Computational Fluid Dynamics Investigation of the Boundary Layer Control Effects on The Performance of NREL S826 Aerofoil for Wind Turbine Applications

Abstract

With the increasing demand for sustainable energy sources, wind turbines have emerged as the dominant solution for clean energy production. However, there is a lack of discussion regarding the concept of pattern identification for visualizing the design and evaluation of boundary layer of the blowing and suction technology. In this paper, several simulation models are developed based on previous literature, comparing the results of different cases and attempting to derive a rule for determining the appropriate positions for blowing and suction ports. The impact of the applied jet force on the aerodynamic performance of the NREL S826 aerofoil is also examined. The findings revealed that positioning the blowing port closer to the separation position resulting from large angles of attack significantly improves the lift force generated for each case. Additionally, decreasing the applied momentum coefficient not only improves the aerodynamic performance but also reduces the loads on the turbine blade. For the model S826-0.2B-0.7S, where the blowing port is closest to the position of separation at high angles of attack, there is a substantial increase in the lift coefficient by 49.8% with a relatively small increase in drag value up to 60%.  On the other hand, the model S826-0.2B-0.7S, while applying a momentum coefficient of 0.08 provides a lift coefficient increase of 51.1% with a minimal increase in drag coefficient of only 11.3%, making it the most efficient among the other cases.