Lift enhancement using adjacent Synthetic Jets on the trailing edge of a NACA 0015 airfoil under eccentric rotation

Power generation with turbomachinery relies on lift forces, such as wind turbines, where the blades convert kinetic energy into useful rotational mechanical energy. Active Boundary Layer Control improves the aerodynamic performance of the blades, where Synthetic Jets (SJ) delay boundary layer separation and mitigate dynamic stall. SJs transfer momentum into the boundary layer, which helps withstanding the adverse pressure gradients, without a net mass flux or moving parts in friction. When placed adjacent and operating in synchrony, they alter the flow direction in a process named "vectoring." In this work, we analyze the aerodynamic effects of adjacent SJs at the trailing edge of a NACA 0015 airfoil under eccentric rotation, which mimics a single-bladed vertical-axis wind turbine. We performed two-dimensional simulations using the Finite Volume Method and the k-ω SST turbulence model with Ansys Fluent. We observed that SJs increase lift and torque during specific intervals of the airfoil's rotation cycle. The vectoring process resembles a flap, which enhances lift, while in other instances it stabilizes the flow, preventing boundary layer separation.