A 2D computational fluid dynamics analysis of wells turbine blade profiles in isolated and cascade flow

This paper deals with the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to the analysis of the aerodynamic characteristics of symmetrical airfoil blades in 2-Dimensional flow. The CFI) model was used to compare blades of varying profiles to analyse the aerodynamic forces and the compressibility effects and to compare the differences in modelling the blades in isolated and cascade flow. The model was validated using correction factors with published results for the NACA 0015 blade profile, which show that the model gives good results for the aerodynamic forces. The differences in the predicted aerodynamic characteristics, such as low angle of incidence drag, as well as normal and tangential forces are compared for the isolated and cascade cases. The validated model was then used to compare proposed blade profiles for a Wells Turbine. The paper presents the results of the numerical investigation along with the analysis and comparison of the different profiles.