Fatigue life of pitch- and stall-regulated composite tidal turbine blades

RENEWABLE ENERGY

卷:121

Article

Kennedy, Ciaran R.¹  Jaksic, Vesna²  Leen, Sean B.¹  Bradaigh, Conchur M. O.³ 

[1] NUI Galway, Mech Engn, Galway, Ireland

[2] Cork Inst Technol, Civil Struct & Environm Engn Dept, SIRIG, Cork, Ireland

[3] Univ Edinburgh, Inst Mat & Proc, Sch Engn, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland

关键词: Tidal energy;    Tidal blade design;    Stall-regulated HATT and pitch-regulated;    HATT;    Composite materials;    Fatigue life;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.renene.2018.01.085

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Tidal turbine blades are subject to harsh loading and environmental conditions, including large thrust and torsional loadings, relative to wind turbine blades, due to the high density of seawater, among other factors. The complex combination of these loadings, as well as water ingress and associated composite laminate saturation, have significant implications for blade design, affecting overall device design, stability, scalability, energy production and cost-effectiveness. This study investigates the effect of seawater ingress on composite material properties, and the associated design and life expectancy of tidal turbine blades in operating conditions. The fatigue properties of dry and water-saturated glass fibre reinforced laminates are experimentally evaluated and incorporated into tidal blade design. The fatigue lives of pitch- and stall-regulated tidal turbine blades are found to be altered by seawater immersion. Water saturation is shown to reduce blade life about 3 years for stall-regulated blades and by about 1-2 years for pitch-regulated blades. The effect of water ingress can be compensated by increased laminate thickness. The tidal turbine blade design methodology presented here can be used for evaluation of blade life expectancy and tidal device energy production. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

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