scholarly journals Numerical Analysis of Wind Turbine Airfoil Aerodynamic Performance with Leading Edge Bump

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Asli ◽  
Behnam Mashhadi Gholamali ◽  
Abolghasem Mesgarpour Tousi
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance

Aerodynamic performance improvement of wind turbine blade is the key process to improve wind turbine performance in electricity generated and energy conversion in renewable energy sources concept. The flow behavior on wind turbine blades profile and the relevant phenomena like stall can be improved by some modifications. In the present paper, Humpback Whales flippers leading edge protuberances model as a novel passive stall control method was investigated on S809 as a thick airfoil. The airfoil was numerically analyzed by CFD method in Reynolds number of 106and aerodynamic coefficients in static angle of attacks were validated with the experimental data reported by Somers in NREL. Therefore, computational results for modified airfoil with sinusoidal wavy leading edge were presented. The results revealed that, at low angles of attacks before the stall region, lift coefficient decreases slightly rather than baseline model. However, the modified airfoil has a smooth stall trend while baseline airfoil lift coefficient decreases sharply due to the separation which occurred on suction side. According to the flow physics over the airfoils, leading edge bumps act as vortex generator so vortices containing high level of momentum make the flow remain attached to the surface of the airfoil at high angle of attack and prevent it from having a deep stall.

Analysing and Optimizing the Aerodynamic Performance of Wind Turbine Blades Using Injected-Air Jets at Variable Frequency and Amplitude for Flow Control

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liu Hong ◽  
Huo Fupeng ◽  
Chen Zuoyi
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Angle Of Attack ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Air Jet

Optimum aerodynamic performance of a wind turbine blade demands that the angle of attack of the relative wind on the blade remains at its optimum value. For turbines operating at constant speed, a change in wind speed causes the angle of attack to change immediately and the aerodynamic performance to decrease. Even with variable speed rotors, intrinsic time delays and inertia have similar effects. Improving the efficiency of wind turbines under variable operating conditions is one of the most important areas of research in wind power technology. This paper presents findings of an experimental study in which an oscillating air jet located at the leading edge of the suction surface of an aerofoil was used to improve the aerodynamic performance. The mean air-mass flowing through the jet during each sinusoidal period of oscillation equalled zero; i.e. the jet both blew and sucked. Experiments investigated the effects of the frequency, momentum and location of the jet stream, and the profile of the turbine blade. The study shows significant increase in the lift coefficient, especially in the stall region, under certain conditions. These findings may have important implications for wind turbine technology.

Experimental investigations of flow over NACA airfoils 0021 and 4412 of wind turbine blades with and without Tubercles

2021 ◽  
pp. 0309524X2110071
Author(s):  
Usman Butt ◽  
Shafqat Hussain ◽  
Stephan Schacht ◽  
Uwe Ritschel
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Drag Coefficient ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Critical Region ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Wind Turbine Blades

Experimental investigations of wind turbine blades having NACA airfoils 0021 and 4412 with and without tubercles on the leading edge have been performed in a wind tunnel. It was found that the lift coefficient of the airfoil 0021 with tubercles was higher at Re = 1.2×105 and 1.69×105 in post critical region (at higher angle of attach) than airfoils without tubercles but this difference relatively diminished at higher Reynolds numbers and beyond indicating that there is no effect on the lift coefficients of airfoils with tubercles at higher Reynolds numbers whereas drag coefficient remains unchanged. It is noted that at Re = 1.69×105, the lift coefficient of airfoil without tubercles drops from 0.96 to 0.42 as the angle of attack increases from 15° to 20° which is about 56% and the corresponding values of lift coefficient for airfoil with tubercles are 0.86 and 0.7 at respective angles with18% drop.

scholarly journals COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS STUDY OF DUSTY AIR FLOW OVER NACA 63415 AIRFOIL FOR WIND TURBINE APPLICATIONS

2017 ◽  
Vol 79 (7-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iham F. Zidane ◽  
Khalid M. Saqr ◽  
Greg Swadener ◽  
Xianghong Ma ◽  
Mohamed F. Shehadeh
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
South African ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sand Particles

Gulf and South African countries have enormous potential for wind energy. However, the emergence of sand storms in this region postulates performance and reliability challenges on wind turbines. This study investigates the effects of debris flow on wind turbine blade performance. In this paper, two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and the transition SST turbulence model are used to analyze the aerodynamic performance of NACA 63415 airfoil under clean and sandy conditions. The numerical simulation of the airfoil under clean surface condition is performed at Reynolds number 460×103, and the numerical results have a good consistency with the experimental data. The Discrete Phase Model has been used to investigate the role sand particles play in the aerodynamic performance degradation. The pressure and lift coefficients of the airfoil have been computed under different sand particles flow rates. The performance of the airfoil under different angle of attacks has been studied. Results showed that the blade lift coefficient can deteriorate by 28% in conditions relevant to the Gulf and South African countries sand storms. As a result, the numerical simulation method has been verified to be economically available for accurate estimation of the sand particles effect on the wind turbine blades.

Experimental study of a pitching and plunging wing

2018 ◽  
Vol 90 (7) ◽  
pp. 1136-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitris Gkiolas ◽  
Demetri Yiasemides ◽  
Demetri Mathioulakis
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Flow Visualization ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Flow Separation ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Separation Line ◽  
Wing Chord

Purpose The complex flow behavior over an oscillating aerodynamic body, e.g. a helicopter rotor blade, a rotating wind turbine blade or the wing of a maneuvering airplane involves combinations of pitching and plunging motions. As the parameters of the problem (Re, St and phase difference between these two motions) vary, a quasi-steady analysis fails to provide realistic results for the aerodynamic response of the moving body, whereas this study aims to provide reliable experimental data. Design/methodology/approach In the present study, a pitching and plunging mechanism was designed and built in a subsonic closed-circuit wind tunnel as well as a rectangular aluminum wing of a 2:1 aspect-ratio with a NACA64-418 airfoil, used in wind turbine blades. To measure the pressure distribution along the wing chord, a number of fast responding transducers were embedded into the mid span wing surface. Simultaneous pressure measurements were conducted along the wing chord for the Reynolds number of 0.85 × 106 for both steady and unsteady cases (pitching and plunging). A flow visualization technique was used to detect the flow separation line under steady conditions. Findings Elevated pressure fluctuations coincide with the flow separation line having been detected through surface flow visualization and flattened pressure distributions appear downstream of the flow separation line. Closed hysteresis loops of the lift coefficient versus angle of attack were measured for combined pitching and plunging motions. Practical implications The experimental data can be used for improvement of unsteady fluid mechanics problem solvers. Originality/value In the present study, a new installation was built allowing the aerodynamic study of oscillating wings performing pitching and plunging motions with prescribed frequencies and phase lags between the two motions. The experimental data can be used for improvement of computational fluid dynamics codes in case that the examined aerodynamic body is oscillating.

scholarly journals Design Optimization of a Multi-Megawatt Wind Turbine Blade with the NPU-MWA Airfoil Family

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 3330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhua Xu ◽  
Zhonghua Han ◽  
Xiaochao Yan ◽  
Wenping Song
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Weight Reduction ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Wind Turbine Blade ◽  
Structural Performance ◽  
Power Coefficient

A new airfoil family, called NPU-MWA (Northwestern Polytechnical University Multi-megawatt Wind-turbine A-series) airfoils, was designed to improve both aerodynamic and structural performance, with the outboard airfoils being designed at high design lift coefficient and high Reynolds number, and the inboard airfoils being designed as flat-back airfoils. This article aims to design a multi-megawatt wind turbine blade in order to demonstrate the advantages of the NPU-MWA airfoils in improving wind energy capturing and structural weight reduction. The distributions of chord length and twist angle for a 5 MW wind turbine blade are optimized by a Kriging surrogate model-based optimizer, with aerodynamic performance being evaluated by blade element-momentum theory. The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations solver was used to validate the improvement in aerodynamic performance. Results show that compared with an existing NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) 5 MW blade, the maximum power coefficient of the optimized NPU 5 MW blade is larger, and the chord lengths at all span-wise sections are dramatically smaller, resulting in a significant structural weight reduction (9%). It is shown that the NPU-MWA airfoils feature excellent aerodynamic and structural performance for the design of multi-megawatt wind turbine blades.

scholarly journals Modal Properties and Stability of Bend-Twist Coupled Wind Turbine Blades

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander R. Stäblein ◽  
Morten H. Hansen ◽  
David R. Verelst
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Coupling Coefficients ◽  
Wind Turbine Blades ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Aeroelastic Response ◽  
Modal Properties ◽  
Mean Wind Speed

Abstract. Coupling between bending and twist has a significant influence on the aeroelastic response of wind turbine blades. The coupling can arise from the blade geometry (e.g. sweep, prebending or deflection under load) or from the anisotropic properties of the blade material. Bend-twist coupling can be utilised to reduce the fatigue loads of wind turbine blades. In this study the effect of material based coupling on the aeroelastic modal properties and stability limits of the DTU 10 MW Reference Wind Turbine are investigated. The modal properties are determined by means of eigenvalue analysis around a steady-state equilibrium using the aero-servo-elastic tool HAWCStab2 which has been extended by a beam element that allows for fully coupled cross-sectional properties. Bend-twist coupling is introduced in the cross-sectional stiffness matrix by means of coupling coefficients that introduce twist for flapwise (flap-twist coupling) or edgewise (edge-twist coupling) bending. Edge-twist coupling can increase or decrease the damping of the edgewise mode relative to the reference blade, depending on the operational condition of the turbine. Edge-twist to feather coupling for edgewise deflection towards the leading edge reduces the inflow speed at which the blade becomes unstable. Flap-twist to feather coupling for flapwise deflections towards the suction side increase the frequency and reduce damping of the flapwise mode. Flap-twist to stall reduces frequency and increases damping. The reduction of blade root flapwise and tower bottom fore-aft moments due to variations in mean wind speed of a flap-twist to feather blade are confirmed by frequency response functions.

Flow Control for Wind Turbine Airfoil

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Gross ◽  
Hermann F. Fasel
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Active Flow Control ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Boundary Layer Separation ◽  
Plasma Actuators ◽  
Flip Flop ◽  
Wind Turbine Airfoil

The flow over a NREL S822 wind turbine airfoil was simulated for a chord Reynolds number of 100,000 and an angle of attack of 5deg. These conditions approximately match the blade element conditions at 80% radius of a 2m diameter turbine operating at 300rpm. A simulation of the uncontrolled flow with steady approach flow conditions shows boundary layer separation on the suction side which is consistent with University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign experimental data. Active flow control has the potential to locally (and on demand) reduce the unsteady loads on individual turbine blades during non-nominal operation, thereby increasing turbine life. In addition, flow control may help lower the cut-in wind speed. Unsteady flow control for reducing the suction side separation using pulsed vortex generator jets, flip-flop jets, and plasma actuators were evaluated. It was found that very low actuation amplitudes were already sufficient for eliminating the suction side separation. The high effectiveness and efficiency is traced back to hydrodynamic instabilities that lead to a downstream growth of the forced disturbances. Too high actuator amplitudes resulted in early disturbance saturation which made the control inefficient.

scholarly journals CFD-Based In-Depth Investigation of the Effects of the Shape and Layout of a Vortex Generator on the Aerodynamic Performance of a Multi-MW Wind Turbine

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 10764
Author(s):  
Hyeon-Gi Moon ◽  
Sunho Park ◽  
Kwangtae Ha ◽  
Jae-Ho Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Turbine Blade ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Vortex Generator ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Wind Turbine Blade ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Blade Root

Thick airfoils are conventionally adopted in the blade root region of a wind turbine to ensure structural safety under extreme conditions, despite the resulting power loss. To prevent this loss, a passive flow control device known as a vortex generator (VG) is installed at the starting point of the stall to control the flow field near the wall of the suction surface. In this study, we used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics induced as a result of the shape and layout of the VG on a multi-MW wind turbine blade. The separated and vortical flow behavior on the suction surface of the wind turbine blade equipped with VGs was captured by the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) steady-flow simulation. The parametric sensitivity study of the VG shape parameters such as the chord-wise length, height, and interval of the fair of VGs was conducted using thick DU airfoil on the blade inboard area. Based on these results, the response surface method (RSM) was used to investigate the influence of the design parameters of the VG. Based on the CFD results, the VG design parameters were selected by considering the lift coefficient and vorticity above the trailing edge. The maximum vorticity from the trailing edge of the selected VG and the lift coefficient were 55.7% and 0.42% higher, respectively, than the average. The selected VG design and layout were adopted for a multi-MW wind turbine and reduced stall occurrence in the blade root area, as predicted by the simulation results. The VG improved the aerodynamic performance of the multi-MW wind turbine by 2.8% at the rated wind speed.

scholarly journals The Effects of Different Roughness Configurations on Aerodynamic Performance of Wind Turbine Airfoil and Blade

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamyar Jafari ◽  
Mohammad Hassan Djavareshkian ◽  
Behzad Forouzi Feshalami
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Simple Algorithm ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Pressure Side ◽  
Pressure Surface ◽  
Wind Turbine Airfoil

 In this research, viscous and turbulent flow is simulated numerically on an E387 airfoil as well as on a turbine blade. The main objective of this paper is to investigate various configurations of roughness to find a solution in order to mitigate roughness destructive impacts. Hence, the sand grain roughness is distributed uniformly along pressure side, suction side and both sides during the manufacturing process. Navier-Stokes equations are discretized by the finite volume method and are solved by SIMPLE algorithm. Results indicated that in contrast with previous studies, the roughness will be useful if it is applied on only pressure side of the airfoil. In this condition, the lift coefficient is increased to  and 1.2% compare to the airfoil with rough and smooth sides, respectively. However, in 3-D simulation, the lift coefficient of the blade with pressure surface roughness is less than smooth blade, but still its destructive impacts are much less than of both surfaces roughness and suction surfaces roughness. Therefore, it can be deduced that in order to reveal the influence of roughness, the simulation must be accomplished in three dimensions.Article History: Received Jun 12th 2017; Received in revised form August 27th 2017; Accepted Oct 3rd 2017; Available onlineHow to Cite This Article: Jafari, K., Djavareshkian, M.H., Feshalami, B.H. (2017) The Effects of Different Roughness Configurations on Aerodynamic Performance of Wind Turbine Airfoil and Blade. International Journal of Renewable Energy Develeopment, 6(3), 273-281.https://doi.org/10.14710/ijred.6.3.273-281

scholarly journals Effects of Micro-Tab on the Lift Enhancement of Airfoil S-809 with Trailing-Edge Flap

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 547
Author(s):  
Jianjun Ye ◽  
Shehab Salem ◽  
Juan Wang ◽  
Yiwen Wang ◽  
Zonggang Du ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Pressure Coefficient ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Lower Surface ◽  
Wind Turbine Blades ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Trailing Edge Flap

Recently, the Trailing-Edge Flap with Micro-Tab (TEF with Micro-Tab) has been exploited to enhance the performance of wind turbine blades. Moreover, it can also be used to generate more lift and delay the onset of stall. This study focused mostly on the use of TEF with Micro-Tab in wind turbine blades using NREL’s S-809 as a model airfoil. In particular, the benefits generated by TEF with Micro-Tab may be of great interest in the design of wind turbine blades. In this paper, an attempt was made to evaluate the influence of TEF with Micro-Tab on the performance of NREL’s S-809 airfoils. Firstly, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for the airfoil NREL’s S-809 was established, and validated by comparison with previous studies and wind tunnel experimental data. Secondly, the effects of the flap position (H) and deflection angle (αF) on the flow behaviors were investigated. As a result, the effect of TEF on air-flow behavior was demonstrated by augmenting the pressure coefficient at the lower surface of the airfoil at flap position 80% chord length (C) and αF = 7.5°. Thirdly, the influence of TEF with Micro-Tab on the flow behaviors of the airfoil NREL’s S-809 was studied and discussed. Different Micro-Tab positions and constant TEF were examined. Finally, the effects of TEF with Micro-Tab on the aerodynamic characteristics of the S-809 with TEF were compared. The results showed that an increase in the maximum lift coefficient by 25% and a delay in the air-flow stall were accomplished due to opposite sign vortices, which was better than the standard airfoil and S-809 with TEF. Therefore, it was deduced that the benefits of TEF with Micro-Tab were apparent, especially at the lower surface of the airfoil. This particularly suggests that the developed model could be used as a new trend to modify the designs of wind turbine blades.

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