Optimization of a Small Wind Turbine for a Rural Area: A Case Study of Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

The performance of a wind turbine is affected by wind conditions and blade shape. This study aimed to optimize the performance of a 20 kW horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) under local wind conditions at Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia. Ansys Fluent (version 18.2, Canonsburg, PA, USA) was used to investigate the aerodynamic performance of the HAWT. The effects of four Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes turbulence models on predicting the flows under separation condition were examined. The transition SST model had the best agreement with the NREL CER data. Then, the aerodynamic shape of the rotor was optimized to maximize the annual energy production (AEP) in the Deniliquin region. Statistical wind analysis was applied to define the Weibull function and scale parameters which were 2.096 and 5.042 m/s, respectively. The HARP_Opt (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, USA) was enhanced with design variables concerning the shape of the blade, rated rotational speed, and pitch angle. The pitch angle remained at 0° while the rising wind speed improved rotor speed to 148.4482 rpm at rated speed. This optimization improved the AEP rate by 9.068% when compared to the original NREL design.