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Flow separation and control on a 35% thick wind turbine airfoil: experiments, simulations and data driven analysis

Marinos Manolesos, Yunus Celik, Konstantinos Kellaris, Harry Ramsay Orcid Logo, Rishikesh Karande, Ben Wood, Iain Dinwoodie Orcid Logo, Ian Masters Orcid Logo, Magnus Harrold, George Papadakis Orcid Logo

Aerospace Science and Technology, Volume: 176, Start page: 112639

Swansea University Authors: Marinos Manolesos, Yunus Celik, Ian Masters Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.ast.2026.112639

Abstract

Modern wind turbine blades increasingly use very thick airfoil profiles, which are highly susceptible to flow separation. This separation can significantly reduce aerodynamic performance and cause unstable loading. A common method of controlling such flow behaviour is the use of passive vortex gener...

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Published in: Aerospace Science and Technology
ISSN: 1270-9638
Published: Elsevier BV 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa72073
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last_indexed 2026-06-13T05:40:02Z
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spelling 2026-06-12T16:57:18.5220784 v2 72073 2026-06-12 Flow separation and control on a 35% thick wind turbine airfoil: experiments, simulations and data driven analysis 44a3e0d351ccd7a8365d5fc7c50c8778 Marinos Manolesos Marinos Manolesos true false 96d18039c02322f45e9b5768abac8187 Yunus Celik Yunus Celik true false 6fa19551092853928cde0e6d5fac48a1 0000-0001-7667-6670 Ian Masters Ian Masters true false 2026-06-12 Modern wind turbine blades increasingly use very thick airfoil profiles, which are highly susceptible to flow separation. This separation can significantly reduce aerodynamic performance and cause unstable loading. A common method of controlling such flow behaviour is the use of passive vortex generators (VGs). However, due to the inherently three-dimensional (3D) and unsteady nature of the separated flow, whether or not VGs are present, accurate modelling remains difficult and understudied. This study explores the complexity of 3D separated flows over thick wind turbine airfoils and emphasizes the need for advanced analysis methods suited to real-world engineering applications. Specifically, we examine the flow over a 35%-thick DU00-W2–350 airfoil, both with and without VGs, using wind tunnel experiments, Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes simulations, and data-driven techniques. We evaluate load asymmetry, pressure distribution, and instability metrics, applying Hidden Markov Models to identify and characterize unsteady flow regimes. Our results show that VGs effectively suppress unstable loading when installed on both sides of the airfoil. Furthermore, 3D full-span CFD models closely match experimental data, while more economical 3D-slice models capture general trends well. Based on the findings of this study, we recommend against relying solely on time-averaged quantities in cases of 3D flow separation. Journal Article Aerospace Science and Technology 176 112639 Elsevier BV 1270-9638 24 5 2026 2026-05-24 10.1016/j.ast.2026.112639 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2026.112639 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the UK & Welsh governments through the Swansea Bay City Deal. 2026-06-12T16:57:18.5220784 2026-06-12T16:51:57.9560117 Faculty of Science and Engineering Marinos Manolesos 1 Yunus Celik 2 Konstantinos Kellaris 3 Harry Ramsay 0000-0003-1588-9677 4 Rishikesh Karande 5 Ben Wood 6 Iain Dinwoodie 0000-0001-9090-1256 7 Ian Masters 0000-0001-7667-6670 8 Magnus Harrold 9 George Papadakis 0000-0002-2742-5258 10 362
title Flow separation and control on a 35% thick wind turbine airfoil: experiments, simulations and data driven analysis
spellingShingle Flow separation and control on a 35% thick wind turbine airfoil: experiments, simulations and data driven analysis
Marinos Manolesos
Yunus Celik
Ian Masters
title_short Flow separation and control on a 35% thick wind turbine airfoil: experiments, simulations and data driven analysis
title_full Flow separation and control on a 35% thick wind turbine airfoil: experiments, simulations and data driven analysis
title_fullStr Flow separation and control on a 35% thick wind turbine airfoil: experiments, simulations and data driven analysis
title_full_unstemmed Flow separation and control on a 35% thick wind turbine airfoil: experiments, simulations and data driven analysis
title_sort Flow separation and control on a 35% thick wind turbine airfoil: experiments, simulations and data driven analysis
author_id_str_mv 44a3e0d351ccd7a8365d5fc7c50c8778
96d18039c02322f45e9b5768abac8187
6fa19551092853928cde0e6d5fac48a1
author_id_fullname_str_mv 44a3e0d351ccd7a8365d5fc7c50c8778_***_Marinos Manolesos
96d18039c02322f45e9b5768abac8187_***_Yunus Celik
6fa19551092853928cde0e6d5fac48a1_***_Ian Masters
author Marinos Manolesos
Yunus Celik
Ian Masters
author2 Marinos Manolesos
Yunus Celik
Konstantinos Kellaris
Harry Ramsay
Rishikesh Karande
Ben Wood
Iain Dinwoodie
Ian Masters
Magnus Harrold
George Papadakis
format Journal article
container_title Aerospace Science and Technology
container_volume 176
container_start_page 112639
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 1270-9638
doi_str_mv 10.1016/j.ast.2026.112639
publisher Elsevier BV
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
url https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2026.112639
document_store_str 0
active_str 0
description Modern wind turbine blades increasingly use very thick airfoil profiles, which are highly susceptible to flow separation. This separation can significantly reduce aerodynamic performance and cause unstable loading. A common method of controlling such flow behaviour is the use of passive vortex generators (VGs). However, due to the inherently three-dimensional (3D) and unsteady nature of the separated flow, whether or not VGs are present, accurate modelling remains difficult and understudied. This study explores the complexity of 3D separated flows over thick wind turbine airfoils and emphasizes the need for advanced analysis methods suited to real-world engineering applications. Specifically, we examine the flow over a 35%-thick DU00-W2–350 airfoil, both with and without VGs, using wind tunnel experiments, Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes simulations, and data-driven techniques. We evaluate load asymmetry, pressure distribution, and instability metrics, applying Hidden Markov Models to identify and characterize unsteady flow regimes. Our results show that VGs effectively suppress unstable loading when installed on both sides of the airfoil. Furthermore, 3D full-span CFD models closely match experimental data, while more economical 3D-slice models capture general trends well. Based on the findings of this study, we recommend against relying solely on time-averaged quantities in cases of 3D flow separation.
published_date 2026-05-24T06:40:02Z
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