Comparative analysis of numerical computational techniques for determination of the wind turbine aerodynamic performances

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore and define an adequate numerical setting for the computation of aerodynamic performances of wind turbines of various shapes and sizes, which offers the possibility of choosing a suitable approach of minimal complexity for the future research. Here, mechanical power, thrust, power coefficient, thrust coefficient, pressure coefficient, pressure distribution along the blade, relative velocity contoure at different wind speeds and streamlines were considered by two different methods: the blade element momentum (BEM) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), within which three different turbulence models were analyzed. The estimation of the mentioned aerodynamic performances was carried out on two different wind turbine blades. The obtained solutions were compared with the experimental and nominal (up-scaled) values, available in the literature. Although the flow was considered as steady, a satisfactory correlation between numerical and experimental results was achieved. The comparison between results also showed, the significance of selection, regarding the complexity and geometry of the analyzed wind turbine blade, the most appropriate numerical approach for computation of aerodynamic performances.