Experimental analysis of biomimetic blades for small wind turbines

FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas GeraisTrabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação)The theme of sustainability is in high demand in current academic and social discussions and is extremely important for human survival. Among the renewable energy sources, the transformation of kinetic energy contained in the wind into mechanical energy through turbines has been one of the most developed technologies in the last decade, as an alternative to conventional sources. Based on studies by the International Energy Agency ­IEA (2017), currently wind energy represents less than 4% of global electricity generated, but it is estimated that in 2050 it will be around 12%.In Brazil, according to ANEEL(Agencia Nacional de Energia Elétrica), currently the participation of wind energy accounts for approximately 10.3% of the total energy matrixTherefore, the development of the wind turbine projectshas been growing gradually over the years. The main efforts of the industry in this sector are currently focused on solving technological limitations of current wind turbines, such as aeroelastic effects, noise effects, placement and maintenance costs, among others. Another problem problem being faced is theit is the design of the blades, whichare usually made for specific working configuration purposes, which means that the turbines achieve maximum efficiency in a very narrow range of configurations such as the angle of attack and aerodynamic coefficients that are achieved at one speedof specific wind (Schubel, 2012).Some solutions adopted to overcome this limitation are the introduction of tilt control devices (Schubel, 2012), active trailing edge flaps (Castaignet et al., 2014) or placing turbines in a location with known and stable wind currents. Recently, engineers and researchers have begun to more frequently look at nature in search for organic designs that could help innovate and increase efficiency in engineering projects, such as the lack of versatility of small and medium­sized wind turbines.This work focuses on the study and analysis of the adoption of biomimetic solutions as a way to optimize the performance of wind turbine blades. As a way to, there is an introduction of the main concepts of wind energy and then, with the focus on small wind systems, the seeds are scanned to design the blades based on the proposed morphology, and finally, two models for three­blade turbines were built, one with a conventional format (reference) and the second using a biomimetic solution. The modelswerebuilt using a 3D printer and weretested in an open section subsonic wind tunnel at LAEX(Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory) at the Experimental Aerodynamic Research Center (CPAERO) located at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU)