wind turbine aerodynamics research needs assessment

146 Pages·2001·6.93 MB·English

DoE/ER/30075-Hl
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WIND TURBINE AERODYNAMICS
RESEARCH NEEDS ASSESSMENT
January 1986
Prepared by:
F. S. Stoddard, Principal Investigator
B. K. Porter, Project Coordinator
Washington Consulting Group
Washington, D.C. 20006
Contract No. DE-ACOI -85 ER30075
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Energy Research
Office of Program Analysis
Cover photograph furnished courtesy of
Cermak/Peterka & Associates Inc.,
Fort Collins, Colorado, March 1986.
DISCLAIMER
This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored
by an agency of the United States Government. Neither
the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor
any of their employees, make any warranty, express or
implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for
the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any
information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or
represents that its use would not infringe privately owned
rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial
product, process, or service by trade name, trademark,
manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute
or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by
the United States Government or any agency thereof. The
views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not
necessarily state or refiect those of the United States
Government or any agency thereof.
DISCLAIMER
Portions of this document may be illegible
in electronic image products. Images are
produced from the best avaiiable original
document.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...0 .. 0.0..= . . . iv
List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
...
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XIII
CHAPTERS
1. Technical Assessment Panel and Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. Research Needs Assessment Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...= . . . . . 4
3. Wind Turbine Aerodynamic Study Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Airfoil andRotor Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Steady Aerodynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Unsteady Aerodynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Inflow Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .* .*.... . ..- 20
Interface Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...*... . . 22
Aeroelasticity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Control Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
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Shutdown Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
4. Wind Turbine Aerodynamic Research Needs and Priorities . . . . . . . . . . . .=.. 31
Specific Aerodynamic Research Needs by Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Unsteady Aerodynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Inflow Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Interface Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Steady Aerodynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
5. The Need forBasic Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
6. The Need for Aerometeorology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...* . . . . . 56
7. Applications Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...* . . . . . . . . . . ..*...** 60
Rotor Size, Productivity, and Economy of Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Variable Speed Rotors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...=. .- ==...=. ** 70
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Advanced Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
New Descriptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
8. Recommended DOE Wind Turbine Unsteady Aerodynamics R&D
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...*.. . . . . . . . . ..****. . . . 78
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List of References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
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APPENDICES
1. Technical Assessment Panel and Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
2. A Tutoriak The Influence of Aerodynamics on
Wind Turbine Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Rotor Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Rotor Aerodynamic Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Wind Turbine Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
3. Summary of Generic Design Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
4. Wind Turbine Industry Representatives
and Sites Visited, July 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...4>.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 125
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Wind energy is a potentially aerodynamic research needs and
viable technology, but one that now opportunities which could be used
needs carefully planned research in by the Department of Energy program
order that pressing design problems management team in detailing the
can be solved. Wind turbine design DOE Five-Year Wind Turbine Research
tools must be improved for the Plan. The focus of the Assessment
adequate prediction of performance was the basic science of aerodynamics
and reliability. This is due in part as applied to wind turbines, includ-
to the severe environmental demands ing all relevant phenomena, such
for wind energy systems, and in as turbulence, dynamic stall, three-
part to a lack of understanding of dimensional effects, viscosity,
wind turbine aerodynamics. wake geometry, and others which
influence aerodynamic understanding
and design.
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT PANEL The study was restricted to
AND PROCEDURE wind turbines that provide electrical
energy compatible with the utility
The Wind Turbine Aerodynamics grid, and included both horizontal
Technical Assessment Panel (“Panel”) axis wind turbines (HAWT) and
was formed by the Washington Consult- vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT).
ing Group under the sponsorship of Also, no economic constraints were
the Office of Energy Research of imposed on the design concepts or
the U. S. Department of Energy, recommendations since the focus of
and was directed to define the highest the investigation was purely scientific.
priority research needs relating to
the aerodynamics of wind turbines.
In addition to its own meetings
and deliberations, the Panel attended RESEARCH NEEDS ASSESSMENT
a DOE-sponsored seminar on the METHODOLOGY AND WIND TURBINE
aerodynamics of wind turbines at AERODYNAMICS STUDY AREAS
Sandia National Laboratory in Albu-
querque, NM, in March 1985, a The Panel established a method
briefing by wind turbine industry to identify the present research
representatives in Oakland, Cali- needs: first a hierarchy of aero-
fornia, in July 1985, and conducted dynamic study areas relevant to
an inspection of a number of wind the engineering design of wind
farm installations at Altamont Pass turbines was established. The
and the Boeing/PGE Mod-II wind study areas ranged from simple,
turbine in Fairfield, California. steady-state, two-dimensional
The Panel also reviewed a substantial (2-D) airfoil studies, to the very
number of technical reports document- complex stochastic representation
ing the research on the aerodynamics of unsteady turbulence of the
of wind turbines. wind. Each of these was further
broken down into specific subcate-
The Panel’s goal was to develop gories, developed in order of comp-
a prioritized list of wind turbine lexity.
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The first category is the inter- Each concept was then discussed
action between the airflow and the and evaluated for each aerodynamic
airfoil. This includes steady aero- topic, and a numerical research
dynamics, on which most classical opportunity priority was established
aerodynamics and most present for each.
design tools for wind turbines are
based, and unsteady aerodynamics,
which is concerned with airfoil and
rotor behavior under time-varying WIND TURBINE AEROD~JAMIC
conditions. RESEARCH NEEDS AND PRIORITIES
The second major aerodynamic The highest priority research was
topic is the inflow to the rotor, identified as those topics which
which consists ofi are common to all design approaches,
that cut across design and configu-
wind speed and direction ration boundaries, and will enhance
fluctuations, those approaches and others yet
terrain-induced fluctuations, to be identified.
and
interference-induced The Panel agreed that the following
fluctuations, three subject areas and specific
subdiscipline are the highest
all of which are unsteady. priority aerodynamic research
areas and opportunities for future
In the third and last category development of the wind-power
of aerodynamic study are interface industry
topics, for which the aerodynamics
plays a major role through the Unsteady Aerodynamics
unsteady airloading, but which
depend also on other disciplines. Dynamic Stall Understanding--
These are aeroelasticity, control
systems, shutdown systems, and Develop an understanding
interference. of the 2-D and 3-D hysteresis
effects of dynamic stall.
Next, having established a frame-
work of topics for discussion, the Testing Methodology for Unsteady
Panel chose seven generic design Flow--
approaches for wind turbines which
are the most significant and in the Stimulate complex unsteady
Panel’s view, represent the best flows in wind tunnel and
potential for improving the cost total system (field) tests in
and reliability of wind energy systems. order to exploit dynamic
staIl effects.
These were
Airfoil Development Studies
o Stall control for Unsteady Flow--
o Pitch control
o Variable speed HAWT Initiate a design process
o Darrieus VAWT which will yield airfoils
o Straight blade VAWT specifically suited for unsteady
o High tip speed HAWT flow, and which considers
o Free Yaw HAWT the significance ofi
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o dynamic stall repeat- Wake Model Interference Develop-
ability and insen- ment--
sivity
0 airfoil roughness Develop and verify a model
0 delayed stall and soft for the structure and decay
stall of the unsteady wind tur-
0 performance and prediction bine rotor wake.
0 rotor stability; and
0 airfoil control devices. Component Wake Interference
Development--
Wind Inflow Models The Develop- Develop and verify models
ment of Aerometeorology for the structure and decay
of the unsteady wakes caused
Establish a new study termed by turbine components such
aerometeorology, which will attempt as towers.
to develop realistic inflow models
for the assessment of unsteady Shutdown (Emergency) Systems--
effects, including the specific
cases ofi Develop an understanding
of the behavior of airfoils
o unsteady, uniform inflow- - under extreme conditions,
or representation of the and at very high angles of
uniform gust front; attack, such as a moving
0 unsteady nonuniform inflow-- aileron in separated flow.
or representation of frozen
turbulence; In addition, further steady-state
0 steady, nonuniform inflow-- aerodynamics studies should be
or representation of steady continued in order to provide a
inflow fronts; and suitable data base for the above
0 stochastic inflow-- investigations and lend insight
or representation of into the new physical and mathe-
inflow in the frequency/wave matical models and design tools
number domain. which must be used.
Interface Topics Steady Aerodynamics
Aeroelasticity -- Three-Dimensional Flow--
Develop a methodology for Assess the degree of 3-D
defining the unsteady airloads or spanwise flow which
. which must be included in the occurs under typical conditions,
structural dynamic models. and relate that to the inflow
and turbine wake geometry.
Control Systems- -
Wake Modeling--
Investigate the performance
and reliability benefits to be Develop and verify a model
obtained with external control of the turbine vortex wake
actions, such as ailerons, in geometry suitable for perfor-
steady and unsteady flow. mance and stability studies.
,.
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Effect of Roughness in Steady mance, reliability, and economics of
State-- wind turbines is possible given a
proper unsteady aerodynamics tech-
Develop an understanding of nology base. This basic research
environmentally-induced airfoil program should include a strong
surface roughness on airfoil experimental emphasis from the
transition and separation in beginning.
steady flow.
The Panel also calls for the
Airfoil Mechanisms-- development of a new branch of
aerodynamic study, termed aerometeor -
Investigate the effect of ology, which combines the unsteady
airfoil mechanisms, such as aerodynamics of the wind turbine
vortex generators, on delaying design community and the unsteady
turbine rotor stall and physics of the meteorologists.
separation, The center of expertise for the
study of unsteady rotor inflow is
Two-Dimensional Airfoil Develop- the atmospheric physics community.
ment-- However, sufficient guidelines do
not exist since the wind turbine
Develop a verified methodology community cannot yet adequately
for tailored wind turbine assess airfoil response to fluctua-
airfoil design in steady state tions. A better understanding of
to establish a database for unsteady aerodynamics and new
future unsteady airfoil design. attempts to relate the extensive
body of micrometeorological data
Testing Methodology for Steady on turbulence structure to engi-
Flow- - neering applications are needed.
Therefore, the basic goal of aero-
Continue steady-state wind meteorology is:
turbine testing in wind tunnels
and in the field, to acquire To define a disciplinary area
long-term performance data of collaboration between the
and to investigate the benefits wind turbine engineering com-
of new airfoils. munity and the micrometeor-
ology community, both experi -
THE NEEDS FOR BASIC RESEARCH mental and theoretical.
AND AEROMETEOROLOGY
In aerometeorology, the emphasis
The Panel determined that the major will be on representing realistic
work should be in unsteady aerody- unsteady inflows to the aerody -
namics and rotor inflow and recom- namicists who will be assessing
mends that the emphasis be on various wind turbine design concepts.
basic research rather than on applied For example, two of the immediate
research. The basic research which projects that could be undertaken
is called for here must establish a by aerometeorologists would be the
technology base strong enough so determination of effective rotor
that design decisions can be made inflow length scales and micro-
with confidence and not by trial siting, or the representation of
and error as is often the case now. terrain interference inflow effects
The Panel believes that very sign- on distributions of mean inflow
ificant improvement in the perfor- velocities.
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