Stall, a complex phenomenon related to flow separation, is difficult to be predicted accurately. The motivation of the present study is to propose an approach to improve the simulation accuracy of Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) for wind turbines in stall. The approach is implemented in three steps in simulations of the S809 airfoil and the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) Phase VI rotor. The similarity between airfoil and rotor simulations is firstly investigated. It is found that the primary reason for the inaccuracy of rotor simulation is not the rotational effect or the 3-D effect, but the turbulence-related problem that already exists in airfoil simulation. Secondly, a coefficient of the SST turbulence model is calibrated in airfoil simulation, ensuring the onset and development of the light stall are predicted accurately. The lift of the airfoil in the light stall, which was overestimated about 30%, is reduced to a level consistent with experimental data. Thirdly, the calibrated coefficient is applied to rotor simulation. That makes the flow patterns on the blade properly simulated and the pressure distribution of the blade, as well as the torque of the rotor, are predicted more accurately. The relative error of the predicted maximum torque is reduced from 34.4% to 3.2%. Furthermore, the procedure of calibration is applied to the MEXICO (Model Experiments in Controlled Conditions) rotor, and the predicted pressure distributions over blade sections are better than the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) results from the Mexnext project. In essence, the present study provides an approach for calibrating rotor simulation using airfoil experimental data, which enhances the potential of RANS in accurate simulation of the wind turbine aerodynamic performance.

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This study aims to assess the dynamic stall of the wind turbine blade undergoing pitch oscillation (PO) and oscillating freestream (OF), respectively. Firstly, a thin-airfoil theoretical analysis was performed to differentiate between these two dynamic effects. During upstroke, PO results in a positive effective airfoil camber, while OF has an additional negative effective airfoil camber, and yet in contrast during downstroke, PO decreases the effective camber, while OF increases the effective camber. Secondly, the equivalence relation between PO and OF is investigated by numerically solving the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The difference between PO and OF mainly exists in the linear part of the aerodynamic loads. Because the difference is great at high reduced frequencies or angle of attack (AOA) amplitudes, PO and OF should be treated separately for dynamic stall from different aerodynamic sources. Thirdly, the Beddoes-Leishman dynamic model coupled with Bak's rotational stall delay model was used to predict the yawed responses of the blade section. The obtained results show different aerodynamic responses between PO and OF, although consideration of rotational augmentation can greatly improve the accuracy of the lift and drag coefficients. To improve the understanding and coupling modeling of rotational augmentation and dynamic stall, an extended analysis of the coupled effect was performed as well.

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