In this study, turbulent flow computations were performed on structured and unstructured meshes around the S809 airfoil. The objectives are to assess the mesh reliability for some turbulent models for numerical validation. The numerical simulations were performed an open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) platform code based on the Field Operation and Manipulation C++ class library for continuum mechanics (OpenFOAM). First, the turbulent flow is modeled using an unsteady incompressible Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes solver. Moreover, CFD computations were realized to study mesh dependency and computational cost in detail. To validate the results, comparisons of the computed aerodynamic coefficients were made with wind tunnel data from the Delft University of Technology (DUT). Finally, ways to improve the reliability of structured and unstructured meshes are discussed by comparing the results. The results show good agreement between simulations and experiments, with the structured mesh showing less error compared to the unstructured mesh.

In this study, turbulent flow simulations were performed around the NREL Phase IV turbine. The objectives are to evaluate the reliability of numerical simulations based on experimental data for numerical validation. The numerical simulations were performed an open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) platform code based on the Field Operation and Manipulation C++ class library for continuum mechanics (OpenFOAM). Firstly, a convergence study was carried out for the domain and, later, different levels of refinement were evaluated seeking the smallest possible error considering computational cost. Finally, to validate the results, comparisons were made between the turbine torque obtained in the simulations and the experimental data. Finally, the results show good agreement between simulations and experiments.