An inverse CFD actuator disk method for aerodynamic design and performance optimization of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine blades

Abstract

In this study, advanced design technique has been introduced to determine the radial local chord distribution on the rotor blades of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) based on an inverse Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) actuator disk method combined with linearization of both the chord and twist distributions. The overarching goal was to refine HAWT rotor blade design for enhanced aerodynamic performance. The proposed design methodology, embedded into a custom axisymmetric CFD subroutine based on the actuator disk model in OpenFOAM, incorporates key aerodynamic factors such as turbulence, viscosity, and both two-dimensional and three-dimensional flow field properties. Results from this innovative approach indicate that rotor models crafted using our algorithm significantly outperform those based on traditional theories in terms of efficiency and consistency. Comprehensive aerodynamic analyses focusing on the power coefficient and annual energy production (AEP) across various incoming free stream velocities show that the optimized model improves power coefficient by up to 70% and AEP by 17.64% compared to the baseline model. Additionally, the optimized model demonstrates a 15% reduction in velocity deficit, enhancing the potential for optimizing wind farm layouts.