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Abstract:
With the ever increasing lengths of today's wind turbine rotor blades, there is a need for airfoils which are both aerodynamically, and structurally efficient. In this work, a multi-objective genetic algorithm was developed to design flatback wind turbine airfoils. The effect of the aerodynamic evaluator, specifically lift-to-drag ratio, torque, and torque-to-thrust ratio, on the airfoil shape and performance was examined. Notable differences, particularly in the levels of lift and roughness insensitivity, were observed. Upon further analysis of the effect of other design parameters, an airfoil family which has a high level of structural and aerodynamic performance was designed. An experimental set-up was developed at the Carleton University Low Speed Wind Tunnel for the 2D testing of airfoils. Two airfoils are tested and show differences between predictions and reality, particularly in the stall and post-stall regions, thereby highlighting the importance of wind tunnel testing as part of the design process.