Flow field and load characteristics of the whole MEXICO wind turbine

CFD(Computational Fluid Dynamics) method was used to perform steady numerical simulation investigation on the flow field and load characteristics of MEXICO(Model EXperiment In Controlled cOnditions) wind turbine under non-yawed condition. Circumferentially-Averaged method was used to extract the calculated axial, radial and tangential components of velocity along the axial direction, then these components were compared with the experimental data, the compared results show that the computational components agree well with the experimental data and the computational results are reliable. The flow characteristics around the blade was analyzed and the points of flow separation were found along the blade, the results show that the points of flow separation move towards trailing edge with the increase of radius. The distribution of vorticity in the wake of MEXICO rotor was also analyzed. The distribution of vorticity in the wake of three blade passages is symmetrical approximately. The value of vorticity decreases gradually along the axial direction behind the rotor and the tower has limited effects on the wake when the CFD simulation is steady. Besides, the load distribution along the radial direction of rotor blades was analyzed and the distribution law of load along the blade was obtained. The obtained load characteristic can provide the basis for the analysis of aeroelasticity of wind turbines.