Active flow control of vertical-axis wind turbines: Insights from large-eddy simulation and finite-time resolvent analysis

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Main Authors: de Souza, Lucas Feitosa, Miotto, Renato Fuzaro, Wolf, William Roberto
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author de Souza, Lucas Feitosa
Miotto, Renato Fuzaro
Wolf, William Roberto
author_facet de Souza, Lucas Feitosa
Miotto, Renato Fuzaro
Wolf, William Roberto
contents Active flow control is applied to improve the aerodynamic performance of a NACA0018 airfoil operating as a single-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). Results computed by wall-resolved large-eddy simulations (LES) highlight the detrimental effects of the dynamic stall vortex (DSV) and trailing-edge vortex (TEV) on turbine efficiency, primarily through increased drag and energy loss. The proposed flow control strategy effectively delays flow separation and suppresses large-scale vortex formation, particularly at moderate actuation frequencies. The control parameters are grounded in bi-global stability and finite-time resolvent analyses. These techniques identify the excitation of coupling modes between shear layer and wake instabilities as a mechanism for promoting flow reattachment and preventing vorticity accumulation, ultimately leading to enhanced torque production. The control strategy is energy-efficient, consuming only 1% of the turbine's output power while yielding substantial aerodynamic performance gains. These findings demonstrate the promise of physics-informed active flow control in mitigating dynamic stall and advancing the design of next-generation VAWTs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_08625
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Active flow control of vertical-axis wind turbines: Insights from large-eddy simulation and finite-time resolvent analysis
de Souza, Lucas Feitosa
Miotto, Renato Fuzaro
Wolf, William Roberto
Fluid Dynamics
Active flow control is applied to improve the aerodynamic performance of a NACA0018 airfoil operating as a single-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). Results computed by wall-resolved large-eddy simulations (LES) highlight the detrimental effects of the dynamic stall vortex (DSV) and trailing-edge vortex (TEV) on turbine efficiency, primarily through increased drag and energy loss. The proposed flow control strategy effectively delays flow separation and suppresses large-scale vortex formation, particularly at moderate actuation frequencies. The control parameters are grounded in bi-global stability and finite-time resolvent analyses. These techniques identify the excitation of coupling modes between shear layer and wake instabilities as a mechanism for promoting flow reattachment and preventing vorticity accumulation, ultimately leading to enhanced torque production. The control strategy is energy-efficient, consuming only 1% of the turbine's output power while yielding substantial aerodynamic performance gains. These findings demonstrate the promise of physics-informed active flow control in mitigating dynamic stall and advancing the design of next-generation VAWTs.
title Active flow control of vertical-axis wind turbines: Insights from large-eddy simulation and finite-time resolvent analysis
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.08625