Abstract
Small wind turbine power generation systems have the potential to meet the electricity demand of the residential sector in developing countries. However, due to their exposure to low Reynolds number (Re) flow conditions and associated problems, specific airfoils are required for the design of their blades. In this research, XFOIL was used to develop and test three high performance airfoils (EYO7-8, EYO8-8, and EYO9-8) for small wind turbine application. The airfoils were subsequently used in conjunction with Blade Element Momentum Theory to develop and test 3-bladed 6 m diameter wind turbine rotors. The aerodynamic performance parameters of the airfoils tested were lift, drag, lift-to-drag ratio, and stall angle. At Re=300,000, EYO7-8, EYO8-8, and EYO9-8 had maximum lift-to-drag ratios of 134, 131, and 127, respectively, and maximum lift coefficients of 1.77, 1.81, and 1.81, respectively. The stall angles were 12° for EYO7-8, 14° for EYO8-8, and 15° for EYO9-8. Together, the new airfoils compared favourably with other existing low Re airfoils and are suitable for the design of small wind turbine blades. Analysis of the results showed that the performance improvement of the EYO-Series airfoils is as a result of the design optimization that employed an optimal thickness-to-camber ratio (t/c) in the range of 0.85–1.50. Preliminary wind turbine rotor analysis also showed that the EYO7-8, EYO8-8, and EYO9-8 rotors had maximum power coefficients of 0.371, 0.366, and 0.358, respectively.
Highlights
IntroductionAccess to sustainable energy is a challenge despite abundant renewable energy resources
In many developing countries, access to sustainable energy is a challenge despite abundant renewable energy resources
The new airfoils compared favourably with other existing low Reynolds number (Re) airfoils and are suitable for the design of small wind turbine blades
Summary
Access to sustainable energy is a challenge despite abundant renewable energy resources. Development of renewable energy resources in the region has been very low compared to other developed regions in the world [2, 3]. The increasing effect of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions on the environment, as a result of electricity generation from fossil fuels, is driving a paradigm shift to more environmentally friendly and clean energy resources including solar and wind energy [5,6,7,8,9,10]. Small-scale wind energy generation requires the use of small wind turbine blades made of special airfoils with good aerodynamic performance under low wind speed conditions [14,15,16,17]
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