226 Aerodynamic Analysis of Wind Turbines

In the following, a brief introduction is given to wind turbine aerodynamics. It is not possible in a short form to introduce to all
aspects of rotor aerodynamics and the scope is on conventional aerodynamic modeling, as it is still used by industry in the design of
new turbines, and on state-of-the-art methods for analyzing wind turbine rotors and wakes. Specifically, the basics of momentum
theory, which still form the backbone in rotor design of wind turbines, are introduced. Next, state-of-the-art advanced aerodynamic
models is presented. This includes vortex models, generalized actuator disk/line models, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
Finally, a short introduction is given to rotor optimization and modeling of aerodynamically generated noise.

2.08.2 Momentum Theory

The basic tool for understanding wind turbine aerodynamics is the momentum theory in which the flow is assumed to be inviscid,
incompressible, and axisymmetric. The momentum theory consists basically of control volume integrals for conservation of mass,
axial and angular momentum balances, and energy conservation. In the following, we will give a brief introduction to momentum
theory for design and analysis of wind turbines, starting by the simple, albeit important, one-dimensional (1D) momentum theory,
from which the Betz limit can be derived, and ending with the practical BEM theory, which forms the basis for all rotor design codes
in use by industry.

2.08.2.1 One-Dimensional Momentum Theory

We first revisit the simple axial momentum theory as originated by Rankine [4], Froude [5], and Froude [6]. Consider an axial flow
of speed Uo passes through an actuator disk of area A with constant axial load (thrust) T. Denoting by uR the axial velocity in the
rotor plane, and let u1 be the axial velocity in the ultimate wake where the air has regained its undisturbed pressure value, pw = po,
and let ρ denote the density of air. We now consider a 1D model for the stream tube that encloses the rotor disk (see Figure 1), and
denote by Ao and A1 the cross-sectional area of the flow far upstream and far downstream of the rotor, respectively.
The equation of continuity requires that the rate of mass flow, ṁ, is constant in each cross-section. Thus,

ṁ ¼ ρUo Ao ¼ ρuR A ¼ ρu1 A1 ½1

Axial momentum balance for the considered stream tube results in the following equation for the thrust

T ¼ ṁðUo − u1 Þ ¼ ρuR AðUo − u1 Þ ½2

Applying the Bernoulli equation in front of and behind the rotor, we find that the total pressure head of the air in the slipstream has
been decreased by
1

Δp ¼ ρ Uo2 − u21 ½3
2
The pressure drop takes place across the rotor and represents the thrust, T = AΔp. Combining eqns [2] and [3] shows the well-known
result that
1
uR ¼ ðu1 þ Uo Þ ½4
2
Introducing the axial interference factor as follows:

Uo − uR
a¼ ½5
Uo

we obtain uR = (1 − a)Uo and u1 = (1 − 2a)Uo. From eqn [2], we get the following expressions for thrust and power extraction:

Uo uR u1

Figure 1 Control volume for 1D actuator disk.