Performance Studies on a Wind Turbine Blade Section for Low Wind Speeds With a Gurney Flap

Abstract

The flow characteristics and the lift and drag behavior of a thick trailing-edged airfoil that was provided with fixed trailing-edge flaps (Gurney flaps) of 1–5% height right at the back of the airfoil were studied both experimentally and numerically at different low Reynolds numbers (Re) and angles of attack for possible applications in wind turbines suitable for the wind speeds of 4–6 m/s. The flap considerably improves the suction on the upper surface of the airfoil resulting in a higher lift coefficient. The drag coefficient also increased; however, the increase was less compared with the increase in the lift coefficient, resulting in a higher lift-to-drag ratio in the angles of attack of interest. The results show that trailing-edge flaps can improve the performance of blades designed for low wind speeds and can be directly applied to small wind turbines that are increasingly being used in remote places or in smaller countries.