Improvement of NACA6309 Airfoil with Passive Air-Flow Control by using Trailing Edge Flap

TL;DR

This study enhances the NACA 6309 airfoil's aerodynamic performance for wind turbines by analyzing various trailing edge flap configurations using CFD simulations, identifying the optimal flap angle for improved lift-to-drag ratio.

Contribution

It introduces a novel modification of the NACA 6309 airfoil with multiple trailing edge flap configurations and evaluates their aerodynamic performance using CFD simulations.

Findings

The 1° up-flap configuration yields the best aerodynamic performance.

The 10° down-flap configuration results in the worst performance.

Pressure and velocity contours illustrate the aerodynamic effects of flap modifications.

Abstract

When fossil fuel supplies can no longer be replenished and hence fossil fuel power generation becomes outdated, wind energy will become a vital solution to the impending energy crisis. A horizontal-axis wind turbine is a widely used technology that is highly dependent on the design of high-performing airfoils. In this paper, we have studied the performance of the NACA6309 airfoil and designed it by modifying the airfoil with a trailing edge plain flap. Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations are utilized for this purpose. We have designed sixteen configurations of NACA 6309 airfoil by using plain flaps at the trailing edge and studied their aerodynamic performance. After comparing the lift, drag, and lift-to-drag ratios, it is evident that the \(1^\circ\) up-flap configuration generates the best output. In addition, the \(10^\circ\) down flap provides the worst performance among all configurations. Finally, pressure contours and velocity contours around the airfoils are presented, which describe the overall characteristics.