Enhancement of horizontal wind turbine blade performance using multiple airfoils sections and fences

This study addresses performances and behaviors of the multi-cross-section HAWT blade design with and without fences. The FX66-S-196 V, FX63-137 S and SG6043, supercritical airfoils were used and distributed along the blade radius; further, the NACA4412 single-cross-section HAWT blade having the same dimensions was used to compare the behaviors and overall performances of all the blades. Analyses were then performed numerically using blade elements momentum BEM theory with a self-code (F.90) and CFD as well as experimentally with three multi-cross-section blades designed using SOLIDWORKS and 3D- printed with polylactic acid. the multi-cross-section HAWT blades show good performance compared with the single- cross-section blade, with an approximately 8% increase in power coefficient, i.e., 40 W, for a miniature wind turbine (127 cm diameter 500 W output power) and greater improvements for wind turbines with large diameters. The fences were designed using boundary layer theory and installed on multi-cross-section blades in experimentally determined positions. The fences showed high performance, with a 16% increase in total power coefficient and high flutter stability.