DES vs RANS: The flatback airfoil case

Using flatback airfoils at the root of wind turbine (WT) blades is becoming more popular as the WTs increase in size. The reason is that they provide significant aerodynamic, aeroelastic and structural benefits. However, due to the blunt trailing edge (TE), the wake of such airfoils is highly unsteady and rich in three-dimensional vortical structures. This poses significant challenges on the numerical simulation of the flow around them, given the highly unsteady, three-dimensional turbulent character of their wake. In this work, computational predictions for a flatback airfoil employing both RANS and DES approaches on three successively refined grids up to 25 million cells are compared with available experimental data. Results suggest that even though URANS and DDES are in good agreement in terms of lift and drag, RANS simulations fail to accurately capture the turbulent wake unsteady characteristics

Numerical and experimental analysis of the hydroelastic behavior of purse seine nets

The paper presents a general three dimensional hydro-elastic tool for the analysis of different types of fishing nets and aquaculture facilities. Flexible net strands are modeled by non-linear truss elements having two nodes. Hydrodynamic loads due to relative motion of the net with the surrounding fluid are computed using the Morison equation. The coupled hydrodynamic-elastodynamic equations are solved using finite element (FE) approximations. Furthermore, experimental data are presented for the drag resistance of a purse seine net, commonly used as fishing tool in the Mediterranean sea. The measurements were conducted in the towing tank of NTUA on a sample of a net. The net was tested in three configurations: vertical, horizontal and inclined at 451. The derived drag coefficients are compared to predictions of the FEM developed model. The vertical submergence behavior of the seine in calm water is also examined, both experimentally and theoretically. Moreover, the shooting phase of the purse-seine fishing is simulated with the aim to investigate the diving behavior of the net. The flow shading effect of neighboring strands is identified as a critical parameter for the consistent predictions of the diving behavior

Stall-Induced Vibrations of the AVATAR Rotor Blade

In the course of the AVATAR project, partner predictions for key load components in storm/idle conditions separated in two groups. One group showed large loading due to edgewise instability, the other group damped edgewise oscillation and lower load levels. To identify the cause for this separation, the impact of structural and aerodynamic modeling options on damping of stall-induced vibrations is investigated for two simplified operating conditions of a single AVATAR blade. The choice of the dynamic stall model is found to be the primary driver, and is therefore most likely also the reason for previously observed differences in AVATAR storm load predictions. Differences in structural dynamics, mode shapes, structural and dynamic twist, as well as wake model are only secondary in terms of impact on damping. Resolution suffered from failure of system identification methods to extract reliable damping values from various non-linear response simulations

A high-lift optimization methodology for the design of leading and trailing edges on morphing wings

Data Availability Statement - The experimental data presented in Figure 10 and Figure 11 are available in Reference [2] “Axelson, J.A.; Stevens, G.L. Investigation of a Slat in Several Different Positions on a NACA 64A010 Airfoil for a Wide Range of Subsonic Mach Numbers. Technical Note 3129; Ames Aeronautical Laboratory: Moffett Field, CA, USA, March 1954.”Morphing offers an attractive alternative compared to conventional hinged, multi-element high lift devices. In the present work, morphed shapes of a NACA 64A010 airfoil are optimized for maximum lift characteristics. Deformed shapes of the leading and trailing edge are represented through Bezier curves derived from locally defined control points. The optimization process employs the fast Foil2w in-house viscous-inviscid interaction solver for the calculation of aerodynamic characteristics. Transitional flow results indicate that combined leading and trailing edge morphing may increase maximum lift in the order of 100%. A 60–80% increase is achieved when morphing is applied to leading edge only—the so-called droop nose—while a 45% increase is obtained with trailing edge morphing. Out of the stochastic optimization algorithms tested, the Genetic Algorithm, the Evolution Strategies, and the Particle Swarm Optimizer, the latter performs best. It produces the designs of maximum lift increase with the lowest computational cost. For the optimum morphed designs, verification simulations using the high fidelity MaPFlow CFD solver ensure that the high lift requirements set by the optimization process are met. Although the deformed droop nose increases drag, the aerodynamic performance is improved ensuring the overall effectiveness of the airfoil design during take-off and landing

Aeroelastic stability of idling wind turbines

Wind turbine rotors in idling operation mode can experience high angles of attack within the post-stall region that are capable of triggering stall-induced vibrations. The aim of the present paper is to extend the existing knowledge on the dynamics and aerodynamics of an idling wind turbine and characterize its stability. Rotor stability in slow idling operation is assessed on the basis of nonlinear time domain and linear eigenvalue analyses. The aim is to establish when linear analysis is reliable and identify cases for which nonlinear effects are significant. Analysis is performed for a 10 MW conceptual wind turbine designed by DTU. First, the flow conditions that are likely to favor stall-induced instabilities are identified through nonlinear time domain aeroelastic simulations. Next, for the above specified conditions, eigenvalue stability analysis is performed to identify the low damped modes of the turbine. The eigenvalue stability results are evaluated through computations of the work done by the aerodynamic forces under imposed harmonic motion following the shape and frequency of the various modes. Nonlinear work characteristics predicted by the ONERA and Beddoes–Leishman (BL) dynamic stall models are compared. Both the eigenvalue and work analyses indicate that the asymmetric and symmetric out-of-plane modes have the lowest damping. The results of the eigenvalue analysis agree well with those of the nonlinear work analysis and the time domain simulations