Numerical Investigation on the Effects of Airfoil Leading Edge Radius on the Aerodynamic Performance of H-Rotor Darrieus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Chenguang Song, Guoqing Wu, Weinan Zhu, Xudong Zhang and Jicong Zhao
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Chenguang Song: School of Electrical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
Guoqing Wu: School of Electrical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
Weinan Zhu: School of Electrical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
Xudong Zhang: School of Electrical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
Jicong Zhao: School of Information Science and Technology, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 19, 1-14

Abstract: This paper numerically investigates the effects of airfoil leading edge radius on the aerodynamic characteristics of H-rotor Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). 10 modified airfoils are generated by changing the leading edge radius of the base NACA 0015 airfoil from 1% c to 9% c , respectively. A 2D unsteady Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is established and validated with the previously published experimental data. The power, torque, and flow field characteristics of the rotors are analyzed. The results indicate that the maximum and minimum power coefficient at the optimum tip speed ratio (TSR) are obtained for the LE-5% c and LE-1% c model, respectively. The best aerodynamic characteristics are determined by the LE-5% c model below the optimum TSR and the LE-3% c model beyond the optimum TSR. The torque characteristics and pressure distribution for the single blades with different airfoil leading edge radius show an obvious difference in the upwind region and a very small difference in the downwind region. Moreover, the airfoil leading edge radius influences the strength, region, and diffusion rate of the vortices, being the main reason for the observed differences in instantaneous torque coefficient and power coefficient. The vortices of the LE-1% c model are stronger, larger, and diffuse slower than those of the LE-2% c and LE-5% c model at the optimum TSR.

Keywords: VAWT; airfoil modification; leading edge radius; aerodynamic performance; numerical simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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