Simulação do comportamento aerodinâmico das pás de uma turbina eólica de eixo horizontal

Abstract

The objective of this work is to analyze the aerodynamic behavior of horizontal-axis wind turbine blades using Ansys Fluent. To achieve this objective, the methodology employed consists of first identifying a critical reference region from which the average annual wind speed will be extracted. Then, a base airfoil is selected for optimization using genetic algorithms to improve the performance of the original and better reflect the conditions of the chosen site. After airfoil optimization, the wind turbine blades are sized using optimal rotor theory, which allows obtaining the torsion angle and chord length distribution in each blade section. After sizing the respective blades, their modeling is performed using Fusion 360 software. With the modeled rotor (blade assembly and hub), the model is exported to Ansys software, where geometric defects are repaired, the computational mesh is generated, and through the Ansys Fluent module, the rotor and its respective blades are simulated in a transient regime. One of the main results of the work was the successful optimization of the base airfoil, which was the NACA 0024. The optimization of this airfoil allowed the generation of a profile suitable for the conditions of the chosen location, which is much superior to the NACA 0024. Another outstanding result was the possibility of generating pressure fields, velocity fields and modeling turbulence through software.