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Aerodynamics of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

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Advances in Wind Energy Conversion Technology

Part of the book series: Environmental Science and Engineering ((ENVENG))

Abstract

This chapter reviews the aerodynamic characteristics of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs). While the aerodynamics of wind turbine are relatively complicated in detail, the fundamental operational principle of a HAWT is that the action of the blowing wind produces aerodynamic forces on the turbine blades to rotate them, thereby capturing the kinetic energy contained in the wind and converting this energy into a rotation of the turbine’s shaft. The captured energy is transferred through a gearbox to an electrical power generator, which sends the power into the electrical grid system and so eventually to the consumer.

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Abbreviations

A :

Area of the turbine disk, m2

a :

Axial induction factor, v i /V ∞

C d :

Sectional drag coefficient

\( C_{d_{0}}\) :

Sectional zero-lift drag coefficient

C l :

Sectional lift coefficient

\( C_{l_{\alpha}}\) :

Sectional lift curve slope, rad−1

C P :

Turbine power coefficient, P/0.5ρAV 3∞

C T :

Turbine thrust coefficient, T/0.5ρAV 3∞

c :

Airfoil chord, m

F :

Prandtl tip loss factor

k :

Reduced frequency, ωc/2 V ∞

k x :

Longitudinal inflow weighting factor

k y :

Lateral inflow weighting factor

N b :

Number of turbine blades

P W :

Turbine power output, kW

R :

Radius of turbine, m

Re :

Chord Reynolds number, ρV ∞ c/μ

r :

Position vector of vortex collocation point, m

r :

Non-dimensional radial position on blade

r 0 :

Non-dimensional blade root cut-out

T :

Rotor thrust, N

t :

Time, s

V :

Velocity vector, ms−1

V ex :

Perturbation or external velocity vector, ms−1

V ind :

Induction velocity vector, ms−1

V ∞ :

Free stream velocity vector, ms−1

X TSR :

Tip speed ratio

x, y, z:

Cartesian coordinates, (m, m, m)

α:

Angle of attack, rad

γ :

Yaw misalignment angle of turbine, deg

Γ v :

Vortex strength (circulation), m2 s−1

\(\zeta\) :

Vortex wake age, rad

θ tip :

Blade tip pitch angle, deg

θ tw :

Blade twist rate, deg

κ :

Induced loss factor

λ:

Tip speed ratio, Ω R/V ∞

μ:

Viscosity, kg m−1 s−1

ν :

Kinematic viscosity, m2 s−1

ρ :

Air density, kg m−3

σ :

Solidity, N b c/πR

φ :

Induced angle of attack, rad

ψ :

Azimuthal angle, rad

Ω:

Rotational speed, rad s−1

BEM:

Blade Element Momentum

CFD:

Computational Fluid Dynamics

FVM:

Free Vortex Method

NWS:

Normal Working State

TSR:

Tip Speed Ratio

TWS:

Turbulent Wake State

VRS:

Vortex Ring State

WBS:

Windmill Brake State

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Minta Martin Professor of Engineering, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    J. Gordon Leishman

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  1. J. Gordon Leishman
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Correspondence to J. Gordon Leishman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Kelappaji College of Agricultural, Engineering & Technology(KCAET), Kerala Agricultural University, Tavanur, Malapuram, 679573, Kerala, India

    Mathew Sathyajith

  2. Kelappaji College of Agricultural, Engineering & Technology(KCAET), Kerala Agricultural University, Tavanur, Malapuram, 679573, Kerala, India

    Geeta Susan Philip

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Leishman, J.G. (2011). Aerodynamics of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines. In: Sathyajith, M., Philip, G. (eds) Advances in Wind Energy Conversion Technology. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-88258-9_1

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