Abstract Rising global energy demand highlights the need for efficient harvesting of renewable power, yet wind farm expansion is often constrained by factors such as land availability and population density. A potential solution is the Active Fluid Gurney Flap (AFGF), a flow-control device that improves upon conventional Gurney flaps by enabling dynamic manipulation of jet injection pressure. This adaptability allows the aerodynamic response to be tuned for optimal performance. In this study, a two-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) framework was developed in ANSYS Fluent to assess the aerodynamic impact of the AFGF at a Reynolds number of Re = 1 × 106. The investigation compared a baseline airfoil, a standard Gurney flap, and the proposed AFGF configuration. The flap was placed on the pressure side of the trailing edge, where air was injected at a prescribed pressure level, Pi. Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) simulations were employed to capture the time-dependent flow structures. Results indicate that the AFGF alters the surface pressure distribution by intensifying suction on the upper surface and enhancing diffusion on the lower surface. This behavior is linked to the downward deflection of the jet, which strengthens circulation and thereby increases lift. The findings demonstrate that the AFGF can significantly improve aerodynamic efficiency and, by extension, the power output potential of wind turbines. Moreover, its controllability via injection pressure adjustments, combined with the ability to retain baseline geometry when inactive, makes the AFGF a versatile and promising flow-control technology.
Lucas et al. (2026) studied this question.