Sequential Simulation Used in the Computer Aided Design of Airfoils for Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Rotors

In the past twenty years wind energy remerged on the world scene with a very healthy growth rate, it has outstripped photovoltaics as the world’s fastest growing energy source, with a growth rate in excess of 30 percent per annum. The proposed paper presents a numerical procedure for the analysis and design of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine rotors for fabrication in countries with limited manufacturing base and limited design expertise. To ascertain the accuracy and to determine where further improvements could be initiated; numerical findings were then compared with published experimental test data, the compression showed an average deviation of less than 3%. Once the approach was validated and standardized an airfoil design was produced. A computational fluid dynamic code coupled with a simple numerical algorithm aided the inverse design procedure. The final design is well proportioned and theoretically able to meet the stated objective and satisfied the constraints. The generated geometrical data is in a form suitable for manufacture using local manufacturing capabilities, the primary objective of this work.