Aerodynamic Research Efforts at SERI Wind Energy Research Center at Rocky Flats

The Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) under contract to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) conducts in-house and subcontracted aerodynamic research studies. These efforts deal mainly with performance prediction and enhancement of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT's ). Two levels of performance prediction theory are currently being used and refined while performance enhancement is beingpursued through the development of new special purpose airfoils. A general purpose blade-element/momentum code (PROPSH) has been developed for rapid parametric studies and for use in annual energy calculations. A desirable feature of this code is a post-stall airfoil data synthesization routine that accounts for blade aspect ratio effects. A version of the performance code is also beingdeveloped to provide a better determination of dynamic stall effects on blade loads and performance as influenced by machine yaw angle, unsteady winds, tower shadow, and wind shear. For detailed wind turbine blade optimizatipn, a more sophisticated lifting-surface/prescribed-wake analysis has recently been developed. This computer code is a transfer of current state-of-the-art helicopter theoryinto a wind turbine design analysis. The special purpose airfoil design effort is directed toward satisfying the need to tailor airfoil characteristics specifically for HAWT's. The design criteria and the current status of this effort are presented.