Unstructured Mesh CFD Aerodynamic Analysis of the NREL Phase VI Rotor

An unstructured mesh Navier-Stokes computational fl uid dynamics solver NSU3D is evaluated for wind turbine aerodynamic predictions and comparisons are made with the NREL Phase VI Unsteady Aerodynamics Experiment (UAE). Calculations use isolated rotor steady-state and unsteady, time-accurate formulatio ns. A range of unstructured surface mesh densities and topologies are investigated. Ada ptive mesh refinement for wake capturing is evaluated for accuracy requirements. Comparison of rotor performance, aerodynamic spanload distributions, surface pressur es, and flow visualization are made against available wind tunnel data and a structured overset grid flow solver OVERFLOW.

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