Design of the new Risø-A1 airfoil family for wind turbines

A new airfoil family for wind turbines was developed by use of a design method using numerical optimization and the flow solver, XFOIL. The results were evaluated with the Navier-Stokes solver EllipSys2D. The airfoil family constitutes 6 airfoils ranging in thickness from 15% to 30%. The airfoils were designed to have a maximum lift coefficient around 1.5 in natural conditions and high lift-drag ratios below maximum lift. Insensitivity to leading edge roughness was obtained by securing that transition from laminar to turbulent flow on the suction side occurred close to the leading edge just before stall. The airfoil family was designed for a 600 kW wind turbine and provides a basis for further enhancing the characteristics of airfoils for wind turbines and to tailor airfoils for specific rotor sizes and power regulation principles. (au) EFP-95; EFP-98. 16 refs.