Wind Turbine Airfoil Performance Optimization Using the Vortex Lattice Method and a Genetic Algorithm

Burger, Christoph; Hartfield, Roy J.

doi:10.2514/6.2006-4051

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Genetic algorithms along with the BEM theory were used also by Mendez and Greiner [6] for aerodynamic optimization with respect to blade chord and twist angle. Burger and Hartfield [7] examined the feasibility of using the combination of the vortex lattice method with the effect of the domain size on the prediction and the effect of parallelization on speed-up were discussed. The use of artificial neural networks was shown to reduce the computational time by almost 50%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerodynamic Optimization of Airfoil Profiles for Small Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

2018

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The purpose of this study is the development of an automated two-dimensional airfoil shape optimization procedure for small horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT), with an emphasis on high thrust and aerodynamically stable performance. The procedure combines the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis with the Response Surface Methodology (RSM), the Biobjective Mesh Adaptive Direct Search (BiMADS) optimization algorithm and an automatic geometry and mesh generation tool. In CFD analysis, a Reynolds Averaged Numerical Simulation (RANS) is applied in combination with a two-equation turbulence model. For describing the system behaviour under alternating wind conditions, a number of CFD 2D-RANS-Simulations with varying Reynolds numbers and wind angles are performed. The number of cases is reduced by the use of RSM. In the analysis, an emphasis is placed upon the role of the blade-to-blade interaction. The average and the standard deviation of the thrust are optimized by a derivative-free optimization algorithm to define a Pareto optimal set, using the BiMADS algorithm. The results show that improvements in the performance can be achieved by modifications of the blade shape and the present procedure can be used as an effective tool for blade shape optimization.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerodynamic Optimization of Airfoil Profiles for Small Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

2018

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“…For a practical problem, there is usually only one minimum or maximum on such a second-order polynomial surface, so the RSM is often regarded as a global optimization method. When compared with other global optimization techniques such as the genetic algorithm [11,12] or the traditional simplex optimizer [13], RSMs involve a much lower computational load. With these advantages, RSMs have been widely applied to single-and multidisciplinary optimization problems during the past decades [14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerodynamic optimization of wind turbine airfoils using response surface techniques

Gao

2010

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A:

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An improved aerodynamic optimization technique for two-dimensional wind turbine airfoils is presented in this article. On the basis of the combination of response surface method and uniform experimental design, a space filling design of experiment, this technique optimizes the lift-to-drag ratio of an airfoil at the design angle of attack. In order to reduce the number of design variables, the upper and lower surfaces of a reference airfoil are, respectively, fitted by using two B-spline curves with only four control points each. By using the ordinates of the eight control points as design variables, the ranges of the design variables are set and the airfoil is parameterized. Then, according to the uniform design tables, the values of each design variable at different levels are determined and various airfoil shapes are generated by using the specified combinations of the design variables. Finally, the optimal ordinates of the eight control points are obtained using a quadratic polynomial expression that is the regression of the computational results of flows around the airfoils. The computational results of flows around the optimized shapes of four airfoils reveal that the proposed technique, compared with some other optimization methods in the literature, is a time-saving and effective method to seek better aerodynamic performance for wind turbine airfoils.

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“…Propeller design optimizations using a genetic algorithm, has been used on wind turbines [8][9][10] , ship propellers 11 , helicopter rotor designs [12][13] and aircraft propellers 14 . As an integral part of developing the constant torque propeller, the blade shape is optimized in this effort using a GA driven vortex lattice code.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design, Testing and Optimization of a Constant Torque Propeller

Burger

Hartfield

2007

25th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference

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This paper examines the viability of a passive variable pitch propeller for small aerial Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPV's) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS's) using a self adjusting mechanical pitch control mechanism. The work described in this paper includes the design and testing of a mechanical pitch change mechanism based on a constant torque spring for an off-the-shelf propeller. A propeller performance prediction code, based on the vortex lattice method, in combination with a genetic algorithm (GA) is used to optimize a propeller for given motor performance data. The optimization process includes results for both single point and multipoint design optimization efforts.

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Wind Turbine Airfoil Performance Optimization Using the Vortex Lattice Method and a Genetic Algorithm

Cited by 11 publications

References 10 publications

Aerodynamic Optimization of Airfoil Profiles for Small Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

Aerodynamic Optimization of Airfoil Profiles for Small Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

Aerodynamic optimization of wind turbine airfoils using response surface techniques

Design, Testing and Optimization of a Constant Torque Propeller

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