Aeroelastic analysis of wind turbine blades based on modified strip theory

Abstract

This study investigates the performance and aeroelastic characteristics of wind turbine blades based on flexible multibody dynamics, a new aerodynamic model, and the fluid-structure interaction approach. A new aerodynamic model is proposed based on modified strip theory (MST). MST was established for flapping wing aerodynamic models and considers a high relative angle of attack and dynamic stall effects. A simulated wind turbine blade was modeled using multibody dynamics software (MSC.A-DAMS), where the flexible parts can be included by importing a finite element model built in finite element analysis software (ANSYS). The aeroelastic responses of the blade were obtained by coupling these aerodynamic and structural models. The proposed aeroelastic analysis method was validated using the predicted performance of the NREL 5MW model reported in the literature. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.