An improved prediction model of vortex shedding noise from blades of fans

The main source of the noise of an axial flow fan is the fluctuating pressure field on blade surfaces caused by the shedding of vortices at the trailing edge of blades. An analytical model to predict the vortex shedding noise generated at the trailing edge of blades of axial flow fans was proposed by Lee in 1993. In this model, for mathematical convenience, an idealized vortex street is considered. However, the agreement between the analytical results and the experimental data needs to be improved because of the simplification about the Karman vortex street in the wake of blade. In the present study, a modified model is proposed based on the prediction model by Lee. The boundary layer theory is used to analyze and calculate the boundary layer development on both the pressure and the suction sides of blades. Considering the effect of boundary layer separation on the location of noise source, the predicted overall sound pressure level compares favorably with the experimental data of an axial fan. In the calculation of A-weighted sound pressure level (L_A), considering the effect of static pressure on radiate energy, the predicted broadband noise with the modified model compares favorably with the experimental data of a multiblade centrifugal fan.     

Numerical simulation of flatback airfoil aerodynamic noise

The present paper presents a possible path for developing a large eddy simulation (LES) applicable to high Reynolds-number complex turbulent flows and the performance of the coupling of LES with statistical turbulence models around the flow over a blunt trailing edge configuration. The turbulent fluctuations in the boundary layers at the inflow region of the LES domain are generated by a synthesized turbulence method. The hybrid RANS-LES model showed considerable improvement in prediction accuracy even at a moderate grid resolution. The aerodynamic comparison with experimental data shows like results for the pressure distributions surrounding a flatback airfoil. To predict accurately the noise radiation from the blunt trailing edge and to save computational costs, the near-field region is computed by embedded LES while the surrounding region is simultaneously computed by RANS. The Brooks, Pope, and Marcolini (BPM) semi-empirical model is used for noise comparison with the hybrid RANS-LES result and experimental data. The present hybrid RANS-LES method is found to be adequate for predicting aerodynamic noise generation by vortical flow in the vicinity of a blunt trailing edge airfoil over a range of frequencies.     

A combined aeroelastic‐aeroacoustic model for wind turbine noise: verification and analysis of field measurements

In this paper, semi‐empirical engineering models for the three main wind turbine aerodynamic noise sources, namely, turbulent inflow, trailing edge and stall noise, are introduced. They are implemented into the in‐house aeroelastic code HAWC2 commonly used for wind turbine load calculations and design. The results of the combined aeroelastic and aeroacoustic model are compared with field noise measurements of a 500 kW wind turbine. Model and experimental data are in fairly good agreement in terms of noise levels and directivity. The combined model allows separating the various noise sources and highlights a number of mechanisms that are difficult to differentiate when only the overall noise from a wind turbine is measured. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aerofoil trailing‐edge noise prediction models for wind turbine applications

This paper proposes a modified TNO model for the prediction of aerofoil trailing‐edge noise for wind turbine applications. The capabilities of the current modified model and four variants of the TNO model are analysed through a comprehensive study which includes 10 aerofoils and involves two different wind tunnels. The Reynolds numbers considered are between 1.13 and 3.41 million, and the effective angles of attack are between ?2.20° and 13.58°. The merit of a model is assessed by comparing two aspects of the numerically predicted and the experimentally measured sound pressure level spectra: the sound pressure level difference between two different aerofoils at similar lift coefficients within a certain frequency range (referred to as the delta noise); and the closeness in terms of spectral magnitude and shape of the predicted and measured sound pressure level spectra. The current modified model is developed by deriving new formulations for the computation of the wall pressure fluctuation spectrum. This is achieved by using the approximate ratio of the normal Reynolds stress components for an anisotropic flow over a flat plate to estimate the vertical Reynolds stress component, and by introducing new stretching factors to take the effects of turbulent flow anisotropy into account. Compared with the four TNO model variants tested, the current modified model has strong delta noise prediction ability, and is able to predict sound pressure level spectra that are more consistent and closer to measurements for the vast majority of aerofoils and flow conditions tested in the two wind tunnels. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

尾缘非定常射流襟翼对垂直轴风力机气动特性影响研究

为提升垂直轴风力机气动性能并改善其动态失速特性,将射流襟翼布置于翼型尾缘压力面,并提出5种射流控制策略,采用计算流体力学方法研究不同策略对垂直轴风力机气动性能影响,从而确定最佳控制策略。结果表明：在180°~360°相位角范围内施加射流控制可使风力机风能利用系数在最佳尖速比下提升31.31%,并有效抑制吸力面尾缘涡形成与发展,增大翼面两侧压差;射流越靠近尾缘,垂直轴风力机气动性能提升效果越好。     

不同攻角下压气机叶栅涡流噪声辐射特性的研究

采用大涡模拟模型和边界元方法对压气机叶栅的非定常流场与声场进行了分析,研究了来流攻角对叶栅尾缘非定常涡脱落及其噪声辐射特性的影响.结果表明：压气机叶栅流场中存在着尾缘涡脱落现象,尾缘涡脱落的强度随着攻角的变化而变化.在较大的正攻角下,吸力面存在的分离涡与下游的尾涡相互影响,引起较大的升力脉动,使得噪声辐射增强;而在较大负攻角下,压力面的分离涡同样影响尾缘涡的脱落,噪声辐射水平也有增强趋势.来流攻角对噪声辐射的指向性影响不大.声压级的最小值出现在阻力系数最小的攻角下.     

NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF AN INTERNAL LAYER IN TURBULENT FLOW OVER A CURVED HILL

The development of an internal layer in a turbulent boundary layer flow over a curved hill is investigated numerically. The turbulent flow equations are solved by a control volume based, finite-difference method. The turbulence is described by a multiple-time-scale turbulence model. Computational results show that the internal layer is a strong turbulence field that develops beneath the external boundary layer and is located very close to the wall. The turbulence field of the boundary layer flow over the curved kill is compared with that of a turbulent flow over a symmetric airfoil (which has the same geometry as the curved hill except that the leading and trailing edge plates were removed) to study the influence of a strongly curved surface on the turbulence field. The turbulence structure in the near-wall region of the curved hill is almost the same as that of the airfoil in most of the curved region even though the approaching external flows are quite different. Results show that the development of the wall shearing stress and separation of the boundary layer at the rear of the curved hill depend mostly on the streamline curvature and are only slightly influenced by the external boundary layer flow.     

A study on the prediction of aerofoil trailing‐edge noise for wind‐turbine applications

This paper presents a comparative study between the so‐called BPM and TNO models for the prediction of aerofoil trailing‐edge noise with particular emphasis on wind‐turbine applications (the BPM model is named after Brooks, Pope and Marcolini who first proposed the model, and the TNO model is named after the TNO institute of Applied Physics where it was first proposed). In this work, two enhanced versions of the BPM model are proposed, and their performances are compared against two recent anisotropic TNO models that require more detailed boundary‐layer information than the BPM‐based models. The two current enhanced models are denoted as BPMM‐PVII and BPMM‐BLkω, where the former uses a panel method with viscous‐inviscid interaction implemented (PVII) for boundary‐layer calculations, the latter estimates the boundary‐layer (BL) properties using a two‐dimensional k‐ω turbulence model (kω), and BPMM stands for BPM‐Modified. By comparing the predicted sound spectra with existing measurement data for seven different aerofoils tested in the current study, it is shown that the BPMM‐PVII model exhibits superior results to those by the other models for most cases despite the simplicity without considering anisotropy. The BPMM‐PVII model is then combined with Prandtl's nonlinear lifting‐line theory to calculate and investigate three‐dimensional rotor noise characteristics of an NREL UAE Phase‐VI wind turbine (NREL UAE stand for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Unsteady Aerodynamic Experiment). It is demonstrated that the current approach may provide an efficient solution for the prediction of rotor aerodynamics and noise facilitating industrial design and development for low‐noise wind turbines. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluidic flow control applied for improved performance of Darrieus wind turbines

The focus of the present research is performance enhancement of a vertical axis Darrieus‐type wind turbine using flow control techniques. The academic and industrial interest in vertical‐axis wind turbines (VAWTs) is increasing because of its suitability to urban areas, characterized by high turbulence and low wind speeds. The paper describes experimental work performed on a GOE222 asymmetrical airfoil intended to be used in a straight‐bladed Darrieus VAWT. Airfoil characteristics were measured in a wide range of incidence angles and Reynolds numbers, relevant for the operation of a small to medium size wind turbine. A variety of passive flow control (passive porosity and surface roughness) and active flow control techniques (boundary layer suction, pulsed suction) were tested in order to evaluate their effects on the airfoil performance. The measured effects of flow control on the 2D airfoil are integrated into a modified version of a double‐multiple streamtube model in order to predict the effects on the performance and efficiency of the turbine. It was found that the improvement of 2D airfoil characteristics can be translated into improvement of total turbine performance. By the use of active flow control, it was possible to increase the VAWT maximum mechanical output. When active flow control is properly activated taking into account the azimuth and Reynolds number conditioning, the effects could be greatly increased while consuming less energy, increasing the net efficiency of the entire system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unsteady behavior and control of vortices in centrifugal compressor

Two examples of the use of vortex control to reduce noise and enhance the stable operating range of a centrifugal compressor are presented in this paper.In the case of high-flow operation of a centrifugal compressor with a vaned diffuser,a discrete frequency noise induced by interaction between the impeller-discharge flow and the diffuser vane,which appears most notably in the power spectra of the radiated noise,can be reduced using a tapered diffuser vane（TDV） without affecting the performance of the compressor.Twin longitudinal vortices produced by leakage flow passing through the tapered portion of the diffuser vane induce secondary flow in the direction of the blade surface and prevent flow separation from the leading edge of the diffuser.The use of a TDV can effectively reduce both the discrete frequency noise generated by the interaction between the impeller-discharge flow and the diffuser surface and the broadband turbulent noise component.In the case of low-flow operation,a leading-edge vortex（LEV） that forms on the shroud side of the suction surface near the leading edge of the diffuser increases significantly in size and blocks flow in the diffuser passage.The formation of an LEV may adversely affect the performance of the compressor and may cause the diffuser to stall.Using a one-side tapered diffuser vane to suppress the evolution of an LEV,the stable operating range of the compressor can be increased by more than 12 percent,and the pressure-rise characteristics of the compressor can be improved.The results of a supplementary examination of the structure and unsteady behavior of LEVs,conducted by means of detailed numerical simulations,are also presented.     

风力机翼型尾缘厚度对粗糙敏感性影响的研究

综合应用涡面元和RANS方法,研究DU93-W-210、DU91-W2-250及DU97-W-300这3种常用翼型经尾缘修型后尾缘厚度对粗糙敏感性的影响.在涡面元方法中采用设置固定转捩和在RANS方法中采用设置锯齿形边界条件的方式来模拟翼型前缘污染,研究发现前缘污染造成翼型吸力峰降低,引起翼型气动性能下降,然而随着尾缘...     

Design and validation of the high performance and low noise CQU‐DTU‐LN1 airfoils

This paper presents the design and validation of the high performance and low noise Chong Qing University and Technical University of Denmark LN1 (CQU‐DTU‐LN1) series of airfoils for wind turbine applications. The new design method uses target characteristics of wind turbine airfoils in the design objective, such as airfoil lift coefficient, drag coefficient and lift‐drag ratio, and minimizes trailing edge noise as a constraint. To express airfoil shape, an analytical expression is used. One of the main advantages of the present design method is that it produces a highly smooth airfoil shape that can avoid the problem of curvature discontinuity. An airfoil profile with discontinuous curvature can produce a discontinuous pressure gradient (i.e., local flow acceleration or deceleration), which enhances flow separation and thus decreases the airfoil performance. By combining the design method with the blade element momentum theory, the viscous‐inviscid xfoil code and an airfoil self‐noise prediction model, an optimization algorithm has been developed for designing the high performance and low noise CQU‐DTU‐LN1 series of airfoils with targets of maximum power coefficient and low noise emission. To validate the airfoil design, CQU‐DTU‐LN118 airfoil has been tested experimentally in the acoustic wind tunnel located at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), USA. To show the superiority of the CQU‐DTU‐LN1 airfoils, comparisons on aerodynamic performance and noise emission between the CQU‐DTU‐LN118 airfoil and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) 64618 airfoil, which is used in modern wind turbine blades, are carried out. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A heat-insulated permeable wall with suction in a compressible gas flow

The differential model of turbulence, supplemented with the transport equation for turbulent heat flux, is used to perform a numerical investigation of the boundary layer on a heat-insulated wall with suction in a compressible gas flow. It is shown that the laminarization of the initially turbulent boundary layer occurs under conditions of suction of gas, as is evidenced both by the behavior of integral and local characteristics of the flow and heat transfer and by the degeneracy of turbulence when the suction becomes asymptotic. In so doing, the temperature recovery factor is independent of Prandtl number and becomes equal to unity, i.e., the temperature of the heat-insulated wall becomes equal to the stagnation temperature of the outer flow.     

Blade load mitigation control design for a wind turbine operating in the path of vortices

As wind turbine rotor size continues to increase, load mitigation becomes an important control objective. Turbines with hub heights of nearly 100m operate in the stable, nocturnal boundary layer where coherent turbulence can be generated by atmospheric phenomena outside the surface layer. These coherent turbulent structures may contribute to blade fatigue loads that can be mitigated with advanced control algorithms. Disturbance accommodating control (DAC) methods were implemented in a wind turbine structural dynamics simulation code to mitigate transient blade load response induced by a simple, Rankine vortex in the inflow. As a best‐case scenario, a full‐state feedback controller (which included a very detailed disturbance model) showed that blade flap damage equivalent load caused by the vortex passing through the rotor could be reduced by 30% compared to one that resulted from simulation of a typical proportional‐integral (PI) controller. A realizable DAC controller that incorporates only the vertical shear component of the vortex reduced loads by 9% compared to that resulting from simulation of a PI controller. The load reduction was even greater when the vortex was superimposed over full‐field, homogeneous turbulence. DAC methods have the flexibility to incorporate properties of coherent turbulent inflow structures in the controller design to mitigate blade fatigue loads. Further work must be done to develop disturbance models as more details about the turbulent structures are identified. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Boundary layer separation control on a highly-loaded, low-solidity compressor cascade

Separated flow can be effectively controlled through the management of blade boundary layer development. Numerical simulations on a highly-loaded, low-solidity compressor cascade indicate that combined blowing and suction flow control technique can significantly improve cascade performance, especially in increasing the cascade loading and static pressure ratio as well as decreasing the loss coefficient. Meanwhile, it is more effective to improve cascade performance by blowing near leading edge on suction surface than suction near trailing edge. Both the locations and flow rates of blowing and suction are major impact factors of this method to cascade performance. Comparing to the baseline, the static pressure ratio increases by 15% and loss coefficient decreases by 80%, with a blowing fraction of 1.7% and a suction fraction of 1.38% of the inlet mass flow.     

凹凸前缘压气机叶栅旋涡结构探索

为改善压气机叶栅内的分离流动、优化气动性能,以仿生凹凸前缘叶栅为研究对象,基于数值方法分析吸力面特殊流动形成的原因,研究零攻角工况下凹凸前缘叶栅的流动特性,并基于涡系变化和附面层结构的分析,总结了凹凸前缘叶栅的流动控制机理。研究结果表明:由于前缘压力梯度作用使凹凸前缘叶栅形成了特殊的流向涡对,在下游向两侧发展形成特殊的三维分离结构,挤压局部流管收缩,提高了流动附着性并重组附面层结构,降低了角区分离范围且避免了大尺度集中脱落涡的形成,改善了下游流动。探索了凹凸前缘叶栅的典型旋涡模型,并基于对流动控制机理的理解,给出若干优化方案,得到叶栅气动性能提升,其中WFB-2-9叶栅相比原始叶栅总压损失系数降低了10.47%。     

Aerodynamic Performance Improvement of a Highly Loaded Compressor Airfoil with Coanda Jet Flap

Coanda jet flap is an effective flow control technique,which offers pressurized high streamwise velocity to eliminate the boundary layer flow separation and increase the aerodynamic loading of compressor blades.Traditionally,there is only single-jet flap on the blade suction side.A novel Coanda double-jet flap configuration combining the front-jet slot near the blade leading edge and the rear-jet slot near the blade trailing edge is proposed and investigated in this paper.The reference highly loaded compressor profile is the Zierke&Deutsch double-circular-arc airfoil with the diffusion factor of 0.66.Firstly,three types of Coanda jet flap configurations including front-jet,rear-jet and the novel double-jet flaps are designed based on the 2D flow fields in the highly loaded compressor blade passage.The Back Propagation Neural Network(BPNN)combined with the genetic algorithm(GA)is adopted to obtain the optimal geometry for each type of Coanda jet flap configuration.Numerical simulations are then performed to understand the effects of the three optimal Coanda jet flaps on the compressor airfoil performance.Results indicate all the three types of Coanda jet flaps effectively improve the aerodynamic performance of the highly loaded airfoil,and the Coanda double-jet flap behaves best in controlling the boundary layer flow separation.At the inlet flow condition with incidence angle of 5°,the total pressure loss coefficient is reduced by 52.5%and the static pressure rise coefficient is increased by 25.7%with Coanda double-jet flap when the normalized jet mass flow ratio of the front jet and the rear jet is equal to 1.5%and 0.5%,respectively.The impacts of geometric parameters and jet mass flow ratios on the airfoil aerodynamic performance are further analyzed.It is observed that the geometric design parameters of Coanda double-jet flap determine airfoil thickness and jet slot position,which plays the key role in supressing flow separation on the airfoil suction side.Furthermore,there exists an optimal combination of front-jet and rear-jet mass flow ratios to achieve the minimum flow loss at each incidence angle of incoming flow.These results indicate that Coanda double-jet flap combining the adjust of jet mass flow rate varying with the incidence angle of incoming flow would be a promising adaptive flow control technique.     

Aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance of airfoils with morphing structures

Aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance of airfoils fitted with morphing trailing edges are investigated using a coupled structure/fluid/noise model. The control of the flow over the surface of an airfoil using shape optimization techniques can significantly improve the load distribution along the chord and span lengths whilst minimising noise generation. In this study, a NACA 63‐418 airfoil is fitted with a morphing flap and various morphing profiles are considered with two features that distinguish them from conventional flaps: they are conformal and do not rely on conventional internal mechanisms. A novel design of a morphing flap using a zero Poisson's ratio honeycomb core with tailored bending stiffness is developed and investigated using the finite element model. Whilst tailoring the bending stiffness along the chord of the flap yields large flap deflections, it also enables profile tailoring of the deformed structure which is shown to significantly affect airfoil noise generation. The aeroacoustic behaviour of the airfoil is studied using a semi‐empirical airfoil noise prediction model. Results show that the morphing flap can effectively reduce the airfoil trailing edge noise over a wide range of flow speeds and angles of attack. It is also shown that appropriate morphing profile tailoring improves the effect of morphing trailing edge on the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance of the airfoil. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

非对称锯齿结构对叶片气动声学性能的影响

为降低水平轴风力机叶片的气动噪声,受鸮类静音飞行能力的启发,提取鸮类翅膀羽毛的非对称锯齿结构,并重构于风力机叶片尾缘处。采用大涡模拟（LES）和FW-H方程对改型叶片和原型叶片的流场及声场特性分别进行研究。同时通过改变非对称锯齿尾缘的结构参数,以探究不同锯齿夹角、锯齿宽度和锯齿间距对非对称锯齿尾缘的降噪效果的影响。结果显示：非对称锯齿尾缘具有较好的降噪效果,尤其是在低频和中频区域,总声压级最多可降低10 dB。当锯齿夹角分别为30°、40°和50°时,随着锯齿夹角的增加,噪声声压级在多数方位角下呈增加的趋势;锯齿宽度分别为10、12.5和15 mm时,随着锯齿宽度的增加,噪声声压级在多数方位角下明显降低;锯齿间距的改变,对0°方位角下的噪声声压级影响显著。而从涡分布图中可发现,非对称锯齿尾缘未改变叶片表面涡脱落的位置,但会减小涡结构和涡强度,增大涡间距,从而抑制噪声的产生。     

前缘改形对翼型气动噪声特性影响

为得到高气动性能、低噪声的风力机专用翼型,基于参数化建模翼型,研究前缘外形对风力机翼型气动性能及气动噪声的影响规律。通过分离涡模拟方法和声学类比方程建立噪声预测方法。针对非对称翼型S809通过样条函数参数化处理前缘改形进行气动噪声计算。结果表明:翼型压力面前缘加厚,对翼型升阻力系数无明显影响,但大攻角时翼型周围压力分布均匀,流动相对稳定,且气动噪声声压级低于原始翼型,随压力面厚度增加气动噪声越大;吸力面加厚使得翼型升力系数增大,阻力系数减小,能抑制翼型失速时尾缘涡与前缘涡的生成,变形量越大气动噪声越小;翼型前缘上弯,翼型在失速区升力系数减小,阻力系数增大,流动越加不稳定,声压级随着攻角的增加呈递增趋势;翼型前缘下弯,翼型处于失速区升力系数增大,阻力系数减小,能抑制流动分离,未生成前缘涡和尾缘涡,当前缘下弯不变时,随加厚厚度增加翼型声压级呈减小趋势,且前缘下弯翼型声压级小于前缘上弯。