Design optimization of three‐dimensional geometry of a micro horizontal axis wind turbine blade using the response surface method

Abstract

This study presents an aerodynamic design optimization of a micro micro‐horizontal‐axis wind turbine (HAWT). To obtain an optimal design, it is essential to understand the design parameters and select the responsible factors that affect the blade efficiency. The aim of this work is to redesign a 3D micro‐HAWT to improve aerodynamic performance, through improving the distribution of chord length and twist angle along the blade. Performance analysis and flow visualization of the initial design and the optimal design were carried out using CFD analyzer. In the blade optimization design, eight significant input parameters were selected, five to characterize the chord length distribution and three to represent the twist angle along the blade. To maximize the efficiency, design points that are created by Design of Experiment (DoE) are evaluated through (Multi‐Objective‐Genetic Algorithm) MOGA method. The results showed a reduction on the separation effect area on the optimal blade surface compared to the initial one. The use of response surface optimization (RSO), when combined with CFD simulation, has proven beneficial in selecting the optimal HAWT design. Finally, the open source software (Qblade) was used to investigate and to compare the performance of the initial and optimum design. An efficiency enhancement of approximately 3.6% is achieved at tip speed ration TSR = 3.4.