Unsteady CFD simulation of a rotor blade under various wind conditions

Abstract

Abstract Wind and gusts can significantly impact the performance of rotors and turbines. The transient behavior of the rotor should be carefully examined to account for these effects. This paper investigates the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of a rotor blade under different wind conditions, such as direction, speed, and angle. A 3D transient Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation using the dynamic mesh technique is performed to analyze the rotor dynamics. The unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) equations with the k-ω SST turbulence model are solved. The rotor blade used for this study is the U15XXL Combo KV29 industrial blade, which has not been numerically analyzed before. The results show that wind in the same direction as the rotation reduces the thrust more than lateral or opposite wind. Lateral wind with a speed lower than 5 m/s decreases the blade performance, but higher speeds increase it. Higher lateral wind speeds also cause two peaks in the torque curve, forming a butterfly wing shape in the polar torque plot and multiple extrema in the torque curve with increasing speed. The maximum thrust shifts slightly to the left with increasing lateral wind speed. The lateral angle does not affect the average thrust produced in one blade revolution but only causes a spatial shift. The thrust production decreases as the angle approaches the opposite direction of rotation. The motion amplitude decreases, and the curve becomes smoother as this angle increases. A nearly straight line similar to no side wind is observed at 60 and 90 degrees, which is attributed to the constant effective angle of attack during the rotation cycle.

Keywords

• Rotor blade simulation
• Incoming lateral and longitudinal wind
• Unsteady aerodynamics
• Transient simulation
• Renewable energy
• Computational fluid dynamics