Induced stalled flow due to roughness sensitivity for thick airfoils in modern wind turbines

The mid-span region of wind turbine blades can be thickened to fulfil the structural requirements of the blade. Hence, thick airfoils, that were designed to operate at the root region of the blade, are moved to the mid-span region. This could not imply remarkable variations of the blade performance once its surface is smooth. However, the...

On the extension of k−ω−SST corrections to predict flow separation on thick airfoils with leading-edge roughness

Modern wind turbines employ thick airfoils in the outer region of the blade with strong adverse pressure gradients and high sensitivity to flow separation, which can be anticipated by leading-edge roughness. However, Reynolds average Navier-Stokes simulations currently overpredict the Reynolds shear stresses near the surface, and the flow...

Study on k-ω-Shear Stress Transport Corrections Applied to Airfoil Leading-Edge Roughness Under RANS Framework

A computational fluid dynamics study is carried out to model the effects of distributed roughness at the airfoil leading-edge using the equivalent sand grain approach and Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations. The turbulence model k - ω-shear stress transport (SST) is selected to emulate a fully turbulent flow. Three k and ω boundary...

Wind tunnel tests for vortex generators mitigating leading-edge roughness on a 30% thick airfoil

In this study, the aerodynamic performance of a thick airfoil is analysed, after installing leading-edge roughness to emulate a severe state on the airfoil surface. The impact on aerodynamic coefficients has been quantified using two roughness methods: zig-zag tape and sandpaper. Wind tunnel tests are carried out at a Reynolds number of 3•10...