Assessment of Single-blade-sector Blade-resolved Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes Approach as Applied to Wind Turbines

This study presents a systematic evaluation of blade-resolved Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations for two benchmark wind turbines, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Phase VI turbine and the Model Experiments in Controlled Conditions (MEXICO) turbine, with a comprehensive comparison against experimental data and numerous previous computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies. To improve computational efficiency, a single-blade sector configuration is adopted. The simulations capture the main aerodynamic trends observed in the experiments and show good agreement with the existing literature in terms of sectional loads and integrated aerodynamic quantities. Although some discrepancies remain in the stall and post-stall regions, the approach effectively balances computational efficiency and predictive accuracy. These results provide a clear assessment of the capabilities and limitations of the current modeling strategy, offering guidance for future CFD studies of wind turbines.