Comparison of Wind Tunnel Airfoil Performance Data with Wind Turbine Blade Data
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SERI/TP-254·3799 UC Category: 261 DE90000343 Comparison of Wind Tunnel Airfoil Performance Data with Wind Turbine Blade Data C. P. Butterfield G. N. Scott W. Musial July 1990 presented at the 25th lntersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference (sponsored by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) Reno, Nevada 12-17 August 1990 Prepared under Task No. WE011 001 Solar Energy Research Institute A Division of Midwest Research Institute 1617 Cole Boulevard Golden, Colorado 80401-3393 Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy Contract No. DE-AC02-83CH1 0093 NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. 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Butterfield, George Scott, Walt Musial Solar Energy Research Institute 1617 Cole Boulevard Golden, CO 80401 USA Abstract Introduction Horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) performance Wind turbine operating experience has shown that is usually predicted by using wind tunnel airfoil current analysis techniques are inadequate when used performance data in a blade element momentum to predict peak power and loads on a fixed-pitch theory analysis. This analysis assumes that the wind turbine. Vitema and Corrigan [1 0] and Musial rotating blade airfoils will perform as they do in the and Butterfield [5] both show evidence of high wind tunnel. However, when HAWT performance is measured power levels due to delayed stall on a measured in full-scale operation, it is common to 200-kW and a 20-kW HAWT. Because performance fmd that peak power levels are significantly greater and loads are the most important design information than those predicted. This has led to empirical needed for successful turbines, it is important to corrections to the predictions. Vitema and understand the cause of the discrepancy. The Corrigan [10] proposed the most popular version of primary question is, do the wind tunnel airfoil data this correction. But very little insight has been accurately represent the airfoil performance on an gained into the basic cause of this discrepancy. The operating HAWT? SERI has been conducting a Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), funded by comprehensive test program focused on answering the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has this question and understanding the basic fluid conducted the first phase of an experiment focused mechanics of rotating HAWT stall aerodynamics. on understanding the basic fluid mechanics of HA WT aerodynamics. Results to date have shown The basic approach used a well-documented airfoil that unsteady aerodynamics exist during all operating on a HAWT and measured operating pressure conditions and dynamic stall can exist for high yaw distributions at one spanwise location on the blade. angle operation. Stall hysteresis occurs even for Comparisons were then made between the HAWT small yaw angles, and delayed stall is a very data and the wind tunnel data. Unfortunately, the persistent reality in all operating conditions. Delayed early wind tunnel data, available from Somers [8] stall is the result of a leading-edge suction peak and Gregorek [3], included AOA ranges only up to remaining attached through angles of attack (AOAs) 18 deg. This is the angle at which leading-edge stall up to 30 deg. Wind tunnel results show this peak occurs in the two-dimensional wind tunnel tests. But separating from the leading edge at 18 deg AOA. the major discrepancies occurred near and beyond The effect of this anomaly is to raise normal force stall. This meant additional, high-AOA data were coefficients and tangent force coefficients for high needed to study the post-stall behavior. To minimize AOA. Increased tangent forces will directly affect wind tunnel blockage effects, the 8' -x-12' Colorado HAWT performance in high wind speed operation. State University environmental tunnel was used. The wind tunnel model and test turbine were set up with This report describes pressure distribution data identical pressure tap locations and pressure resulting from both wind tunnel and HAWT tests. A measurement equipment. Measurements were taken method of bins is used to average the HAWT data, for a range of Reynolds numbers and AOAs. This which are compared to the wind tunnel data. The report describes the test setup of both the wind analysis technique and the test setup for each test tunnel and wind turbine along with results from are described. both. Wind Tunnel Test Setup Usua1:ly, airfoil �ag is determined by measuring the veloctty proftle m the wake of the airfoil and then The Colorado State University (CSU) Environmental equating the momentum deficit in that wake to the total ":ind Tunnel was originally designed for studying drag. This requires a movable pitot tube or a wmd flow over models of cities and buildings. The wake rake positioned downwind of the airfoil. It was not possible to make these measurements on the test �ection ,:was reduced to 3.66 m (12 ft) by 1 m (39 m.), whxch allowed a 1-m airfoil test section to rotating wind turbine blade. There is also evidence be inserted across the narrow dimension. This that th�s technique is inaccurate when large-scale resulted in a wide test section, which would separation caused by rotational flow in the wake is minimize the blockage effects. The solid blockage present Because SERI' s focus was on stall behavior in which large-scale separation is always present it was 0.28% per Thorn's method described in Rae and ' was decided that only pressure drag (CDp) would be Pope [6]. Figure 1 shows the general layout of the e ure�. B cause �Dp determined from pressure tunnel and the modifications made for this test The � � � is distnbutton mtegrattons, as described by Rae and modified open-circuit tunnel was capable of a Pope [6], wind tunnel data could be compared with maximum velocity of 27 m/s (88 ft/s), which HAWT data directly. resulted in a Reynolds number (RN), based on the 0.46-m (1.5-ft) chord, of 650,000. This value of RN Tunnel turbulence level was a major concern. High is lower than the HAWT test conditions of 880,000 frequency turbulence can affect the airfoil boundary at the 80% blade span. but it was felt that previous layer and thus the performance. To address this wind tunnel data would accurately describe the concern, a pitot-tube traverse test and a hot-wire airfoil performance for values of RN from 750 000 traverse test were conducted. The traverses were to 3 million for values of AOA less than 20 d;g. performed across the test section midspan in the same location as the model. The results of the frrst Pressure distribution measurements were made on test, shown in Figure 2, describe a 6-cm (2.5-in.) the model along with pitot tube measurements two boundary layer at the tunnel wall and an acceptable chord lengths displaced from each side of the model flat velocity distribution across the tunnel. The and one chord length upwind of the model leading results of the second, hot-wire traverse confirmed edge. Tunnel temperature, probe total pressure, local the location of the boundary layer. value of 1% flow angle at 0.6 chord ahead of the leading edge, A turbulence intensity was measured at the midspan of and model pxtch. angle relative to the tunnel axis the test section. This is a high value for airfoil were also measured. 0.9 - ...JQ) > 0.8 '-... D 5 � "' � > Scolt• := ;;0.7 I- 0 > 0 Q) Li: u Q) Q) 0.6 c c c c :J :J - 1- 1- I + 0.5 ,,.r ... ..... 0 5 1 0 15 20 25 30 35 ELEVATION Tunnel Vertical Position (in) 1. Figure Wind tunnel layout, Colorado State Figure 2. Wind tunnel velocity profile University 2 testing, but the important consideration is the scale The model also included a local flow angle (LFA) of the turbulence. If the scale is close to that of the probe and a total pressure probe mounted on the airfoil boundary layer, it can trip laminar flow into leading edge. A lightweight fiberglass flag 5 em turbulent flow and thus modify performance. If the (2 in.) long was used to sense local flow angles. scale is large, there shoUld be little effect Figure 3 The same probe was mounted on the HA WT blade.