Aerodynamic bubbles revealed by a decomposition technique

What is it about?

Laminar bubbles form upon aerodynamic surfaces such as wind turbine blades under certain flow conditions. Such bubbles affect negatively the behavior of the blades, and it is critical to devise methods to detect them. We have carried out wind tunnel experiments, measuring the pressure along the streamwise direction of a blade's surface, and applied a decomposition technique upon the measured temporal signals. We have shown that such a decomposition is capable of revealing the closure position of the bubbles.

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Photo by Vadym Alyekseyenko on Unsplash

Photo by Vadym Alyekseyenko on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The research shows the effectiveness of a decomposition technique in detecting aerodynamic structures, known as laminar separation bubbles, that negatively affect the behavior of blades, wings or streamlined bodies alike. The detection of such bubbles constitutes the first step towards understanding their dynamics. After gaining such a knowledge, it should become possible to design properly suited control techniques for avoiding the formation of bubbles, thus achieving behavioural enhancements on applications driven by aerodynamic principles.