ABSTRACT
Surface pressure data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s “Unsteady Aerodynamics Experiment” were analyzed to provide a characterization of dynamic stall and other three-dimensional flow separation effects observed to occur on a downwind horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). Data were collected from two rectangular planform blades with S809 airfoil cross-sections, one flat and one twisted. Both blades were characterized by the maximum leading edge suction pressure and by the azimuth, velocity, and yaw at which it occurred. The occurrence of dynamic stall at all but the inboard station (30% span) shows good quantitative agreement with the theoretical limits on inflow velocity and yaw that should yield dynamic stall events. A full three-dimensional characterization of the surface pressure topographies combined with flow visualization data from surface mounted tufts offer key insights into the three-dimensional processes involved in the unsteady separation process and may help to explain the discrepancies observed with force measurements at 30% span. The results suggest that quasi-static separation and dynamic stall analysis methods relying on purely two-dimensional flow characterizations may not be capable of simulating the complex three-dimensional flows observed with these data.
