Module Description
The aerodynamic design of wind turbine blades requires optimizing airfoil shapes, chord and twist distributions, and tip and root regions to achieve maximum efficiency. Traditionally, designs have been scaled up from existing turbines; however, with the growing trend towards larger rotor diameters and reduced specific energy, this conventional approach may no longer suffice. This study introduces an innovative, holistic optimization framework that integrates analyses across multiple fidelity levels to optimize the design of modern wind rotor blades.
The first part of the study demonstrates how high-fidelity methods, such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)-based airfoil performance analysis, can be utilized to define the root region's section performance, while mid-fidelity approaches target the analysis of high-mid span and tip airfoils.
These results are then incorporated into surrogate or reduced-order models that accelerate the optimization process while maintaining accuracy. The design framework integrates site-specific performance evaluation tools to assess the performance and dynamics of the new design under typical design load cases. This comprehensive approach ensures that the design process accounts for the demands of specific operational environments.
The lesson will present sample case studies of wind turbine blade designs optimized for low-wind and medium-wind sites, showcasing how this advanced strategy can meet the challenges of modern wind energy systems. As verification, the new models are tested by performing annual energy production evaluations and simulations under realistic site-specific wind conditions.
Learning Outcomes
This module will introduce a holistic optimization framework for wind turbine blade
design, focusing on integrating multi-fidelity analyses to address the
challenges posed by larger rotor diameters and lower specific energy
requirements.
- Participants will be able to describe the role of high-fidelity and mid-fidelity methods in wind turbine blade design and analysis.
- Participants will learn how to integrate reduced order models into the design process to streamline optimization.
- Participants will learn about methods for assessment of the performance of wind turbine blades by conducting annual energy production evaluations and analysing design performance under realistic wind conditions.
