Wind Turbine Blade Aerodynamic Design and Optimization
Cláudio Tavares da Silva, Ana Paula Carvalho da Silva Ferreira, Augusto Bemben Costa, Lucas Gonçalves Araujo

Abstract
Traditionally, the aerodynamic design of a wind turbine blade depends on the choice of one or more airfoils to be used along its span. The experience and ability of the designer is necessary at this phase of the design processes. The method developed in this paper intends to mitigate this need. A genetic algorithm is specially designed to determinate the aerodynamic design parameters of the blades and the selection of the airfoils. This first approach uses thin airfoil theory. The Blade Element Momentum Method is used as fitness function for the evaluation of each individual’s power coefficient within the domain considered by the genetic algorithm. The study case of this paper achieved good results, reaching power coefficients greater than 55%, figure close to the theoretical limit of 59% defined by the conservation of linear momentum theory.

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