Articles | Volume 7, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-19-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-19-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 Jan 2022
Research article |
| 19 Jan 2022
| 19 Jan 2022
Land-based wind turbines with flexible rail-transportable blades – Part 2: 3D finite element design optimization of the rotor blades
Wind Energy Technologies Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA
Evan Anderson
Wind Energy Technologies Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA
Josh Paquette
Wind Energy Technologies Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA
Pietro Bortolotti
National Wind Technology Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Roland Feil
National Wind Technology Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Nick Johnson
National Wind Technology Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
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The length of rotor blades of land-based wind turbines is currently constrained by logistics. Turbine manufacturers currently propose segmented solutions to overcome these limits, but blade joints come with extra masses and costs. This work investigates an alternative solution, namely the design of ultra-flexible blades that can be transported on rail via controlled bending. The results show that this is a promising pathway for further increasing the size of land-based wind turbines.
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Short summary
The length of rotor blades of land-based wind turbines is currently constrained by logistics. Turbine manufacturers currently propose segmented solutions to overcome these limits, but blade joints come with extra masses and costs. This work investigates an alternative solution, namely the design of ultra-flexible blades that can be transported on rail via controlled bending. The results show that this is a promising pathway to further increasing the size of land-based wind turbines.
The length of rotor blades of land-based wind turbines is currently constrained by logistics....
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