Application of computational fluid dynamics models to aerodynamic design and optimization of wind turbine airfoils

Abstract

In this work, the capability of simple numerical models with coarse grids to predict performance coefficients in wind turbine airfoils is explored. A wide range of simulations were performed for a typical wind turbine profile, under the main criteria of design simplicity and low calculation time. The solutions were computed over different mesh sizes using a two-dimensional Reynolds-Average Navier-Stockes (2D-RANS) approach. Spalart-Allmaras, k-ε and k-omega turbulence models were run in the simulations. Lift, drag and momentum coefficients were computed for four incident angles, ranging from -2.5 to 12.5, for each mesh size and turbulence model, comparing them later with experimental data. Results show a useful model which gives a good agreement between numerical and experimental results and can indeed be used as a first approximation previous to a more detailed and expensive study.