Session: 41-02 Experimental research

Paper Number: 121013

121013 - Experimental and Simulation Investigation of J-Shaped and Kammtail Virtual Airfoils in Small-Scale Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines 

This paper presents the design study on Namouras wind turbine blades. The goal is to investigate the effect of changing geometry parameters on the performance. For two-dimensional airfoils, the aerodynamic performance and the lift-to-drag ratio were of interest to researchers, while for wind turbines, power output and starting torque were of interest to researchers. Airfoil’s aerodynamic performance enhancement plays a main role in wind turbine’s output power enhancement. Airfoils and wind turbines' performance could be studied by both wind tunnel testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) investigation.

The present work studied new wind blade designs for small-scale Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs) with J-shaped profiles and Kammtail Virtual Foils (KVFs). J-shaped profiles are formed by removing a portion of the blade from the pressure side of the blade aerofoil starting from the trailing edge. J-shaped profiles are defined by the opening ratio, which is the ratio between the cut and chord lengths. Three opening ratios of the chord (1/3, 1/2, and 2/3) were studied and compared to the solid baseline design. The Kammtail Virtual Foil (KVF) concept minimizes flow separation in the front portion of the airfoil while the rear portion is truncated. For lab-scale models, the cut-in speed and power generation over different wind speeds were experimentally studied, while for residential-scale prototypes, the power generation over different wind speeds was numerically analyzed using the CFD approach.

 

Presenting Author: Ryoichi S. Amano University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Presenting Author Biography: Professor and Director of DOE Industrial Assessment Center

Authors:

Saif Al Hamad University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Mohamed Abousabae University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Omar Shaker University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Ryoichi S. Amano University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee