High-fidelity finite element models of composite wind turbine blades with shell and solid elements

Peeters, Mathijs; Santo, Gilberto; Degroote, Joris; Paepegem, Wim Van

doi:10.1016/j.compstruct.2018.05.091

Cited by 25 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…In each shell element, a global layup orientation was defined, with respect to which, a ply orientation was defined in each ply of the composite stack in order to fully define the anisotropic properties of the used materials. The generation of the structural mesh is described in Peeters et al [22] and the comparison of the computed eigenfrequencies with the values provided by the manufacturer is given in Santo et al [6]. Gravity was also included in the model.…”

Section: The Structural Fem Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluid–Structure Interaction Simulations of a Wind Gust Impacting on the Blades of a Large Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

et al. 2020

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The effect of a wind gust impacting on the blades of a large horizontal-axis wind turbine is analyzed by means of high-fidelity fluid–structure interaction (FSI) simulations. The employed FSI model consisted of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model reproducing the velocity stratification of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and a computational structural mechanics (CSM) model loyally reproducing the composite materials of each blade. Two different gust shapes were simulated, and for each of them, two different amplitudes were analyzed. The gusts were chosen to impact the blade when it pointed upwards and was attacked by the highest wind velocity due to the presence of the ABL. The loads and the performance of the impacted blade were studied in detail, analyzing the effect of the different gust shapes and intensities. Also, the deflections of the blade were evaluated and followed during the blade’s rotation. The flow patterns over the blade were monitored in order to assess the occurrence and impact of flow separation over the monitored quantities.

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Section: The Structural Fem Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluid–Structure Interaction Simulations of a Wind Gust Impacting on the Blades of a Large Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

et al. 2020

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“…Traditionally, the modeling alternatives are numerical and analytical. Regarding numerical models, in the scientific literature, the finite element based models predominate [30], but there are also multibody models.…”

Section: Dynamic Modeling Of the Drive Trainmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the analysis is complicated when more than one joint between bodies is required. FEMs describe in detail loose bodies, but not kinematic chains, mechanisms, nor machines with different bodies and many joints [30].…”

Section: Dynamic Modeling Of the Drive Trainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechatronic Modeling and Frequency Analysis of the Drive Train of a Horizontal Wind Turbine

et al. 2019

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The relevance of renewable energies is undeniable, and among them, the importance of wind energy is capital. A lot of literature has been devoted to the control techniques that deal with the optimization of the energy produced, but the maintainability of the individual wind turbines and of the farms in general is also a fundamental factor to take into account. In this paper, the authors address the general problem of knowing in advance the resonance frequencies of the power system of a wind turbine, with the underlying idea being that those frequencies should be avoided and that resonances do not occur only due to mechanical phenomena, but also because of electrical phenomena that in turn are influenced by control and optimization techniques. Therefore, the availability of that information embedded in the optimization techniques that control a wind turbine is of major importance. The main purpose of this paper was accomplished through two related objectives: the first was to obtain a mechatronic model (using a lumped parameters model of two degrees of freedom) of the drive train in the Laplace domain oriented to subsequently perform the described analysis. The second was to use that model to determine analytically the number and the value of the resonance frequencies from the generator angular velocity in such a way that such information could be used by any control algorithm or even by the mechatronic system designers. We assessed through experimental validation using a real 100 kW wind turbine that these two objectives were reached, demonstrating that the different vibration modes were detected using only the generator angular velocity.

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“…A similar approach was chosen by Dai et al 19 whose structural model simplifies the composite materials used in the blades as isotropic. However, modern wind turbine blades are normally made of composite materials, which make the blade structures largely anisotropic and very challenging to simulate 20 . As a consequence, only a small number of authors have been able to couple a detailed and accurate finite element model (FEM) to a CFD model.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of rotor–tower interaction, tilt angle, and yaw misalignment on the aeroelasticity of a large horizontal axis wind turbine with composite blades

et al. 2020

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This paper presents a detailed analysis of the rotor-tower interaction and the effects of the rotor's tilt angle and yaw misalignment on a large horizontal axis wind turbine. A high-fidelity aeroelastic model is employed, coupling computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and structural mechanics (CSM). The wind velocity stratification induced by the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is modeled. On the CSM side, the complex composite structure of each blade is accurately modeled using shell elements. The rotor-tower interaction is analyzed by comparing results of a rotor-only simulation and a full-machine simulation, observing a sudden drop in loads, deformations, and power production of each blade, when passing in front of the tower. Subsequently, a tilt angle is introduced on the rotor, and its effect on blade displacements, loads, and performance is studied, representing a novelty with respect to the available literature. The tilt angle leads to a different contribution of gravity to the blade deformations, sensibly affecting the stresses in the composite material. Lastly, a yaw misalignment is introduced with respect to the incoming wind, and the resulting changes in the blade solicitations are analyzed. In particular, a reduction of the blade axial displacement amplitude during each revolution is observed.atmospheric boundary layer, composite materials, fluid-structure interaction, rotor misalignment, rotor-tower interaction, wind turbine | INTRODUCTIONIn the last decades, the interest towards renewable energy, and in particular wind energy, has rapidly grown. This growth has also been sustained by the policies that both the European Union (EU) and the United States established in order to increase the quota of electricity produced from renewable sources. As a consequence, the size of wind turbine rotors has also steadily grown with the objective of minimizing the energy cost. 1 Therefore, the blades to be used in modern rotors are more slender and, during operation, their deflection due to the wind load can be in the order of 10% of the span. [2][3][4] This results in a fully coupled problem where the deformation of the blades and the aerodynamic loads acting on them sensibly affect each other. 5 For this reason, the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problem in large horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) is currently being investigated extensively by means of numerical models.Given the large number of complexities involved, reduced order models are often employed to tackle the FSI problem. In particular, blade element momentum (BEM) theory is frequently used in the simulations of wind turbines. Several corrections have been proposed for

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High-fidelity finite element models of composite wind turbine blades with shell and solid elements

Cited by 25 publications

References 16 publications

Fluid–Structure Interaction Simulations of a Wind Gust Impacting on the Blades of a Large Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

Fluid–Structure Interaction Simulations of a Wind Gust Impacting on the Blades of a Large Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

Mechatronic Modeling and Frequency Analysis of the Drive Train of a Horizontal Wind Turbine

Effect of rotor–tower interaction, tilt angle, and yaw misalignment on the aeroelasticity of a large horizontal axis wind turbine with composite blades

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