Trailing edge serrations effects on the aerodynamic performance of a NACA <b>64</b>_<b>3</b><b>418</b>

Abstract

Abstract A study of the aerodynamic performance of a NACA 64 3 418 airfoil with trailing edge serrations is presented. For the prediction of the changes in lift due to the serration installation, an empirical law is derived that can be extended to typical cambered airfoils for wind turbine applications. The law is deduced from 2D and 3D Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes simulations (RANS) of the flow over the airfoil. Lift and drag together with the changes in the wake flow due to the presence of the serrated edges are investigated. An additional study of the sensitivity of the results at Re c = 3·10 6 with respect to the turbulence modeling is carried out by using three different RANS models: Spalart–Allmaras, k‐omega SST, and Transition SST. Results show that the changes in lift due to trailing‐edge extensions are approximated by the effect of a split plate with reduced length.