Optimization of Wind Blade for Wind Power Harvesting

A.S. Adedoye1 and I.F. Odesola2

1
M.SC student, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
adedoyea@yahoo.com
2
Doctor, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.

Abstract
The earth’s climatic change is the result of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases
(GHGs) resulting primarily from fossil fuel combustion into the atmosphere. The environmental
consequences of harnessing and utilizing the fossil fuels are assuming alarming proportions. The
possibility of harnessing clean, cheap, and renewable – energy sources such as wind, has become
pertinent. The objective of this work is to optimize a small three bladed Horizontal Axis Wind
Turbine (HAWT) enough to generate electricity that would be stored for residential use.
The design process includes the selection of the wind turbine type and the determination
of the blade airfoil, pitch angle distribution along the radius, and chord length distribution along
the radius. The pitch angle and chord length distributions are optimized based on conservation of
angular momentum and theory of aerodynamic forces on an airfoil. Blade Element Momentum
(BEM) theory is first derived then used to conduct a parametric study that will determine if the
optimized values of blade pitch and chord length create the most efficient blade geometry. Two
different airfoils at tip ratios of 7 and 8 are analyzed to determine which one creates the most
efficient wind turbine blade. The power performance of the mini wind turbine blade was
simulated in detail using modified blade element momentum methods (BEM) considering
various factors such as tip loss, wake and drag coefficient. The aerodynamics of the blade and
the structural analysis was validated with ANSYS-Fluent.
The blade designed has a length of 3.0m from the center of rotation of the hub to the blade tip so
to capture a reasonable amount of energy approximately 100w. The tip speed ratio is initially
defined as 7 to get a baseline value of performance and was varied in the parametric study to
determine the ideal ratio. Also NACA 23012 is the baseline airfoil and NACA 4412 is compared
with it to determine the ideal airfoil. The coefficient of lift CL is initially defined as 0.88 based
on the value of the coefficient of lift of NACA 23012 at the maximum glide ratio (CL/CD). The
aerodynamic properties are based on the lift and drag plots for both airfoils. The angle of attack,
7 degrees, is chosen as the angle of attack corresponding to the maximum glide ratio. The NACA
4412 airfoil is different from the NACA 23012 in that the maximum glide ratio occurs at an
angle of attack of 6 degrees, not 7 degrees like the NACA 23012. Another difference between
the two that will reshape the blade is the coefficient of lift at the maximum glide ratio. The
corresponding coefficient of lift for the NACA 4412 is about 1.05 instead of 0.88. NACA 23012
has power coefficients of 0.5461437 and 0.5595893 at tip speed ratio of 7 and 8 respectively and
NACA 4412 has power coefficients of 0.55653553 and 0.5784617 at tip speed ratio of 7 and 8
respectively. The results of the simulations were compared with computed data and there were
relative correlations.
In choosing between the two airfoils, it is clear that the NACA 4412 creates a more
efficient turbine blade than the NACA 23012. The optimized blade (NACA 4412 at tip ratio of
8) is aerodynamically and structurally effective based on the analysis with ANSYS Fluent and
ANSYS Static Structure.
Keywords: Blade, Aerofoil, HAWT, BEM, Tip speed ratio, CFD e.t.c
1. INTRODUCTION
Wind turbines have become an economically competitive form of clean and
renewable power generation. In most countries, the wind turbine blades continuing to be
the target of technological improvements by the use of highly effective and productive
design, materials, analysis, manufacturing and testing. Wind energy is a low density
source of power[1]. To make wind power economically feasible, it is important to
maximize the efficiency of converting wind energy into mechanical energy. Among the
different aspects involved, rotor aerodynamics is a key determinant for achieving this
goal. There is a tradeoff between aerodynamic efficiency (thin airfoil) and structural
efficiency (thick efficiency) both of which have a strong effect on the cost of electricity
generated. The design process for optimum design therefore requires determining the
optimum thickness distribution by finding the effect of blade shape and varying thickness
on both the power output and the structural weight. Due to the development of computer
aided design tools, the design, analyses and manufacturing of wind turbine blades were
made very cost effective and feasible. Aerodynamics performance of wind turbine blades
can be analyzed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).The finite element method
(FEM) can be used for the blade structural analysis. Numerical methods have become
very practical and widely used to find optimal design of wind turbine blades. At present,
wind turbines are more powerful than early versions and employ sophisticated materials,
electronics and aerodynamics. Costs have declined, making wind more competitive clean
energy source with other power generation options. Designers apply optimization tools
for improving performance and operational efficiency of wind turbines, especially in
early stages of product development. The main aim of this research is to present some
fundamental issues concerning design optimization of the main wind turbine structures,
practical realistic optimization models using different strategies for enhancing blade
aerodynamics, structural dynamics, robustness, and aero elastic performance. A number
of structural and aerodynamic design variables are presented in order to acquire an
optimal blade design which gives higher power output with minimum cost and weight in
conjunction with necessary structural constraints. The Wind turbines are subjected to
very specific loads and stresses. Due to the nature of wind, loads are highly variable.
Varying loads are more difficult to handle than static loads because the material becomes
fatigued. Moreover as a working medium the air is of low density so that the surface
required for capturing energy must be large. When designing a wind turbine, the aim is to
attain the highest possible power output under particular atmospheric conditions and this
depends on the shape of the blade. The change of the shape of blade is one of the
methods to modify stiffness and stability, but it may influence aerodynamic efficiency of
wind turbine. Blade is the key component to capture wind energy. It plays a vital role in
the whole wind turbine.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Grant Ingram [2], in this report derives equations for the analysis of wind turbines
using the blade element method. These equations are then used in an example
performance calculation. Although used for analysis these equations could be equally
applied to design activities.
 N.S. Çetin et al [3] they have described how to select the optimum tip speed ratio
for horizontal axis wind turbine. Various speed ratios could be chosen for different types
of profiles with different number of blades. An optimization procedure should be applied
to find the best ratio since this directly affects the energy generated from the turbine and
in turn the investment made. study presents a procedure to assess the optimum speed
ratios for various profile types used in practice with various numbers of blades.
Nicolette Arnalda Cencelli [4] describes the range of wind speeds, within which
optimal performance of the wind turbine is expected, was selected. The optimal
performance was assessed in terms of coefficient of power, which rates the turbine blades
ability to extract energy from the available wind stream. The optimization methods
employed a means of tackling the multi-variable problem such that aerodynamic
characteristics of the blade were ideal through the wind speed range. The optimization
involved representation of the rotor as a simplified model and use of the Blade Element
Moment method for analysis.
R. Lanzafame, M. Messina [5] carried out mathematical model for fluid dynamics
wind turbine design based on the blade element momentum theory has been implemented
and improved. The simulation was performed for the whole wind velocity range, in on-
design and off-design conditions .The mathematical simulations have been compared
with experimental data found in the literature.
Yukio Watanabe1, Hidetsugu Iwashita, and Masamitsu Ito [6] described the shape
optimum design of a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) blade operating in low
Reynolds number range (Re < 106). The objective is to maximize the power coefficient,
rotor power per air flow momentum through the rotor disk area, under the constraints on
the torque and the angle of attack in terms of chord length and twist angle distributions
where the power-required is evaluated by boundary element method (BEM).
J Laursen, P Enevoldsen, S Hjort [7] applied to a rotor at stationary wind
conditions without wind shear, using the commercial multi-purpose CFD solvers ANSYS
CFX 10.0 and 11.0. And local airfoil profile coefficients have been computed and
compared with BEM airfoil coefficients
3. AERODYNAMICS OF HORIZONTAL AXIS WIND TURBINES BLADE
In order to successfully design an efficient wind turbine, the blade contour must
take advantage of aerodynamic considerations while the material it is made from provides
the necessary strength and stiffness. By investigating the aerodynamic characteristics of a
wind turbine blade, the parameters that make up the blade contour are optimized, and the
loads that test its structural adequacy are calculated. Practical horizontal axis wind
turbine designs use airfoils to transform the kinetic energy in the wind into useful energy.
 Fig 1: Nomenclature of Airfoil.

3.1 Efficiency of Wind Turbine

Wind turbine efficiency is quantified by a non-dimensional value called the coefficient of
power Cp, which is the ratio of power extracted from the wind, P, to the total power in wind
crossing the turbine area. Equation 1 shows that the coefficient of power is a function of the air
density ρ, the area inscribed by the turbine blade A, and the wind speed v1.
P
Cp = 1 3
(1)
×ρ×A ×v1
2
The power extracted from the wind is derived using the Bernoulli equation on both sides
of a wind turbine as depicted in Fig 1.

Fig 2: Diagram of Wind Speed and Pressure Before, During, and After Crossing a Wind Turbine
By applying the Bernoulli equation to the flow upstream and downstream of the turbine
results in Equation (2) and (3), respectively.
1 1
𝑝1 + 2𝜌𝑣 2 = 𝑝+ + 2 𝜌𝑣 2 (2)
1
1 1
𝑃+ − ∆𝑝 + 2 𝜌𝑣 2 = 𝑝1 + 2 𝜌𝑣3 2 (3)
By subtracting Equations (2) and (3), one arrives at the following expression:
1
∆𝑝 = 𝜌(𝑣1 2 − 𝑣3 2 ) (4)
2
 Based on the change in linear momentum from v1 to v3, the change in pressure Δp can
also be expressed as:
∆𝑝 = 𝜌𝑣(𝑣1 − 𝑣3 ) (5)
By solving equations (4) and (5) for v,
1
𝑣 = 2 (𝑣1 + 𝑣3 ) (6)
The power produced by the wind turbine is equal to the kinetic energy in the air.
1
𝑃 = 2 𝜌𝑣(𝑣1 2 − 𝑣3 2 ) (7)
The axial interference factor (a) is a factor that represents the loss in wind speed as it
approaches the turbine blade. The axial interference factor is defined as:
𝑣 = (1 − 𝑎)𝑣1 (8)
or
𝑣3 = (1 − 2𝑎)𝑣1 (9)
In terms of the axial interference factor, the power equation from Equation (3.7) can be
re-written as:
𝑃 = 2𝜌𝑎(1 − 𝑎)2 𝑣1 3 𝐴 (10)
Using Equation (10) to further define the power extracted by the wind turbine in Equation
(1), the coefficient of power can be defined in terms of the axial interference factor only.
𝐶𝑝 = 4𝑎(1 − 𝑎)2 (11)
The maximum theoretical value of the coefficient of performance is determined by setting the
derivative of Equation (11) equal to zero and solving for𝑎 . Doing so results in a root at 𝑎=1/3,
which corresponds to a maximum coefficient of power of 16/27. This number, referred to as the
Betz limit, represents the maximum theoretical coefficient of power. Due to losses throughout
the system in bearing friction, wing tip vortices, hub losses, etc., the actual coefficient of power
is expected to be less.
3.2 Blade Element Momentum (BEM) Theory
BEM theory is a compilation of both momentum theory and blade element theory.
Momentum theory, which is useful in predicted ideal efficiency and flow velocity, is the
determination of forces acting on the rotor to produce the motion of the fluid. This theory has no
connection to the geometry of the blade, thus is not able to provide optimal blade parameters.
Blade element theory determines the forces on the blade as a result of the motion of the fluid in
terms of the blade geometry. By combining the two theories, BEM theory, also known as strip
theory, relates rotor performance to rotor geometry.
The assumptions made in BEM theory is the aggregate of the assumptions made for
momentum theory and blade element theory. The following assumptions are made for
momentum theory
 Blades operate without frictional drag
 A slipstream that is well defined separates the flow passing through the rotor disc from
that outside disc.
 The static pressure in and out of the slipstream far ahead of and behind the rotor are equal
to the undisturbed free-stream static pressure (p1=p3).
 Thrust loading is uniform over the rotor disc.
 No rotation is imparted to the flow by the disc.
The following assumptions are made in the blade element theory:
 There is no interference between successive blade elements along the blade
  Forces acting on the blade element are solely due to the lift and drag characteristics of the
sectional profile of a blade element.
By setting the expression for the differential thrust from blade element theory equal to the
following equation for differential thrust using momentum theory,
𝑑𝑇ℎ = 2𝜋𝑟𝜌𝑣2 (𝑣1 − 𝑣3 )𝑑𝑟 (12)
One is able to obtain the first of two relationships required for BEM theory
𝑎 𝜎𝐶𝑦
= (13)
𝑎−1 4𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜑
Equating the expression for the differential torque from blade element theory to the
following equation for differential torque using angular momentum theory
𝑑𝑇 = 2𝜋𝑟 2 𝜌𝑣2 𝑢2 𝑑𝑟 (14)
yields the second relation for BEM theory.
𝑎′ 𝑥 𝜎𝐶
= 4𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜑𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜑 (15)
𝑎′ −1
The solidity ratio σ is defined as the following expression.
𝑐𝐵
𝜎 = 2𝜋𝑟 (16)
In order to account for the loss of torque at the tip, Prandtl developed a method to
approximate the radial flow effect near the blade tip which is sufficiently accurate for high tip
speed ratios for turbines with two or more blades. The factor Prandtl derived is defined by
2 𝐵⁄2〈1− 𝑟 ⁄𝑅 〉
𝐹𝑝 = 𝜋 cos −1 [exp {− ( 〈𝑟⁄𝑅〉 cos 𝛽 )}] (17)
Solving Equations (14) and (15) for 𝑎 and 𝑎’, respectively, and including the Prandtl tip
loss correction factor, yields the final two equations for and used in the BEM procedure.
1
𝑎 = 4𝐹𝑝 𝑠𝑖𝑛2𝜑 (18)
+1
𝜎𝐶𝑦
1
𝑎′ = 4𝐹𝑝 sin 𝜑 cos 𝜑 (19)
−1
𝜎𝐶𝑥
Once 𝑎 is calculated to be greater than 0.2, the following correction factor will be used
that was formulated by Glauert and redefined in terms of the average axial interference factor.
1
𝑎 = 2 (2 + 𝐾(1 − 2𝑎𝑐 ) − √( 𝐾(1 − 2𝑎𝑐 ) + 2)2 + 4( 𝐾𝑎𝑐 2 − 1) (20)
Where
4𝐹𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜑
𝐾= (21)
𝜎𝐶𝑦
[1−𝑎]𝑣
𝜑 = tan−1 ([1+𝑎′ ]𝑟𝑤
1
) (22)

Inputs:
Choose guess β, v1, ω, c,
values for 𝑎 and ρair, B, R, dr
𝑎’ (guess = 0)

Calculate φ from Calculate α (α = φ - β)

Eqn. 3.49 and find CL and CD from
the airfoil data
corresponding to α
 Does new and Calculate 𝑎 and 𝑎’
Substitute No
differ by more than from Eqns (3.40),
previous 𝑎
’ the target % from (3.42), and (3.49)
and 𝑎 for
new values previous 𝑎 and 𝑎’?
Calculate Cx and
Cy
Yes

Finished

Fig 3: Flow Diagram of the Iteration Process Used to Solve for Axial Induction Factor and the
Tangential Induction Factor
Once the values for 𝑎 and 𝑎’ converge, the torque T and thrust Th for each blade segment
is calculated by using the following equations:
1
𝑇 ∗ (𝑟) = 2 𝜌𝜔2 𝑐𝐶𝑥 𝑟 (23)
1
𝑇ℎ ∗ (𝑟) = 2 𝜌𝜔2 𝑐𝐶𝑦 (24)
The total axial force and power are then calculated using the following summations:
𝑅
𝑇ℎ = 𝐵 ∫0 𝑇ℎ ∗ (𝑟)𝑑𝑟 (25)
𝑅
𝑃 = 𝜔 𝐵 ∫0 𝑇 ∗ (𝑟)𝑑𝑟 (26)
3.2.1 Power Coefficient
When 𝑎 determined, power coefficient is 𝐶𝑝 can be calculated by the equation
8 λ 𝐶
𝐶𝑝 = 𝜆2 ∫λ Fλr 3 a′ (1 − a) (1 − 𝐶𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑡∅) 𝑑λr (27)
ℎ 𝑙
Where 𝜆h is the local speed ratio at hub. Eqn. 3.54 can be modified into the following
form to simplify numerical solution
8 𝑅−𝑅 3 ′ 𝐶𝑑
𝐶𝑝 = 𝜆2 𝑁𝑅 ℎ ∑𝑁𝑖=1 Fλr a (1 − a) (1 − 𝐶 𝑐𝑜𝑡∅) (28)
𝑙
Where the blade is evenly divided into 𝑁 sections of identical width, 𝑅 is the rotor radius,
and 𝑅ℎ is the radius of hub
3.3 Blade Design Procedure
 Determine the rotor diameter required from equation 1
 Choose a tip speed ratio for the machine. For electrical power generation pick 4 < λ < 10
 Choose a number of blades, 𝐵 based on practical experience.
 Select an airfoil. For λ < 3 curved plate can be used rather than airfoil shape
  Obtain and examine lift and drag coefficient curves for the airfoil in question. Note that
different airfoils may be used at different spans of the blade; a thick airfoil may be
selected for the hub to give greater strength.
 Choose the design aerodynamic conditions for each airfoil. Typically select 80% of the
maximum lift value, this choice effectively fixes the blade twist. On long blades a very
large degree of twist is required to obtain 80% of the maximum lift near the hub. This is
not necessary desirable as the hub produces only a small amount of the power output, a
compromise is to accept that the airfoils will have very large angles of attack at the hub
 Choose chord distribution of the airfoil. There is no easily physically accessible way of
doing this but a simplification of an ideal blade is given by:
8𝜋𝑟𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽
𝐶 = 3𝐵λ (29)
r
 This gives a moderately complex shape and a linear distribution of chord may be
considerably easier to make.
 Divide the blade into 𝑁 elements. Typically 10 to 20 elements would be used.
 As a first guess for the flow solution use the following equations. These are based on an
ideal blade shape derived with wake rotation, zero drag and zero tip losses. Note that
these equations provide an initial guess only. The equations are given as follows:
2 1
𝛽 = 900 − 3 tan−1 λ (30)
r
−1
4𝑐𝑜𝑠2 𝛽
𝑎 = (1 + 𝜎′ 𝐶 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽) (31)
𝑙
1−3𝑎
𝑎′ = 4𝑎−1 (32)
 Calculate rotor performance and then modify the design as necessary. This is an iterative
process.
4. BLADE DESIGN SPECIFICATION
The blade was planned for a length of 3.0m from the center of rotation of the hub to the
blade tip, to maintain a 6.0m rotor diameter. The blade radius was chosen to be small enough to
ensure that the turbine would fit on any existing structure; but large enough to capture a
reasonable amount of energy approximately 100w.
The number of blades that a wind turbine has is an important parameter. It governs the
performance, cost, weight, and aesthetics to name a few. For this project, the number of blades
was determined using literature. It has been shown that 3 blades produce relatively good
performance for the added cost and complexity more than 2 blades [8]. A 4- bladed system has
slightly better performance; however, the performance does not justify the added cost and
complexity of the fourth blade. One can notice that the majority of horizontal wind turbines
today are 3-bladed for this reason. Blade number affects solidity of wind turbine and is related to
balance of gyroscopic loads. Though two blades are cheaper to manufacture and easier to install
than three blades installation, yet three blades which can produce more power with smoother
output were used.
Most small wind turbines operate with a tip speed ratio 𝜆 between 4 and 10. At higher tip
speed ratios, the efficiency would be expected to increase, but this would be offset by higher
noise levels. For this work, the design tip speed ratio was set to 7 when operating in a 2.2m/s
wind.
4.1 Blade Model
 The design of the turbine rotor was based upon the Blade element Momentum (BEM)
theory. In order to start reducing the number of blade design variables, the constraints of a small
wind turbine must first be translated to input values of the BEM analysis. The main constraint of
a small wind turbine is the allowable height of the wind turbine which constraints both the wind
speed and the blade length. Based on assumptions made in the previous section and data gotten
from literatures, the average wind speed at the maximum allowable height of 10meters is about
2.2m/s in Ibadan with a corresponding blade radius of 3.0 meters as shown in Table 1 and 2
Table 1: Rotor Size and Speed (λ = 7) Table 2: Rotor Size and Speed (λ = 8)
Parameter Symbol Unit Value
Radius Ro M 3.000 Parameter Symbol Unit Value
Wind Speed V1 m/s 2.200 Radius Ro M 3.000
Rotation Speed n min-1 49.013 Wind Speed V1 m/s 2.200
-1
Density of air ρ 3
Kg/m 1.225 Rotation Speed n min 56.015
Number of blades B - 3.000 Density of air ρ 3
Kg/m 1.225
Angular speed ω s -1
5.133 Number of blades B - 3.000
Thickness, 1 ring dr M 0.300 Angular speed ω s -1
5. 866
Inner radius Ri M 0.300 Thickness, 1 ring dr M 0.300
Swept surface As m2 27.992 Inner radius Ri M 0.300
2
Max. Power Pmax KW 0.108 Swept surface As m 27.992
Tip speed V m/s 15.398 Max. Power P max KW 0.108
Tip speed ratio X - 7.000 Tip speed V m/s 17.598
Tip speed ratio X - 8.000

The tip speed ratio X must be chosen to calculate the pitch values and the coefficient of
lift must be defined to set the chord length. The tip speed ratio is initially defined as 7 to get a
baseline value of performance and will be varied in the parametric study to determine the ideal
ratio. Also NACA 23012 is the baseline airfoil and NACA 4412 is compared with it to determine
the ideal airfoil. The coefficient of lift CL is initially defined as 0.88 based on the value of the
coefficient of lift at the maximum glide ratio (CL/CD). The aerodynamic properties are based on
the lift and drag plots for NACA airfoil 23012. The angle of attack, 7 degrees, is chosen as the
angle of attack corresponding to the maximum glide ratio.

Fig 4: Graph of lifts and drag Coefficients for the NACA 23012
Fig 5: Graph of Glide ratio for the NACA 23012 Airfoil
Table 3: Baseline Dimensionless Wind Turbine Blade Geometry
Blade - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Segment
Rel. Radius r/R 0.150 0.250 0.350 0.450 0.550 0.650 0.750 0.850 0.950
Speed X 1.050 1.750 2.450 3.150 3.850 4.550 5.250 5.950 6.650
Ratio
Angle, phi 29.069 19.830 14.802 11.742 9.707 8.264 7.190 6.360 5.701
Optimal
Pitch beta 22.069 12.830 7.802 4.742 2.707 1.264 0.190 -0.640 -1.299
Rel. chord c/R 0.180 0.141 0.111 0.090 0.075 0.064 0.056 0.050 0.045
length
Finally, the power generated from the wind turbine is calculated and the coefficient of
power is then determined by comparing the calculated power extracted by the wind turbine with
the total power contained in the wind. Using a constant wind velocity of 2.2 m/s, which was
determined to be the average wind speed in Ibadan at a height of 10 meters, the rotational
velocity of the turbine was changed until it created a tip speed ratio of about 7 and 8. After the
equations converged, the power extracted from the wind was computed to be about 99.70307W
(NACA 23012 at tip ratio of 7). Compared to the Betz limit of extractable power in the air of
108W, this turbine is calculated to have an efficiency of 92.161742%.
4.2 Varying the Airfoil and Tip Speed Ratio
The airfoil and tip speed ratio are parameters that can be varied to optimize a blade
design. Associated with the variation in airfoil is the change in optimal coefficient of lift and
optimal angle of attack. While the airfoil changes the blade cross section, it also alters the
optimal coefficient of lift and optimal angle of attack, which affects the pitch and chord length
distributions. The original airfoil used was NACA 23012, which is a standard cambered airfoil.
The second airfoil that will be used for comparison is the NACA 4412.
The NACA 4412 airfoil is different than the NACA 23012 in that the maximum glide
ratio occurs at an angle of attack of 6 degrees, not 7 degrees like the NACA 23012. Another
difference between the two that will reshape the blade is the coefficient of lift at the maximum
glide ratio. The corresponding coefficient of lift for the NACA 4412 is about 1.05 instead of 0.88
which will change the pitch and chord length for each segment of the blade as shown below
Fig 6: Graph of lifts and drag Coefficients for the NACA 4412

Glide ratio for NACA 4412

160
140
120
100
Glide ratio

80
GR
60
40
20
0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Angle of attack (deg)
Fig 7: Graph of Glide ratio for the NACA 4412 Airfoil
Table 4: Optimized Dimensionless Wind Turbine Blade Geometry
Blade - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Segment
Rel. Radius r/R 0.150 0.250 0.350 0.450 0.550 0.650 0.750 0.850 0.950
Speed X 1.050 1.750 2.450 3.150 3.850 4.550 5.250 5.950 6.650
Ratio
Angle, phi 29.069 19.830 14.802 11.742 9.707 8.264 7.190 6.360 5.701
Optimal
Pitch beta 23.069 13.830 8.802 5.742 3.707 2.264 1.190 0.360 -0.299
Rel. chord c/R 0.151 0.118 0.093 0.075 0.063 0.054 0.047 0.042 0.037
length
 The coefficient of power as output from the BEM Calculations will be compared between
the results of the NACA 23012 and NACA 4412 airfoils. The blades were compared for each
airfoil: the blades optimized for tip speed ratios of 7 and 8 which are tip speed ratios which give
the highest performance for a modern 3-bladed wind turbine. At both tip speed ratios, NACA
4412 out-performs the NACA 23012. The efficiency of NACA 4412 is 93.91537% at tip ratio of
7 compared to NACA 23012 92.161742%. There is improvement in performance for both
airfoils for tip speed ratio of 8, NACA 23012 has efficiency of 94.430697% and NACA 4412 has
efficiency of 97.615416%. Thus designing the blade for a tip speed ratio of 8 with NACA 4412
airfoil would create the optimal blade.
4.3 CFD Analysis of the Optimized blade (NACA 4412 at λ=8)
This section considers the deformation due to aerodynamic loading of the wind turbine
blade by performing a steady-state 1-way FSI (Fluid-Structure Interaction) analysis. ANSYS
Fluent was used to develop the aerodynamics loading on the blade. For the Structural analysis,
the pressures on the wetted areas of the blade are passed as pressure loads to ANSYS Mechanical
to determine stresses and deformations on the blade.

Fig 8: Wind blade model in ANSYS

Fig 9: Pressure Distributions on Blade Surfaces (Back View)

Fig 10: Pressure Distributions on Blade Surfaces (Front View)

Fig 12: Total Deformation of the Turbine Blade
Fig 13: Stress Distributions on the Turbine Blade

Fig 14: Maximum Equivalent Von-Mises Stress on Turbine Blade

5. CONCLUSION
Optimizing the parameters that define a wind turbine blade is a process that requires
knowledge of both momentum theory and blade section aerodynamic theory taking into account
the pitch angle, tip loss, drag coefficient correction and wake factor. By equating the thrust force
on the rotor with the axial momentum force, one is able to solve for the axial interference factor
𝑎. By equating the torque force with the angular momentum force on the rotor, one is also able to
solve for the tangential interference factor 𝑎′ . And finally, one is able to calculate the power
produced by the wind turbine, by using an iterative process to solve for 𝑎 and 𝑎′ . Using this
process of determining the efficiency of a wind turbine, one is able to test a range of values for
any given parameter in a design and determine which values optimize the output. The
assumption which was made without much prior knowledge was the value of tip speed ratio.
Since the effect that the tip speed ratio would have on the turbine performance was not known, a
parametric study was conducted which demonstrated that based on the methods of defining the
pitch angle and chord length, the tip speed ratio that is chosen to shape the blade should be less
than the expected value that the turbine encounters. Doing so will ensure the turbine operates at
peak efficiency. It was determined that the optimal blade should be designed for a tip speed ratio
of 8. The final parametric study was conducted to determine if the airfoil had an appreciable
effect on the efficiency of the turbine. Based on the data collected using BEM theory it was
confirmed that changing the airfoil could have an appreciable effect on the turbine efficiency. Of
the two airfoils that were analyzed in this project, the NACA 4412 airfoil was shown to have a
higher efficiency at tip speed ratios greater than 7. The NACA 4412 was also shown to have a
higher maximum coefficient of power than the NACA 23012. In choosing between the two
airfoils, it is clear that the NACA 4412 creates a more efficient turbine blade than the NACA
23012. The optimized blade (NACA 4412 at tip ratio of 8) is aerodynamically and structurally
effective based on the analysis with ANSYS Fluent and ANSYS Static Structure.
REFERENCES
[1] Adekoya, L. O. and Adewale, A. A. (1992). Wind Energy Potential of Nigeria. Renewable
Energy, Vol. 2, No. 1, Pp. 35-39.
[2] Grant Ingram, “Wind Turbine Blade Analysis using the Blade Element Momentum Method”,
Grant Ingram, Version 1.0, December 2005.
[3] N.S. Çetin, M.A. Yurdusev, R. Ata and A. Özdemir, “ASSESSMENT OF OPTIMUM TIP
SPEED RATIO OF WIND TURBINES” Ege University, Bornova, İzmir-Turkey, 2005.
[4] Nicolette Arnalda Cencelli, “Aerodynamic Optimization of a Small-Scale Wind Turbine
Blade for Low Windspeed Conditions”, University of Stellenbosch, December 2006.
[5] R. Lanzafame, M. Messina, “Fluid Dynamics Wind Turbine Design: Critical Analysis,
Optimization and Application of BEM Theory”, University of Catania, Italy, February 2007.
[6] Yukio Watanabe1, Hidetsugu Iwashita, and Masamitsu Ito,“Shape Optimum Design of
Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine in Low Reynolds Number Range” Toba National College of
Maritime Technology, Japan.
[7] J Laursen, P Enevoldsen, S Hjort, “3D CFD Quantification of the Performance of a Multi-
Megawatt Wind Turbine”, Journal of Physics, 2007.
[8] Burton, T., Sharpe, D., Jenkins, N. and Bossanyi, E. (2011). Wind Energy Handbook, 2nd
Edition, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, United Kingdom.
http://longfiles.com/jtskv3z4egk2/0470699752wind.pdf.html