AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF NACA 2412 AND NACA 4412 AIRFOIL PROFILES FOR SMALL-SCALE WIND TURBINES USING CFD

Moch Firnanda Hairuzzaman, Ismi Choirotin, Tsai Cheng Lee

Abstract


Small-scale wind turbines require airfoil profiles that are able to produce sufficient lift while maintaining low drag under low Reynolds number conditions. This research analyzes the aerodynamic performance of NACA 2412 and NACA 4412 airfoil profiles for small-scale wind turbine blade sections using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The Reynolds number is fixed at 300,000, with a chord length of 1 m and an inlet velocity of approximately 4.38 m/s. The angle of attack is varied at 0°, 4°, 8°, 12°, and 16°. The analyzed parameters are lift coefficient (Cl), drag coefficient (Cd), and lift-to-drag ratio (Cl/Cd). The NACA 2412 result shows that the maximum Cl occurs at 8°, while the maximum Cl/Cd occurs at 4°, indicating that the highest lift is not necessarily the most efficient operating condition because drag increases significantly at higher angles of attack. The NACA 4412 result shows a higher lift generation tendency due to its larger camber and provides higher Cl/Cd in the low-to-moderate angle-of-attack region, with a maximum Cl/Cd of 50.64 at 8°. Validation against experimental and literature data shows that the numerical trends are consistent with the general aerodynamic behavior of cambered airfoils at low Reynolds number. Based on the Cl/Cd criterion, NACA 4412 provides stronger aerodynamic potential for small-scale wind turbine applications at Re = 300,000, while NACA 2412 remains useful as a more moderate airfoil profile.

Keywords: NACA 2412; NACA 4412; CFD; Reynolds number; small-scale wind turbine; lift coefficient; drag coefficient; lift-to-drag ratio


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References


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