Session: 41-02 Wind Turbine Computational Studies

Paper Number: 153916

Wind Turbine Power Harvesting Control Through Active Fluid Gurney Flaps 

Green power technologies must maximize their efficiency to reduce the environmental impact of electricity generation. However, challenges such as demographic and geographic limitations often restrict the installation of wind farms. Therefore, wind turbines need to be able to adapt their output to varying atmospheric conditions to meet growing energy demands. Our solution involves leveraging lift enhancement technologies, specifically Active Fluid Gurney Flaps (AFGF), to bolster wind power extraction and facilitate precise control. Unlike traditional Gurney Flaps which augment lift and subsequently power extraction but also introduce increased drag due to their passive nature, our proposal integrates a local flow injection mechanism inspired by mimicking a physical wall. This innovation allows for regulating the presence and intensity of the Gurney Flap, thereby offering adaptable performance tailored to operational constraints and power demands. This approach effectively mitigates the drag penalty when switched off. To determine the performance of the proposed mechanism three different architectures were evaluated at Reynolds 1 · 106 assuming mid-span blade conditions. The 2D NREL S809 airfoil and a case including a physical Gurney Flap, are compared against our proposed AFGF equipped with a slot of 0.4%c at the pressure side trailing edge to promote air injection at constant pressure. URANS simulations are employed to predict the performance of the different geometries. Air is modeled as an ideal gas while the turbulence closure is achieved via the Transition SST model. The proposed AFGF offers significant lift enhancement compared to traditional GF, while allowing modulation of its application. An analysis of power balance, juxtaposing the injection cost against the augmented power harvesting, underscores the viability of this innovative flow control technique. AFGF can notably amplify the power output of a wind farm, potentially reducing the required number of turbines to meet peak power demands while facilitating adjustment in response to electrical needs.

Presenting Author: Mario Lucas Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Presenting Author Biography: Mario Lucas is an aerospace engineer by Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid. He is currently an Aeronautical Master's student at the same university. Mario is a Research Assistant in the Signal Theory and Communications and Telematic Systems and Computers department. His research is focused on developing active Flow control technologies to improve aerodynamic performance.

Authors:

Mario Lucas Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
Jorge Saavedra Universidad Rey Juan Carlos