Wind turbine airfoil optimal design based on a multipoint angle of attack

The current airfoil design methods are based on a single-point angle of attack to determine the local maximum aerodynamic performance without considering the whole high aerodynamic performance within a multipoint angle of attack. This study presents a novel airfoil design method considering the multipoint angle of attack based on the airfoil B-spline function and complicated profile curvature smooth continuity theory. The method can make the aerodynamic force convergent and increase the whole aerodynamic performance. An aerodynamic comparison is made between the WQ-D airfoil series designed considering the multipoint angle of attack and the WQ-A airfoil series designed considering the single-point angle of attack. The results show that the WQ-D airfoil series exhibit a better overall performance than the WQ-A airfoil. Moreover, the WQ-D airfoil exhibits a smoother continuity, which benefits from the aerodynamic force convergence. This study verifies the feasibility of the novel design method and shows that the WQ-D airfoil series has a broad generality. © 2016, Editorial Department of Journal of HEU. All right reserved.