Study of Flow through an Aerodynamic Profile and Shape Optimization via Adjoint Method, Aiming to Maximize the Power Coefficient in Wind Turbines

• Grant number: 24/11116-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering - Transport Phenomena
• Principal Investigator: Aluisio Viais Pantaleão
• Grantee: Maria Julia Albino Dutra
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Ilha Solteira. Ilha Solteira , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Although wind energy has been acknowledged and harnessed by humans since the early days of history, the use of wind turbines to generate electricity is a relatively new invention. It first appeared in the late 19th century in the United States, built by Charles F. Brush: the inventor had assembled the first wind turbine aimed at generating electricity. Nowadays, wind energy is becoming even more increasingly prevalent in the market, driven by both environmental and economic reasons. Consequently, technological advancements in the field aimed at achieving greater efficiency and lower costs for wind turbine blades are of interest; one way to increase efficiency is by improving the flow over the blades. This work will study an improvement such as that through the shape optimization of a NACA airfoil profile, going for the power coefficient maximization for a turbine. This research involves constructing a digital model of the airfoil profile based on a previously optimized shape from another study and subjecting it to further optimization using numerical tools and the adjoint method. The project will be developed within the virtual environment provided by SU2, Stanford University Unstructured.