Stabilized space–time computation of wind-turbine rotor aerodynamics

Abstract

We show how we use the Deforming-SpatialDomain/Stabilized Space-Time (DSD/SST) formulation for accurate 3D computation of the aerodynamics of a windturbine rotor. As the test case, we use the NREL 5MW offshore baseline wind-turbine rotor. This class of computational problems are rather challenging, because they involve large Reynolds numbers and rotating turbulent flows, and computing the correct torque requires an accurate and meticulous numerical approach. We compute the problem with both the original version of the DSD/SST formulation and a recently introduced version with an advanced turbulence model. The DSD/SST formulation with the advanced turbulence model is a space-time version of the residual-based variational multiscale method. We compare our results to those reported recently, which were obtained with the residualbased variational multiscale Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method using NURBS for spatial discretization and which we take as the reference solution. While the original DSD/SST formulation yields torque values not far from the reference solution, the DSD/SST formulation with the variational multiscale turbulence model yields torque values very close to the reference solution.

Numerical-performance studies for the stabilized space–time computation of wind-turbine rotor aerodynamics

“…This most recent DSD/SST formulation with the turbulence model is a space-time version [9] of the residual-based variational multiscale (VMS) method [10][11][12][13]. It was successfully tested on wind-turbine rotor aerodynamics in [14].…”

A numerical study of linear and nonlinear kinematic models in fish swimming with the DSD/SST method

“…Some examples of these applications are animal swimming and flight [13,22,[60][61][62][63][64][65][66], flag flapping [28], spacecraft parachutes [67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77], cardiovascular fluid mechanics [78][79][80][81][82], wind-turbine aerodynamics [83][84][85][86], and non-Newtonian flow [87].…”

Space–time computations in practical engineering applications: a summary of the 25-year history

“…The computations reported in 2011 were for detailed parachute FSI analysis [74][75][76], arterial FSI analysis [77][78][79][80][81], and wind-turbine aerodynamics [82][83][84]. The detailed studies included different trial canopy design configurations of the Orion spacecraft parachutes, Orion spacecraft parachute clusters with two and three parachutes, FSI-based dynamical analysis of the Orion spacecraft parachutes and parachute clusters, patient-specific cerebral arteries with aneurysm, and full-scale wind-turbine rotors.…”