Vortex‐induced vibrations of a DU96‐W‐180 airfoil at 90° angle of attack

This work presents an analysis of vortex‐induced vibrations of a DU96‐W‐180 airfoil in deep stall at a 90° angle of attack, based on 2D and 3D Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes and 3D Detached Eddy Simulation unsteady Computational Fluid Dynamics computations with non‐moving, prescribed motion and elastically mounted airfoil suspensions. Stationary vortex‐shedding frequencies computed in 2D and 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics differed. In the prescribed motion computations, the airfoil oscillated in the direction of the chord line. Negative aerodynamic damping, found in both 2D and 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics computations with moving airfoil, showed in the vicinity of the stationary vortex‐shedding frequency computed by 2D Computational Fluid Dynamics. A shorter time series was sufficient to verify the sign of the aerodynamic damping in the case of the elastic computations than the prescribed motion. Even though the 2D computations seemed to be capable of indicating the presence of vortex‐induced vibrations, the 3D computations seemed to reflect the involved physics more accurately. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of vortex‐induced and stall‐induced vibrations at standstill conditions using a free wake aerodynamic code

Vortex‐induced and stall‐induced vibrations of a 2D elastically mounted airfoil at high angles of attack in the vicinity of 90° are investigated using a vortex type model. Such conditions are encountered in parked or idling operation at extreme yaw angles provoked by control system failures. At very high angles of attack, massive flow separation takes place over the entire blade span, and vortex shedding evolves downstream of the blade giving rise to periodically varying loads at frequencies corresponding to the Strouhal number of the vortices shed in the wake. As a result, vortex‐induced vibrations may occur when the shedding frequency matches the natural frequency of the blade. A vortex type model formulated on the basis of the ‘double wake’ concept is employed for the modelling of the stalled flow past a 2D airfoil. By tuning the core size of the vortex particles in the wake, the model predictions are successfully validated against averaged 2D measurements on a DU‐96‐W‐180 airfoil at high angles of attack. In order to assess the energy fed to the airfoil by the aerodynamic loads, the behaviour under imposed sinusoidal edgewise motions is analysed for various oscillation frequencies and amplitudes. Moreover, stall‐induced and vortex‐induced vibrations of an elastically mounted airfoil section are assessed. The vortex model predicts higher aeroelastic damping as compared with that obtained using steady‐state aerodynamics. Excessive combined vortex‐induced and stall‐induced edgewise vibrations are obtained beyond the wind speed of 30 m s^?1. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluid‐structure interaction of a morphing symmetrical wind turbine blade subjected to variable load

A brief summary of the main challenges of rotor design in wind energy conversion (WEC) systems, most notably the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT), are presented. One of the limiting factors in HAWT design is choosing the rated capacity to maximize power output and turbine longevity. One such strategy to accomplish this goal is to widen the operational range of the WEC system by using pitch or torque control, which can be costly and subject to mechanical failure. We present a morphing airfoil concept, which passively controls airfoil pitch through elastic deformation. As a justification of the concept, a two‐dimensional fluid‐structure interaction routine is used to simulate the aeroelastic response of a symmetric NACA 0012 blade subjected to variable loading. The results suggest that the morphing blade can be designed to offer superior average lift to drag ratios over a specified range of attack angles by up to 4.2%, and possibly even higher. This infers that the morphing blade design can increase the power production of WEC systems while conceivably reducing cost because the passive deformation of the morphing turbine does not require active control systems that come at an added upfront and maintenance cost. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self‐induced vibrations of a DU96‐W‐180 airfoil in stall

This work presents an analysis of two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) non‐moving, prescribed motion and elastically mounted airfoil computational fluid dynamics (CFD) computations. The elastically mounted airfoil computations were performed by means of a 2D structural model with two degrees of freedom. The computations aimed at investigating the mechanisms of both vortex‐induced and stall‐induced vibrations related to a wind turbine blade at standstill conditions. In this work, a DU96‐W‐180 airfoil was used in the angle‐of‐attack region potentially corresponding to stall‐induced vibrations. The analysis showed significant differences between the aerodynamic stability limits predicted by 2D and 3D CFD computations. A general agreement was reached between the prescribed motion and elastically mounted airfoil computations. 3D computations indicated that vortex‐induced vibrations are likely to occur at modern wind turbine blades at standstill. In contrast, the predicted cut‐in wind speed necessary for the onset of stall‐induced vibrations appeared high enough for such vibrations to be unlikely. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bend‐bend‐twist vibrations of a wind turbine blade

Dynamics of a wind turbine blade under bend‐bend‐twist coupled vibrations is investigated. The potential and kinetic energy expressions for a straight nonuniform blade are written in terms of beam parameters. Then, the energies are expressed in terms of modal coordinates by using the assumed mode method, and the equations of motion are found by applying Lagrange's formula. The bend‐bend‐twist equations are coupled with each other and have stiffness variations due to centrifugal effects and gravitational parametric terms, which vary cyclicly with the hub angle. To determine the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the system, a modal analysis is applied on the linearized coupled equations of constant angle snapshots of a blade with effects of constant speed rotation. Lower modes of the coupled bend‐bend‐twist model are dominantly in‐plane or out‐of‐plane modes. To investigate the parametric effects, several blade models are analyzed at different angular positions. The stiffness terms involving centrifugal and gravitational effects can be significant for long blades. To further see the effect of blade length on relative parametric stiffness change, the blade models are scaled in size and analyzed at constant rotational speeds, at horizontal and vertical orientations. These studies show that the parametric stiffness effects should be taken into account when designing long blades.     

A CFD study of coupled aerodynamic‐hydrodynamic loads on a semisubmersible floating offshore wind turbine

The prediction of dynamic characteristics for a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) is challenging because of the complex load coupling of aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, and structural dynamics. These loads should be accurately calculated to yield reliable analysis results in the design phase of a FOWT. In this study, a high‐fidelity fluid‐structure interaction simulation that simultaneously considers the influence of aero‐hydrodynamic coupling due to the dynamic motion of a FOWT has been conducted using computational fluid dynamics based on an overset grid technique. The DeepCwind semisubmersible floating platform with the NREL 5‐MW baseline wind turbine model is considered for objective numerical verification with the NREL FAST code. A state‐of‐the‐art computational model based on the coupled computational fluid dynamics and dynamic structure analysis is constructed and analyzed to solve multiphase flow, 6 degrees of freedom motions of OC4 semisubmersible FOWT. A quasi‐static mooring solver is also applied to resolve the constraint motion of floater because of a 3‐line mooring system. The influence of tower shadow on the unsteady aerodynamic performance and loads is also demonstrated. Finally, complex unsteady flow fields considering blade and tower interference effects among blade‐tip vortices, shedding vortices, and turbulent wakes are numerically visualized and investigated in detail.     

Fluid–structure interaction computations for geometrically resolved rotor simulations using CFD

This paper presents a newly developed high‐fidelity fluid–structure interaction simulation tool for geometrically resolved rotor simulations of wind turbines. The tool consists of a partitioned coupling between the structural part of the aero‐elastic solver HAWC2 and the finite volume computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver EllipSys3D. The paper shows that the implemented loose coupling scheme, despite a non‐conservative force transfer, maintains a sufficient numerical stability and a second‐order time accuracy. The use of a strong coupling is found to be redundant. In a first test case, the newly developed coupling between HAWC2 and EllipSys3D (HAWC2CFD) is utilized to compute the aero‐elastic response of the NREL 5‐MW reference wind turbine (RWT) under normal operational conditions. A comparison with the low‐fidelity but state‐of‐the‐art aero‐elastic solver HAWC2 reveals a very good agreement between the two approaches. In a second test case, the response of the NREL 5‐MW RWT is computed during a yawed and thus asymmetric inflow. The continuous good agreement confirms the qualities of HAWC2CFD but also illustrates the strengths of a computationally cheaper blade element momentum theory (BEM) based solver, as long as the solver is applied within the boundaries of the employed engineering models. Two further test cases encompass flow situations, which are expected to exceed the limits of the BEM model. However, the simulation of the NREL 5‐MW RWT during an emergency shut down situation still shows good agreements in the predicted structural responses of HAWC2 and HAWC2CFD since the differences in the computed force signals only persist for an insignificantly short time span. The considerable new capabilities of HAWC2CFD are finally demonstrated by simulating vortex‐induced vibrations on the DTU 10‐MW wind turbine blade in standstill. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wind turbine blade vibration at standstill conditions—the effect of imposing lag on the aerodynamic response of an elastically mounted airfoil

The present study investigated physical phenomena related to stall‐induced vibrations potentially existing on wind turbine blades at standstill conditions. The study considered two‐dimensional airfoil sections while it omitted three‐dimensional effects. In the study, a new engineering‐type computational model for the aeroelastic response of an elastically mounted airfoil was used to investigate the influence of temporal lag in the aerodynamic response on the aeroelastic stability in deep stall. The study indicated that even a relatively low lag significantly increases the damping of the model. A comparison between the results from a model with lag imposed on all force components with the results from a model with lag imposed exclusively on the lift showed only marginal difference between the damping in the two cases. A parameter study involving positions of the elastic hinge point and the center of gravity indicated that the stability is relatively independent of these parameters. Another parameter study involving spring constants showed that the stability of each mode is dependent only on the spring constant acting in the direction of the leading motion of the mode. An investigation of the influence of the added mass terms showed that only the pitch‐rate and flapwise‐acceleration terms have any influence on the stability. An investigation of three different profiles showed that the stability is heavily dependent on the aerodynamic characteristics of the profiles—mainly on the lift. It was also shown that only the edgewise mode is unstable in deep stall. Moreover, independent of the amount of temporal lag in the aerodynamic response of the model, the inflow‐angle region in the vicinity of 180° remains unstable in the edgewise mode. Therefore, this inflow‐angle region may create stability problems in real life. The other type of vibrations potentially present at standstill conditions is vortex‐induced, being outside the scope of the present study. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of blade deformation and yawed inflow on performance of a horizontal axis tidal stream turbine

For a better design of tidal stream turbines operated in off-design conditions, analyses considering the effects of blade deformation and yawed inflow conditions are necessary. The flow load causes deformation of the blade, and the deformation affects the turbine performance in return. Also, a yawed inflow influences the performance of the turbine. As a validation study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was carried out to predict the performance of a horizontal axis tidal stream turbine (HATST) with rigid blades. The numerical uncertainty for the turbine performance with blade deformation and a yawed inflow was evaluated using the concept of the grid convergence index (GCI). A fluid–structure interaction (FSI) analysis was carried out to estimate the performance of a turbine with flexible composite blades, with the results then compared to those of an analysis with rigid blades. The influence of yawed inflow conditions on the turbine performance was investigated and found to be important in relation to power predictions in the design stages.     

Comparison of the near‐wake between actuator‐line simulations and a simplified vortex model of a horizontal‐axis wind turbine

The flow around an isolated horizontal‐axis wind turbine is estimated by means of a new vortex code based on the Biot–Savart law with constant circulation along the blades. The results have been compared with numerical simulations where the wind turbine blades are replaced with actuator lines. Two different wind turbines have been simulated: one with constant circulation along the blades, to replicate the vortex method approximations, and the other with a realistic circulation distribution, to compare the outcomes of the vortex model with real operative wind‐turbine conditions (Tjæreborg wind turbine). The vortex model matched the numerical simulation of the turbine with constant blade circulation in terms of the near‐wake structure and local forces along the blade. The results from the Tjæreborg turbine case showed some discrepancies between the two approaches, but overall, the agreement is qualitatively good, validating the analytical method for more general conditions. The present results show that a simple vortex code is able to provide an estimation of the flow around the wind turbine similar to the actuator‐line approach but with a negligible computational effort. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulating dynamic stall in a two‐dimensional vertical‐axis wind turbine: verification and validation with particle image velocimetry data

The implementation of wind energy conversion systems in the built environment has renewed the interest and the research on Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs). The VAWT has an inherent unsteady aerodynamic behavior due to the variation of angle of attack and perceived velocity with azimuth angle. The phenomenon of dynamic stall is then an intrinsic effect of the operation at low tip speed ratios, impacting both loads and power. The complexity of the problem and the need for new design approaches for VAWTs for the built environment have driven the authors to focus this research on the CFD modeling of VAWTs on:

• Comparing the results between commonly used turbulence models: Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier‐Stokes – URANS (Spalart‐Allmaras and k‐?) and large eddy models (Large Eddy Simulation and Detached Eddy Simulation).
• Verifying the sensitivity of the model to its grid refinement (space and time).
• Evaluating the suitability of using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) experimental data for model validation.

The current work investigates the impact of accurately modeling the separated shed wake resulting from dynamic stall, and the importance of validation of the flow field rather than validation with only load data. The structure and magnitude of the wake are validated with PIV results, and it demonstrated that the accuracy of the different models in simulating a correct wake structure has a large impact in loads.     

Aeroelastic analysis of a floating offshore wind turbine in platform‐induced surge motion using a fully coupled CFD‐MBD method

Modern offshore wind turbines are susceptible to blade deformation because of their increased size and the recent trend of installing these turbines on floating platforms in deep sea. In this paper, an aeroelastic analysis tool for floating offshore wind turbines is presented by coupling a high‐fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver with a general purpose multibody dynamics code, which is capable of modelling flexible bodies based on the nonlinear beam theory. With the tool developed, we demonstrated its applications to the NREL 5 MW offshore wind turbine with aeroelastic blades. The impacts of blade flexibility and platform‐induced surge motion on wind turbine aerodynamics and structural responses are studied and illustrated by the CFD results of the flow field, force, and wake structure. Results are compared with data obtained from the engineering tool FAST v8.     

Development of an aeroelastic code based on three‐dimensional viscous–inviscid method for wind turbine computations

Aerodynamic and structural dynamic performance analysis of modern wind turbines are routinely estimated in the wind energy field using computational tools known as aeroelastic codes. Most aeroelastic codes use the blade element momentum (BEM) technique to model the rotor aerodynamics and a modal, multi‐body or the finite‐element approach to model the turbine structural dynamics. The present work describes the development of a novel aeroelastic code that combines a three‐dimensional viscous–inviscid interactive method, method for interactive rotor aerodynamic simulations (MIRAS), with the structural dynamics model used in the aeroelastic code FLEX5. The new code, called MIRAS‐FLEX, is an improvement on standard aeroelastic codes because it uses a more advanced aerodynamic model than BEM. With the new aeroelastic code, more physical aerodynamic predictions than BEM can be obtained as BEM uses empirical relations, such as tip loss corrections, to determine the flow around a rotor. Although more costly than BEM, a small cluster is sufficient to run MIRAS‐FLEX in a fast and easy way. MIRAS‐FLEX is compared against the widely used FLEX5 and FAST, as well as the participant codes from the Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Project. Simulation tests consist of steady wind inflow conditions with different combinations of yaw error, wind shear, tower shadow and turbine‐elastic modeling. Turbulent inflow created by using a Mann box is also considered. MIRAS‐FLEX results, such as blade tip deflections and root‐bending moments, are generally in good agreement with the other codes. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental detection of laminar‐turbulent transition on a rotating wind turbine blade in the free atmosphere

This paper discusses the findings from a measurement campaign on a rotating wind turbine blade operating in the free atmosphere under realistic conditions. A total of 40 pressure sensors together with an array of 23 usable hot‐film sensors (based on constant temperature anemometry) were used to study the behavior of the boundary layer within a specific zone on the suction side of a 30 m diameter wind turbine at different operational states. A set of several hundreds of data sequences were recorded. Some of them show that under certain circumstances, the flow may be regarded as not fully turbulent. Accompanying Computational Fluid Mechanics (CFD) simulations suggest the view that a classical transition scenario according to the growth of so‐called Tollmien–Schlichting did not apply. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural design of carbon/epoxy bio‐inspired wind turbine blade using fluid/structure simulation

The purpose of this paper is to present the structural design procedure of a low‐speed, horizontal axis, bio‐inspired wind turbine blade made of carbon/epoxy. The methodology initiates with the mechanical characterization of the carbon fiber composite material. An aerodynamic simulation using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method is performed in order to obtain the pressure distribution profile of the blade. This result is coupled with a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to carry out an iterative design process through a Fluid‐Structure Interaction (FSI) simulation. Different stacking sequences of laminates are evaluated to find a configuration which allows balance between aerodynamic and dynamic inertial loads, ensuring an almost undeformed geometry during wind turbine's operation. The final structural design of the blade consists in six regions with different laminates. These are balanced and symmetric with distinct thickness characteristics and stacking sequences, which vary in three different orientations: 0^°, ± 45^° and 90^°, achieving a minimum deflection at the tip close to 3.11 cm, and a total weight of 3.6 kg of a 1.8 m radius blade, even with the restrictions imposed by the non‐conventional geometry. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of a comprehensive aeroelastic tool for horizontal‐axis wind turbine rotor analysis

This paper presents the development of a computational aeroelastic tool for the analysis of performance, response and stability of horizontal‐axis wind turbines. A nonlinear beam model for blades structural dynamics is coupled with a state‐space model for unsteady sectional aerodynamic loads, including dynamic stall effects. Several computational fluid dynamics structural dynamics coupling approaches are investigated to take into account rotor wake inflow influence on downwash, all based on a Boundary Element Method for the solution of incompressible, potential, attached flows. Sectional steady aerodynamic coefficients are extended to high angles of attack in order to characterize wind turbine operations in deep stall regimes. The Galerkin method is applied to the resulting aeroelastic differential system. In this context, a novel approach for the spatial integration of additional aerodynamic states, related to wake vorticity and dynamic stall, is introduced and assessed. Steady‐periodic blade responses are evaluated by a harmonic balance approach, whilst a standard eigenproblem is solved for aeroelastic stability analyses. Drawbacks and potentialities of the proposed model are investigated through numerical and experimental comparisons, with particular attention to rotor blades unsteady aerodynamic modelling issues. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integrated free‐form method for aerostructural optimization of wind turbine blades

A typical approach to optimize wind turbine blades separates the airfoil shape design from the blade planform design. This approach is sequential, where the airfoils along the blade span are preselected or optimized and then held constant during the blade planform optimization. In contrast, integrated blade design optimizes the airfoils and the blade planform concurrently and thereby has the potential to reduce cost of energy (COE) more than sequential design. Nevertheless, sequential design is commonly performed because of the ease of precomputation, or the ability to compute the airfoil analyses prior to the blade optimization. This research compares 2 integrated blade design approaches. The precomputational method combines precomputation with the ability to change the airfoil shapes in limited ways during the optimization. The free‐form method allows for a complete range of airfoil shapes, but without precomputation. The airfoils are analyzed with a panel method (XFOIL) and a Reynolds‐averaged Navier‐Stokes computational fluid dynamics method (RANS CFD). Optimizing the NREL 5‐MW reference turbine showed COE reductions of 2.0%, 4.2%, and 4.7% when using XFOIL and 2.7%, 6.0%, and 6.7% when using RANS CFD for the sequential, precomputational, and free‐form methods, respectively. The precomputational method captures most of the benefits of integrated design for minimal additional computational cost and complexity, but the free‐form method provides modest additional benefits if the extra effort is made in computational cost and development time.     

Time‐accurate blade surface static pressure behaviour on a rotating H‐Darrieus wind turbine

Time‐accurate blade pressure distributions on a rotating H‐Darrieus wind turbine at representative tip speed ratios during start‐up are presented here, which allow blade dynamic stall and laminar separation bubbles to be observed clearly and which provide a rare experimental demonstration of the flow curvature effect inherent in H‐Darrieus turbine operation. The convection of a dynamic stall vortex along the blade surface at high reduced frequency has also been clearly identified. This study provides new information of the complex aerodynamics of the vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) and provides unique experimental data to validate the transient blade static surface pressure distribution predicted by CFD models. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first time that the instantaneous pressure variation around the blade has been measured and recorded directly for an H‐Darrieus wind turbine.     

Response analysis and comparison of a spar‐type floating offshore wind turbine and an onshore wind turbine under blade pitch controller faults

This paper analyses the effects of three pitch system faults on two classes of wind turbines, one is an onshore type and the other a floating offshore spar‐type wind turbine. A stuck blade pitch actuator, a fixed value fault and a bias fault in the blade pitch sensor are considered. The effects of these faults are investigated using short‐term extreme response analysis with the HAWC2 simulation tool. The main objectives of the paper are to investigate how the different faults affect the performance of wind turbines and which differences exist in the structural responses between onshore and floating offshore wind turbines. Several load cases are covered in a statistical analysis to show the effects of faults at different wind speeds and fault amplitudes. The severity of individual faults is categorized by the extreme values the faults have on structural loads. A pitch sensor stuck is determined as being the most severe case. Comparison between the effects on floating offshore and onshore wind turbines show that in the onshore case the tower, the yaw bearing and the shaft are subjected to the highest risk, whereas in the offshore case, the shaft is in this position. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.