Investigation on aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbine blade with shapes of leading-edge slats and turbulence intensity

The aerodynamic benefits of leading-edge slats in delaying flow separation on wind turbine blades are well-established. However, the specific influence of slat geometry has not been fully quantified, and the effect of turbulence intensity on slatted blades has received limited attention. This study systematically evaluated how slat shape and turbulence intensity jointly modulated aerodynamic characteristics. Numerical simulations employing the Transition SST model were conducted for the NREL Phase VI blade equipped with S809, S805 A, and S821 slat profiles across turbulence intensities ranging from 1.5% to 10.18%. Results indicate that increased turbulence generally enhanced blade torque. Geometric optimization of the slat significantly improved characteristics, with the S821 configuration achieving a maximum torque increase of 26.81%. This enhancement potentially stems from the slat’s ability to combine leading-edge and trailing-edge separation characteristics, effectively suppressing boundary layer separation and improving flow stability.