Numerical Simulation of Unsteady Aerodynamic Performance of Novel Adaptive Airfoil for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Hui Tong, Jian Fang, Jinyang Guo, Kun Lin and Ying Wang
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Hui Tong: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer in Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
Jian Fang: Scientific Computing Department, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington WA4 4AD, UK
Jinyang Guo: Department of Material Science and Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne 3168, Australia
Kun Lin: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Ying Wang: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer in Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 21, 1-27

Abstract: The aerodynamic performance of the blade determines the power and load characteristics of a wind turbine. In this paper, numerical research of the active deformation of an airfoil with equal thickness camber line was carried out, which shows the great potential of this active flow control method to improve the flow field. The NACA0012 is taken as the reference airfoil, and the inflow wind speed is 9 m/s, the chord length of the airfoil is 0.4 m, and the Reynolds number is 2.5 × 10 5 . The influence factors, such as deformation amplitude and deformation frequency on the aerodynamic performance, were studied at different attack angles before and after stall. Studies have shown that: firstly, at different angles of attack, different deformation amplitudes and frequencies have great influence on the aerodynamic performance of the active deformed airfoil. The active deformation can improve the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil in different degrees in deep stall and light stall regions. Secondly, a suitable deformation amplitude and deformation frequency can improve the aerodynamic performance of airfoil stably and effectively in light stall, which occurs when the deformation amplitude equals to 0.02c and the deformation frequency is lower than 2 Hz, and the maximum lift-drag ratio can be increased by about 25%. Before stall, when the deformation frequency is 2 Hz and amplitude is 0.10c, the airfoil will have a negative drag coefficient in the process of deformation, and the airfoil will produce a thrust which is similar to the energy capture of the flapping foil. This is an unexpected discovery in our research.

Keywords: numerical simulation; aerodynamic performance; unsteady; variable camber; airfoil (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 (3)

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