Validation of a Mid-Fidelity Numerical Approach for Wind Turbine Aerodynamics Characterization

Alberto Savino, Andrea Ferreri and Alex Zanotti ()
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Alberto Savino: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Aerospaziali, Politecnico di Milano, Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy
Andrea Ferreri: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Aerospaziali, Politecnico di Milano, Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy
Alex Zanotti: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Aerospaziali, Politecnico di Milano, Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-23

Abstract: This work is aimed at investigating the capabilities and limits of the mid-fidelity numerical solver DUST for the evaluation of wind turbines aerodynamic performance. In particular, this study was conducted by analysing the benchmarks NREL-5 M W and Phase VI wind turbines, widely investigated in the literature via experimental and numerical activities. The work was started by simulating a simpler configuration of the NREL-5 M W turbine to progressively integrate complexities such as shaft tilt, cone effects and yawed inflow conditions, offering a detailed portrayal of their collective impact on turbine performance. A particular focus was then given to the evaluation of aerodynamic responses from the tower and nacelle, as well as aerodynamic behavior in yawed inflow condition, crucial for optimizing farm layouts. In the second phase, the work was focused on the NREL Phase VI turbine due to the availability of experimental data on this benchmark case. A comparison of DUST simulation results with both experimental data and high-fidelity CFD tools shows the robustness and adaptability of this mid-fidelity solver for these applications, thus opening a new scenario for the use of such mid-fidelity tools for the preliminary design of novel wind turbine configurations or complex environments as wind farms, characterised by robust interactional aerodynamics.

Keywords: wind turbine; aerodynamics; vortex particle method; 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: 2024
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