Quiet Airfoils for Small and Large Wind Turbines

James Tangler (Inventor), Dan Somers (Inventor)

Research output: Patent

Abstract

Thick airfoil families with desirable aerodynamic performance with minimal airfoil induced noise. The airfoil families are suitable for a variety of wind turbine designs and are particularly well-suited for use with horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) with constant or variable speed using pitch and/or stall control. In exemplary embodiments, a first family of three thick airfoils is providedfor use with small wind turbines and second family of three thick airfoils is provided for use with very large machines, e.g., an airfoil defined for each of three blade radial stations or blade portions defined along the length of a blade. Each of the families is designed to provide a high maximum lift coefficient or high lift, to exhibit docile stalls, to be relatively insensitive toroughness, and to achieve a low profile drag.
Original languageAmerican English
Patent number8,197,218
StatePublished - 2012

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/PT-5000-56060

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