Research on Leading Edge Erosion and Aerodynamic Characteristics of Wind Turbine Blade Airfoil

The effects of the erosion present on the leading edge of a wind turbine airfoil(DU 96-W-180)on its aerodynamic performances have been investigated numerically in the framework of a SST k–ωturbulence model based on the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations(RANS).The results indicate that when sand-induced holes and small pits are involved as leading edge wear features,they have a minimal influence on the lift and drag coefficients of the airfoil.However,if delamination occurs in the same airfoil region,it significantly impacts the lift and resistance characteristics of the airfoil.Specifically,as the angle of attack grows,there is a significant decrease in the lift coefficient accompanied by a sharp increase in the drag coefficient.As wear intensifies,these effects gradually increase.Moreover,the leading edge wear can exacerbate flow separation near the trailing edge suction surface of the airfoil and cause forward displacement of the separation point.

Numerical Study on the Duct Noise Control of Single-Stage Axial Flow Fan with Wave Leading Edge Stator Blade Configurations

This study focuses on a single-stage axial flow fan, investigating the effect of three kinds of wave leading edge stator blades on its noise reduction. The DDES method and the duct acoustic analogy theory based on the penetrable data surface were used for noise prediction. The results showed that the three kinds of wave leading edge blades were effective in reducing the rotor-stator interaction tonal noise and also have a certain inhibitory effect on broadband noise. The A10W15 stator blade can effectively reduce broadband noise in the frequency range of 2200 - 4200 Hz. When the amplitude is increased to 20, the noise reduction effect is further enhanced. However, when the amplitude is increased to 30, the broadband noise reduction effect is no longer significant. Further research shows that the wave leading edge stator blades can significantly change the pressure fluctuation distribution on the leading edge and suction surface, which control the modal energy distribution. Finally, this paper analyzed multiple factors affecting the broadband noise reduction, such as the noise source cut-off and cut-on effect and correlation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the laws of the influence of wave leading edge blades on the duct noise of real fan, and to reveal its noise control mechanism. .

A Large-scale Tertiary Salt Nappe Complex in the Leading Edge of the Kuqa Foreland Fold-Thrust Belt, the Tarim Basin, Northwest China

The tectono-stratigraphic sequences of the Kuqa foreland fold-thrust belt in the northern Tarim basin, northwest China, can be divided into the Mesozoic sub-salt sequence, the Paleocene-Eocene salt sequence and the Oligocene-Quaternary supra-salt sequence. The salt sequence is composed mainly of light grey halite, gypsum, marl and brown elastics. A variety of salt-related structures have developed in the Kuqa foreland fold belt, in which the most fascinating structures are salt nappe complex. Based on field observation, seismic interpretation and drilling data, a large-scale salt nappe complex has been identified. It trends approximately east-west for over 200 km and occurs along the west Qiulitag Mountains. Its thrusting displacement is over 30 km. The salt nappe complex appears as an arcuate zone projecting southwestwards along the leading edge of the Kuqa foreland fold belt. The major thrust fault is developed along the Paleocene-Eocene salt beds. The allochthonous nappes comprise large north-dipping faulting monoclines which are made up of Paleocene-Pliocene sediments. Geological analysis and cross-section restoration revealed that the salt nappes were mainly formed at the late Himalayan stage (c.a. 1.64 Ma BP) and have been active until the present day. Because of inhomogeneous thrusting, a great difference may exist in thrust displacement, thrust occurrence, superimposition of allochthonous and autochthonous sequences and the development of the salt-related structures, which indicates the segmentation along the salt nappes. Regional compression, gravitational gliding and spreading controlled the formation and evolution of the salt nappe complex in the Kuqa foreland fold belt.

Aerodynamic improvement of a delta wing in combination with leading edge flaps

Recently, various studies of micro air vehicle （MAV） and unmanned air vehicle （UAV） have been reported from wide range points of view. The aim of this study is to research the aerodynamic improvement of delta wing in low Reynold＇s number region to develop an applicative these air vehicle. As an attractive tool in delta wing, leading edge flap （LEF） is employed to directly modify the strength and structure of vortices originating from the separation point along the leading edge. Various configurations of LEF such as drooping apex flap and upward deflected flap are used in combination to enhance the aerodynamic characteristics in the delta wing. The fluid force measurement by six component toad ceil and particle image velocimetry （PIV） analysis are performed as the experimental method. The relations between the aerodynamic superiority and the vortex behavior around the models are demonstrated.

Research on Aerodynamic Characteristics of Hovering Rotor Based on Leading Edge Droop

In view of the reduction of hovering efficiency near high tension when a helicopter rotor hovers,a numerical simulation method of lifting rotor hovering aerodynamic characteristics based on leading edge droop is established in this paper. It is dominated by Reynolds average N-S equation in integral form. Firstly,VR-12 airfoil is taken as the research object,and the influence of leading edge droop angle on the aerodynamic characteristics of two-dimensional airfoil is studied. Secondly,the modified 7 A rotor is taken as the research object,and the effects of different leading edge droop angles at the position of blade r/R=0.75—1 on the aerodynamic characteristics in hover are explored. It is found that the leading edge droop can significantly improve the aerodynamic characteristics of two-dimensional airfoil and three-dimensional hovering rotor near high angle of attack,and can effectively inhibit the generation of stall vortex.

Selection and Impact of an Aerofoil Leading Edge on Boundary Layer Transition

The choice of leading-edge aspect ratio (AR) plays a crucial role when planning boundary layer wind tunnel tests on a flat plate. Poor selection of the leading-edge profile hampers effectiveness of the experiment and increases testing costs associated with interchanging of leading edges to attain accurate results. Thus, the appropriate selection of the leading edge is a very crucial part of the wind tunnel experiment process. It is argued that the curvature of the leading edge and thus the AR is of paramount importance to achieve accurate results from the wind tunnel testing. In this project, seven different elliptical leading edges were tested, and their performance was compared with an ideal leading edge with zero thickness. Experiments and computation have been done for leading edges ranging from AR6 to AR20. Results were evaluated for boundary layer transition onset location, and it was found that AR20 has the least influence on the flow structure when compared to the ideal leading edge. A study of the flow structure at the stagnation point indicates an increase in adverse pressure gradient with an increase in the AR but also shows a decrease in the size of the stagnation region. The presence of a higher AR leading edge reduces the turbulent spot production rate, which is one of the primary causes of boundary layer transition. This paper presents a correlation that enables aerodynamicists to quantify the impact of the leading-edge AR on transition. A typical case is also presented to compare the relative performance of a wedge and the higher AR leading edge, which provides a choice between an elliptical or a wedge-shaped leading edge.

High-Velocity Impact Studies on Scaled Leading Edges of Horizontal Tail with Smart Composite Layers

Bird strike studies on typical aluminium leading edges of the Horizontal Tail (HT) with and without Glass Fibre Shape Memory Polymer (GF-SMP) layers are carried out. A one-fifth scaled model of HT is designed and fabricated. The parameters like bird dimension and energy requirements are accordingly scaled to conduct the bird strike tests. Two leading-edge components have been prepared, namely one with AL 2024-T3 aluminium alloy and the other specimen of the same dimension and material, additionally having GF-SMP composite layers inside the metallic leading edge, in order to enhance its impact resistance. Bird strike experiments are performed on both the specimens, impacting at the centre of the leading edge in the nose tip region with an impact velocity of 115 m/s. The test component is instrumented with linear post-yield strain gauges on the top side and the PZT sensors on the bottom. Furthermore, the impact scenario is monitored using a high-speed camera at 7000 fps. The bird strike event is simulated by an equation of state model, in which the mass of the bird is idealized using smooth particle hydrodynamics element in PAMCRASH? explicit solver. The strain magnitude and its pattern including time duration are found to be in a good correlation between test and simulation. Key metrics are evaluated to devise an SHM scheme for the load and impact event monitoring using strain gauges and PZT sensors. GF-SMP layers have improved the impact resistance of the aluminium leading edge which is certainly encouraging towards finding a novel solution for the high-velocity impact.

Piezoelectric resonant ice protection systems–Part1/2:Prediction of power requirement for de-icing a NACA 0024 leading edge

This paper proposes a numerical method to analyze the ice protection capability and predict the power requirements of a piezoelectric resonant de-icing system.The method is based on a coupled electro-mechanical finite element analysis which enables the fast computation of the modes of resonance of interest to de-ice curved surfaces and the estimation of the input voltage and current required for a given configuration(defined by its mode,actuator location,ice deposit,etc.).Eventually,the electric power to be supplied can be also assessed.The method is applied to a NACA 0024 leading edge equipped with piezoelectric actuators.First,two extension modes are analyzed and compared with respect to their efficiency and power requirements.Then,tests are carried out in an icing tunnel to verify the effectiveness of the piezoelectric ice protection system and the predictions of the maximal required power.The system allows de-icing the leading edge in less than 2 s for a glaze ice deposit.

Heat Transfer and Flow Structure of a Turbine Blade's Air-cooled Leading Edge Considering Different Hole Shapes and Additional Flow Angles

A numerical study is conducted to elucidate the impact of hole shapes and additional flow angles on the flow structure of the coolant and temperature field in the leading edge area of the gas turbine rotor.Four typical hole shapes are considered for the GE-E3 blade.The impact of the additional flow angle(E)within each hole shape on the temperature field is investigated.The results indicate that for the leading edge area and suction surface,the fan-shaped hole case performs best in decreasing temperatures,with a decrease of about 43 K.This is mainly due to the fact that the fan-shaped hole has the maximum expansion in hole spanwise direction.For the pressure surface,the console hole case performs best in decreasing temperatures,with a maximum reduction of about 47.2 K.The influence of E on the surface temperature at leading edge area varied between the different hole shapes.For the cylinder hole and console hole,the E=-20°case has the lowest area-averaged temperature.Because both the fan-shaped hole and the 7-7-7 shaped hole are expansion holes,the pattern of variation of the leading edge area temperature with increasing E is similar for the fan-shaped hole case and 7-7-7 shaped hole case.The E=20°case shows the lowest spanwise-averaged temperature near the hole outlet,and the E=-20°case shows the lowest spanwise-averaged temperature further downstream.

Effects of Bionic Leading Edge on the Aerodynamic Performance of a Compressor Cascade at a Low Reynolds Number

To achieve high-performance compressor cascades at low Reynolds number(Re),it is important to organize the boundary layer transition and separation processes efficiently and reasonably.In this study,the airfoil is focused on at a 5%blade height at the root of the orthogonal blade in the downflow passage of the high-load booster stage.The bionics modeling design is carried out for the leading edge of the original blade cascade;the response characteristics of laminar transition and separation to blades with different leading edge shapes at low Reynolds numbers are studied by using large eddy simulations combined with Omega vortex identification.The findings of this study demonstrate that bionic leading edge modeling can significantly improve the aerodynamic performance of blades at low Reynolds numbers.The blades effectively suppress the formation of separation bubbles at low Reynolds numbers and weaken or even eliminate large-scale flow separation at the trailing edge.In addition,the blades can weaken the vortex intensity on the blade surface,reduce the areas of high-velocity fluctuations,and minimize aerodynamic losses caused by turbulence dissipation.These results should serve as a valuable reference for the aerodynamic design and flow control of the high-load booster stage blade at low Re.

Synthesis and performance characterization of Hafnium-based multilayer coating applied over carbon/carbon composites with sharp leading edge

Carbon/carbon(C/C)composites have been acknowledged as potential candidates in aerospace vehicles,but their oxygen sensitivity still remains an enormous challenge.In this work,a novel multilayer coating consisted of HfC-2.5 mol.%Hf_(6)Ta_(2)O_(17),HfC-40 mol.%SiC,HfC-2.5 mol.%Hf_(6)Ta_(2)O_(17) and HfC-60 mol.%SiC sublayers from surface to inside was designed and fabricated on the surface of C/C composites with sharp leading edge by plasma spraying.Its ablation resistance was assessed using oxyacetylene torch with a maximum temperature over 2300℃ and compared with monolayered coatings.The multilayer coating revealed preferable ablation retardation capacity evidenced by its integrated profile and less flaw quantity.Such benefits were primarily stemmed from the effective structural design and rational material selection.The former was able to reduce the thermal stress within the ablated scale,the latter contributed to rising the high-temperature resistance and oxygen barrier ability of the coating.

Damage sensitivity of a wing-type leading edge structure impacted by a bird

On the windward side of an aircraft,the components with higher probability of impact with birds are the wing-type leading edge structures,such as the wing and tail.A study on the damage sensitivity of a wing-type leading edge structure under bird strikes was presented in this paper.First,a bird strike test was carried out on a wing.The principles of the bird strike test equipment and method were introduced in detail,including the bird strike test system,bird projectile production process and data acquisition system.The dynamic strain measurement results,the high-speed camera videos,and the final deformation and damage morphology observations of the structure were obtained.Based on the coupled Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics(SPH)-Finite Element Method(FEM),the commercial software PAM-CRASH was used to simulate the process of a bird strike with the wing.The good agreement between the finite element simulation results and the experimental results shows that the calculation method and the numerical model presented in this paper were reasonable.On this basis,wing-type leading edge structures can be designed by adding triangular support.The bird strike resistances of an original structure and improved structure were studied by numerical simulation.The calculated results show that the improved wing-type leading edge structure is less damaged than the original structure under bird strike.The improved leading edge structure satisfied the anti-bird strike airworthiness requirements,as the thickness of the triangular support was 1.2 mm,and the weight of the structure was reduced by 0.87 kg compared with the original structure.This indicated that the bird strike resistance of the improved structure is better than that of the original structure,and the improved design of the wing-type leading edge structure presented in this paper is reasonable.

Conjugate Calculation of Gas Turbine Vanes Cooled with Leading Edge Films

Conjugate calculation methodology is used to simulate the C3X gas turbine vanes cooled with leading edge films of 'shower- head' type. By comparing calculated results of different turbulence models with the measured data, it is clear that calculation with the transition model can better simulate the flow and heat transfer in the boundary layers with leading edge film cooling. In the laminar boundary layers, on the upstream suction side, the film cooling flow presents 3D turbulent characteristics before tran...

Numerical simulation of leading edge cavitation within the whole flow passage of a centrifugal pump

In this paper, the periodically unsteady pressure field and head-drop phenomenon caused by leading edge cavitation have been investigated numerically by computational fluid dynamics （CFD） in a single stage centrifugal pump. A CFD model for cavita- tion steady and unsteady simulation has been calculated using the κ-ω SST turbulence model combining with a multiphase ap- proach, based on a homogeneous model assumption. A truncated form of Rayleigh-Plesset equation is used as a source term for the inter-phase mass transfer. The CFD computational region includes the suction cone, impeller, side chambers and volute, as well as suction and pressure pipes. The results were compared with experimental data under non-cavitation and cavitation conditions and a good agreement was obtained for the global performance, the experimental data of the head and the efficiency are 34.04 m and 74.42% at BEP, respectively, the predicted head is 34.31 m and the predicted efficiency is 73.75%. The analy- sis of inner flow pattern shows that the vortex flow generation in the rear of cavity region is the main reason of the head-drop. Obvious increasing can be observed for the amplitude of the pressure fluctuation at the blade passing frequency with different cavitation situations, and subpeak can be found. Besides, the effects of unsteady flow in the side chambers cannot be neglected for accurately predicting the inner flow of the pump. These results imply that this numerical method is suitable for the cavitat- ing flow in the pump.

Numerical analysis of broadband noise reduction with wavy leading edge

Large Eddy Simulation（LES） is performed to investigate the airfoil broadband noise reduction with wavy leading edge under anisotropic incoming turbulence. The anisotropic incoming turbulence is generated by a rod with a diameter of 10 mm. The incoming flow velocity is 40 m/s and the corresponding Reynolds numbers based on airfoil chord and rod diameter are about 397000 and 26000, respectively. The far-field acoustic field is predicted using an acoustic analogy method which has been validated by the experiment. A straight leading edge airfoil and a wavy leading edge airfoil are simulated. The results show that wavy leading edge increases the airfoil lift and drag whereas the lift and drag fluctuations are substantially reduced. In addition, wavy leading edge can significantly change the flow pattern around the leading edge and a pair of counter-rotating streamwise vortices stemming from each wavy leading edge peak are observed.An averaged noise reduction of 9.5 dB is observed with the wavy leading edge at the azimuthal angle of 90°. Moreover, the wavy leading edge can mitigate noise radiation at all the azimuthal angles without significantly changing the noise directivity. The underlying noise reduction mechanisms are then analyzed in detail.

Comparative study of two lay-up sequence dispositions for flexible skin design of morphing leading edge

Morphing leading edge has great potential for noise abatement and aerodynamic efficiency improvement.The drooping effect is realized by bending of the flexible skin which encloses to form the leading edge.Since the flexible skin is often made of composite laminates of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics(GFRP),the lay-up sequences have become the determinant,which affects not only the morphing quality but also the manufacturing complexity.Two optimizing methods of layup sequences are comparatively studied.In the first method,the laminal quantities in 0,±45and 90vary independently,while in the second one,the concept of isotropic laminate unit[0/45/45/90]s is employed and the unit quantity is the unique variable.Final evaluation demonstrates that for both methods there is insignificant impact to the overall morphing quality;however,specific concern is equally necessary for these two methods to the tip of the leading edge where the skin is at its minimum thickness and bears the most severe bending deformation.In terms of computational efficiency and post-processing labor,the second method has better performance.

Mass and performance optimization of an airplane wing leading edge structure against bird strike using Taguchi-based grey relational analysis

Collisions between birds and aircraft are one of the most dangerous threats to flight safety. In this study, smoothed particles hydrodynamics(SPH) method is used for simulating the bird strike to an airplane wing leading edge structure. In order to verify the model, first, experiment of bird strike to a flat aluminum plate is simulated, and then bird impact on an airplane wing leading edge structure is investigated. After that, considering dimensions of wing internal structural components like ribs, skin and spar as design variables, we try to minimize structural mass and wing skin deformation simultaneously. To do this, bird strike simulations to 18 different wing structures are made based on Taguchi’s L18 factorial design of experiment. Then grey relational analysis is used to minimize structural mass and wing skin deformation due to the bird strike. The analysis of variance(ANOVA) is also applied and it is concluded that the most significant parameter for the performance of wing structure against impact is the skin thickness. Finally, a validation simulation is conducted under the optimal condition to show the improvement of performance of the wing structure.

Exploration in Optimal Design of an Airfoil with a Leading Edge Rotating Cylinder

Based on the theory of moving surface boundary layer control(MSBC),a concept of an airfoil having a rotating cylinder at the leading edge has been developed and experimentally proven to have good aerodynamic performance even at large angles of attack.Thus,this research aims to give guidance on optimizing the design of this kind of airfoil with high lift coefficients.Using computational fluid dynamics(CFD)technique,the CFD simulation results have been compared with the experimental results available in the literature,and then the SST two-equation model is selected as the appropriate turbulence model.At a given cylinder surface velocity ratio,the cylinder diameter d,the drop height of trailing edgeδand the curvatures of the pressure and suction surfaces of the airfoil are regarded as the optimal design parameters and the airfoil lift coefficient is considered as the optimization objective function.Therefore,using orthogonal optimization method,we herein develop a new design of airfoil favorable for having a rotating leading edge.It has been numerically proven that the resulting airfoil has good capability of achieving a substantially superior performance when compared to the airfoils of the prior art.

Performance of the bio-inspired leading edge protuberances on a static wing and a pitching wing

It is shown that the leading edge protuberances on the flippers of a humpback whale can significantly improve the hydrodynamic performance. The present study numerically investigates the flow control mechanisms of the leading edge protuberances on a static wing and a pitching wing. For static wings, the performance in both laminar flow and turbulent flow are studied in the context of the flow control mechanisms. It is shown that the protuberances have slight effects on the performance of static wings in laminar flow. Also, it could be deduced that non-uniform downwash does not delay the stall occurrence in either laminar flow or turbulent flow. In turbulent flow, the leading edge protuberances act in a manner similar to vortex generators, enhancing the momentum exchange within the boundary layer. Streamwise vortices do contribute to the delay of the stall occurrence. The normal vorticity component also plays an important role in delaying the stall occurrence. However, for the pitching wing, the effect of leading edge protuberances is negligible in turbulent flow. Detailed analysis of the flow field indicates that for the wing with the leading edge protuberances, the leading edge vortices become more complex, while the thrust jet and the vortices in the wake are not changed significantly by the leading edge protuberances.

Leading Edge Film Cooling Enhancement for an Inlet Guide Vane with Fan-Shaped Holes

This paper describes the improvement of leading edge film cooling effectiveness for a turbine inlet guide vane by using fan-shaped film cooling holes. The modification details are presented in comparison with the base-line configuration of cylindrical holes. Numerical simulations were carried out for the base-line and modified configurations by using CFX, in which the k-ε turbulence model and scalable wall function were chosen. Contours of adiabatic film cooling effectiveness on the blade surfaces and span-wise distributions of film cooling effectiveness downstream the rows of cooling holes interested for the different cooling configurations were compared and discussed. It is showed that with the use of fan-shaped cooling holes around the leading edge, the adiabatic film cooling effectiveness can be enhanced considerably. In comparison with the cylindrical film cooling holes, up to 40% coolant mass flow can be saved by using fan-shaped cooling holes to obtain the comparable film cooling effectiveness for the studied inlet guide vane.