Effect of leading edge erosion on wind turbine rotor aerodynamics

Wind turbines are being installed in a wide array of offshore locations and are exposed to environmental condition during their operational lifetime. Rain, hailstones and accumulation of dust and insects can lead to turbine blades being eroded and contaminated. In this study, the effect of leading edge erosion on wind turbine blade performance is evaluated using RANS roughness models. The turbine blade from the 'New MEXICO' experiments is simulated under clean and rough conditions using the pressure based CFD solver in SU2. The effect of droplet impact on material loss depends on the relative speed of the surface and thus the mid to outboard regions of the turbine blades are especially vulnerable. In this study, these mid to outboard regions of the New MEXICO rotor blade are considered to be eroded and the effects of erosion on loads and the flow field are estimated numerically.