Method for aerodynamic analysis of wind turbines at peak power

Two computational vortex line models, Vortex line method (VLM) and a parrallelized coupled solver (PCS), which are used in the aerodynamic analysis of wind turbines at peak power point have been compared at National Renewable Energy Laboratory. VLM is a numerical method used to evaluate local lift and drag coefficient, but it does evaluate spanwise flow gradients, which are associated with 3-D effects in large separated region. PCS method has proved potential in delineating the 3-D vortical flow phenomena occurring near peak power of NREL phase 6 rotor. The comparison of PCS results with a vortex line method showed major discrepancies in the spanwise bound circulation and local lift coefficients. The coupling of a near-field NS solver with a far-field wake model has proved to be future analysis tool of wind turbine aerodynamics and the design of stall-controlled wind turbine. It is more efficient than full- domain NS analysis and reduces numeric dissipation of vortical structure.