EVALUATION OF OPTIMAL BLADE DESIGN AND OPERATION FOR HORIZONTAL AXIS WIND TURBINE

Wind energy has a crucial role in the global shift to green energy. As dependency on wind energy grows, the productivity of wind turbines becomes increasingly important. Aerodynamic efficiency of wind turbine blades has a direct impact on production, which requires improved blade designs. It is therefore necessary to understand the aerodynamic loads that act on the blade during operation. This paper presents a computational study of a three-dimensional, horizontal axis, two-blade wind turbine. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to model the rotor based on the S809 blade design. The model predicts thrust and torque reactions under varying wind conditions. The CFD results were validated through the use of experimental data obtained from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for the S809 blade. A complementary investigation has proposed a flexible blade that can morph into a shape that is optimal based on aerodynamic efficiency. The work in that study was based on the blade element momentum (BEM) theory. In this work, CFD is used to predict the flow characteristics of the original blade and optimal blade. The overall results indicate there can be a 6% increase in the aerodynamic performance.