Turbulence Modeling of Iced Wind Turbine Airfoils

Fahed Martini (), Hussein Ibrahim, Leidy Tatiana Contreras Montoya, Patrick Rizk and Adrian Ilinca
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Fahed Martini: Wind Energy Research Laboratory, The University of Quebec at Rimouski, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada
Hussein Ibrahim: Technological Institute for Industrial Maintenance, Cégep de Sept-Îles, Sept-Îles, QC G4R 5B7, Canada
Leidy Tatiana Contreras Montoya: Wind Energy Research Laboratory, The University of Quebec at Rimouski, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada
Patrick Rizk: Wind Energy Research Laboratory, The University of Quebec at Rimouski, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada
Adrian Ilinca: Wind Energy Research Laboratory, The University of Quebec at Rimouski, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-20

Abstract: Icing is a severe problem faced by wind turbines operating in cold climates. It is affected by various fluctuating parameters. Due to ice accretion, a significant drop in the aerodynamic performance of the blades’ airfoils leads to productivity loss in wind turbines. When ice accretes on airfoils, it leads to a geometry deformation that seriously increases turbulence, particularly on the airfoil suction side at high angles of attack. Modeling and simulation are indispensable tools to estimate the effect of icing on the operation of wind turbines and gain a better understanding of the phenomenon. This paper presents a numerical study to assess the effect of surface roughness distribution, along with the effect of two turbulence models on estimating wind turbine airfoils’ aerodynamic performance losses in the presence of ice. Aerodynamic parameter estimation was performed using ANSYS FLUENT, while ice accretion was simulated using ANSYS FENSAP-ICE. The results using the adopted modeling approaches and the simulation tools were compared with another numerical study and validated against experimental data. The validation process demonstrated the model’s accuracy when considering roughness distribution via the beading model available in ANSYS FENSAP-ICE. The two turbulence models examined (Spalart–Allmaras and k-ω SST) gave comparable results except for the drag at high angles of attack. The k-ω SST model was more efficient in replicating turbulence at high angles of attack, leading to higher accuracy in aerodynamic loss estimation.

Keywords: wind turbine blades; turbulence models; icing simulation; CFD; aerodynamic loss (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
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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