Study on the effect of extending blade root length on the aerodynamic performance of wind turbines

To address the insufficient power output in low-wind-speed zones observed in some early wind turbines, this study investigates the impact of extending blade root length on the aerodynamic performance of a 600 kW wind turbine through experimental and numerical simulations. First, a 1:180 scale model was constructed based on similarity theory. Wind tunnel experiments and computational fluid dynamics simulations were conducted to validate the accuracy of the physical and mathematical models and the feasibility of the extended blade root approach. Subsequently, a 1:1 scale model was constructed to investigate the rated rotational speed and variable-speed characteristics at different wind speeds when the root was extended by 1, 1.5, 1.1, and 0.9 m. The study indicates that extending the root by 1 m yields optimal turbine performance, achieving the highest power output and a more regular power curve variation, thereby enhancing wind energy utilization efficiency.