Validation of a three-dimensional viscous–inviscid interactive solver for wind turbine rotors

• Published in: Renewable energy Vol. 70; pp. 78 - 92
• Main Authors: Ramos-García, Néstor, Sørensen, Jens Nørkær, Shen, Wen Zhong
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; blades; Boundary layer; Computer simulation; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Free wake; Integral boundary layer equations; Mathematical models; Natural energy; Panel method; renewable energy sources; Rotors; Solvers; Three dimensional; Viscous–inviscid interaction; Wakes; Wind energy; Wind turbine; Wind turbines; Panel method; Integral boundary layer equations; Wind turbine; Free wake; Viscous–inviscid interaction; Wind energy; Renewable energy; Viscous―inviscid interaction; Wind generator; Rotor; Wake; Boundary layer
• ISSN: 0960-1481; 1879-0682
• DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2014.04.001

MIRAS is a newly developed computational model that predicts the aerodynamic behavior of wind turbine blades and wakes subject to unsteady motions and viscous effects. The model is based on a three-dimensional panel method using a surface distribution of quadrilateral singularities with a Neumann no penetration condition. Viscous effects inside the boundary layer are taken into account through the coupling with the quasi-3D integral boundary layer solver Q3UIC. A free-wake model is employed to simulate the vorticity released by the blades in the wake. In this paper the new code is validated against measurements and/or CFD simulations for five wind turbine rotors, including three experimental model rotors [20–22], the 2.5 MW NM80 machine [23] and the NREL 5 MW virtual rotor [24]. Such a broad set of operational conditions and rotor sizes constitutes a very challenging validation matrix, with Reynolds numbers ranging from 5.0⋅104 to 1.2⋅107.