Atmospheric testing of wind turbine trailing edge aerodynamic brakes
- Wichita State Univ., KS (United States)
- National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)
An experimental investigation was conducted using an instrumented horizontal-axis wind turbine that incorporated variable span trailing-edge aerodynamic brakes. A primary goal was to directly compare study results with (infinite-span) wind tunnel data and to provide information on how to account for device span effects during turbine design or analysis. Comprehensive measurements were utilized to define effective changes in the aerodynamic coefficients, as a function of angle of attack and control deflection, for three device spans and configurations. Differences in the lift and drag behavior are most pronounced near stall and for device spans of less than 15%. Drag performance is affected only minimally (<70%) for 15% or larger span devices. Interestingly, aerodynamic controls with characteristic vents or openings appear most affected by span reductions and three-dimensional flow.
- Research Organization:
- American Wind Energy Association, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 570061
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970608--PROC.; ON: DE98001975
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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