Aerodynamics
The aerodynamics of wind turbines is greatly affected by turbulent conditions in the wind field. As such, the aerodynamics must be optimized to the wind field, and this is done by describing the latter in highly realistic conditions. Researchers have a stated aim to make this description available for uses including site assessment. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is being used more and more, for which Fraunhofer IWES mainly uses the open code OpenFOAM.
Wind turbines are machines driven by aerodynamics. Loads, performance, and also most of the noise they produce depend directly on the aerodynamics of the turbines. Developments that improve the aerodynamics of wind turbines are therefore an ongoing requirement.