Design of Airfoils

for Wind Turbine Blades

Ruud van Rooij

(r.vanrooij@citg.tudelft.nl)

Nando Timmer

Delft University of Technology

The Netherlands

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 1

 Delft University of Technology
13200 Bsc+ Msc students, 4750 employees

Delft University Wind Energy Research

Institute
(Coordinator: Section Wind Energy)

Faculties:
• Civil Engineering and Geosciences (Wind Energy, Offshore)
http://www.windenergy.citg.tudelft.nl/home/flash/index.html

• Information Technology and Systems (Electrical group)

• Design, Engineering and Production (Systems &Control)
• Aerospace Engineering (Aero, Aeroelastics)

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 2

 Section Wind Energy
(Civil Engineering and Geosciences => Aerospace Engineering)

Aerodynamic research
- Facilities

low speed
wind-tunnel

open-jet
research wind turbine
wind tunnel
03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 3
 Contents

• Background

• Design goals HAWT airfoils

• Design approach
• Performance comparison

• Airfoil testing

• Effect on wind turbine power Cp

• Overview HAWT airfoils

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 4

 Background
Operational area
Control: Variable RPM Power restriction

1.2
High Cp
P ow e r
1.0 80% of Energy

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

W in ds spe e d (m /s)
0.0
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0

Airfoil: High max. L/D Max. lift considerations

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 5

 Background
Blade geometry
Structural: Airfoil:

Outboard: t/= .15-18 - High max. L/D

- Insensitive to
roughness
Mid span: t/= .25 - Similar design
angle
Inboard: t/> .30 - High max. lift
(Rot. Effects)

Transition piece No Aerodynamic

demands

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 6

 Background
Effect of rotation
Stall delay
2.50
RFOIL code cl inboard
2.00
• Integral boundary layer eq.
mid-span
1.50
• Extended for radial flow
2d
• Radial equations
• Cross flow profile 1.00

0.50 DU 91-W2-250
Re = 3.0x10e6
0.00
parameter is c/r
(= local solidity) Angle (deg.)
-0.50
-5.0 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 7

 Design goals HAWT airfoils
steady

Thickness-to-chord ratio > .28 .28 - .21 .21 >

High maximum lift-to-drag ratio
Low max. and benign post stall
Insensitivity to roughness
Low noise
Geometric compatibility
Structural demands

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 8

 Design approach
(example DU 91-W2-250)

Main features

Small upper surface thickness

=> reduced roughness sensitivity
NACA 63-425

S-Tail
DU 91-W2-250 => Aft-loading

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 9

 Design approach
(pressure distributions DU 91-W2-250, Re = 3.0x106)

- 4. 0
Cp Low roughness sensitivity
=> Transition at nose for Cl_max
- 3. 0

11.0o Low drag

- 2. 0 => Aft transition at Cl_design
7.0o Transition
Alpha= 0.0o Separation
- 1. 0

0. 0

Aft-loading
1. 0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 x/c 0.8 1.0

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 10

 Airfoil design
(2d performance)

Measurements at LST-TU Delft: Clean

1.50 1.50
Design lift cl cl

1.00 1.00

0.50 0.50

0.00 0.00 DU 91-W2-250

Re = 3.0x106 NACA 63-425

-0.50 -0.50
0 50 100 150 -5.0 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0
cl/cd Angle (deg.)

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 11

 Airfoil design
(2d performance)

Measurements at LST-TU Delft: Roughness simulated

1.50 1.50
ZZ-Tape at 5% u.s.

cl
Design lift
1.00 1.00

cl

0.50 0.50

0.00 0.00
DU 91-W2-250

Re = 3.0x106 NACA 63-425

-0.50 -0.50
0 30 60 90 -5.0 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0
cl/cd Angle (deg.)

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 12

 Airfoil testing
(Low speed low turbulence tunnel)

Test section size 1.80 x 1.25 m

Maximum speed 120 m/s
Turbulence level 0.015% at 10 m/s
0.07% at 70 m/s

Test section

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 13

 Airfoil testing
(effect of leading edge thickness)

DU 97-W-300
1.6

Lift coefficient

1.2

DU 96-W-180
0.8

6
Re=1.0x10
0.4

0
-5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

angle of attack (degrees)

-0.4

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 14

 Airfoil testing
(effect of high Reynolds numbers)

Airfoil: DU 97-W-300Mod
120 1.6

100 1.4
(Cl/Cd)max Cl,max
80 1.2

60 1.0

40 0.8

Clean
20 0.6
Zigzag tape 0.4 mm
Carborundum 60
0 0.4
0 5 -6 10 0 5 10
Re x10 Re x10-6

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 15

 Airfoil testing
(360 degrees)

2.5
Cl, Cd
2

1.5

0.5

0
-50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
-0.5

-1
DU 96-W-180
angle of attack
-1.5 Re=700,000
03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 16
 Airfoil testing
(360 degrees)

2.5 α=24o
Cl, Cd
2

1.5

0.5

0
-50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
-0.5

-1
DU 96-W-180
angle of attack
-1.5 Re=700,000
03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 17
 Airfoil testing
(360 degrees)

2.5 α= 40o
Cl, Cd Cl= 1.145
2

1.5

0.5

0
-50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
-0.5

-1
DU 96-W-180
angle of attack
-1.5 Re=700,000
03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 18
 Airfoil testing
(360 degrees)

α=90o
2.5
Cl= 0.10 Cd= 1.914
Cl, Cd
2

1.5

0.5

0
-50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
-0.5

-1
DU 96-W-180
angle of attack
-1.5 Re=700,000
03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 19
 Airfoil testing
(360 degrees)

α= 160o
2.5
Cl= -.627
Cl, Cd
2

1.5

0.5

0
-50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
-0.5

-1
DU 96-W-180
angle of attack
-1.5 Re=700,000
03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 20
 Airfoil testing
(360 degrees)

2.5 α= 194o
Cl, Cd Cl= 0.541
2

1.5

0.5

0
-50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
-0.5

-1
DU 96-W-180
angle of attack
-1.5 Re=700,000
03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 21
 Airfoil testing
(360 degrees)

2.5 α= 224o
Cl, Cd Cl= 0.811
2

1.5

0.5

0
-50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
-0.5

-1
DU 96-W-180
angle of attack
-1.5 Re=700,000
03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 22
 Airfoil testing
(360 degrees)

α= 270o
2.5
Cl, Cd Cl= -0.11 Cd=
2 1.832

1.5

0.5

0
-50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
-0.5

-1
DU 96-W-180
angle of attack
-1.5 Re=700,000
03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 23
 Airfoil testing
(360 degrees)

2.5 α= 316o
Cl, Cd Cl=- 0.971
2

1.5

0.5

0
-50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
-0.5

-1
DU 96-W-180
angle of attack
-1.5 Re=700,000
03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 24
 Airfoil testing
(aerodynamic devices)

• Stall strips Ø 1.2 mm

1.5 1.5
cl cl

1.0 1.0

0.5 0.5
DU 93-W-210
R = 2.0x106
0.0 0.0
0.00 0.01 0.02 cd 0.03 -10 0 10 α ( ) 20
o

-0.5 no trip wire

-0.5
wire at 0.5%c l.s.
wire at 0.25%c l.s.
-1.0 -1.0

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 25

 Airfoil testing
(aerodynamic devices)

• Vortex generators
2.0 2.0

Cl Cl
1.6 1.6

1.2 1.2

0.8 0.8

0.4 0.4

0.0 0.0 VG at x/c= 0.2

DU 91-W 2-250 VG at x/c= 0.3
Re = 2.0x10
6 Clean
-0.4 -0.4
0.0 30.0 60.0 90.0 120.0 -5.0 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0
Cl/Cd Alpha (deg.)

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 26

 Effect on wind turbine performance
(2d stationary performance)

Calculated optimal element performance at mid-span for TSR= 7.5

“Static load”
Clean c/R L/D-max Cp_elem Loading Cp
Cl_max*c

AH 93-W-257 0.106 122 0.149 .56 4% -0.06%

DU 91-W2-250 0.105 125 0.143 .561 0% 0%

NACA 63-425 0.119 119 0.152 .56 6% -0.24%

ZZ-tape 5% u.s.

DU 91-W2-250 0.135 60 .155 .532 8% -5.1%

NACA 63-425 0.212 39 .212 .503 48% -10.2%

* “Static load” reference based on 1 year gust for fixed pitch blades

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 27

 Effect on wind turbine performance
(2d stationary performance)

local Aero Cp 25% thick airfoil class (mid-span for TSR= 7.5)
0.57

0.56 DU 91-W2-250

0.55 -5%
0.54

0.53 -10%
0.52
“Rough”
0.51

0.50
NACA 63-425
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
max. L/D
03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 28
 Overview of HAWT airfoils

General aviation airfoils

• NACA 63-4xx and NACA 63-6xx series
• NACA 64-4xx

Dedicated airfoils
• S8xx series (NREL, USA)
• FFA W-xxx (FOI, Sweden)
• Risø-A1-xxx (also B, P-series, Risø, Denmark)
• DU xx-W-xxx (Delft, Netherlands)

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 29

 Overview of HAWT airfoils
• Overview of DU-airfoils and users

DU 95-W-180 DU 91-W2-250

DU 96-W-180 DU 97-W-300

DU 00-W-212
DU 00-W-350

DU 93-W-210

GE-Wind, REpower, Dewind, Suzlon, Gamesa, LM Glasfiber, NOI Rotortechnik,

Fuhrlander, Pfleiderer, EUROS, NEG Micon, Umoe blades, Ecotecnia ……..

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 30

 Next steps:
Extending to all operational situations :

• Measurements => “high” Reynolds number

=> chart unsteady behavior of DU airfoils

New airfoil designs :

• Very thick airfoils for lightweight blades

• Control of rpm only => Low TSR
Low Cl-max, benign stall
=> High TSR
Low drag

• Aero-elastic tailoring => Dynamic airfoil design

(Probably low Cl-max)

03 May, 2004 DUWIND, section Wind Energy, Faculty CiTG 31