ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF AERODYNAMICS OF NACA AIRFOILS UNDER LOW WIND SPEED CONDITIONS

Abstract

NACA airfoil models are commonly used in the aviation because of their design features suitable for
operating at high wind speeds. However, when using these models to build wind turbines, careful analysis
and evaluation are required, especially in operating conditions with low wind speeds. This article will
analyze and compare some aerodynamic characteristics of some symmetrical and asymmetrical NACA
airfoils in wind speeds below 10m/s. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method is used to build specific
analysis models for each airfoil. The results show that symmetrical airfoils have a significantly lower lift
coefficient to drag coefficient ratio (Cl/Cd) than the value of asymmetrical airfoils. Finally, asymmetric
airfoils with maximum camber (MC) of about 6% and maximum thickness (MT) of about 6% were
determined to be most suitable for turbine blades operating in low wind speed regions.