Extensive Validation of HAWT Unsteady Modelling Using BEM and CFD

The present work aims to present two different approaches to model the unsteady aerodynamics of horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs). A complete and extensive comparison has been established between the results obtained using a low-fidelity calculation tool, as the Blade Element Momentum (BEM), and a high-fidelity technique, as the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Regarding the first calculation strategy, an accurate revision in polar diagrams calculation and the implementation of yaw and dynamic stall routines have endowed the BEM code to predict the machine performance under unsteady flow conditions. In order to achieve an accurate validation, the proposed BEM solver has been tested on AOC 15/50 and NREL Phase VI wind turbines. Referring to CFD techniques, a three-dimensional unsteady model has been improved to study the aerodynamic behaviour of the machine in case of yawed incoming wind.