• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.891-898
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• 2007

Optimal aerodynamic design for the pitch-controlled horizontal axis wind turbine and its aerodynamic performance for various pitch angles are performed numerically by using the blade element momentum theory. The numerical calculation includes effects such as Prandtl‘s tip loss, airfoil distribution, and wake rotation. Six different airfoils are distributed along the blade span, and the special airfoil i.e. airfoil of 40% thickness ratio is adopted at the hub side to have structural integrity. The nonlinear chord obtained from the optimal design procedure is linearized to decrease the weight and to increase the productivity with very little change of the aerodynamic performance. From the comparisons of the power, thrust, and torque coefficients with corresponding values of different pitch angles, the aerodynamic performance shows delicate changes for just $3^{\circ}$ increase or decrease of the pitch angle. For precisive pitch control, it requires the pitch control algorithm and its drive mechanism below $3^{\circ}$ increment of pitch angle. The maximum torque is generated when the speed ratio is smaller than the designed one.