Aerodynamic flow deflector to increase large scale wind turbine power generation by 10%

The innovation proposed in this paper has the potential to address both the efficiency demands of wind farm owners as well as to provide a disruptive design innovation to turbine manufacturers. The aerodynamic deflector technology was created to improve the efficiency of any current wind turbine around the world and to be included with new blade designs. To prove the feasibility of the deflectors, two tests have been done during this project for two different wind turbines. The first test was performed at the wind tunnel facility at Rutgers University. Two identical wind turbines were 3D printed, one with deflectors on its blades and the other one without deflectors. An average power coefficient (Cp) improvement of 10% was observed during this test. The second test was performed for the Whisper 100 turbine at the Wind Application Center at Appalachian State University. The turbine performance was measured without deflectors for 2 weeks. Then, the turbine was retrofitted with deflectors and its power performance was measured for another 2 weeks. An average Cp improvement of 7.7% was observed during this test. The estimated Annual Energy Production (AEP) increase was between 8.7 to 11.4 %, depending on the site annual average wind speed. All tests show important improvements in power performance and AEP. This technology could represent the biggest wind turbine aerodynamic improvement in the last decade and a game changer to the wind energy industry since even 2% AEP improvement allows wind farm profits to raise by 8%.

• Record URL:
  • https://cait.rutgers.edu/files/CAIT-UTC-058-final.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Rutgers University, Piscataway

  Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  Piscataway, NJ  United States 

  Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT)

  Rutgers University
  100 Brett Road
  Piscataway, New Jersey  United States  08854-8058

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Villegas, Arturo
  • Ray, Anagha
  • Prasad, Jubilee
• Publication Date: 2015-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 27p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamic force; Deflectors; Feasibility analysis; Technological innovations; Turbines; Wind; Wind power generation; Wind tunnels
• Subject Areas: Design; Energy; Transportation (General); Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01599865
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: CAIT-UTC-058
• Contract Numbers: DTRT12-G-UTC16
• Files: UTC, TRIS, RITA, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: May 23 2016 9:48AM