Aerodynamic design and performance evaluation of horizontal axis wind turbine blades using QBlade

Abstract

The aerodynamic performance of a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) blade was analyzed and optimized using QBlade software, incorporating XFoil for airfoil polar calculations. A three-bladed rotor with a 20m diameter was designed, featuring NACA 55xx series airfoils at r/R > 0.3 and NACA 0035 at r/R = 0.25, while maintaining a circular profile at r/R = 0.1. Aerodynamic properties, including lift and drag coefficients (CL/CD), were extracted for an angle of attack (AoA) of 5 ° and a tip speed ratio (TSR) of 6. Blade element momentum (BEM) simulations were conducted to obtain power coefficient (Cp) and thrust coefficient (Ct) variations with TSR, illustrating optimal performance around TSR = 6 with Cp peaking at approximately 0.4. The optimized blade design incorporated twist distribution and chord variation, ensuring an efficient energy conversion profile. The Reynolds number distribution along the blade confirmed aerodynamic stability, with values ranging up to 1.4 × 10⁷. The results highlight the effectiveness of QBlade in rotor blade design and performance assessment, providing a computationally efficient approach to optimize wind turbine efficiency. Future improvements could involve increasing the number of analyzed sections.