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In this study, experimental and numerical flow analysis was performed on three different blade profiles with a chord length of 165 mm using passive flow control method. The first of the airfoil is the standard NACA 0018 profile. The second airfoil type has a NACA 0018 profile with a gap in the suction surface. The last airfoil is the NACA 0018 profile which is 66% of the trailing edge cut from the chord length. All airfoil profiles were analyzed at the Reynolds number, Re=2x104, and angles of attack α=0o, 5o, 10o, 12o and 14o in both experiment and numerical studies. The experiments were carried out using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) method in a closed-loop open water channel, and the time-averaged velocity vectors, streamlines, and vorticity contours of the flow field were obtained. Subsequently, numerical analyses were performed using the ANSYS Fluent package program, one of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) programs used frequently in the literature. The streamlines and pressure contours of the airfoil profiles have been compared visually at the same Re and different angles of attack. In addition, according to the angle of attack of the airfoil profiles, lift coefficient CL, drag coefficient CD, and the ratio of lift coefficient to drag coefficient CL/CD graphs were presented. It has been shown that the gap on the airfoil at high attack angles caused changes in lift (up to 0.7) and drag (up to 0.15). These features can allow these models to be used for different purposes in the aerodynamics field.

In this study, experimental and numerical flow analysis was performed on three different blade profiles with a chord length of 165 mm using passive flow control method. The first of the airfoil is the standard NACA 0018 profile. The second airfoil type has a NACA 0018 profile with a gap in the suction surface. The last airfoil is the NACA 0018 profile which is 66% of the trailing edge cut from the chord length. All airfoil profiles were analyzed at the Reynolds number, Re=2x104, and angles of attack a=0o, 5o, 10o, 12o and 14o in both experiment and numerical studies. The experiments were carried out using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) method in a closed-loop open water channel, and the timeaveraged velocity vectors, streamlines, and vorticity contours of the flow field were obtained. Subsequently, numerical analyses were performed using the ANSYS Fluent package program, one of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) programs used frequently in the literature. The streamlines and pressure contours of the airfoil profiles have been compared visually at the same Re and different angles of attack. In addition, according to the angle of attack of the airfoil profiles, lift coefficient CL, drag coefficient CD, and the ratio of lift coefficient to drag coefficient CL/CD graphs were presented. It has been shown that the gap on the airfoil at high attack angles caused changes in lift (up to 0.7) and drag (up to 0.15). These features can allow these models to be used for different purposes in the aerodynamics field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the old NACA four-digit series when designing wind turbines or small aircraft. One of the airfoils frequently used for this purpose is the NACA 0018 profile. However, since 1933, for over 70 years, almost no new experimental studies of this profile have been carried out to investigate its performance in the regime of small and medium Reynolds numbers as well as for various turbulence parameters. This paper discusses the effect of the Reynolds number and the turbulence intensity on the lift and drag coefficients of the NACA 0018 airfoil under the low Reynolds number regime. The research was carried out for the range of Reynolds numbers from 50,000 to 200,000 and for the range of turbulence intensity on the airfoil from 0.01% to 0.5%. Moreover, the tests were carried out for the range of angles of attack from 0 to 10 degrees. The uncalibrated γ − R e θ transition turbulence model was used for the analysis. Our research has shown that airfoil performance is largely dependent on the Reynolds number and less on the turbulence intensity. For this range of Reynolds numbers, the characteristic of the lift coefficient is not linear and cannot be analyzed using a single aerodynamic derivative as for large Reynolds numbers. The largest differences in both aerodynamic coefficients are observed for the Reynolds number of 50,000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) blades experience stall conditions at lower tip speed ratios during rotation, resulting in inefficient power performance. The power performance can be augmented by improving the blade's aerodynamic efficiency using active or/and passive flow control mechanisms. In this research, the power performance of 2-D H-type VAWT is enhanced by employing an optimum cavity on the suction side of the NACA 0018 blade airfoil. The optimum cavity shape was found using the Genetic Algorithm coupled with the Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) model at an airfoil static stall angle of attack in an isolated environment to reduce the computational cost of the optimization process. Two GPR models were employed to predict lift and drag coefficients, while the lift-to-drag ratio was used as an objective function in the optimization algorithm. 80 CFD runs were utilized for initial training and testing of the models, which reduced computational effort by 97% compared to a pure CFD-based optimization approach. The aerodynamic efficiency of the optimum cavity shape predicted by GPR models was also confirmed by CFD simulation, which showed only a 0.5% difference. For an airfoil with an optimum cavity, the aerodynamic efficiency was consistent at lower angles of attack. However, a significant rise of up to 31.8% was observed in the near stall region between 12 ° to 16 ° angle of attack in comparison to clean airfoil. The optimum cavity on baseline VAWT blades enhanced power performance by 63.8% at a TSR of 1.5. Moreover, at TSRs of 2, 2.5, 3, and 3.5, the enhancement in power performance was achieved by 34.4%, 22.2%, 16.1%, and 3.2%, respectively. This demonstrates the potential of employing an optimum cavity on the suction side for performance augmentation without applying the suction and a cost-effective solution by conducting optimization in an isolated environment. • 63.8% improvement in power performance of 2-bladed VAWT using optimum cavity shape at TSR 1.5 • 31.8% improvement in aerodynamic efficiency of NACA 0018 at stall angle of attack using optimum cavity shape. • 97% reduction in computational effort for GPR-based optimization in comparison to CFD-based optimization strategy. • Gaussian Process Regression and Genetic Algorithm-based Airfoil Cavity Shape Optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertical-axis hydrokinetic turbines with fixed pitch blades typically suffer from poor starting torque, low efficiency and shaking due to large fluctuations in both radial and tangential force with azimuth angle. Maximizing the turbine power output can be achieved only if the mechanism of generation of the hydrodynamic force on the blades is clearly identified and tools to design high-performance rotors are developed. This paper describes an initial experimental investigation to understand more of the performance on vertical-axis turbine related to the effect of fixed-pitch and passive variable-pitch application using airfoil NACA 0018. Comparative analysis according to aspects of rotation and tip speed ratios was discussed. Information regarding the changes of foil position in passive variable-pitch during rotation at a limited range of flow velocity variations test was obtained and analyzed.

Abstract: Tip vortex structure around a NACA 0018 foil with and without an endplate is studied using PIV method in a circulating water channel. The Reynolds number based on the chord length (100mm) is Re=2.5×104. The analysis also includes varying angles of attack α=10° and α=20°. Velocity profiles are obtained from 1C (chord length) to 3C, measured from the trailing edge. Sectional velocity profiles are also obtained and compared both foils at the same angles of attack. Vortex formation is changed near the end-span section due to the prevention of roll-up phenomenon. The endplate also decreases Reynolds shear stress in the wake region. It can be judged that the flow formation around the foil is affected by the endplate untill the mid-span. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]