TY - JOUR
T1 - Experimental and numerical studies on the performance and surface streamlines on the blades of a horizontal-axis wind turbine
AU - Bai, Chi Jeng
AU - Wang, Wei Cheng
AU - Chen, Po Wei
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, through Grant NSC 102-2221-E-006-084-MY3.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
PY - 2017/3
Y1 - 2017/3
N2 - Investigating laminar separation over the turbine blade of a horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) has been considered an important task to improve the aerodynamic performance of a wind turbine. To better understand the laminar separation phenomena, in this study, the aerodynamic forces of a SD8000 airfoil (representing the sectional blade shape) in the steady-state conditions were first predicted using an incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver with the γ–Reθtand k–kL–ω transition models. By comparing simulation and experimental results, the k–kL–ω transition model was chosen to simulate the laminar separation on three-dimensional (3D) turbine blade. Experimentally, a HAWT with three blades was then tested in a close-circuit wind tunnel between the tip speed ratios (TSRs) of 2 and 7 at the wind speed of 10 m/s. In addition, through computational fluid dynamics, the turbine performance and flow characteristics on the blade as blade is rotating were investigated. It is shown that 3D simulations agreed well with the experimental results with regard to the mechanical power of the HAWT at the testing TSRs. Moreover, the separation and reattachment lines on the suction surface of the turbine blade were also observed through the skin friction line, indicating that laminar separation moved toward the trailing edge with the increasing TSR at the blade tip region.
AB - Investigating laminar separation over the turbine blade of a horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) has been considered an important task to improve the aerodynamic performance of a wind turbine. To better understand the laminar separation phenomena, in this study, the aerodynamic forces of a SD8000 airfoil (representing the sectional blade shape) in the steady-state conditions were first predicted using an incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver with the γ–Reθtand k–kL–ω transition models. By comparing simulation and experimental results, the k–kL–ω transition model was chosen to simulate the laminar separation on three-dimensional (3D) turbine blade. Experimentally, a HAWT with three blades was then tested in a close-circuit wind tunnel between the tip speed ratios (TSRs) of 2 and 7 at the wind speed of 10 m/s. In addition, through computational fluid dynamics, the turbine performance and flow characteristics on the blade as blade is rotating were investigated. It is shown that 3D simulations agreed well with the experimental results with regard to the mechanical power of the HAWT at the testing TSRs. Moreover, the separation and reattachment lines on the suction surface of the turbine blade were also observed through the skin friction line, indicating that laminar separation moved toward the trailing edge with the increasing TSR at the blade tip region.
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U2 - 10.1007/s10098-016-1232-x
DO - 10.1007/s10098-016-1232-x
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84974784215
VL - 19
SP - 471
EP - 481
JO - Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy
JF - Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy
SN - 1618-954X
IS - 2
ER -