Wind Tunnel Aerodynamic Tests of Six Airfoils for Use on Small Wind Turbines

Contributed by the Solar Energy Division of THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS for publication in the ASME JOURNAL OF SOLAR ENERGY ENGINEERING . Manuscript received by the ASME Solar Division, March 1, 2004, final revision June 28, 2004. Associate Editor: D. Berg.

Selig, M. S., and McGranahan, B. D. (November 18, 2004). "Wind Tunnel Aerodynamic Tests of Six Airfoils for Use on Small Wind Turbines ." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. November 2004; 126(4): 986–1001. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1793208

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This paper presents detailed wind tunnel tests data taken on six airfoils having application to small wind turbines. In particular, lift, drag and moment measurements were taken at Reynolds numbers of 100,000, 200,000, 350,000 and 500,000 for both clean and rough conditions. In some cases, data were also taken at a Reynolds number of 150,000. The airfoils included the E387, FX 63-137, S822, S834, SD2030, and SH3055. Prior to carrying out the tests, wind tunnel flow quality measurements were taken to document the low Reynolds number test environment. Oil flow visualization data and performance data taken on the E387 compare favorably with measurements taken at NASA Langley in the Low Turbulence Pressure Tunnel. Highlights of the performance characteristics of the other five airfoils are presented.

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McGranahan, B. D., and Selig, M. S., 2004, “Wind Tunnel Aerodynamic Tests on Six Airfoils for Use on Small Wind Turbines,” NREL/SR-500-34515.