Stereo PIV Experiments on Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Rotor Model

Stereo PIV Experiments on Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Rotor Model

Akay, B.
Micallef, D.
Ferreira, C.S.
Van Bussel, G.J.W.

Aerospace Engineering

Aerodynamics, Wind Energy & Propulsion

2011-03-28

This paper sets out to describe the measurements and computations to construct three components of velocity field around the blade. The primary aim of the measurements was to gain insight into the physics of the flow field produced by a horizontal axis wind turbine-HAWT blade. Stereo Particle Image Velocimetry experiments were performed on a two-bladed HAWT rotor in the open jet facility. Three components of velocity on 2D planar measurement planes were obtained from the defined field of views. The three components of velocity at the different radial positions are analysed in the present paper by comparing the experimental results with the panel code results. Besides having an insight about the flow field around the blade section, this comparison enables to improve and validate the panel code. The measurements show very well agreement with the computations except at the tip trailing edge region which is expected. The key observation of this work is inboard motion of the tip vortex. Also, clear outward motion of the radial flow on the suction side of the inboard sections of the blade is observed in the measurements and computations.

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e5fa41d8-f83f-4f86-a5cc-aad5ab2cdeb4

46th Symposium of Applied Aerodynamics: Aerodynamics of Rotating Bodies, Orléans, France, 28-30 March 2011

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conference paper

(c) 2011 The Author(s)