Computational and Experimental Evaluation of Leading-Edge Droops for Performance Enhancement of Wind Turbine Rotors

Wind power is becoming an important source of clean electricity. However, wind turbines operating at low wind conditions suffer from reduced efficiency and reduced electricity generation. Leading-edge droops are small extensions added to the front of the blade that can potentially improve the turbine efficiency under low wind speeds. The Mitacs project will investigate how aviation-inspired leading edge droops affect the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbine blades. The research will use computer simulations to evaluate the effect of droops on the performance of various wind turbine families and to optimize the droop geometry for a selected family. The findings from the computer simulations will be compared to field measurements of droops added to a small-scale wind turbine.

Faculty Supervisor:

Joshua Brinkerhoff

Student:

Partner:

Harrison Blade Solutions

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Program: