Experimental and Numerical Quantification of Radial Flow in the Root Region of a HAWT

Experimental and Numerical Quantification of Radial Flow in the Root Region of a HAWT

Akay, B.
Ferreira, C.S.
Van Bussel, G.J.W.
Herraez, I.

Aerospace Engineering

Aerodynamics, Wind Energy & Propulsion

2012-01-09

This paper explores the evolution of radial flow in a Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) blade root region. The radial flow is analyzed in the potential flow and viscous flow regions. An experiment carried out by means of stereo Particle Image Velocimetry to measure the velocity field produced by a HAWT blade. While the radial flow in the potential flow region was obtained from the measurements, the radial flow in the boundary layer was derived from CFD. By the direct observations obtained from the experiment, an insight is gained about the nature of the radial flow in the suction side of the blade as well as in the near wake. An outboard radial flow motion is observed in the root region. This tendency of the flow changes dramatically when it reaches the maximum chord position of the blade, where the radial flow moves inboard. The trace of the viscous region due to merging of the boundary layers and trailing vorticity are observed clearly in the radial velocity and vorticity distributions at 135º azimuth angle of the blade. In the viscous flow region the radial flow is more pronounced than in the potential flow region. The performed CFD simulations are able to predict the vortex formation in the maximum chord region and its interaction with the nacelle.

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:10c08a16-ebe8-4926-b090-31262628923e

https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2012-896

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

978-1-60086-936-5

50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition, Nashville, USA, 9-12 January 2012; AIAA 2012-0896

Institutional Repository

conference paper

© 2012 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics