Numerical Simulation of Unsteady Aerodynamic Performance of Novel Adaptive Airfoil for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

The aerodynamic performance of the blade determines the power and load characteristics of a wind turbine. In this paper, numerical research of the active deformation of an airfoil with equal thickness camber line was carried out, which shows the great potential of this active flow control method to...

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Main Authors: Hui Tong, Jian Fang, Jinyang Guo, Kun Lin, Ying Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-10-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/21/4106
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author Hui Tong
Jian Fang
Jinyang Guo
Kun Lin
Ying Wang
author_facet Hui Tong
Jian Fang
Jinyang Guo
Kun Lin
Ying Wang
author_sort Hui Tong
collection DOAJ
description The aerodynamic performance of the blade determines the power and load characteristics of a wind turbine. In this paper, numerical research of the active deformation of an airfoil with equal thickness camber line was carried out, which shows the great potential of this active flow control method to improve the flow field. The NACA0012 is taken as the reference airfoil, and the inflow wind speed is 9 m/s, the chord length of the airfoil is 0.4 m, and the Reynolds number is 2.5 &#215; 10<sup>5</sup>. The influence factors, such as deformation amplitude and deformation frequency on the aerodynamic performance, were studied at different attack angles before and after stall. Studies have shown that: firstly, at different angles of attack, different deformation amplitudes and frequencies have great influence on the aerodynamic performance of the active deformed airfoil. The active deformation can improve the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil in different degrees in deep stall and light stall regions. Secondly, a suitable deformation amplitude and deformation frequency can improve the aerodynamic performance of airfoil stably and effectively in light stall, which occurs when the deformation amplitude equals to 0.02c and the deformation frequency is lower than 2 Hz, and the maximum lift-drag ratio can be increased by about 25%. Before stall, when the deformation frequency is 2 Hz and amplitude is 0.10c, the airfoil will have a negative drag coefficient in the process of deformation, and the airfoil will produce a thrust which is similar to the energy capture of the flapping foil. This is an unexpected discovery in our research.
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spelling doaj.art-b4a59383e32c464399747fe6f48f29e82022-12-22T04:00:06ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732019-10-011221410610.3390/en12214106en12214106Numerical Simulation of Unsteady Aerodynamic Performance of Novel Adaptive Airfoil for Vertical Axis Wind TurbineHui Tong0Jian Fang1Jinyang Guo2Kun Lin3Ying Wang4Shanghai Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer in Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, ChinaScientific Computing Department, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington WA4 4AD, UKDepartment of Material Science and Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne 3168, AustraliaSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer in Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, ChinaThe aerodynamic performance of the blade determines the power and load characteristics of a wind turbine. In this paper, numerical research of the active deformation of an airfoil with equal thickness camber line was carried out, which shows the great potential of this active flow control method to improve the flow field. The NACA0012 is taken as the reference airfoil, and the inflow wind speed is 9 m/s, the chord length of the airfoil is 0.4 m, and the Reynolds number is 2.5 &#215; 10<sup>5</sup>. The influence factors, such as deformation amplitude and deformation frequency on the aerodynamic performance, were studied at different attack angles before and after stall. Studies have shown that: firstly, at different angles of attack, different deformation amplitudes and frequencies have great influence on the aerodynamic performance of the active deformed airfoil. The active deformation can improve the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil in different degrees in deep stall and light stall regions. Secondly, a suitable deformation amplitude and deformation frequency can improve the aerodynamic performance of airfoil stably and effectively in light stall, which occurs when the deformation amplitude equals to 0.02c and the deformation frequency is lower than 2 Hz, and the maximum lift-drag ratio can be increased by about 25%. Before stall, when the deformation frequency is 2 Hz and amplitude is 0.10c, the airfoil will have a negative drag coefficient in the process of deformation, and the airfoil will produce a thrust which is similar to the energy capture of the flapping foil. This is an unexpected discovery in our research.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/21/4106numerical simulationaerodynamic performanceunsteadyvariable camberairfoil
spellingShingle Hui Tong
Jian Fang
Jinyang Guo
Kun Lin
Ying Wang
Numerical Simulation of Unsteady Aerodynamic Performance of Novel Adaptive Airfoil for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
Energies
numerical simulation
aerodynamic performance
unsteady
variable camber
airfoil
title Numerical Simulation of Unsteady Aerodynamic Performance of Novel Adaptive Airfoil for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
title_full Numerical Simulation of Unsteady Aerodynamic Performance of Novel Adaptive Airfoil for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
title_fullStr Numerical Simulation of Unsteady Aerodynamic Performance of Novel Adaptive Airfoil for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
title_full_unstemmed Numerical Simulation of Unsteady Aerodynamic Performance of Novel Adaptive Airfoil for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
title_short Numerical Simulation of Unsteady Aerodynamic Performance of Novel Adaptive Airfoil for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
title_sort numerical simulation of unsteady aerodynamic performance of novel adaptive airfoil for vertical axis wind turbine
topic numerical simulation
aerodynamic performance
unsteady
variable camber
airfoil
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/21/4106
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