Articles | Volume 10, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-161-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-10-161-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Jan 2025
Research article |
| 17 Jan 2025
| 17 Jan 2025
Characterization of dynamic stall of a wind turbine airfoil with a high Reynolds number
Hye Rim Kim
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics, Leibniz University Hannover, Garbsen, Germany
Jasson A. Printezis
Institute of Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics, Leibniz University Hannover, Garbsen, Germany
Jan Dominik Ahrens
Institute of Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics, Leibniz University Hannover, Garbsen, Germany
Joerg R. Seume
Institute of Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics, Leibniz University Hannover, Garbsen, Germany
Lars Wein
Institute of Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics, Leibniz University Hannover, Garbsen, Germany
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Offshore wind turbines (10–15 MW) experience diverse flow conditions, beyond what smaller turbines face. This challenges the accuracy of low-order aerodynamic tools. As experimental validation is difficult, high-order methods such as Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (DDES) are used. Here, DDES is validated for offshore conditions, enabling accurate prediction of unsteady, nonlinear flows for operational safety and power optimization.
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The amount of energy that can be extracted from wind depends primarily on the blade geometry, which can be affected by elastic deformations. This paper presents a first study analysing the influence of cross-sectional deformations of a 15 MW wind turbine blade on aero-elastic simulations. The results show that cross-sectional deformations have a minor influence on the internal loads of rotor blades in normal operation.
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Manuscript not accepted for further review
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Dynamic stall introduces transient loads that excite blade vibrations, which contribute to mechanical fatigue and can lead to blade failure. In order to design wind turbine airfoils that are less prone to dynamic stall, the onset of dynamic stall has to be predicted. This work contributes to the development of reduced-order models that predict dynamic stall in a cost-efficient way. The models can be used in the design process of new airfoil geometries of future wind turbines.
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Short summary
The need for renewable energy, thus more efficient wind turbines, is ever increasing. Accurate prediction of the performance in the design stage is necessary. In particular, predicting the dynamic performance of a wind turbine in the region where it undergoes highly unsteady flow is very challenging. We investigated the dynamic performance of an airfoil, which is typical for megastructure wind farms, in support of the development of more efficient design tools in the future.
The need for renewable energy, thus more efficient wind turbines, is ever increasing. Accurate...
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