NOSTRUM - Aerodynamic Polar Dataset for Wind Turbine Airfoils

This dataset contains the aerodynamic polars and airfoil coordinate files used for wind turbine aerodynamic analyses within the NOSTRUM project, Optimizing Floating Offshore Wind Turbines for Use in the Mediterranean Sea. For each airfoil, the dataset includes a dedicated folder containing the airfoil geometry coordinates and the corresponding aerodynamic polars over an angle-of-attack range from −15° to 25°, sampled with a 2° increment. Polars are provided for four Reynolds numbers representative of large-scale wind turbine applications: 6, 9, 12 and 18 milions. The airfoil polars were generated through a MATLAB-based workflow coupled with ANSYS ICEM CFD and ANSYS Fluent. Starting from the original airfoil coordinates, each profile was interpolated along its curvilinear abscissa to obtain a refined geometric description suitable for mesh generation. A structured 2D computational mesh was then generated automatically in ICEM CFD, with dedicated refinement in the leading-edge, trailing-edge, and wall-normal regions in order to ensure adequate resolution of the boundary layer and near-edge flow features. The aerodynamic simulations were subsequently carried out in Fluent under steady incompressible conditions using the Transition SST turbulence model. The simulations were performed assuming a reference chord of 1 m, a free-stream velocity of 12 m/s, and a turbulence intensity of 1%, while the dynamic viscosity was adjusted consistently with the target Reynolds number. For each angle of attack, lift and drag coefficients were extracted from the converged solution history and evaluated from the final portion of the monitored signal in order to reduce the influence of residual transients. The resulting Cl and Cd values form the aerodynamic polar database distributed in this archive. In addition to reference airfoils, the dataset also includes optimized airfoils developed within the multi-fidelity design activity documented in the report M5_D4_Optimized Airfoil Design using Multi-Fidelity Analyses.pdf, included in NOSTRUM - Optimizing Floating Offshore Wind Turbines for Use in the Mediterranean Sea - Technical Reports - Part 2 (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18620593). The dataset is intended to support reproducible aerodynamic analysis, blade design studies, and comparative assessment of airfoil performance for large offshore wind turbines, with particular relevance to Mediterranean operating conditions.