Selection of a leading edge noise prediction method for PNoise

Abstract

Wind energy expansion is worldwide followed by various limitations, i.e. land availability, the NIMBY (not in my backyard) attitude, interference on birds migration routes and so on. This undeniable expansion is pushing wind farms near populated areas throughout the years, where noise regulation is more stringent. That demands solutions for the wind turbine (WT) industry, in order to produce quieter WT units. Focusing in the subject of airfoil noise prediction, it can help the assessment and design of quieter wind turbine blades. Considering the airfoil noise as a composition of many sound sources, and in light of the fact that the main noise production mechanisms are the airfoil self-noise and the turbulent inflow (TI) noise, this work is concentrated on the latter. TI noise is classified as an interaction noise, produced by the turbulent inflow, incident on the airfoil leading edge (LE). Theoretical and semi-empirical methods for the TI noise prediction are already available, based on Amiet’s broadband noise theory. Analysis of many TI noise prediction methods is provided by this work in the literature review, as well as the turbulence energy spectrum modeling. This is then followed by comparison of the most reliable TI noise methodologies, qualitatively and quantitatively, with the error estimation, compared to the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings solution for computational aeroacoustics. Basis for integration of airfoil inflow noise prediction into a wind turbine noise prediction code is the final goal of this work.