Abstract
Passive flow separation control with vortex generators (VG) is actively used over the wind turbine blade. In this paper, the effect of vortex generators is simulated on a full-scale 2-blade wind-turbine tested at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The simulation is performed using Very-Large-Eddy/Lattice-Boltzmann method (VLES/LBM). The analysis focuses on the effect of vortex generators on the aerodynamic performance and far-field noise. The simulation results without vortex generators are compared with the experimental results, reaching good agreement. The vortex generators produce counter-rotating vortices in the wake which effectively delay flow separation, leading to better aerodynamic performance. The acoustic analysis indicates that the dominant noise sources are the tonal noise produced by the flow separation and the turbulent-boundary-layer trailing-edge noise. Similar noise levels are obtained for the configurations with and without vortex generators.
Highlights
In the operation of wind turbine, the aerodynamic performance of the blade is highly degraded when flow separation occurs due to strong adverse pressure gradient
According to the experiment research performed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 1996 [2], by mounting the vane shape Vortex generators (VG) along the root area of the wind turbine, almost 5% increase of power output can be achieved at moderate freestream velocity
Two configurations without and with VGs mounted are simulated at the freestream velocity of 10 m/s, corresponding to the transient stall regime if the NREL wind turbine
Summary
Effect of Vortex Generators on NREL Wind Turbine Aerodynamic Performance and Far-Field Noise. To cite this article: Qingqing Ye et al 2020 J. Ser. 1618 052077 View the article online for updates and enhancements. This content was downloaded from IP address 145.94.74.183 on 26/10/2020 at 15:26
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