Session: 11-15-01: Fluid Problems in Energy Systems

Paper Number: 166170

Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma-Based Flow Control for a Cycloidal Wind Turbine Pitching Blade Under Dynamic Stall 

Wind power is one of the most significant and rapidly growing renewable energy sources. Compared to other green energy sources, wind turbines have gained substantial interest due to their lower costs, technological maturity, and high reliability. On the other hand, considering the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and promote the electrical transportation transition, the integration of renewable energy sources, such as wind energy, into transportation infrastructures becomes increasingly important. Bearing this in mind, vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) offer several advantages over horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs), including lower noise emissions, simpler structure, reduced installation costs, no need for a yaw system, and the ability to operate independently of wind direction. Additionally, VAWTs often have their generators positioned on the ground, leading to easier maintenance, enhanced stability, and increased safety in urban environments. However, VAWTs still present several challenges, such as lower energy conversion efficiency, difficulty in self-starting, complex aerodynamics, and strong flow interactions around the blades. These factors can lead to performance limitations and reduced overall efficiency. In order to optimize the overall performance of VAWTs and increase their energy power generation at low wind speeds, active flow control techniques can be employed. One of the most promising techniques is based on the application of dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators for flow field manipulation and aerodynamic performance improvement. These electronic devices present several advantages such as being inexpensive and easy to apply even in curved shapes, present lightweight, a fast response time, and are considerably robust. By operating them, they generate a plasma discharge that ionizes the adjacent air and, due to the strong local electric field, pulls the air toward the surface and accelerates it downstream. This phenomenon makes them very promising devices for active flow control applications such as separation control, wake and noise reduction, boundary layer manipulation, lift enhancement, and drag decrease.  

Considering the potential of these devices for flow control applications, the current study explores the influence of multiple dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators on the flow characteristics of a cycloidal pitching blade under deep dynamic stall conditions. The actuators generate localized body forces that modify the flow field, aiming to delay flow separation and mitigate stall-induced performance losses. Numerical simulations will be conducted using the ANSYS Fluent solver, incorporating a User-Defined Function (UDF) to model the plasma actuation effects and the blade motion. The k-ω SST turbulence model was employed to capture the unsteady flow dynamics. The preliminary results show that plasma actuation effectively alters aerodynamic forces, reducing flow detachment and enhancing lift recovery during dynamic stall. Specifically, actuation delays stall by 0.7°, increases the average lift coefficient by 9.6%, and reduces the average drag coefficient by 3.2%, improving aerodynamic efficiency. These findings highlight the potential of plasma-based active flow control strategies to enhance the aerodynamic performance of cycloidal rotor wind turbines.

Presenting Author: Frederico Rodrigues University of Beira Interior

Presenting Author Biography: Frederico Rodrigues has concluded his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2019. He is currently assistant professor in University of Beira Interior, Portugal, and researcher of Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Sciences and Technologies. His research interests include active flow control, electrohydrodynamics, heat transfer, propulsion and renewable energies.

Authors:

Amine Benmousa, University of Beira Interior
Tawfik Chekifi, Renewable Energy Development Center
Kateryna Shvydyuk, University of Beira Interior
Radu Tarulescu Transilvania University of Brasov
Angel Bayod-Rújula University of Zaragoza
Corina Ilin West University of Timisoara, Romania
Frederico Rodrigues University of Beira Interior