Investigating the Use of Multi-element Airfoil Configurations for Wind Turbines

Wind Turbine   Design and Analysis

Multi-element airfoil configurations hold the potential to increase the aerodynamic performance of the inboard section of a wind turbine blade. In addition to improving the blade root aerodynamics, multi-element airfoil arrangements also show promise to improving the transportability of large wind turbine blades and creating the ability to increase the spar cap separation to allow for an improved structural arrangement of the blades.

Another important parameter in wind turbines is that utility-scale wind turbines (1.510 MW rated power) have cut-in wind speeds between 3 and 5 m s21 and do not begin to operate at their rated power until wind speeds of between 10 and 21 m/s are achieved. Increasing the lift coefficient of the inboard section of a wind turbine blade should aid in starting the wind turbine at lower speeds and will allow the turbine to produce its rated power at a lower wind speed.

Using the following references as a starting point and other references, your objective is to investigate the use of multi-element airfoil configurations for both Horizontal and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines.

1. Bah, E. A., Sankar, L., & Jagoda, J. (2013). Investigation on the Use of Multi-Element Airfoils for Improving Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Performance. 51st AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting Including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition. doi: 10.2514/6.2013-1109
2. Letcher, T. M. (2017). Wind energy engineering: a handbook for onshore and offshore wind turbines. London, United Kingdom: Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier.
3. Ragheb, A., & Selig, M. (2011). Multi-Element Airfoil Configurations for Wind Turbines. 29th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference. doi: 10.2514/6.2011-3971
4. Ragheb, A. M., & Selig, M. S. (2017). Multielement Airfoils for Wind Turbines. Wind Energy Engineering, 203–219. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-809451-8.00011-4
5. https://www.windpowerengineering.com/is-a-20-mw-turbine-possible-the-danes-think-so/