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Numerical investigation of boundary layer suction control positions on airfoils for vertical-axis wind turbine

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Abstract

Flow separation is a common phenomenon on vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT), delaying or restraining flow separation is very beneficial to improve the wind energy absorption efficiency of VAWT. This paper first reviews flow separation control methods of airfoil and VAWT. Then the influence of the maximum thickness position and curvature of airfoil on boundary layer suction position is studied on NACA-021 series airfoils. Results show that the effect of suction position is dominated by both the separation point and the maximum position of curvature variation downstream the maximum thickness position. With the maximum thickness position moves downstream, the optimal suction position for airfoil with the largest lift-drag ratio also moves towards to the trailing edge. Furthermore, multi-suction slots are studied on NACA0021 airfoil and also applied on VAWT, keeping the total suction momentum as constant, proper double chordwise suction slots can obtain higher power efficiency for low and high TSRs compared with single suction slots at x/c = 30%.

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Abbreviations

D :

Diameter

H :

Blade height

N :

Blade number

c :

Chord

C p :

Power coefficient

V s :

Suction velocity

m s :

Suction mass flow rate

C L :

Blade lift coefficient

C D :

Blade drag coefficient

P :

Power consumption by suction

Re :

Reynolds number

σ :

Solidity

C u :

Suction momentum

α :

Angle of attack

γ + :

Wall distance of the 1st grid layer

λ :

Tip speed ratio

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51906156).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093, China

    Jinjing Sun & Diangui Huang

Authors
  1. Jinjing Sun
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  2. Diangui Huang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diangui Huang.

Additional information

Jinjing Sun is a Lecturer of the School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Beihang University and Ecole Centrale de Lyon. Her research interests include flow control in turbomachinery and wind turbines.

Diangui Huang is a Professor of the School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China. His research interests include aerodynamic of turbomachinery, flow control and flow stability and computation method.

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Sun, J., Huang, D. Numerical investigation of boundary layer suction control positions on airfoils for vertical-axis wind turbine. J Mech Sci Technol 35, 2903–2914 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-021-0614-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-021-0614-0

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