Design Optimization for Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Blades

Abstract

This project report is based on methods by which the blade design for a horizontal axis wind turbine can be enhanced. This was conducted by a series of research and CFD simulations of the various improvements devices with was observed by comparing the lift to drag ratios from the baseline model of a simple NACA 4415 blade design. The optimization was conducted by initially setting up a baseline value using a single NACA airfoil. Optimizations such as using multiple airfoils with indues twist in the blade followed by addition of wingtips and surface enhancements with the addition of flaps. .