Assessment and calibration of the γ equation transition model for a wide range of Reynolds numbers at low Mach

Abstract

The numerical simulation of flows over large-scale wind turbine blades without considering the transition from laminar to fully turbulent flow may result in incorrect estimates of the blade loads and performance. Thanks to its relative simplicity and promising results, the Local-Correlation based Transition Modelling concept represents a valid way to include transitional effects into practical CFD simulations. However, the model involves coefficients to be tuned to match the required application. In this paper, the γ-equation transition model is assessed and calibrated, for a wide range of Reynolds numbers at low Mach, as needed for wind turbine applications. Different airfoils are used to evaluate the original model and calibrate it, whereas a large-scale wind turbine blade is employed to show that the calibrated model can lead to reliable solution for complex three-dimensional flows. The calibrated model shows promising results for both two-dimensional and three-dimensional flows, even if cross-flow instabilities are neglected