Articles | Volume 5, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-721-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-721-2020
Research article
 | 
15 Jun 2020
Research article |  | 15 Jun 2020

Is the Blade Element Momentum theory overestimating wind turbine loads? – An aeroelastic comparison between OpenFAST's AeroDyn and QBlade's Lifting-Line Free Vortex Wake method

Sebastian Perez-Becker, Francesco Papi, Joseph Saverin, David Marten, Alessandro Bianchini, and Christian Oliver Paschereit

Model code and software

OpenFAST OpenFAST https://github.com/OpenFAST/openfast

QBlade QBlade https://sourceforge.net/projects/qblade

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Short summary
Aeroelastic design load calculations play a key role in determining the design loads of the different wind turbine components. This study compares load estimations from calculations using a Blade Element Momentum aerodynamic model with estimations from calculations using a higher-order Lifting-Line Free Vortex Wake aerodynamic model. The paper finds and explains the differences in fatigue and extreme turbine loads for power production simulations that cover a wide range of turbulent wind speeds.
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