Numerical study on the effects of a synthetic jet actuator on S809 airfoil aerodynamics at different flow regimes and jet flow angles

Abstract

Due to importance of active flow control methods for future Horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT), we numerically investigated the effects of Synthetic jet actuators (SJA) on the separation and aerodynamic lift enhancement of a finite span wing with the S809 airfoil. The investigation was performed at a realistic AOA range (0°~25°), which is associated to a wide range of AOA, from an attached flow to a highly separated condition. Also, effects of SJA injection angle on flow characteristics at a highly separated condition were studied. The unsteady simulations were performed using DES turbulence model. The results show that for an attached flow, the SJA triggers an early separation and reduces the lift coefficients. However, for a separated flow, the SJA considerably enhances lift performance. In addition, at small AOAs the lift values fluctuate harmonically over time; however, as the AOA increases and the separation becomes severe, the lift becomes more chaotic. Finally, a study of the present SJA configuration reveals that the SJA can enhance the lift values at a wide range of injected flow angle. However, lift values do not show distinguished pattern for different jet angles at a high AOA.