Blade Design Trade-Offs Using Low-Lift Airfoils for Stall-Regulated HAWTs

Conference · Thu Apr 08 04:00:00 EDT 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2888170· OSTI ID:6937

Giguere, P; Selig, M S ^[1]; Tangler, J L ^[2]

---

1. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2. National Renewable Energy Laboratory

A systematic blade design study was conducted to explore the trade-offs in using low-lift airfoils for a 750-kilowatt stall-regulated wind turbine. Tip-region airfoils having a maximum lift coefficient ranging from 0.7-1.2 were considered in this study, with the main objective of identifying the practical lower limit for the maximum lift coefficient. Blades were optimized for both maximum annual energy production and minimum cost of energy using a method that takes into account aerodynamic and structural considerations. The results indicate that reducing the maximum lift coefficient below the upper limit considered in this study increases the cost of energy independently of the wind regime. As a consequence, higher maximum lift coefficient airfoils for the tip-region of the blade become more desirable as machine size increases, as long as they provide gentle stall characteristics. The conclusions are applicable to large wind turbines that use passive or active stall to regulate peak power.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-99GO10337
• OSTI ID: 6937
• Report Number(s): NREL/CP-500-26091; ON: DE00006937
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

17 WIND ENERGY
AERODYNAMICS
AIRFOILS
DESIGN
PEAK LOAD
PRODUCTION
WIND TURBINES