基于整机刚柔耦合的风力机叶片气弹稳定性分析

为了研究弯扭柔性叶片在实际工况下的气弹变形及气弹稳定性问题,文章以某2 MW低风速风力机为对象,基于SIMPACK通用软件,构建了风力机整机刚柔耦合多体动力学气-弹-控联合仿真模型。文章提出了可定量分析叶尖截面失速特性的新方法,在控制系统正常和控制系统失效两种工况下对叶片的气弹稳定性进行了时域和频域分析。在湍流风况下,对叶片的气弹变形进行了计算分析,通过与GH Bladed软件的分析结果进行对比,验证了风力机气弹动力学模型和气弹分析方法的正确性。基于整机刚柔耦合提出的风力机叶片气弹稳定性分析方法有利于解决风力机大型高效与轻量可靠之间的矛盾。     

风力机叶片翼段气弹变形对翼型气动特性影响分析

当前弹性变形对风力机性能的影响是叶片气弹耦合机理研究重点,忽略了气弹变形对翼型气动特性的影响,而风力机性能很大程度上取决于变形后翼型气动性能。基于叶素动量理论及有限元法,采用MATLAB与APDL语言编制气动载荷插值程序,建立复合材料风力机叶片翼段气弹耦合模型。针对某2 MW实际叶片变形较大的叶尖附近翼段,选取厚度相同的3种不同翼型,通过不断迭代收敛研究翼段气弹变形对翼型气动特性的影响。研究表明,3种翼型气弹变形对其气动性能均有不同程度影响,而对WT180翼型影响较小。该研究对于设计抗气弹变形的新型翼型具有重要的理论指导作用。     

复合材料叶片截面刚度对风力机叶片气弹响应的敏感性研究

为更深入考查叶片刚度对风力机气弹响应的影响，对叶片截面的刚度矩阵中的主对角线刚度系数在稳态风和湍流风况下的风力机气弹响应的影响以及敏感性进行系统研究。气弹模型中的气动模块采用基于叶素动量理论，并采用几何精确梁理论对叶片的结构动力学响应进行仿真。选用美国可再生能源实验室（NREL）5 MW风力机组作为基准模型，调整叶片各截面刚度矩阵的主对角线刚度系数，利用敏感性影响因子评估刚度系数变化对叶片载荷的影响。结果表明：主对角线上挥舞方向的剪切刚度、挥舞弯曲刚度、摆振弯曲刚度、扭转刚度对气弹响应具有中高的敏感性。研究结果对掌握风力机气弹响应规律，发掘更深层次的风力机叶片设计方法提供了一定的指导意义。该方法能进一步扩展至研究叶片刚度对风力机机组气弹响应的敏感性研究。     

偏航工况下水平轴风力机叶片气动变形数值模拟研究

以非定常叶素动量方法和水平轴风力机结构动力学为基础,建立风力机气弹计算的仿真程序,将偏航模型耦合进气弹程序中,针对某5 MW水平轴风力机进行仿真计算,分析比较了该风力机在不同偏航角工况下叶片变形沿径向和周向的分布情况,总结了不同偏航工况对风力机叶片变形的影响规律。研究结果对风力机叶片设计和疲劳寿命的预测有一定的指导意义。     

非定常条件下风力机柔性叶片气弹耦合分析

研究叶片振动与扭转变形对气动载荷的反馈以及基于静、动态气动模型的叶根载荷的差异。应用计算多体动力学理论和叶片气动模型,建立受约束的柔性叶片非线性气弹耦合方程,得出叶片气弹耦合时域响应。以某5 MW风力机叶片为研究对象,研究柔性叶片的振动和变形对叶根力矩的反馈;在修正的叶素动量理论(BEM)基础上,引入Beddoes-Lesihman动态失速模型,考察叶片气动载荷的非定常效应。分析表明,随着叶片柔性增加,气弹耦合现象愈加明显;动态失速将引起叶片载荷有较大的振荡幅值和频率,影响叶片疲劳载荷谱的分析和疲劳寿命的设计。     

基于ONERA模型的柔性叶片气弹稳定性研究北大核心CSCD

为了探究大型风力机柔性叶片在挥舞-摆振耦合作用下的气弹稳定性,文章基于ONERA非线性气动模型建立了包括二维翼型非线性气动升阻力方程及其挥舞-摆振耦合运动方程的气弹模型。利用该气弹模型计算得到NREL 5 MW风力机叶中段DU35-A17翼型在叶片变桨前后的挥舞、摆振变形量变化曲线,并与FAST计算结果进行比较,以验证气弹模型的准确性。结果表明:在额定工况时,叶片出现z轴正方向、y轴负方向的弯曲变形;风力机未变桨时,挥舞、摆振变形量会随风速增大而增大;叶片变桨后,挥舞、摆振变形量会比额定工况下的变形量有所减少。由于计算得到的挥舞、摆振变形量曲线是收敛的,故叶片是气弹稳定的。该气弹模型为评估大型风力机柔性叶片气弹稳定性提供了新方法,计算得到的挥舞摆振位移数据为优化风力机结构参数、提升叶片气弹稳定性提供了数据参考。     

风力机预弯叶片结构与静气弹性参数化有限元分析方法研究

构建了风力机预弯叶片气动外形和铺层结构的参数化表达模型,采用MATLAB与ANSYS APDL相结合的方法对复合材料预弯叶片进行参数化有限元建模、加载和结构分析,并以某1.5 MW预弯叶片为例验证了该方法的正确性;基于修正的叶素动量理论和气动载荷参数化分布加载方法,对风力机预弯叶片的静气弹性进行分析和研究,结果表明预弯叶片的展向变形有助于叶片气动功率的提高,而叶片扭转变形造成风力机实际气动功率的降低,根据叶片的计算扭转变形,在叶片的设计中增大叶片的预扭转角度可避免叶片因弹性扭转变形造成的设计功率偏离。研制了风力机叶片结构性能和静气弹性分析工具(WTBSA),为预弯叶片的多学科优化设计奠定了基础。     

水平轴风力机柔性叶片气弹耦合分析

针对水平轴风力机柔性叶片的气弹耦合模型与数值积分方法进行研究。首先应用超级单元法,将柔性叶片离散为若干个超级单元,单元内刚体之间由带有力元弹簧和阻尼器的万向节或转动铰联接,以描述叶片的挥舞、摆振和扭转等运动;基于计算多体动力学理论,应用R-W(Roberson-Wittenburg)方法,导出带约束的旋转叶片多体系统动力学方程;基于叶素理论,计算叶片变形状态下各刚体所受的气动力,在数值积分过程中实时实现两者之间的耦合。算例分析了某1.5 MW风力机叶片在一定风速和转速下的气弹耦合。结果表明超级单元法能用较少的自由度准确描述柔性叶片的弹性变形、气动载荷和叶片位移间的耦合,为风力机整机气动弹性耦合及稳定性分析提供了实用的分析方法。     

基于升力线理论的大型风力机气弹响应研究

针对风力机不断向大型化发展的趋势,导致结构柔度增加,气弹耦合特性和振动增强,研究了大型风力机高效精确的气弹响应分析方法。为了更准确模拟大型风力机气流沿叶片展向的三维流动现象,采用螺旋尾涡升力线模型代替传统叶素动量理论,建立了叶片气动载荷分析模型,进而结合风力机多体系统动力学模型,构建了机组的气弹耦合动力学方程和数值求解方法。以某10 MW风力机叶片为例,研究了稳态风况下不同风速的叶片气动性能,以及有效攻角、切向力等沿叶展方向的分布特点,并与采用修正叶素动量理论的气弹分析程序（HAWC）对比,结果表明,升力线理论无需引入经验修正模型即能获得叶素动量理论经修正后的分析精度。最后,通过非稳态风况下风力机的气弹响应分析,证明本文方法对大型风力机气弹耦合分析的有效性和准确性。     

大型风力机叶片气动与结构耦合优化设计研究

针对大型风力机风轮气弹效应对叶片结构的影响作用,对叶片结构优化设计的理论模型建模方法进行研究。采用叶素动量理论和梁理论,并结合遗传算法,将叶片各截面弦长、扭角和铺层厚度3个形状参数作为优化设计的变量,提出一种以叶片最小重量作为结构优化设计目标的理论模型。以1.2 MW风力机叶片为例,对优化前后叶片的3个形状参数与风力机功率特性间关系进行的计算分析表明,考虑叶片气弹变形的影响作用不仅能提高风轮的风能利用系数,且能减小叶片的截面质量线密度,进而降低叶片的制造成本。     

Predicting wind turbine blade loads and aeroelastic response using a coupled CFD–CSD method

The aeroelastic response and the airloads of horizontal-axis wind turbine rotor blades were numerically investigated using a coupled CFD–CSD method. The blade aerodynamic loads were obtained from a Navier–Stokes CFD flow solver based on unstructured meshes. The blade elastic deformation was calculated using a FEM-based CSD solver which employs a nonlinear coupled flap-lag-torsion beam theory. The coupling of the CFD and CSD solvers was accomplished in a loosely coupled manner by exchanging the information between the two solvers at infrequent intervals. At first, the present coupled CFD–CSD method was applied to the NREL 5MW reference wind turbine rotor under steady axial flow conditions, and the mean rotor loads and the static blade deformation were compared with other predicted results. Then, the unsteady blade aerodynamic loads and the dynamic blade response due to rotor shaft tilt and tower interference were investigated, along with the influence of the gravitational force. It was found that due to the aeroelastic blade deformation, the blade aerodynamic loads are significantly reduced, and the unsteady dynamic load behaviors are also changed, particularly by the torsional deformation. From the observation of the tower interference, it was also found that the aerodynamic loads are abruptly reduced as the blades pass by the tower, resulting in oscillatory blade deformation and vibratory loads, particularly in the flapwise direction.     

The impact of yaw error on aeroelastic characteristics of a horizontal axis wind turbine blade

Horizontal axis wind turbines operate under yawed conditions for a considerable period of time due to the power control mechanism or sudden changes in the wind direction. This in turn can alter the dynamic characteristics of a turbine blade because the flow over the rotor plane may trigger complicated induced velocity patterns. In this study, an aeroelastic analysis under yawed flow conditions is carried out to investigate the effects of yaw error on the blade behaviors and dynamic stability. A beam model including geometric nonlinearity coupled with unsteady aerodynamics based on a free-vortex wake method with the blade element theory is employed in the present study. The aerodynamic approach for a horizontal axis wind turbine blade under yawed flow conditions is verified through comparison with measurements. It is also shown that the present method gives slightly better results at high yaw angles than does the method previously published in the literature. The dynamic instabilities of a National Renewable Energy Laboratory 5 MW reference wind turbine have subsequently been investigated for various wind speeds and yaw angles. Observations are made that yaw effects induce considerable changes in airloads and blade structural behavior. Also, the aeroelastic damping values for this particular blade under yawed flow conditions can be reduced by up to approximately 33% in the worst case. Therefore, it is concluded that the impacts of yaw misalignments adversely influenced the dynamic aeroelastic stability of the horizontal axis wind turbine blade.     

Isogeometric based framework for aeroelastic wind turbine blade analysis

A framework based on isogeometric analysis is presented for parametrizing a wind turbine rotor blade and evaluating its response. The framework consists of a multi‐fidelity approach for wind turbine rotor analysis. The aeroelastic loads are determined using a low‐fidelity model. The model is based on isogeometric approach to model both the structural and aerodynamic properties. The structural deformations are solved using an isogeometric formulation of geometrically exact 3D beam theory. The aerodynamic loads are calculated using a standard Blade Element Momentum(BEM) theory. Moreover, the aerodynamic loads calculated using BEM theory are modified to account for the change in the blade shape due to blade deformation. The aeroelastic loads are applied in finite element solver Nastran, and both the stress response and buckling response are extracted. Furthermore, the capabilities of Nastran are extended such that design dependent loads can be applied, resulting in correct aeroelastic sensitivities of Nastran responses, making this framework suitable for optimization. The framework is verified against results from the commercial codes FAST and GH Bladed, using the NREL 61.5m rotor blade as a baseline for comparison, showing good agreement. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application and validation of incrementally complex models for wind turbine aerodynamics,isolated wind turbine in uniform inflow conditions

A comparison of several incrementally complex methods for predicting wind turbine performance, aeroelastic behavior, and wakes is provided. Depending on a wind farm's design, wake interference can cause large power losses and increased turbulence levels within the farm. The goal is to employ modeling methods to reach an improved understanding of wake effects and to use this information to better optimize the layout of new wind farms. A critical decision faced by modelers is the fidelity of the model that is selected to perform simulations. The choice of model fidelity can affect the accuracy, but will also greatly impact the computational time and resource requirements for simulations. To help address this critical question, three modeling methods of varying fidelity have been developed side by side and are compared in this article. The models from low to high complexity are as follows: a blade element‐based method with a free‐vortex wake, an actuator disc‐based method, and a full rotor‐based method. Fluid/structure interfaces are developed for the aerodynamic modeling approaches that allow modeling of discrete blades and are then coupled with a multibody structural dynamics solver in order to perform an aeroelastic analysis. Similar methods have individually been tested by researchers, but we suggest that by developing a suite of models, they can be cross‐compared to grasp the subtleties of each method. The modeling methods are applied to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Phase VI rotor to predict the turbine aerodynamic and structural loads and then also the wind velocities in the wake. The full rotor method provides the most accurate predictions at the turbine and the use of adaptive mesh refinement to capture the wake to 20 radii downstream is proven particularly successful. Though the full rotor method is unmatched by the lower fidelity methods in stalled conditions and detailed prediction of the downstream wake, there are other less complex conditions where these methods perform as accurately as the full rotor method. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

An investigation on wind turbine resonant vibrations

Wind turbine resonant vibrations are investigated based on aeroelastic simulations both in frequency and time domain. The investigation focuses on three different aspects: the need of a precise modeling when a wind turbine is operating close to resonant conditions; the importance of estimating wind turbine loads also at low turbulence intensity wind conditions to identify the presence of resonances; and the wind turbine response because of external excitations. In the first analysis, three different wind turbine models are analysed with respect to the frequency and damping of the aeroelastic modes. Fatigue loads on the same models are then investigated with two different turbulence intensities to analyse the wind turbine response. In the second analysis, a wind turbine model is excited with an external force. This analysis helps in identifying the modes that might be excited, and therefore, the frequencies at which minimal excitation should be present during operations. The study shows that significant edgewise blade vibrations can occur on modern wind turbines even if the aeroelastic damping of the edgewise modes is positive. When operating close to resonant conditions, small differences in the modeling can have a large influence on the vibration level. The edgewise vibrations are less visible in high turbulent conditions. Using simulations with low‐level turbulence intensity will ease this identification and could avoid a redesign. Furthermore, depending on the external excitation, different aeroelastic modes can be excited. The investigation is performed using aeroelastic models corresponding to a 1.5 MW class wind turbine with slight variations in blade properties. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

变桨距风力机叶片的气动优化设计

首先利用Wilson方法进行叶片的外形初步设计,然后以设计攻角作为变量,以额定风速下功率系数最大为优化目标,建立了1 MW变桨距风力机叶片气动外形优化模型,采用遗传算法进行了优化再设计。通过对3叶片1 MW风力机进行的气动性能评价结果表明,优化后的风力机具有更好的气动性能,说明采用该优化方法进行变桨距风力机设计具有明显的优越性。     

Open‐loop frequency response analysis of a wind turbine using a high‐order linear aeroelastic model

Wind turbine controllers are commonly designed on the basis of low‐order linear models to capture the aeroelastic wind turbine response due to control actions and disturbances. This paper characterizes the aeroelastic wind turbine dynamics that influence the open‐loop frequency response from generator torque and collective pitch control actions of a modern non‐floating wind turbine based on a high‐order linear model. The model is a linearization of a geometrically non‐linear finite beam element model coupled with an unsteady blade element momentum model of aerodynamic forces including effects of shed vorticity and dynamic stall. The main findings are that the lowest collective flap modes have limited influence on the response from generator torque to generator speed, due to large aerodynamic damping. The transfer function from collective pitch to generator speed is affected by two non‐minimum phase zeros below the frequency of the first drivetrain mode. To correctly predict the non‐minimum phase zeros, it is essential to include lateral tower and blade flap degrees of freedom. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aeroelastic analysis of a wind turbine blade using the harmonic balance method

An aeroelastic model for wind turbine blades derived from the unsteady Navier‐Stokes equations and a mode shape–based structural dynamics model are presented. For turbulent flows, the system is closed with the Spalart‐Allmaras turbulence model. The computation times for the aerodynamic solution are significantly reduced using the harmonic balance method compared to a time‐accurate solution. This model is significantly more robust than standard aeroelastic codes that rely on blade element momentum theory to determine the aerodynamic forces. Comparisons with published results for the Caradonna‐Tung rotor in hover and the classical AGARD 445.6 flutter case are provided to validate the aerodynamic model and aeroelastic model, respectively. For wind turbines, flutter of the 1.5 MW WindPACT blade is considered. The results predict that the first flapwise and edgewise modes dominate flutter at the rotor speeds considered.