Aeroacoustic Noise Produced from Novel Wind Turbine Rotor Design for Small-scale Applications in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Growing concerns regarding non-renewable energy sources have driven academic and industrial scholars as well as global superpowers to seek sustainable, greener power generation alternatives. One such prominent renewable substitute is wind power which was initially utilized in harnessing electricity towards the late nineteenth century though archaeological evidence has proved that wind power had been employed for various purposes since predynastic Egypt. Extensive research and development has enabled the efficient operation of multi megawatt wind farms at present though inherent drawbacks still persist, of which aerodynamic noise, also referred to as aeroacoustic noise, is of major concern. This paper details the simulative investigation of the aeroacoustic sound levels produced by an optimized novel wind turbine design intended for the use in small scale applications with medium wind speed conditions in Sri Lanka, using ANSYS Fluent. A transient analysis using the Shear Stress Transport turbulence model was used to obtain the converged pressure fluctuations which subsequently revealed the sound pressure levels via Fast Fourier Transforms at six predetermined locations of interest. The results revealed the presence of acoustic vibrations within the Infrasonic and Low Frequency Noise range with sound pressure levels exceeding one hundred decibels, particularly up to a frequency of twenty five Hertz. Prolonged exposure to elevated levels of low frequency noise has been identified to cause severe discomfort to humans though further conclusive research is required. Finer mesh controls which incorporate minute boundary layer variations during motion and precisely encapsulate the turbine geometry could further improve the accuracy of the results, however this would require adequate computational capacity. The results of this research primarily serve as a basis for identifying possible improvements for the novel rotor design in addition to providing a comparative study for future research, both simulative and empirical, on the aerodynamic noise emissions associated with wind turbines.