Bio-inspired design of leading-edge tubercles on wind turbine blades

Joseph Michael McKegney; Xiang Shen; Chengyong Zhu; Bofeng  Xu; Liming  Yang; Laurent Dala

doi:10.1109/EFEA56675.2022.10063814

Bio-inspired design of leading-edge tubercles on wind turbine blades

Joseph Michael McKegney, Xiang Shen, Chengyong Zhu, Bofeng Xu, Liming Yang, Laurent Dala

Mechanical and Construction Engineering Department

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

As global CO2 emissions continue to rise, the demand for renewable and sustainable energy resources rises in conjunction. One such method for producing renewable energy is wind turbines, which convert kinetic energy into useful electrical energy. As the world's biggest offshore wind energy market, the UK has been investing in green energy to mitigate the impacts of climate change. As part of the 2050 vision for net-zero emissions, the UK aims to boost the total installed offshore capacity by four-fold to 40GW by 2030. The energy conversion efficiency is primarily determined by the aerodynamic performance of the wind turbine blades. By optimising the blade design, the maximum attainable energy can be produced. Biomimetics may aid in this optimisation by emulating the Humpback whales flipper morphology for aerodynamic applications. It has been hypothesised that leading-edge tubercles can increase the post-stall lift and reduce the induced drag. This paper analyses the aerodynamic characteristics of a NACA-0021 aerofoil with leading-edge tubercles. The analysis is conducted in the Northumbria University low-speed wind tunnel, aiming to compare the tubercle aerofoil's pressure distribution, lift, and stall angle against the smooth aerofoil. The results indicate that leading-edge tubercle blades can enhance post-stall lift by 115%, thus indicating a reduction in induced drag in the post-stall region.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	2022 7th International Conference on Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA)
Subtitle of host publication	Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems, Hybrid Transportation Systems, Energy Transition, and Energy Security
Place of Publication	Piscataway, US
Publisher	IEEE
Pages	179-184
Number of pages	6
ISBN (Electronic)	9798350333213
ISBN (Print)	9798350333220
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/EFEA56675.2022.10063814
Publication status	Published - 14 Dec 2022
Event	2022 7th International Conference on Environment Friendly Energies and Applications, EFEA - Hotel Voila, Bagatelle, Mauritius Duration: 14 Dec 2022 → 16 Dec 2022 https://efeaconf.com/EFEA2022/index.html

Publication series

Name	Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA)
Publisher	IEEE
Number	7
ISSN (Print)	2641-5925
ISSN (Electronic)	2688-2558

Conference

Conference	2022 7th International Conference on Environment Friendly Energies and Applications, EFEA
Country/Territory	Mauritius
City	Bagatelle
Period	14/12/22 → 16/12/22
Internet address	https://efeaconf.com/EFEA2022/index.html

Keywords

tubercle
humpback whale
lift
experimental
EFD
wind tunnel
aerodynamic
aerofoil
wind turbine

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1109/EFEA56675.2022.10063814

Cite this

McKegney, J. M., Shen, X., Zhu, C., Xu, B., Yang, L., & Dala, L. (2022). Bio-inspired design of leading-edge tubercles on wind turbine blades. In 2022 7th International Conference on Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA): Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems, Hybrid Transportation Systems, Energy Transition, and Energy Security (pp. 179-184). (Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA); No. 7). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/EFEA56675.2022.10063814

McKegney, Joseph Michael ; Shen, Xiang ; Zhu, Chengyong et al. / Bio-inspired design of leading-edge tubercles on wind turbine blades. 2022 7th International Conference on Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA): Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems, Hybrid Transportation Systems, Energy Transition, and Energy Security. Piscataway, US : IEEE, 2022. pp. 179-184 (Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA); 7).

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abstract = "As global CO2 emissions continue to rise, the demand for renewable and sustainable energy resources rises in conjunction. One such method for producing renewable energy is wind turbines, which convert kinetic energy into useful electrical energy. As the world's biggest offshore wind energy market, the UK has been investing in green energy to mitigate the impacts of climate change. As part of the 2050 vision for net-zero emissions, the UK aims to boost the total installed offshore capacity by four-fold to 40GW by 2030. The energy conversion efficiency is primarily determined by the aerodynamic performance of the wind turbine blades. By optimising the blade design, the maximum attainable energy can be produced. Biomimetics may aid in this optimisation by emulating the Humpback whales flipper morphology for aerodynamic applications. It has been hypothesised that leading-edge tubercles can increase the post-stall lift and reduce the induced drag. This paper analyses the aerodynamic characteristics of a NACA-0021 aerofoil with leading-edge tubercles. The analysis is conducted in the Northumbria University low-speed wind tunnel, aiming to compare the tubercle aerofoil's pressure distribution, lift, and stall angle against the smooth aerofoil. The results indicate that leading-edge tubercle blades can enhance post-stall lift by 115%, thus indicating a reduction in induced drag in the post-stall region.",

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McKegney, JM, Shen, X, Zhu, C, Xu, B, Yang, L & Dala, L 2022, Bio-inspired design of leading-edge tubercles on wind turbine blades. in 2022 7th International Conference on Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA): Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems, Hybrid Transportation Systems, Energy Transition, and Energy Security. Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA), no. 7, IEEE, Piscataway, US, pp. 179-184, 2022 7th International Conference on Environment Friendly Energies and Applications, EFEA, Bagatelle, Mauritius, 14/12/22. https://doi.org/10.1109/EFEA56675.2022.10063814

Bio-inspired design of leading-edge tubercles on wind turbine blades. / McKegney, Joseph Michael; Shen, Xiang; Zhu, Chengyong et al.
2022 7th International Conference on Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA): Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems, Hybrid Transportation Systems, Energy Transition, and Energy Security. Piscataway, US: IEEE, 2022. p. 179-184 (Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA); No. 7).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Bio-inspired design of leading-edge tubercles on wind turbine blades

AU - McKegney, Joseph Michael

AU - Shen, Xiang

AU - Zhu, Chengyong

AU - Xu, Bofeng

AU - Yang, Liming

AU - Dala, Laurent

PY - 2022/12/14

Y1 - 2022/12/14

N2 - As global CO2 emissions continue to rise, the demand for renewable and sustainable energy resources rises in conjunction. One such method for producing renewable energy is wind turbines, which convert kinetic energy into useful electrical energy. As the world's biggest offshore wind energy market, the UK has been investing in green energy to mitigate the impacts of climate change. As part of the 2050 vision for net-zero emissions, the UK aims to boost the total installed offshore capacity by four-fold to 40GW by 2030. The energy conversion efficiency is primarily determined by the aerodynamic performance of the wind turbine blades. By optimising the blade design, the maximum attainable energy can be produced. Biomimetics may aid in this optimisation by emulating the Humpback whales flipper morphology for aerodynamic applications. It has been hypothesised that leading-edge tubercles can increase the post-stall lift and reduce the induced drag. This paper analyses the aerodynamic characteristics of a NACA-0021 aerofoil with leading-edge tubercles. The analysis is conducted in the Northumbria University low-speed wind tunnel, aiming to compare the tubercle aerofoil's pressure distribution, lift, and stall angle against the smooth aerofoil. The results indicate that leading-edge tubercle blades can enhance post-stall lift by 115%, thus indicating a reduction in induced drag in the post-stall region.

AB - As global CO2 emissions continue to rise, the demand for renewable and sustainable energy resources rises in conjunction. One such method for producing renewable energy is wind turbines, which convert kinetic energy into useful electrical energy. As the world's biggest offshore wind energy market, the UK has been investing in green energy to mitigate the impacts of climate change. As part of the 2050 vision for net-zero emissions, the UK aims to boost the total installed offshore capacity by four-fold to 40GW by 2030. The energy conversion efficiency is primarily determined by the aerodynamic performance of the wind turbine blades. By optimising the blade design, the maximum attainable energy can be produced. Biomimetics may aid in this optimisation by emulating the Humpback whales flipper morphology for aerodynamic applications. It has been hypothesised that leading-edge tubercles can increase the post-stall lift and reduce the induced drag. This paper analyses the aerodynamic characteristics of a NACA-0021 aerofoil with leading-edge tubercles. The analysis is conducted in the Northumbria University low-speed wind tunnel, aiming to compare the tubercle aerofoil's pressure distribution, lift, and stall angle against the smooth aerofoil. The results indicate that leading-edge tubercle blades can enhance post-stall lift by 115%, thus indicating a reduction in induced drag in the post-stall region.

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KW - humpback whale

KW - lift

KW - experimental

KW - EFD

KW - wind tunnel

KW - aerodynamic

KW - aerofoil

KW - wind turbine

U2 - 10.1109/EFEA56675.2022.10063814

DO - 10.1109/EFEA56675.2022.10063814

M3 - Conference contribution

SN - 9798350333220

T3 - Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA)

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EP - 184

BT - 2022 7th International Conference on Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA)

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Y2 - 14 December 2022 through 16 December 2022

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McKegney JM, Shen X, Zhu C, Xu B, Yang L, Dala L. Bio-inspired design of leading-edge tubercles on wind turbine blades. In 2022 7th International Conference on Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA): Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems, Hybrid Transportation Systems, Energy Transition, and Energy Security. Piscataway, US: IEEE. 2022. p. 179-184. (Environment Friendly Energies and Applications (EFEA); 7). doi: 10.1109/EFEA56675.2022.10063814