Articles | Volume 6, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-6-33-2021
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the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
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https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-6-33-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Field test of an active flap system on a full-scale wind turbine
Alejandro Gomez Gonzalez
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S, Brande, Denmark
Peder B. Enevoldsen
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S, Brande, Denmark
Athanasios Barlas
Department of Wind Energy, Technical University of Denmark DTU, Roskilde, Denmark
Helge A. Madsen
Department of Wind Energy, Technical University of Denmark DTU, Roskilde, Denmark
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In this article we present the measurements of local aerodynamic sectional characteristics on a full-scale rotor blade with a novel add-on instrumentation comprising a wake rake, a pressure belt, and a five hole Pitot tube. In general, the demonstration of this instrumentation opens a range of promising new options for optimizing airfoil sectional performance in its real operating environment, e.g. the size and position of VG's.
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Movable surfaces on wind turbine (WT) blades, called active flaps, can reduce the cost of wind energy. However, they still need extensive testing. This study shows that the computer model used to design a WT with flaps aligns well with measurements obtained from a 3month test on a commercial WT featuring a prototype flap. Particularly during flap actuation, there were minimal differences between simulated and measured data. These findings assure the reliability of WT designs incorporating flaps.
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The application of an optical measurement method for the determination of rotor blade deformation and torsion based on digital image correlation (DIC) is presented. Measurement results are validated by comparison with comparative measurement data. Finally, aeroelastic simulation results are compared to DIC results. It is shown that the measured deformation is in very good agreement with the simulations, and therefore DIC has great potential for the experimental validation of aeroelastic codes.
Helge Aagaard Madsen, Alejandro Gomez Gonzalez, Thanasis Barlas, Anders Smærup Olsen, Sigurd Brabæk Ildvedsen, and Andreas Fischer
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Preprint under review for WES
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Short summary
In this article we present the measurements of local aerodynamic sectional characteristics on a full-scale rotor blade with a novel add-on instrumentation comprising a wake rake, a pressure belt, and a five hole Pitot tube. In general, the demonstration of this instrumentation opens a range of promising new options for optimizing airfoil sectional performance in its real operating environment, e.g. the size and position of VG's.
Andrea Gamberini, Thanasis Barlas, Alejandro Gomez Gonzalez, and Helge Aagaard Madsen
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1229–1249, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1229-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1229-2024, 2024
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Movable surfaces on wind turbine (WT) blades, called active flaps, can reduce the cost of wind energy. However, they still need extensive testing. This study shows that the computer model used to design a WT with flaps aligns well with measurements obtained from a 3month test on a commercial WT featuring a prototype flap. Particularly during flap actuation, there were minimal differences between simulated and measured data. These findings assure the reliability of WT designs incorporating flaps.
Helge Aagaard Madsen
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Critical unknowns in the design, manufacturing, and operation of future wind turbine and wind plant systems are articulated, and key research activities are recommended.
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Koen Boorsma, Gerard Schepers, Helge Aagard Madsen, Georg Pirrung, Niels Sørensen, Galih Bangga, Manfred Imiela, Christian Grinderslev, Alexander Meyer Forsting, Wen Zhong Shen, Alessandro Croce, Stefano Cacciola, Alois Peter Schaffarczyk, Brandon Lobo, Frederic Blondel, Philippe Gilbert, Ronan Boisard, Leo Höning, Luca Greco, Claudio Testa, Emmanuel Branlard, Jason Jonkman, and Ganesh Vijayakumar
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Within the framework of the fourth phase of the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Wind Task 29, a large comparison exercise between measurements and aeroelastic simulations has been carried out. Results were obtained from more than 19 simulation tools of various fidelity, originating from 12 institutes and compared to state-of-the-art field measurements. The result is a unique insight into the current status and accuracy of rotor aerodynamic modeling.
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Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 1957–1973, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1957-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1957-2022, 2022
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An aeroelastically optimized curved wind turbine blade tip is designed, manufactured, and tested on a novel outdoor rotating rig facility at the Risø campus of the Technical University of Denmark. Detailed aerodynamic measurements for various atmospheric conditions and results are compared to a series of in-house aeroelastic tools with a range of fidelities in aerodynamic modeling. The comparison highlights details in the ability of the codes to predict the performance of such a curved tip.
Mads H. Aa. Madsen, Frederik Zahle, Sergio González Horcas, Thanasis K. Barlas, and Niels N. Sørensen
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 1471–1501, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1471-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1471-2022, 2022
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This work presents a shape optimization framework based on computational fluid dynamics. The design framework is used to optimize wind turbine blade tips for maximum power increase while avoiding that extra loading is incurred. The final results are shown to align well with related literature. The resulting tip shape could be mounted on already installed wind turbines as a sleeve-like solution or be conceived as part of a modular blade with tips designed for site-specific conditions.
Ang Li, Georg Raimund Pirrung, Mac Gaunaa, Helge Aagaard Madsen, and Sergio González Horcas
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 129–160, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-129-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-129-2022, 2022
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An engineering aerodynamic model for the swept horizontal-axis wind turbine blades is proposed. It uses a combination of analytical results and engineering approximations. The performance of the model is comparable with heavier high-fidelity models but has similarly low computational cost as currently used low-fidelity models. The model could be used for an efficient and accurate load calculation of swept wind turbine blades and could eventually be integrated in a design optimization framework.
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Curved blade tips can potentially have a significant impact on wind turbine performance and loads. A swept tip shape optimized for wind turbine applications is tested in a wind tunnel. A range of numerical aerodynamic simulation tools with various levels of fidelity are compared. We show that all numerical tools except for the simplest blade element momentum based are in good agreement with the measurements, suggesting the required level of model fidelity necessary for the design of such tips.
Thanasis Barlas, Néstor Ramos-García, Georg Raimund Pirrung, and Sergio González Horcas
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A method to design advanced tip extensions for modern wind turbine blades is presented in this work. The resulting design concept has high potential in terms of actual implementation in a real rotor upscaling with a potential business case in reducing the cost of energy produced by future large wind turbine rotors.
Özge Sinem Özçakmak, Helge Aagaard Madsen, Niels Nørmark Sørensen, and Jens Nørkær Sørensen
Wind Energ. Sci., 5, 1487–1505, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1487-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1487-2020, 2020
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Accurate prediction of the laminar-turbulent transition process is critical for design and prediction tools to be used in the industrial design process, particularly for the high Reynolds numbers experienced by modern wind turbines. Laminar-turbulent transition behavior of a wind turbine blade section is investigated in this study by means of field experiments and 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) rotor simulations.
Stephanie Lehnhoff, Alejandro Gómez González, and Jörg R. Seume
Wind Energ. Sci., 5, 1411–1423, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1411-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1411-2020, 2020
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The application of an optical measurement method for the determination of rotor blade deformation and torsion based on digital image correlation (DIC) is presented. Measurement results are validated by comparison with comparative measurement data. Finally, aeroelastic simulation results are compared to DIC results. It is shown that the measured deformation is in very good agreement with the simulations, and therefore DIC has great potential for the experimental validation of aeroelastic codes.
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Short summary
This work describes a series of tests of active flaps on a 4 MW wind turbine. The measurements were performed between October 2017 and June 2019 using two different active flap configurations on a blade of the turbine, showing a potential to manipulate the loading of the turbine between 5 % and 10 %. This project is performed with the aim of demonstrating a technology with the potential of reducing the levelized cost of energy for wind power.
This work describes a series of tests of active flaps on a 4 MW wind turbine. The measurements...
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