Title: Performance estimation of HAWT blade using NACA airfoils

Authors: Nitin Tenguria; N.D. Mittal; Siraj Ahmed

Addresses: Department of Applied Mechanics, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462051, India ' Department of Applied Mechanics, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462051, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462051, India

Abstract: Wind energy is one of the developing resources of renewable energy. In order to increase the use of wind energy, development of wind turbine blade with higher power coefficient plays a vital role. The work being presented here is to give new design of blade for VESTAS V82-1.65MW (HAWT). In this work, NACA airfoils are used for the determination of aerodynamic performance characteristics of horizontal axis wind turbine blade. Optimal rotor theory is used here, which is simple enough and accurate enough for blade design. Four different airfoils are used to investigate the changes in performance of the designed blade. The airfoils taken are same from root to tip in every blade. The design lift coefficient taken is 1.1. A computer programme is developed to automate the entire design procedure for optimisation. Consequently after optimisation chord and twist distributions are obtained for the blade from root to tip. It is found that the elemental power coefficient of the designed blade is maximum between the interval r/R = 0.2 to r/R = 0.6. Therefore, the proposed method of new design for blade can be efficiently used for optimisation of wind turbine blade performance.

Keywords: HAWT blade; wind energy; wind power; NACA airfoils; chord distribution; twist distribution; wind turbines; wind turbine blades; blade design; aerodynamics; optimal rotor theory; turbine blade performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2014.059610

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2014 Vol.13 No.2, pp.131 - 145

Received: 30 Jul 2011
Accepted: 04 Aug 2012
Published online: 13 May 2014 *

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