Comparison and Selection of Airfoils for Small Wind Turbine between NACA and NREL's S series Airfoil Families

This paper presents comparative study different airfoils from NACA and NREL Airfoil families focusing on their suitability for small wind turbine. In this point of view, four criteria of comparison have been taken into account. The criteria are: maximum glide ratio at lower and higher Reynolds number, difference between angle of attack between lower and higher Reynolds number and percentage deviation of maximum glide ratio from stall point. XFOIL analysis with the help of Qblade software results in data necessary for comparing two families of airfoil which finally show that NACA airfoils have better average performance criteria whereas NREL airfoils have better stability criteria