Design and Analysis of Dimple Arrangement on a Small Wind Turbine Blade

Abstract

This article predominantly focuses on the performance estimation of a small wind turbine blade when a dimple arrangement is made along its upper surface. The dimple arrangement is grooved at two locations: 0.25c and 0.5c, where c is the chord length of the turbine blade. A CFD analysis using the k-ε turbulence model is carried out on the selected blade sections NREL S823 and S822. The continuity and momentum equations are solved using ANSYS Fluent Solver to assess the aerodynamic performance of the proposed design. The effect of introducing a dimple on the blade surface has shown to delay the flow separation, with the formation of vortices. Further, the overall performance of the blade is simulated using GH BLADED and the results acquired are discussed.