Electromagnetic energy harvester for monitoring wind turbine blades

The long composite blades on large wind turbines experience tremendous stresses while in operation. There is an interest in implementing structural health monitoring (SHM) systems inside wind turbine blades to alert maintenance teams of damage before serious component failure occurs. This paper proposes using an energy harvesting device inside the blade of a horizontal axis wind turbine to power a SHM system. The harvester is a linear induction energy harvester placed radially along the length of the blade. The rotation of the blade causes a magnet to slide along a tube as the blade axis changes relative to the direction of gravity. The magnet induces a voltage in a coil around the tube, and this voltage powers the SHM system. This paper begins by discussing motivation for this project. Next, a harvester model is developed, which encompasses the mechanics of the magnet, the interaction between the magnet and the coil, and the current in the electrical circuit. A free fall test verifies the electromechanical coupling model, and a rotating test examines the power output of a prototype harvester. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aeroelastic design of large wind turbine blades considering damage tolerance

Modern offshore turbine blades can be designed for high fatigue life and damage tolerance to avoid excessive maintenance and therefore significantly reduce the overall cost of offshore wind power. An aeroelastic design strategy for large wind turbine blades is presented and demonstrated for a 100 m blade. High fidelity analysis techniques like 3D finite element modeling are used alongside beam models of wind turbine blades to characterize the resulting designs in terms of their aeroelastic performance as well as their ability to resist damage growth. This study considers a common damage type for wind turbine blades, the bond line failure, and explores the damage tolerance of the designs to gain insight into how to improve bond line failure through aeroelastic design. Flat‐back airfoils are also explored to improve the damage tolerance performance of trailing‐edge bond line failures. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lightning protection for wind turbine blades and bearings

The protection of wind turbines from lightning damage is increasingly important as they increase in size and are placed in locations where access to carry out repairs may be difficult. As blades are the most common attachment point of lightning, they must be adequately protected. In addition, the passage of lightning current through wind turbine bearings introduces a risk of lightning damage to these vital components. Investigations relating to the improvement of blade lightning protection systems have been carried out, including experiments designed to address the difficult problems involved in the protection of hydraulic cylinders used for tip brake control. Work has also focused on the ability of lightning current to cause damage to wind turbine bearings. The work has been a mixture of computer simulations and experimental testing using high‐voltage and high‐current facilities. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

兆瓦级风力发电机叶片动力学响应分析

应用现代柔性多体动力学和有限元数值分析相结合的理论建立风力机旋转叶片结构的系统动力学方程,并对微分方程数值求解的方法进行了研究;运用Bladed软件对1.5 MW风力发电机进行建模,分析叶片的结构动力学响应,得到系统的固有频率以及正常工况、启动工况和停车工况下3叶片挥舞方向和摆振方向的振动位移情况,判断风力发电机组运行的稳定性。     

Calculation of effective section stiffness properties for wind turbine blades using homogenization

The structural behavior of wind turbine blades can be accurately modeled using beam models. The accuracy in the predictions using beam models depends on the degree of accuracy in the prediction of the effective section properties. A simple and efficient method compared with full 3D analysis is developed for the prediction of effective section properties for prismatic slender members of any arbitrary cross‐section shape. The technique, which is based on the superposition principle, is developed to include the shear deformation modes in predicting the effective stiffness properties. A homogenization scheme based on strain energy equivalence is employed for calculating the effective properties. The method can accurately predict the full stiffness matrix including the off‐diagonal terms. Also a procedure for finding the locations of the weighted centroid and the shear center is presented. The results for four different cross‐section shapes including a wind turbine blade section are validated using an existing analysis technique, Variational Asymptotic Beam Sectional Analysis. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Leading edge erosion of wind turbine blades: Multiaxial critical plane fatigue model of coating degradation under random liquid impacts

A computational model of rain erosion of wind turbine blades is presented. The model is based on the transient fluid–solid coupled finite element (FE) analysis of rain droplet/coating interaction and fatigue degradation analysis. The fatigue analysis of the surface degradation is based on multiaxial fatigue model and critical plane theory. The random rain fields are constructed computationally, and the estimated droplet sizes are included in FE model to acquire a library of load histories. Subsequently, the resulted nonproportional multiaxial high cycle fatigue problem is solved to assess the damage and lifetimes of the coatings. The approach can be used to design new coating systems withstanding longer service times.     

Accuracy of an efficient framework for structural analysis of wind turbine blades

This paper presents a novel framework for the structural design and analysis of wind turbine blades and establishes its accuracy. The framework is based on a beam model composed of two parts—a 2D finite element‐based cross‐section analysis tool and a 3D beam finite element model. The cross‐section analysis tool is able to capture the effects stemming from material anisotropy and inhomogeneity for sections of arbitrary geometry. The proposed framework is very efficient and therefore ideally suited for integration within wind turbine aeroelastic design and analysis tools. A number of benchmark examples are presented comparing the results from the proposed beam model to 3D shell and solid finite element models. The examples considered include a square prismatic beam, an entire wind turbine rotor blade and a detailed wind turbine blade cross section. Phenomena at both the blade length scale—deformation and eigenfrequencies—and cross section scale—3D material strain and stress fields—are analyzed. Furthermore, the effect of the different assumptions regarding the boundary conditions is discussed in detail. The benchmark examples show excellent agreement suggesting that the proposed framework is a highly efficient alternative to 3D finite element models for structural analysis of wind turbine blades. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aeroelastic multidisciplinary design optimization of a swept wind turbine blade

Mitigating loads on a wind turbine rotor can reduce the cost of energy. Sweeping blades produces a structural coupling between flapwise bending and torsion, which can be used for load alleviation purposes. A multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) problem is formulated including the blade sweep as a design variable. A multifidelity approach is used to confront the crucial effects of structural coupling on the estimation of the loads. During the MDO, ultimate and damage equivalent loads are estimated using steady‐state and frequency‐domain–based models, respectively. The final designs are verified against time‐domain full design load basis aeroelastic simulations to ensure that they comply with the constraints. A 10‐MW wind turbine blade is optimized by minimizing a cost function that includes mass and blade root flapwise fatigue loading. The design space is subjected to constraints that represent all the necessary requirements for standard design of wind turbines. Simultaneous aerodynamic and structural optimization is performed with and without sweep as a design variable. When sweep is included in the MDO process, further minimization of the cost function can be obtained. To show this achievement, a set of optimized straight blade designs is compared to a set of optimized swept blade designs. Relative to the respective optimized straight designs, the blade mass of the swept blades is reduced of an extra 2% to 3% and the blade root flapwise fatigue damage equivalent load by a further 8%.     

Estimating design reliability of composite rotor blades under ultimate loading

A probabilistic stress analysis tool predicting reliability of composite wind turbine rotor blades was developed and validated by comparing with results from a three‐dimensional shell finite element model of a blade. Stress analysis was based on thin wall multicellular Euler–Bernoulli beam theory using as input section stress resultants directly from aeroelastic simulations; a finite strip method was implemented for elastic stability calculations. Reliability analysis was performed at the ply level of the multidirectional laminates implementing various methods such as the response surface method, β‐index and crude Monte Carlo simulation. Physical and statistical uncertainties of the basic variables was taken into account while several model uncertainties related to the material properties were further introduced and quantified in the light of appropriate test results. To prove the efficiency of the code as a design tool, the effect of various probabilistic assumptions concerning the material properties was directly investigated on the estimated reliability β‐index values for two rotor blade design cases typical of stall‐regulated and pitch‐regulated wind turbines. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shape optimization of wind turbine blades

This paper presents a design tool for optimizing wind turbine blades. The design model is based on an aerodynamic/aero‐elastic code that includes the structural dynamics of the blades and the Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory. To model the main aero‐elastic behaviour of a real wind turbine, the code employs 11 basic degrees of freedom corresponding to 11 elastic structural equations. In the BEM theory, a refined tip loss correction model is used. The objective of the optimization model is to minimize the cost of energy which is calculated from the annual energy production and the cost of the rotor. The design variables used in the current study are the blade shape parameters, including chord, twist and relative thickness. To validate the implementation of the aerodynamic/aero‐elastic model, the computed aerodynamic results are compared to experimental data for the experimental rotor used in the European Commision‐sponsored project Model Experiments in Controlled Conditions, (MEXICO) and the computed aero‐elastic results are examined against the FLEX code for flow past the Tjæreborg 2 MW rotor. To illustrate the optimization technique, three wind turbine rotors of different sizes (the MEXICO 25 kW experimental rotor, the Tjæreborg 2 MW rotor and the NREL 5 MW virtual rotor) are applied. The results show that the optimization model can reduce the cost of energy of the original rotors, especially for the investigated 2 MW and 5 MW rotors. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Radar‐based structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades: The case of damage localization

This short communication reports on a radar approach for structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades. Therefore, a bistatic frequency‐modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar in the frequency range from 33.4 to 36.0 GHz has been developed and tested experimentally using a laboratory wind turbine demonstrator. A differential damage localization framework is presented here that exploits signal differences between measurements from the intact and the damaged structure for 3D imaging of the defect. We have achieved the localization of a 30‐mm cut in a glass fiber composite structure as well as the localization of a water pack at the backside of the specimen with a localization error of several centimeters.     

On the integration of lightning protection with stealth coated wind turbine blades

In this paper, we consider the problem of reducing the radar cross section of a wind turbine blade through the application of radar absorbing material (RAM). One problem encountered by these techniques is the integration of the RAM solution with the existing lightning protection system, which is mandatory requirement to protect the blade when in operation. A common form of lightning protection is the use of conducting lightning receptors on the surface of the blade. To ensure the protection system is effective, a clearance area around the receptor may be required before any RAM treatment is applied. The size of the clearance area and the number of lightning receptors therefore potentially reduce the effectiveness of the RAM treatment. Design guidelines are given in this paper for a generic 40 m blade geometry. Some modelling results of the radar cross section and Doppler signature from a RAM treated blade are presented, and a comment is also made on the importance the blade edges have in reducing radar effects. ©2013 The Authors. Wind Energy published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design of a wind turbine rotor for maximum aerodynamic efficiency

The design of a three‐bladed wind turbine rotor is described, where the main focus has been highest possible mechanical power coefficient, CP, at a single operational condition. Structural, as well as off‐design, issues are not considered, leading to a purely theoretical design for investigating maximum aerodynamic efficiency. The rotor is designed assuming constant induction for most of the blade span, but near the tip region, a constant load is assumed instead. The rotor design is obtained using an actuator disc model, and is subsequently verified using both a free‐wake lifting line method and a full three‐dimensional Navier–Stokes solver. Excellent agreement is obtained using the three models. Global CP reaches a value of slightly above 0.51, while global thrust coefficient CT is 0.87. The local power coefficient C_p increases to slightly above the Betz limit on the inner part of the rotor; the local thrust coefficient C_t increases to a value above 1.1. This agrees well with the theory of de Vries, which states that including the effect of the low pressure behind the centre of the rotor stemming from the increased rotation, both C_p and C_t will increase towards the root. Towards the tip, both C_p and C_t decrease due to tip corrections as well as drag. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

考虑塔架和叶片动力耦合的随机风载下风机结构动响应分析

考虑叶片和塔架的动力耦合作用,建立了5 MW风机整体结构的有限元模型,计算其在随机风速下的动响应。为分析叶片和塔架的动力耦合对风机结构动响应的影响,计算比较了刚性支撑的叶片、简化的风机和整体风机3种模型在风载下的动响应位移和应力。计算结果表明:由于叶片和塔架的耦合作用,叶片的位移响应最大增加约20%,但是塔架的位移响应最大降低了约60%。文章还分析了叶片旋转过程中方位角对塔架位移响应的影响。在叶片的一个旋转周期内,塔架的响应幅值会有较大的波动,最大响应幅值约为最小响应幅值的3倍。     

Flap/lead–lag aeroelastic stability of wind turbine blades

A numerical tool for investigating the aeroelastic stability of a single wind turbine blade subjected to combined flap/lead–lag motion is presented. Its development is motivated by recent concern about destructive edgewise vibrations of modern stall‐controlled blades. The stability tool employs a finite element formulation to discretize in space the structural and aerodynamic governing equations. Unsteady aerodynamics is considered by means of the extended ONERA lift and drag models. The mathematical form of these models allows for a combined treatment of dynamics and aerodynamics through the introduction of a so‐called ‘aeroelastic beam element’. This is an extended two‐node beam element having both deformation and aerodynamic degrees of freedom. Several linear and non‐linear versions of the stability tool are available, differing in the way that instantaneous lift and/or drag is treated. In the linear case, stability is investigated through eigenvalue analysis. Time domain integration is employed for non‐linear stability analysis. Results are presented and discussed for a 17 m stall‐controlled blade. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

兆瓦级海上风力机叶片设计及模态分析

叶片是风力机的重要构件,对其合理设计十分重要。总结了叶片的设计流程,并选择合理的设计参数,设计出兆瓦级风力机的叶片;在三维绘图软件中建模;应用有限元法,选定叶片的材料参数,在有限元软件中对叶片进行模态分析,确定了叶片的各阶模态振型及各阶频率,并对比分析叶片各阶模态振型结果。结果表明,叶片的固有频率范围与外界的激励的频率范围不重合,因此避免了共振破坏的发生。     

Structural analysis and optimization of a tethered swept wing for airborne wind energy generation

In this paper, we present an aero‐structural model of a tethered swept wing for airborne wind energy generation. The carbon composite wing has neither fuselage nor actuated aerodynamic control surfaces and is controlled entirely from the ground using three separate tethers. The computational model is efficient enough to be used for weight optimisation at the initial design stage. The main load‐bearing wing component is a nontypical “D”‐shaped wing‐box, which is represented as a slender carbon composite shell and further idealised as a stack of two‐dimensional cross section models arranged along an anisotropic one‐dimensional beam model. This reduced 2+1D finite element model is then combined with a nonlinear vortex step method that determines the aerodynamic load. A bridle model is utilised to calculate the individual forces as a function of the aerodynamic load in the bridle lines that connect the main tether to the wing. The entire computational model is used to explore the influence of the bride on the D‐box structure. Considering a reference D‐box design along with a reference aerodynamic load case, the structural response is analysed for typical bridle configurations. Subsequently, an optimisation of the internal geometry and laminate fibre orientations is carried out using the structural computation models, for a fixed aerodynamic and bridle configuration. Aiming at a minimal weight of the wing structure, we find that for the typical load case of the system, an overall weight savings of approximately 20% can be achieved compared with the initial reference design.     

Structural design of spars for 100-m biplane wind turbine blades

Large wind turbine blades are being developed at lengths of 75–100 m, in order to improve energy capture and reduce the cost of wind energy. Bending loads in the inboard region of the blade make large blade development challenging. The “biplane blade” design was proposed to use a biplane inboard region to improve the design of the inboard region and improve overall performance of large blades. This paper focuses on the design of the internal “biplane spar” structure for 100-m biplane blades. Several spars were designed to approximate the Sandia SNL100-00 blade (“monoplane spar”) and the biplane blade (“biplane spar”). Analytical and computational models are developed to analyze these spars. The analytical model used the method of minimum total potential energy; the computational model used beam finite elements with cross-sectional analysis. Simple load cases were applied to each spar and their deflections, bending moments, axial forces, and stresses were compared. Similar performance trends are identified with both the analytical and computational models. An approximate buckling analysis shows that compressive loads in the inboard biplane region do not exceed buckling loads. A parametric analysis shows biplane spar configurations have 25–35% smaller tip deflections and 75% smaller maximum root bending moments than monoplane spars of the same length and mass per unit span. Root bending moments in the biplane spar are largely relieved by axial forces in the biplane region, which are not significant in the monoplane spar. The benefits for the inboard region could lead to weight reductions in wind turbine blades. Innovations that create lighter blades can make large blades a reality, suggesting that the biplane blade may be an attractive design for large (100-m) blades.     

具有较强气动性能的风力发电机叶片研究

利用流体分析软件Fluent对NACA4415与SD7043两种常见翼型进行流场模拟,从外形特征分析两者的气动性能差异,进一步利用翼型分析软件profili的翼型设计功能,结合两种翼型的长处,设计出新的翼型,并对新翼型与原有翼型在升阻特性上的差异进行分析,对比发现新翼型气动性能更优。最后利用新翼型基于Solidworks设计出一款小型风力发电机叶片。