Wind Energy

36 Helicopter Aerodynamics with Emphasis Placed on Dynamic Stall 201
Dynamic Stall Vortex During Up-stroke Motion of NACA 0012 Airfoil
Left Figure: α = 21�, Right Figure: α = 25�
Figures Include Instantaneous Streamlines and Singular Points
Fig. 36.2. Vorticity contours at two time-instants during up-stroke
damping. If these loops are travelled in anti-clockwise sense, the situation is
stable, i.e. energy is shifted from the blade into the surrounding fluid. However
if the loop is traversed in the clockwise sense (see indication in Fig. 36.2) an
unstable flow condition occurs and energy is transferred from the flow to the
blade structure. This is a critical situation insofar as dangerous stall flutter
may occur.
Figure 36.2 shows the calculated details of the vorticals flow at two instants
of time during the up-stroke motion. In the left figure the vortex has just been
created close to the blade leading edge, has started to travel along the upper
surface but is still attached to the surface. In this phase the vortex creates
extra lift (see Fig. 36.1). Very short time later (right sequence of Fig. 36.2)
the vortex has been lifted off the blade surface, stall has been started and negative
vorticity is created at the blade trailing edge moving forward underneath
the Dynamic Stall Vortex. In this phase the complex flow phenomenon occur
which cause the strong decay of lift and creation of negative aerodynamic
damping.
36.3 Numerical and Experimental Results
for the Typical Helicopter Airfoil OA209
In October 2004 DLR has done experiments in the DNW-TWG wind tunnel
facility located at the DLR-Centre in Göttingen. These tests are part of the
DLR/ONERA joint project “Dynamic Stall.” Within this project it was decided
to use the OA209 (9% thickness) airfoil section as the standard airfoil.
The OA209 airfoil is in use on a variety of flying helicopters. Measurements
on a 0.3 m chord and 1 m span blade model (extended between wind tunnel
side-walls) have been carried out. The objectives of these almost full size tests
have been to study the details of the dynamic stall process by both numerical