Mathematical Modeling of the Aerodynamic Coefficients of a Sail Blade

Abstract For more than a hundred years, wind turbines have been used to convert the potential of wind energy into electricity. In recent years, a trend has emerged in the form of a sharp increase in fossil fuel prices, as a result of which the development and production of wind turbines has greatly increased. The market for wind turbines is broad; however, in general, many of them are designed for relatively high wind speeds, typically from 10 to 15 m/s at low power. Central Asia is known for lower wind speeds, so the commercial wind turbines do not meet the energy demand. Against this background, the current topic is the development and research of wind turbines and their functional elements for low wind speeds, among whose representatives is the sail. The authors of the paper numerically studied the aerodynamic coefficients of the sail blade, determining the patterns of three-dimensional air flow around it and the pressure distribution field. The sail blade was modeled using the computer program ANSYS FLUENT based on the Reynolds-averaged (RANS) Navier-Stokes equations. The inflow velocity varied from 3 to 15 m/s. Comparative analyzes of the theoretical and experimental results are given. The patterns of changes in aerodynamic parameters determined by the authors could contribute to the understanding of the complex aerodynamic patterns of a turbulent flow around the blades.