Abstract
Although the optimization of wind turbine blade aerodynamic performance has achieved fruitful results, whether airfoil concavity, an important method for preventing flow separation, is also feasible for improving the aerodynamic performance has not been confirmed scientifically. Thus, we selected the blade of a small horizontal-axis wind turbine as a research model and proposed an optimization method based on airfoil concavity near the trailing edge of the blade suction surface. The experimental results showed that airfoil concavity improved blade aerodynamic performance by 3–15%. Subsequently, its effects on the sound pressure level within the wake flow field were investigated using an acoustic array, and the results suggested that the sound pressure level was reduced by 9.6–15.8%. Lastly, a modal test of the rotor blade was conducted. Although the natural frequencies of the 1st and 2nd order vibrations had hardly changed, their vibrational stiffness were increased by 7 and 4.9%, respectively, which indicated that airfoil concavity significantly improved structural robustness.
Highlights
An airfoil is the foundation of wind turbine blade design, and optimizing its design plays a key role in improving aerodynamic performance, noise control, and structural robustness of a rotor blade. roughout the 40year history of wind industry development, airfoil optimization has had the following three primary objectives: (1) improving blade aerodynamic performance, (2) reducing blade aerodynamic noise, and (3) increasing blade structural robustness
Since background noise will interfere with the accuracy of the analysis of blade aerodynamic noise, background noise must first be tested without the wind turbine. e statistically optimized near field acoustical holography (SONAH) was used for acoustic signal analysis
Whether airfoil concavity is suitable to improve the aerodynamic performance of wind turbine blades remains unknown, which is an important scientific issue
Summary
An airfoil is the foundation of wind turbine blade design, and optimizing its design plays a key role in improving aerodynamic performance, noise control, and structural robustness of a rotor blade. roughout the 40year history of wind industry development, airfoil optimization has had the following three primary objectives: (1) improving blade aerodynamic performance, (2) reducing blade aerodynamic noise, and (3) increasing blade structural robustness.In detail, blade aerodynamic performance optimization is an important issue in the development of the wind power industry. An airfoil is the foundation of wind turbine blade design, and optimizing its design plays a key role in improving aerodynamic performance, noise control, and structural robustness of a rotor blade. Roughout the 40year history of wind industry development, airfoil optimization has had the following three primary objectives: (1) improving blade aerodynamic performance, (2) reducing blade aerodynamic noise, and (3) increasing blade structural robustness. Blade aerodynamic performance optimization is an important issue in the development of the wind power industry. Aviation airfoils (such as the NACA series airfoils) were widely utilized in blade design due to their advantages of high lift coefficients and low drag coefficients, both of which significantly enhanced the early development of wind power industry.
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