Dynamic load and stress analysis of a large horizontal axis wind turbine using full scale fluid-structure interaction simulation

RENEWABLE ENERGY

卷:140

Article

Santo, G.¹  Peeters, M.²  Van Paepegem, W.²  Degroote, J.^1,3 

[1] Univ Ghent, Dept Flow Heat & Combust Mech, Sint Pietersnieuwstr 41, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium

[2] Univ Ghent, Dept Mat Text & Chem Engn, Technol Pk Zwijnaarde 907, B-9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium

[3] Flanders Make, Lommel, Belgium

关键词: Fluid-structure interaction;    Wind turbine;    Atmospheric boundary layer;    Composite materials;    Wind energy;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.renene.2019.03.053

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

A dynamic load and stress analysis of a wind turbine is carried out using transient fluid-structure interaction simulations. On the structural side, the three 50 m long commercial glass-fiber epoxy blades are modelled using shell elements, accurately including the properties of the composite materials. On the fluid side, a hexahedral mesh is obtained for every blade and for the hub of the machine. These meshes are then overlaid to a structured background mesh through an overset technique. The displacements prescribed by the structural solver are imposed on top of the rigid rotation of the turbine. The atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is included using the k-epsilon turbulence model. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational solid mechanics (CSM) solvers are strongly coupled using an in-house code. The transient evolution of loads, stresses and displacements on each blade is monitored throughout the simulated time. The ABL induces oscillating axial displacements in the outboard region of the blade. Furthermore, the influence of gravity on the structure is accounted for and investigated, showing that it largely affects the tangential displacement of the blade. The oscillating deformations lead to sensible differences in the torque provided by each blade during its rotation. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

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