Numerical Modeling of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine: Aerodynamic Performances Improvement Using an Efficient Passive Flow Control System

Riyadh Belamadi, Abdelhakim Settar, Khaled Chetehouna and Adrian Ilinca
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Riyadh Belamadi: Laboratoire de Technologies des Systèmes Energétiques (LTSE), Annaba Higher School of Industrial Technology, Annaba 23000, Algeria
Abdelhakim Settar: INSA Centre Val de Loire, Université Orléans, PRISME EA 4229, F-18020 Bourges, France
Khaled Chetehouna: INSA Centre Val de Loire, Université Orléans, PRISME EA 4229, F-18020 Bourges, France
Adrian Ilinca: Wind Energy Research Laboratory, University of Québec at Rimouski, 300, Allée des Ursulines, C.P. 3300, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-21

Abstract: In this paper, we explore the improvement of the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbine blades under stall conditions using passive flow control with slots. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Phase II rotor, for which detailed simulations and experimental data are available, served as a baseline for assessing the flow control system effects. The position and configuration of the slot used as a flow control system were determined using CFD analysis. The 3D-RANS equations are solved with ANSYS FLUENT using the k-ω SST turbulence closure model. The pressure coefficient for different wind speeds for the baseline configuration is compared to the available experimental data. The comparison shows that CFD results were better for the attached flow. The current work consists of a 3-D CFD modeling of a rotating blade equipped with different flow control systems: single-slot (S-S) and two-slots (T-S). The computation provides a better understanding of the influence of these flow control devices on the performance of wind turbine blades, the control of boundary layer separation, and the rotation effect. These control systems increase the power output by over 60% at high wind speeds with large separated boundary layer regions. For the configuration with the control system, the slot has shown its ability to delay the boundary layer separation. However, the improved aerodynamic performance has been proven for medium and high angles of attack where the flow is generally in the stall condition. The addition of the second slot changed the flow behavior, and an improvement was observed compared to the single slot configuration. The results are helpful for the design and development of a new generation of wind turbine blades.

Keywords: wind turbine; boundary layer separation; flow control; turbulence; computational fluid dynamics (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: 2022
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