Some modelling improvements for prediction of wind turbine rotor loads in turbulent wind
Abstract This paper investigates the accuracy of three aerodynamic models to compute loads on wind turbine rotors under turbulent inflow: Blade Element Momentum (BEM), Unsteady Vortex Lattice Method (UVLM), and Large Eddy Simulation with Actuator Line (LES‐AL). Turbulent inflow conditions are numeri...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Wind Energy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/we.2675 |
| _version_ | 1818719596235980800 |
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| author | Arturo Muñoz‐Simón Rafael Palacios Andrew Wynn |
| author_facet | Arturo Muñoz‐Simón Rafael Palacios Andrew Wynn |
| author_sort | Arturo Muñoz‐Simón |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This paper investigates the accuracy of three aerodynamic models to compute loads on wind turbine rotors under turbulent inflow: Blade Element Momentum (BEM), Unsteady Vortex Lattice Method (UVLM), and Large Eddy Simulation with Actuator Line (LES‐AL). Turbulent inflow conditions are numerically generated with a new approach that combines control of turbulence and realistic velocity spectrum by using Mann boxes and LES simulations, respectively. Several deficiencies of the tested models are found and overcome through proposed improvements. First, the BEM assumption of independent radial sections does not hold in turbulent cases with long blades. Thus, a spatial filter to account for the interaction of radial sections in BEM is designed through the analysis of these interactions with UVLM. Second, the absence of viscous drag in UVLM is observed to lead to a very high rotor power coefficient, and it is shown that this can be mitigated by including drag in UVLM with a BEM‐like‐approach through look‐up tables. Third, the free wake model in UVLM, required to accurately capture rotor thrust, significantly increases computational cost. For this reason, a new wake discretisation scheme for the wake convection equation in UVLM is proposed, in which a coarse discretisation is employed far from the solid surfaces, which significantly reduces the computational time. Finally, these improvements and the performance of the three fidelities are analysed in a reference 10 MW wind turbine rotor demonstrating, in general, good agreement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T20:09:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0e032f20c7b64d7e90e9a31eb89b19ab |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1095-4244 1099-1824 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T20:09:27Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wind Energy |
| spelling | doaj.art-0e032f20c7b64d7e90e9a31eb89b19ab2022-12-21T21:34:15ZengWileyWind Energy1095-42441099-18242022-02-0125233335310.1002/we.2675Some modelling improvements for prediction of wind turbine rotor loads in turbulent windArturo Muñoz‐Simón0Rafael Palacios1Andrew Wynn2Department of Aeronautics Imperial College London London UKDepartment of Aeronautics Imperial College London London UKDepartment of Aeronautics Imperial College London London UKAbstract This paper investigates the accuracy of three aerodynamic models to compute loads on wind turbine rotors under turbulent inflow: Blade Element Momentum (BEM), Unsteady Vortex Lattice Method (UVLM), and Large Eddy Simulation with Actuator Line (LES‐AL). Turbulent inflow conditions are numerically generated with a new approach that combines control of turbulence and realistic velocity spectrum by using Mann boxes and LES simulations, respectively. Several deficiencies of the tested models are found and overcome through proposed improvements. First, the BEM assumption of independent radial sections does not hold in turbulent cases with long blades. Thus, a spatial filter to account for the interaction of radial sections in BEM is designed through the analysis of these interactions with UVLM. Second, the absence of viscous drag in UVLM is observed to lead to a very high rotor power coefficient, and it is shown that this can be mitigated by including drag in UVLM with a BEM‐like‐approach through look‐up tables. Third, the free wake model in UVLM, required to accurately capture rotor thrust, significantly increases computational cost. For this reason, a new wake discretisation scheme for the wake convection equation in UVLM is proposed, in which a coarse discretisation is employed far from the solid surfaces, which significantly reduces the computational time. Finally, these improvements and the performance of the three fidelities are analysed in a reference 10 MW wind turbine rotor demonstrating, in general, good agreement.https://doi.org/10.1002/we.2675aerodynamic loadsspanwise interactionsturbulent windunsteady vortex‐lattice methodviscous dragwake convection |
| spellingShingle | Arturo Muñoz‐Simón Rafael Palacios Andrew Wynn Some modelling improvements for prediction of wind turbine rotor loads in turbulent wind Wind Energy aerodynamic loads spanwise interactions turbulent wind unsteady vortex‐lattice method viscous drag wake convection |
| title | Some modelling improvements for prediction of wind turbine rotor loads in turbulent wind |
| title_full | Some modelling improvements for prediction of wind turbine rotor loads in turbulent wind |
| title_fullStr | Some modelling improvements for prediction of wind turbine rotor loads in turbulent wind |
| title_full_unstemmed | Some modelling improvements for prediction of wind turbine rotor loads in turbulent wind |
| title_short | Some modelling improvements for prediction of wind turbine rotor loads in turbulent wind |
| title_sort | some modelling improvements for prediction of wind turbine rotor loads in turbulent wind |
| topic | aerodynamic loads spanwise interactions turbulent wind unsteady vortex‐lattice method viscous drag wake convection |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/we.2675 |
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