Aerodynamic Performance of a thick airfoil in the presence of Vortex Generators

Research output: Contribution to conferencePresentation

Abstract

Rain-induced blade erosion is a main issue in Offshore Wind Turbines (OWT) since most wind farms experience heavy rainfalls. The Springer model, which is highly used for erosion estimation, is undergoing improvements, especially the droplet impact pressure aspect. Therefore, this Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) study was conducted to estimate the impact pressure for different droplet sizes, while discussing impact behaviour in detail. Simulations were done for droplet diameters 1-5 mm with an impact speed of 100 m/s. Water droplets slightly deform just before the impact, delaying the impact due to the pressurized air layer. During this delay period, pressure was significantly increased to reach the maximum impact pressure. When the droplet size increases the maximum impact pressure also increases, due to high air volume displacement which is not included in the Springer model’s pressure estimation. In conclusion, the larger droplets were observed to impose higher pressure on the blade’s coating than the smaller droplets leading to high erosivity.
Original languageEnglish (Ireland)
Publication statusPublished - 23 May 2023
EventWind Energy Science Conference - Glasgow, United Kingdom
Duration: 23 May 202327 May 2023
Conference number: 7
https://www.marei.ie/wind-energy-science-conference-wesc-2023/

Conference

ConferenceWind Energy Science Conference
Abbreviated titleWESC
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityGlasgow
Period23/05/202327/05/2023
Internet address

Keywords

  • Erosion
  • Offshore wind turbine
  • Rain erosion
  • Droplet impact
  • Impact pressure

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