Navier-Stokes and Comprehensive Analysis Performance Predictions of the NREL Phase VI Experiment

Author(s):  
Earl P. N. Duque ◽  
Michael D. Burklund ◽  
Wayne Johnson

A vortex lattice code, CAMRAD II, and a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stoke code, OVERFLOW-D2, were used to predict the aerodynamic performance of a two-bladed horizontal axis wind turbine. All computations were compared with experimental data that was collected at the NASA Ames Research Center 80-by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel. Computations were performed for both axial as well as yawed operating conditions. Various stall delay models and dynamics stall models were used by the CAMRAD II code. Comparisons between the experimental data and computed aerodynamic loads show that the OVERFLOW-D2 code can accurately predict the power and spanwise loading of a wind turbine rotor.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaos Stergiannis ◽  
Jeroen van Beeck ◽  
Mark C. Runacres

Abstract. The development of large-scale wind energy projects has created the demand for increasingly accurate and efficient models that limit a project's uncertainties and risk. Wake effects are of great importance and are relevant for the optimization of wind farms. Despite a growing body of research, there are still many open questions and challenges to overcome. In computational modelling, there are always numerous input parameters such as material properties, geometry, boundary conditions, initial conditions, turbulence modelling etc. whose estimation is difficult and their values are often inaccurate or uncertain. Due to the lack of information of several sources, e.g., uncertainties present in operating conditions as well as in the mathematical modelling, the computational output is also uncertain. It is therefore very important to validate the mathematical models with experiments performed in controlled conditions. In the present paper, the single wake characteristics of a Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine Rotor (HAWT) and their spatial evolution are investigated with different Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling approaches and compared to experimental measurements. The steady state 3-D Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations are solved in the open-source platform OpenFOAM, using different turbulence closure schemes. For the full-rotor CFD simulations, the Multiple Reference Frames (MRF) approach was used to model the rotation of the blades. For the simplified cases, an actuator disk model was used with the experimentally measured thrust (CT) and power (CP) coefficient values. The performance of each modelling approach is compared with experimental wind tunnel wake measurements from the 4th blind test organized by NOWITECH and NORCOWE in 2015. Numerical results are compared with experimental data along three horizontal lines downstream, covering all the wake regions. Wake predictions are shown to be very sensitive to the choice of the RANS turbulence model. For most cases, the ADM under-predicts the velocity deficit, except for the case of RNG k-ε which showed a superb performance in the mid and far wake. The full wind turbine rotor simulations showed good agreement to the experimental data, mainly in the near wake, amplifying the differences between the simplified models.


2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Earl P. N. Duque ◽  
Michael D. Burklund ◽  
Wayne Johnson

A lifting-line code, CAMRAD II, and a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes code, OVERFLOW-D, were used to predict the aerodynamic performance of a two-bladed horizontal axis wind turbine. All computations were compared with experimental data that was collected at the NASA Ames Research Center 80-by-120-foot Wind Tunnel. Lifting-line computations were performed for both axial and yawed operating conditions while the Navier-Stokes computations were performed for only the axial conditions. Various stall delay models and dynamic stall models were used by the CAMRAD II code. For axial operating conditions, the predicted rotor performance varied significantly, particularly for stalled wind speeds. The lifting-line required the use of stall delay models to obtain the proper stall behavior, yet it still has difficulty in predicting the proper power magnitude in stall. The Navier-Stokes method captures the stall behavior and gives a detailed insight into the fluid mechanics of the stall behavior.


Author(s):  
Scott Dana ◽  
Joseph Yutzy ◽  
Douglas E. Adams

One of the primary challenges in diagnostic health monitoring and control of wind turbines is compensating for the variable nature of wind loads. Given the sometimes large variations in wind speed, direction, and other operational variables (like wind shear), this paper proposes a data-driven, online rotor model identification approach. A 2 m diameter horizontal axis wind turbine rotor is first tested using experimental modal analysis techniques. Through the use of the Complex Mode Indication Function, the dominant natural frequencies and mode shapes of dynamic response of the rotor are estimated (including repeated and pseudo-repeated roots). The free dynamic response properties of the stationary rotor are compared to the forced response of the operational rotor while it is being subjected to wind and rotordynamic loads. It is demonstrated that both narrowband (rotordynamic) and broadband (wind driven) responses are amplified near resonant frequencies of the rotor. Blade loads in the flap direction of the rotor are also estimated through matrix inversion for a simulated set of rotor blade input forces and for the operational loading state of the wind turbine in a steady state condition. The analytical estimates are shown to be accurate at frequencies for which the ordinary coherence functions are near unity. The loads in operation are shown to be largest at points mid-way along the span of the blade and on one of the three blades suggesting this method could be used for usage monitoring. Based on these results, it is proposed that a measurement of upstream wind velocity will provide enhanced models for diagnostics and control by providing a leading indicator of disturbances in the loads.


Author(s):  
Nazia Binte Munir ◽  
Kyoungsoo Lee ◽  
Ziaul Huque ◽  
Raghava R. Kommalapati

The main purpose of the paper is to use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in 3-D analysis of aerodynamic forces of a Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) blade and compare the 3-D results with the 2-D experimental results. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Phase VI wind blade profile is used as a model for the analysis. The results are compared with the experimental data obtained by NREL at NASA Ames Research Center for the NREL Phase VI wind turbine blade. The aerodynamic forces are evaluated using 3-D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. The commercial ANSYS CFX and parameterized 3-D CAD model of NREL Phase VI are used for the analysis. The Shear Stress Transport (SST) Gamma-Theta turbulence model and 0-degree yaw angle condition are adopted for CFD analysis. For the case study seven varying wind speeds (5 m/s, 7 m/s, 10 m/s, 13 m/s, 15 m/s, 20 m/s, 25 m/s) with constant blade rotational speed (72 rpm) are considered. To evaluate the 3-D aerodynamic effect sectional pressure coefficient (Cp) and integrated forces about primary axis such as normal, tangential, thrust and torque are evaluated for each of the seven wind speed cases and compared with the NREL experimental values. The numerical difference of values on wind blade surface between this study and 3-D results of NREL wind tunnel test are found negligible. The paper represents an important comparison between the 3-D lift & drag coefficient with the NREL 2-D experimental data. The results shows that though the current study is in good agreement with NREL 3-D experimental values there is large deviation between the NREL 2-D experimental data and current 3-D study which suggests that in case of 3-D analysis of aerodynamic force of blade surface it is better to use NREL 3-D values instead of 2-D experimental values.


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