AEROACOUSTIC INVESTIGATION OF A WIND TURBINE FOR DIFFERENT BLADE TIP SHAPES USING COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS SOFTWARE

Abstract

Upon understanding the depletion of fossil fuels and their damage to the world, developed countries decided to produce energy from renewable energy sources. One of the most common methods of renewable energy sources is wind energy. One of the main problems in this matter is the noise generated by the turbine during operation. Prolonged exposure to noise causes both physical and mental distress. This study aims to examine different blade tip shapes in order to reduce wind turbine blade noise. In this study, a 12% scaled model of NREL Phase VI wind turbine has simulated, and analyzes have made using the CFD program. Large Eddy Simulation has been used as the turbulence method in the calculations, and FW-H equations have been preferred in the acoustic calculations. Basic blade, chamfer blade, and radius blade have been used in the calculations. The results obtained have been compared with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) results at the low -speed wind tunnel. As a result, it has been observed that the wind turbine blade tip shape is an essential factor in noise.