Accuracy of the Gamma Re-Theta Transition Model for Simulating the DU-91-W2-250 Airfoil at High Reynolds Numbers

Jan Michna, Krzysztof Rogowski, Galih Bangga and Martin O. L. Hansen
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Jan Michna: Institute of Aeronautics and Applied Mechanics, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland
Krzysztof Rogowski: Institute of Aeronautics and Applied Mechanics, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland
Galih Bangga: Institute of Aerodynamics and Gas Dynamics, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Martin O. L. Hansen: Department of Wind Energy, Technical University of Denmark, DK2800 Lyngby, Denmark

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-29

Abstract: Accurate computation of the performance of a horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) using Blade Element Momentum (BEM) based codes requires good quality aerodynamic characteristics of airfoils. This paper shows a numerical investigation of transitional flow over the DU 91-W2-250 airfoil with chord-based Reynolds number ranging from 3 × 10 6 to 6 × 10 6 . The primary goal of the present paper is to validate the unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) approach together with the four-equation transition SST turbulence model with experimental data from a wind tunnel. The main computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code used in this work was ANSYS Fluent. For comparison, two more CFD codes with the Transition SST model were used: FLOWer and STAR-CCM +. The obtained airfoil characteristics were also compared with the results of fully turbulent models published in other works. The XFOIL approach was also used in this work for comparison. The aerodynamic force coefficients obtained with the Transition SST model implemented in different CFD codes do not differ significantly from each other despite the different mesh distributions used. The drag coefficients obtained with fully turbulent models are too high. With the lowest Reynolds numbers analyzed in this work, the error in estimating the location of the transition was significant. This error decreases as the Reynolds number increases. The applicability of the uncalibrated transition SST approach for a two-dimensional thick airfoil is up to the critical angle of attack.

Keywords: CFD; RANS modeling; airfoil; wind turbine; boundary layer; transition (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: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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