CFD analysis for the performance of Gurney flap on aerofoil and vertical axis turbine

Yan Yan, Eldad Avital, John Williams, Theodosios Korakianitis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A numerical study was carried out to investigate the effects of a Gurney flap on the aerodynamics performance of the NACA 0018 aerofoil and an associated three-blades rotor of a H-type Darrieus wind turbine. The flow fields around a single aerofoil and the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) rotor are studied using URANS. The height of Gurney flap ranges from 1% to 5% of the aerofoil chord length. The flow fields around a single aerofoil and the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) rotor are simulated using URANS. The results show that the Gurney flap can increase the lift and lift-to-drag ratio of the aerofoil. As a result, adding a Gurney flap can significantly improve the power coefficient of the VAWT at low tip speed ratio, where it typically gives low power production. The causing mechanism is discussed in detail.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)385-392
Number of pages8
JournalInternational Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research
Volume8
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Aerofoil
  • CFD
  • Gurney flap
  • Wind turbine

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