the double multiple stream tube model is not suitable for high solidity turbines. It is
most suitable for low solidity wind turbines. The disadvantage is that low solidity turbines are
not very applicable for a built in environment due to their large radius and the anticipated
high rotational speed additional to associate noise. The CP value obtained from DMST and
CFD were compared shows that negative and/or minimum CP and torque are generated at
lower tip speed ratios, which implies that NACA 0015, NACA 0018, and NACA 0021
airfoils are not self-starting. Nevertheless, NACA0021 has shown to have better starting
performance than the other two airfoils due to its thicker section. CFD results have shown to
be more accurate and the flow physics, like vorticity, can be easily visualized. One major
advantage of a low-fidelity analysis is that it can be used to determine an appropriate
parameter for turbine performance before timely and expensive computation and
experimentation.