Active flow control in wind turbines - integration technologies and assessment of economic effects

Synthetic Jet Actuators (SJAs), as subgroup of active flow control devices are used to influence aerodynamic parameters by introducing energy into the airflow (e.g. by suction and blowing). For the core material of fiber-reinforced wind turbines, several designs of SJA and integration concepts are developed. In regard to the thin-walled structure of the wind turbines, a flat design of the actuators was developed so that they can be embedded into the sandwich material. In order to become widely accepted, those fluidic actuators have to be technologically as well as economically advantageous. Therefore, a method has been conceptualized that allows to compare the additional costs arising from actuator integration with the additional revenues considering the entire life cycle.