Power spectral density analysis of wind-shear turbulence for related flight simulations. M.S. Thesis

Science.gov (United States)

Laituri, Tony R.

1988-01-01

Meteorological phenomena known as microbursts can produce abrupt changes in wind direction and/or speed over a very short distance in the atmosphere. These changes in flow characteristics have been labelled wind shear. Because of its adverse effects on aerodynamic lift, wind shear poses its most immediate threat to flight operations at low altitudes. The number of recent commercial aircraft accidents attributed to wind shear has necessitated a better understanding of how energy is transferred to an aircraft from wind-shear turbulence. Isotropic turbulence here serves as the basis of comparison for the anisotropic turbulence which exists in the low-altitude wind shear. The related question of how isotropic turbulence scales in a wind shear is addressed from the perspective of power spectral density (psd). The role of the psd in related Monte Carlo simulations is also considered.

Advanced structural wind engineering

CERN Document Server

Kareem, Ahsan

2013-01-01

This book serves as a textbook for advanced courses as it introduces state-of-the-art information and the latest research results on diverse problems in the structural wind engineering field. The topics include wind climates, design wind speed estimation, bluff body aerodynamics and applications, wind-induced building responses, wind, gust factor approach, wind loads on components and cladding, debris impacts, wind loading codes and standards, computational tools and computational fluid dynamics techniques, habitability to building vibrations, damping in buildings, and suppression of wind-induced vibrations. Graduate students and expert engineers will find the book especially interesting and relevant to their research and work.

The Joint Airport Weather Studies Project - Current analysis highlights in the aviation safety context

Science.gov (United States)

Mccarthy, J.

1984-01-01

The principal objective of the Joint Airport Weather Studies Project was to obtain high-resolution velocity, turbulence, and thermodynamic data on a convective outflow called a microburst, an intense downdraft and resulting horizontal outflow near the surface. Data collection occurred during the summer of 1982 near Denver, CO. Data sensors included three pulsed-microwave Doppler and two pulsed CO2 lidar radars, along with 27 Portable Automated Mesonet surface weather stations, the FAA's low-level-wind-shear alert system (LLWSAS), and five instrumented research aircraft. Convective storms occurred on 75 of 91 operational days, with Doppler data being collected on at least 70 microbursts. Analyses reported included a thorough examination of microburst-climatology statistics, the capability of the LLWSAS to detect adequately and accurately the presence of low-altitude wind shear danger to aircraft, the capability of a terminal Doppler radar system development to provide improved wind-shear detection and warning, and progress toward improved wind-shear training for pilots.

Wind Turbines Adaptation to the Variability of the Wind Field

Science.gov (United States)

Ulianov, Yuriy; Martynenko, Gennadii; Misaylov, Vitaliy; Soliannikova, Iuliia

2010-05-01

WIND TURBINES ADAPTATION TO THE VARIABILITY OF THE WIND FIELD The subject of our scientific research is wind power turbines (WPT) with the horizontal axis which were now common in the world. Efficient wind turbines work is largely determined by non-stationarity of the wind field, expressed in its gustiness, the presence of vertical and horizontal shifts of wind speed and direction. At critical values of the wind parameters WPT has aerodynamic and mechanical overload, leading to breakdowns, premature wear and reduce the life of the wind turbine. To prevent accidents at the peak values of wind speed it is used the regulatory system of windwheels. WPT control systems provide a process orientation of the wind turbine rotor axis in the line of the mean wind. Wind turbines are also equipped with braking device used to protect against breakdowns when a significant increase in the wind. In general, all these methods of regulation are not always effective. Thus, in practice there may be situations when the wind speed is many times greater than the stated limit. For example, if there are microbursts in the atmospheric boundary layer, low-level wind shears caused by its gust front, storms, etc. It is required for a wind power turbine adaptation to intensive short-term wind impulses and considerable vertical wind shifts that the data about them shall be obtained ahead of time. To do this it is necessary to have the information on the real structure of the wind field in the area of the blade sweep for the minimum range against the wind that is determined by the mean speed and the system action time. The implementation of acoustic and laser traditional wind sounding systems is limited by ambient acoustic noise, by heavy rain, snowfall and by fog. There are free of these disadvantages the inclined radioacoustic sounding (IRASS) technique which works for a system of remote detection and control of wind gusts. IRASS technique is realized as low-potential Doppler pulse radar

A conceptual framework for using Doppler radar acquired atmospheric data for flight simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, W.

1983-01-01

A concept is presented which can permit turbulence simulation in the vicinity of microbursts. The method involves a large data base, but should be fast enough for use with flight simulators. The model permits any pilot to simulate any flight maneuver in any aircraft. The model simulates a wind field with three-component mean winds and three-component turbulent gusts, and gust variation over the body of an aircraft so that all aerodynamic loads and moments can be calculated. The time and space variation of mean winds and turbulent intensities associated with a particular atmospheric phenomenon such as a microburst is used in the model. In fact, Doppler radar data such as provided by JAWS is uniquely suited for use with the proposed model. The concept is completely general and is not restricted to microburst studies. Reentry and flight in terrestrial or planetary atmospheres could be realistically simulated if supporting data of sufficient resolution were available.

Solar micro-bursts of 22. 2 GHz and their relationship to events observed at lower frequencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blakey, J R [Universidade Mackenzie, Sao Paulo (Brazil). Centro de Radio-Astronomia e Astrofisica

1976-01-01

Observations of McMath region 10433 at 22 GHz using a telescope with a 4 minutes of arc beam during July 1974 revealed the existence events or 'microbursts' with intensities below the sensitivity limit of normal solar patrol instruments. Many of these events were simply the high frequency counterpart of more intense bursts observed at lower frequencies. This note considers the small number of events which suggest that the gyro-synchrotron mechanism alone is incapable of explaining the observations and indicates that a thermal mechanism is needed to explain the high frequency event.

Improving Ambient Wind Environments of a Cross-flow Wind Turbine near a Structure by using an Inlet Guide Structure and a Flow Deflector

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Tadakazu TANINO; Shinichiro NAKAO; Genki UEBAYASHI

2005-01-01

A cross-flow wind turbine near a structure was tested for the performance. The results showed that the performance of a cross-flow wind turbine near a structure was up to 30% higher than the one without a structure.In addition, we tried to get higher performance of a cross-flow wind turbine by using an Inlet Guide Structure and a Flow Deflector. An Inlet Guide Structure was placed on the edge of a structure and a Flow Deflector was set near a cross-flow wind turbine and can improve ambient wind environments of the wind turbine, the maximum power coefficients were about 15 to 40% higher and the tip speed ratio range showing the high power coefficient was wide and the positive gradients were steep apparently.

Optimal Structural Reliability of Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Tarp-Johansen, N.J.

2005-01-01

The main failure modes of modern large wind turbines are fatigue failure of wings, hub, shaft and main tower, local buckling of main tower, and failure of the foundation. This paper considers reliability-based optimal design of wind turbines. Compared to onshore wind turbines and building...... structures, humans spent little time in the vicinity of offshore wind turbines and the probability of human injury during storm conditions is small. Further environmental pollution will also in general be small in case of failure. One could therefore argue that the reliability level of offshore wind turbines...... can be lower than for onshore wind turbines and other civil engineering structures and can be assessed by reliability-based cost-optimization. Specifically this paper considers the main tower and foundation. Both fatigue and ultimate strength failure modes are included. Different formulations...

Financial structures for wind farms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johns, J.H.

1994-01-01

This paper provides a summary of the structures used to finance wind farms. It takes into account the impact of the 3rd tranche of the NFFO and provides an evaluation of cash returns using Ernst and Young's wind energy model. Suggestions for further developments in financing include the use of specialist financial instruments and tax planning techniques. (author)

Structural Reliability Analysis of Wind Turbines: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiyu Jiang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a detailed review of the state-of-the-art research activities on structural reliability analysis of wind turbines between the 1990s and 2017. We describe the reliability methods including the first- and second-order reliability methods and the simulation reliability methods and show the procedure for and application areas of structural reliability analysis of wind turbines. Further, we critically review the various structural reliability studies on rotor blades, bottom-fixed support structures, floating systems and mechanical and electrical components. Finally, future applications of structural reliability methods to wind turbine designs are discussed.

Fatigue strength ofcomposite wind turbine blade structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ardila, Oscar Gerardo Castro

Wind turbines are normally designed to withstand 20-30 years of life. During this period, the blades, which are the main rotating structures of a wind turbine, are subjected to high fluctuating load conditions as a result of a combination of gravity, inertia, and aeroelastic forces. For this reason......, fatigue is one of the foremost concerns during the design of these structures. However, current standard fatigue methods used for designing wind turbine blades seem not to be completely appropriate for these structures because they are still based on methods developed for metals and not for composite...... materials from which the blades are made. In this sense, the aim of this work is to develop more accurate and reliable fatigue-life prediction models for composite wind turbine blades. In this project, two types of fatigue models are implemented: fatigue-life models and damage mechanics models. In the first...

Database on wind characteristics - Structure and philosophy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsen, G.C.; Hansen, K.S.

2001-11-01

The main objective of IEA R and D Wind Annex XVII - Database on Wind Characteristics - is to provide wind energy planners and designers, as well as the international wind engineering community in general, with easy access to quality controlled measured wind field time series observed in a wide range of environments. The project partners are Sweden, Norway, U.S.A., The Netherlands, Japan and Denmark, with Denmark as the Operating Agent. The reporting of IEA R and D Annex XVII falls in three separate parts. Part one deals with the overall structure and philosophy behind the database, part two accounts in details for the available data in the established database bank and part three is the Users Manual describing the various ways to access and analyse the data. The present report constitutes the first part of the Annex XVII reporting, and it contains a detailed description of the database structure, the data quality control procedures, the selected indexing of the data and the hardware system. (au)

Filament winding technique, experiment and simulation analysis on tubular structure

Science.gov (United States)

Quanjin, Ma; Rejab, M. R. M.; Kaige, Jiang; Idris, M. S.; Harith, M. N.

2018-04-01

Filament winding process has emerged as one of the potential composite fabrication processes with lower costs. Filament wound products involve classic axisymmetric parts (pipes, rings, driveshafts, high-pressure vessels and storage tanks), non-axisymmetric parts (prismatic nonround sections and pipe fittings). Based on the 3-axis filament winding machine has been designed with the inexpensive control system, it is completely necessary to make a relative comparison between experiment and simulation on tubular structure. In this technical paper, the aim of this paper is to perform a dry winding experiment using the 3-axis filament winding machine and simulate winding process on the tubular structure using CADWIND software with 30°, 45°, 60° winding angle. The main result indicates that the 3-axis filament winding machine can produce tubular structure with high winding pattern performance with different winding angle. This developed 3-axis winding machine still has weakness compared to CAWIND software simulation results with high axes winding machine about winding pattern, turnaround impact, process error, thickness, friction impact etc. In conclusion, the 3-axis filament winding machine improvements and recommendations come up with its comparison results, which can intuitively understand its limitations and characteristics.

Structural Reliability Aspects in Design of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2007-01-01

Reliability assessment, optimal design and optimal operation and maintenance of wind turbines are an area of significant interest for the fast growing wind turbine industry for sustainable production of energy. Offshore wind turbines in wind farms give special problems due to wake effects inside...... the farm. Reliability analysis and optimization of wind turbines require that the special conditions for wind turbine operation are taken into account. Control of the blades implies load reductions for large wind speeds and parking for high wind speeds. In this paper basic structural failure modes for wind...... turbines are described. Further, aspects are presented related to reliability-based optimization of wind turbines, assessment of optimal reliability level and operation and maintenance....

A GLANCE AT OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE FOUNDATION STRUCTURES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianhua Zhang

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Energy poverty and climate change are crucial issues we face in our societies. Offshore wind energy has been a reliable solution to both of these problems - solving our growing energy problems while reducing CO2 emission. Innovative foundation design is one of the setbacks faced by this industry. Designing and constructing a cost effective offshore wind farm is greatly hampered by technical and infrastructural challenges, especially in foundation structures. This paper provides a detailed overview of issues related to this problem, with the aim of eliminating the frequent misunderstandings which can arise among engineers and investors working in the offshore wind energy sector. It begins by investigating the latest data and recommendations regarding the design and deployment of various kinds of offshore wind turbine (OWT foundations. It provides a framework which enables us to study the different OWT foundations, including prototypes and their limitations. Various structural failure modes are highlighted and corrosion measures are presented. Moreover, various removal methods of support structures are put forward. Finally, this paper presents the setbacks preventing the spread of offshore wind energy and the future works for offshore wind energy applications.

Grid faults' impact on wind turbine structural loads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, A.D.; Cutululis, N.A.; Soerensen, P.; Larsen, T.J. [Risoe National Lab., DTU, Wind Energy Dept. (Denmark); Iov, F.

2007-11-15

The objective of this work is to illustrate the impact of the grid faults on the wind turbine structural loads. Grid faults are typically in detailed power system simulation tools, which by applying simplified mechanical models, are not able to provide a throughout insight on the structural loads caused by sudden disturbances on the grid. On the other hand, structural loads of the wind turbine are typically assessed in advanced aeroelastic computer codes, which by applying simplified electrical models do not provide detailed electrical insight. This paper presents a simulation strategy, where the focus is on how to access a proper combination of two complementary simulation tools, such as the advanced aeroelastic computer code HAWC2 and the detailed power system simulation tool DIgSILENT, in order to provide a whole overview of both the structural and the electrical behaviour of the wind turbine during grid faults. The effect of a grid fault on the wind turbine flexible structure is assessed for a typical fixed speed wind turbine, equipped with an induction generator. (au)

Wind/seismic comparison for upgrading existing structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giller, R.A.

1989-01-01

This paper depicts the analysis procedures and methods used to evaluate three existing building structures for extreme wind loads. The three structures involved in this evaluation are located at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. This site is characterized by open flat grassland with few surrounding obstructions and has extreme winds in lieu of tornados as a design basis accident condition. This group of buildings represents a variety of construction types, including a concrete stack, a concrete load-bearing wall structure, and a rigid steel-frame building. The three structures included in this group have recently been evaluated for response to the design basis earthquake that included non-linear time history effects. The resulting loads and stresses from the wind analyses were compared to the loads and stresses resulting from seismic analyses. This approach eliminated the need to prepare additional capacity calculations that were already contained in the seismic evaluations

Solar wind structure out of the ecliptic plane over solar cycles

Science.gov (United States)

Sokol, J. M.; Bzowski, M.; Tokumaru, M.

2017-12-01

Sun constantly emits a stream of plasma known as solar wind. Ground-based observations of the solar wind speed through the interplanetary scintillations (IPS) of radio flux from distant point sources and in-situ measurements by Ulysses mission revealed that the solar wind flow has different characteristics depending on the latitude. This latitudinal structure evolves with the cycle of solar activity. The knowledge on the evolution of solar wind structure is important for understanding the interaction between the interstellar medium surrounding the Sun and the solar wind, which is responsible for creation of the heliosphere. The solar wind structure must be taken into account in interpretation of most of the observations of heliospheric energetic neutral atoms, interstellar neutral atoms, pickup ions, and heliospheric backscatter glow. The information on the solar wind structure is not any longer available from direct measurements after the termination of Ulysses mission and the only source of the solar wind out of the ecliptic plane is the IPS observations. However, the solar wind structure obtained from this method contains inevitable gaps in the time- and heliolatitude coverage. Sokół et al 2015 used the solar wind speed data out of the ecliptic plane retrieved from the IPS observations performed by Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (Nagoya University, Japan) and developed a methodology to construct a model of evolution of solar wind speed and density from 1985 to 2013 that fills the data gaps. In this paper we will present a refined model of the solar wind speed and density structure as a function of heliographic latitude updated by the most recent data from IPS observations. And we will discuss methods of extrapolation of the solar wind structure out of the ecliptic plane for the past solar cycles, when the data were not available, as well as forecasting for few years upward.

Floating wind generators offshore wind farm: Implications for structural loads and control actions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, E.; Morant F, Quiles E.; Correcher, A.

2009-01-01

This paper describes the work currently carried out in the design of floating wind generators and their involvement in the future development of power generation in marine farms in depths exceeding 20 m. We discuss the main issues to be taken into account in the design of floating platforms, including the involvement of structural loads they bear. Also from a standpoint of control engineering are discussed strategies to reduce structural loads such a system to ensure adequate durability and therefore ensuring their economic viability. Finally, the abstract modeling tools for floating wind turbines that can be used in both structural design and the design of appropriate control algorithms

Damage tolerance and structural monitoring for wind turbine blades.

Science.gov (United States)

McGugan, M; Pereira, G; Sørensen, B F; Toftegaard, H; Branner, K

2015-02-28

The paper proposes a methodology for reliable design and maintenance of wind turbine rotor blades using a condition monitoring approach and a damage tolerance index coupling the material and structure. By improving the understanding of material properties that control damage propagation it will be possible to combine damage tolerant structural design, monitoring systems, inspection techniques and modelling to manage the life cycle of the structures. This will allow an efficient operation of the wind turbine in terms of load alleviation, limited maintenance and repair leading to a more effective exploitation of offshore wind. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Structural Reliability of Wind Turbine Blades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dimitrov, Nikolay Krasimirov

turbine blades. The main purpose is to draw a clear picture of how reliability-based design of wind turbines can be done in practice. The objectives of the thesis are to create methodologies for efficient reliability assessment of composite materials and composite wind turbine blades, and to map...... the uncertainties in the processes, materials and external conditions that have an effect on the health of a composite structure. The study considers all stages in a reliability analysis, from defining models of structural components to obtaining the reliability index and calibration of partial safety factors...... by developing new models and standards or carrying out tests The following aspects are covered in detail: ⋅ The probabilistic aspects of ultimate strength of composite laminates are addressed. Laminated plates are considered as a general structural reliability system where each layer in a laminate is a separate...

Wind load modeling for topology optimization of continuum structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zakhama, R.; Abdalla, M.M.; Gürdal, Z.; Smaoui, H.

2010-01-01

Topology optimization of two and three dimensional structures subject to dead and wind loading is considered. The wind loading is introduced into the formulation by using standard expressions for the drag force, and a strategy is devised so that wind pressure is ignored where there is no surface

Solar wind structure suggested by bimodal correlations of solar wind speed and density between the spacecraft SOHO and Wind

Science.gov (United States)

Ogilvie, K. W.; Coplan, M. A.; Roberts, D. A.; Ipavich, F.

2007-08-01

We calculate the cross-spacecraft maximum lagged-cross-correlation coefficients for 2-hour intervals of solar wind speed and density measurements made by the plasma instruments on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and Wind spacecraft over the period from 1996, the minimum of solar cycle 23, through the end of 2005. During this period, SOHO was located at L1, about 200 R E upstream from the Earth, while Wind spent most of the time in the interplanetary medium at distances of more than 100 R E from the Earth. Yearly histograms of the maximum, time-lagged correlation coefficients for both the speed and density are bimodal in shape, suggesting the existence of two distinct solar wind regimes. The larger correlation coefficients we suggest are due to structured solar wind, including discontinuities and shocks, while the smaller are likely due to Alfvénic turbulence. While further work will be required to firmly establish the physical nature of the two populations, the results of the analysis are consistent with a solar wind that consists of turbulence from quiet regions of the Sun interspersed with highly filamentary structures largely convected from regions in the inner solar corona. The bimodal appearance of the distributions is less evident in the solar wind speed than in the density correlations, consistent with the observation that the filamentary structures are convected with nearly constant speed by the time they reach 1 AU. We also find that at solar minimum the fits for the density correlations have smaller high-correlation components than at solar maximum. We interpret this as due to the presence of more relatively uniform Alfvénic regions at solar minimum than at solar maximum.

Modular structure of wind turbine models in IEC 61400-27-1

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Poul Ejnar; Andresen, Bjørn; Fortmann, Jens

2013-01-01

This paper presents the modular structure of wind turbine models to be published in a new standard IEC 61400-27 for “Electrical simulation models for wind power generation”. The purpose of this standardization work is to define generic simulation models for wind turbines (Part 1) and wind power...... plants (Part 2), which are intended for short-term power system stability analyses. Part 1 has passed the first committee draft stage, whereas Part 2 is in an early stage of development. Initially, the paper describes the interfaces between wind turbine, wind power plant and grid models, and then gives...... a more detailed description of the modular structure of the types of wind turbines that are included in Part 1....

Adaptive inflatable structures for protecting wind turbines against ship collisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graczykowski, C.; Heinonen, J.

2006-09-15

Collisions of small ships are one of main dangers for the offshore wind turbines. Using inflatable structures surrounding the tower on the water level is a possibility of effective protection. Modelling of such structures is based on interaction between solid wall and fluid enclosed inside. Inflatable structures can be adapted to various impact schemes by adjusting initial pressure and controlling release of compressed air by opening piezo-valves. Simulations of ship collision with 2D model of wind turbine tower protected by pneumatic structure are presented in the report. Numerical analysis is performed using ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit. Performed feasibility study proves that inflatable structures can protect wind turbine tower and ship against serious damages. (orig.)

An Integrated Structural Strength Analysis Method for Spar Type Floating Wind Turbine

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

胡志强; 刘毅; 王晋

2016-01-01

An integrated structural strength analysis method for a Spar type floating wind turbine is proposed in this paper, and technical issues related to turbine structure modeling and stress combination are also addressed. The NREL-5MW “Hywind” Spar type wind turbine is adopted as study object. Time-domain dynamic coupled simulations are performed by a fully-coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic tool, FAST, on the purpose of obtaining the dynamic characteristics of the floating wind turbine, and determining parameters for design load cases of finite element calculation. Then design load cases are identified, and finite element analyses are performed for these design load cases. The structural stresses due to wave-induced loads and wind-induced loads are calculated, and then combined to assess the structural strength of the floating wind turbine. The feasibility of the proposed structural strength analysis method for floating wind turbines is then validated.

Colliding Stellar Winds Structure and X-ray Emission

Science.gov (United States)

Pittard, J. M.; Dawson, B.

2018-04-01

We investigate the structure and X-ray emission from the colliding stellar winds in massive star binaries. We find that the opening angle of the contact discontinuity (CD) is overestimated by several formulae in the literature at very small values of the wind momentum ratio, η. We find also that the shocks in the primary (dominant) and secondary winds flare by ≈20° compared to the CD, and that the entire secondary wind is shocked when η ≲ 0.02. Analytical expressions for the opening angles of the shocks, and the fraction of each wind that is shocked, are provided. We find that the X-ray luminosity Lx∝η, and that the spectrum softens slightly as η decreases.

IDENTIFICATION OF WIND LOAD APPLIED TO THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES BY VIRTUE OF ITS SIMULATION IN THE WIND TUNNEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doroshenko Sergey Aleksandrovich

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The authors discuss wind loads applied to a set of two buildings. The wind load is simulated with the help of the wind tunnel. In the Russian Federation, special attention is driven to the aerodynamics of high-rise buildings and structures. According to the Russian norms, identification of aerodynamic coefficients for high-rise buildings, as well as the influence of adjacent buildings and structures, is performed on the basis of models of structures exposed to wind impacts simulated in the wind tunnel. This article deals with the results of the wind tunnel test of buildings. The simulation was carried out with the involvement of a model of two twenty-three storied buildings. The experiment was held in a wind tunnel of the closed type at in the Institute of Mechanics of Moscow State University. Data were compared at the zero speed before and after the experiment. LabView software was used to process the output data. Graphs and tables were developed in the Microsoft Excel package. GoogleSketchUp software was used as a visualization tool. The three-dimensional flow formed in the wind tunnel can't be adequately described by solving the two-dimensional problem. The aerodynamic experiment technique is used to analyze the results for eighteen angles of the wind attack.

The offshore trend: Structural changes in the wind power sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markard, Jochen; Petersen, Regula

2009-01-01

In recent years, the wind power sector has begun to move offshore, i.e. to use space and good wind speeds on the open sea for large scale electricity generation. Offshore wind power, however, is not just technologically challenging but also a capital intensive and risky business that requires particular financial and organizational resources not all potential investors might have. We therefore address the question, what impact offshore wind power may have on ownership and organizational structures in the wind power sector. We compare on- and offshore wind park ownership in Denmark, the UK and Germany. The analysis shows that offshore wind power in all three countries is dominated by large firms, many of which are from the electricity sector. In Denmark and the UK, also investors from the gas and oil industry play an important role in the offshore wind business. This development represents a major shift for countries such as Germany and Denmark, in which the wind power sector has grown and matured on the basis of investments by individuals, farmers, cooperatives and independent project developers. The structural changes by which offshore wind power is accompanied have consequences for turbine manufacturers, project developers, investors, associations and policy makers in the field.

Transverse Resonant Vibration of Non-Bearing Structures Caused by Wind

Science.gov (United States)

Jendzelovsky, Norbert; Antal, Roland

2017-10-01

Nowadays, there are increasing use of very thin, subtle and light structures in the field of building constructions. We can find such a structures as part of roofs or design facades. By using these lamellas like, non-bearing structures as a part of architectural design of buildings, it is necessary to consider wind effects on these structures. Subtle structures of this type are prone to vibration in the transverse direction of the wind flow. The fact that the vibration occurs depends on wind parameters (wind velocity, direction of an air flow) and it also depends on the properties of lamella (shape, length, mass, natural frequency, support type). The principal idea of this article is to show susceptibility of lamellae-like structures to transverse resonant vibration caused by the phenomenon called Von Karman effect. Comparison of susceptibility to transverse resonance vibration was analysed on the different shapes of lamellas loaded by different wind speed. Analysis was based on usage of empirically derived equations. Von Karman effect arise from wind flow past an object. Turbulence in the form of vortices are formed at the object and shed into the flowing stream intermittently. The potential problem is that this turbulence can induce vibrations into the lamella itself. In terms of this vibration problem, two frequencies are interesting. Von Karman shedding frequency is the frequency at which the vortices are formed and shed at the object. The vortex-shedding frequency increases with the velocity of the wind flow and decreases with the size of the object. Natural frequency of the object depends on the construction of the lamella itself. Parameters of lamella as a shape, mass, length, elasticity modulus of material and support types are directly involved in the calculation of natural frequency. Worst case scenario in the term of transverse resonant vibration occurs when the natural frequency of lamella is equal to the vortex-shedding frequency. In this case

Structural Dynamic Behavior of Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Thresher, Robert W.; Mirandy, Louis P.; Carne, Thomas G.; Lobitz, Donald W.; James, George H. III

2009-01-01

The structural dynamicist s areas of responsibility require interaction with most other members of the wind turbine project team. These responsibilities are to predict structural loads and deflections that will occur over the lifetime of the machine, ensure favorable dynamic responses through appropriate design and operational procedures, evaluate potential design improvements for their impact on dynamic loads and stability, and correlate load and control test data with design predictions. Load prediction has been a major concern in wind turbine designs to date, and it is perhaps the single most important task faced by the structural dynamics engineer. However, even if we were able to predict all loads perfectly, this in itself would not lead to an economic system. Reduction of dynamic loads, not merely a "design to loads" policy, is required to achieve a cost-effective design. The two processes of load prediction and structural design are highly interactive: loads and deflections must be known before designers and stress analysts can perform structural sizing, which in turn influences the loads through changes in stiffness and mass. Structural design identifies "hot spots" (local areas of high stress) that would benefit most from dynamic load alleviation. Convergence of this cycle leads to a turbine structure that is neither under-designed (which may result in structural failure), nor over-designed (which will lead to excessive weight and cost).

The thermal structure of a wind-driven Reynolds ridge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phongikaroon, Supathorn; Peter Judd, K.; Smith, Geoffrey B.; Handler, Robert A. [Remote Sensing Division, Naval Research Laboratory, 20375, Washington, DC (United States)

2004-08-01

In this study, we investigate the nature of a Reynolds ridge formed by wind shear. We have simultaneously imaged the water surface, with a deposit of a monolayer of the surfactant, oleyl alcohol, subject to different wind shears, by using a high-resolution infrared (IR) detector and a high-speed (HS) digital camera. The results reveal that the regions around the wind-driven Reynolds ridge, which have subtle manifestations in visual imagery, possess surprisingly complex hydrodynamical and thermal structures when observed in the infrared. The IR measurements reveal a warm, clean region upstream of the ridge, which is composed of the so called fishscale structures observed in earlier investigations. The region downstream of the ridge is composed of colder fluid which forms two counter-rotating cells. A region of intermediate temperature, which we call the mixing (wake) region, forms immediately downstream of the ridge near the channel centerline. By measuring the velocity of the advected fishscales, we have determined a surface drift speed of about 2% of the wind speed. The spanwise length-scale of the structures has also been used to estimate the wind shear. In addition, a comparison of IR and visual imagery shows that the thermal field is a very sensitive indicator of the exact position of the ridge itself. (orig.)

System Identification of Wind Turbines for Structural Health Monitoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perisic, Nevena

Structural health monitoring is a multi-disciplinary engineering field that should allow the actual wind turbine maintenance programmes to evolve to the next level, hence increasing safety and reliability and decreasing turbines downtime. The main idea is to have a sensing system on the structure...... cases are considered, two practical problems from the wind industry are studied, i.e. monitoring of the gearbox shaft torque and the tower root bending moments. The second part of the thesis is focused on the influence of friction on the health of the wind turbine and on the nonlinear identification...... that monitors the system responses and notifies the operator when damages or degradations have been detected. However, some of the response signals that contain important information about the health of the wind turbine components cannot be directly measured, or measuring them is highly complex and costly...

Inverse load calculation procedure for offshore wind turbines and application to a 5-MW wind turbine support structure: Inverse load calculation procedure for offshore wind turbines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pahn, T. [Pahn Ingenieure, Am Seegraben 17b 03051 Cottbus Germany; Rolfes, R. [Institut f?r Statik und Dynamik, Leibniz Universit?t Hannover, Appelstra?e 9A 30167 Hannover Germany; Jonkman, J. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver West Parkway Golden Colorado 80401 USA

2017-02-20

A significant number of wind turbines installed today have reached their designed service life of 20 years, and the number will rise continuously. Most of these turbines promise a more economical performance if they operate for more than 20 years. To assess a continued operation, we have to analyze the load-bearing capacity of the support structure with respect to site-specific conditions. Such an analysis requires the comparison of the loads used for the design of the support structure with the actual loads experienced. This publication presents the application of a so-called inverse load calculation to a 5-MW wind turbine support structure. The inverse load calculation determines external loads derived from a mechanical description of the support structure and from measured structural responses. Using numerical simulations with the software fast, we investigated the influence of wind-turbine-specific effects such as the wind turbine control or the dynamic interaction between the loads and the support structure to the presented inverse load calculation procedure. fast is used to study the inverse calculation of simultaneously acting wind and wave loads, which has not been carried out until now. Furthermore, the application of the inverse load calculation procedure to a real 5-MW wind turbine support structure is demonstrated. In terms of this practical application, setting up the mechanical system for the support structure using measurement data is discussed. The paper presents results for defined load cases and assesses the accuracy of the inversely derived dynamic loads for both the simulations and the practical application.

Structural Dynamic Analysis of Semi-Submersible Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremiah Ishie

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The strong and stable wind at offshore locations and the increasing demand for energy have made the application of wind turbines in deeper water surge. A novel concept of a 5 MW baseline Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (FVAWT and a 5 MW optimised FVAWT with the DeepWind Darrieus rotor and the optimised DeepWind Darrieus rotor, respectively, were studied extensively. The structural responses, fatigue damages, platform global motions and mooring line dynamics of the FVAWTs were investigated comprehensively during normal operating conditions under steady wind and turbulent wind conditions, using a coupled non-linear aero-hydro-servo-elastic code (the Simo-Riflex-DMS code which was developed by Wang et al. for modeling FVAWTs. This coupled code incorporates the models for the turbulent wind field, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, structural dynamics, and generator controller. The simulation is performed in a fully coupled manner in time domain. The comparison of responses under different wind conditions were used to demonstrate the effect of turbulence on both FVAWTs dynamic responses. The turbulent wind condition has the advantage of reducing the 2P effects. Furthermore, comparative studies of the FVAWTs responses were undertaken to explore the advantages of adopting the optimised 5 MW DeepWind Darrieus rotor over the baseline model. The results identified the 5 MW optimised FVAWT to having: lower Fore-Aft (FA but higher lower Side-Side (SS bending moments of structural components; lower motions amplitude; lower short-term fatigue equivalent loads and a further reduced 2P effects.

Development of a Fast Fluid-Structure Coupling Technique for Wind Turbine Computations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sessarego, Matias; Ramos García, Néstor; Shen, Wen Zhong

2015-01-01

Fluid-structure interaction simulations are routinely used in the wind energy industry to evaluate the aerodynamic and structural dynamic performance of wind turbines. Most aero-elastic codes in modern times implement a blade element momentum technique to model the rotor aerodynamics and a modal......, multi-body, or finite-element approach to model the turbine structural dynamics. The present paper describes a novel fluid-structure coupling technique which combines a threedimensional viscous-inviscid solver for horizontal-axis wind-turbine aerodynamics, called MIRAS, and the structural dynamics model...... used in the aero-elastic code FLEX5. The new code, MIRASFLEX, in general shows good agreement with the standard aero-elastic codes FLEX5 and FAST for various test cases. The structural model in MIRAS-FLEX acts to reduce the aerodynamic load computed by MIRAS, particularly near the tip and at high wind...

The analysis of dynamic characteristics and wind-induced displacement response of space Beam String Structure

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Chen Yong Jian

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The Beam String Structure structural system, also called BSS, has the advantages of lighter dead weight and greater flexibility. The wind load is the main design control factor. The dynamic characteristics and wind-induced displacement response of BSS are studied by the finite element method. The roof structure of the stadium roof of the Fuzhou Olympic Sports Center is the engineering background. 1The numerical model was built by ANSYS, by shape finding, determine the initial stress state of structural members such as external cables; 2From the analysis of dynamic characteristics, the main mode of vibration is the vibration of cables; 3The wind speed spectrum of MATLAB generation structure is obtained by AR method, the structural response of the structure under static wind load and fluctuating wind load is calculated. From the analysis result, considering the equivalent static wind load of BSS , the design of adverse wind is not safe, and the fluctuating wind load should be taken into account.

Observations of neutral winds, wind shears, and wave structure during a sporadic-E/QP event

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M. F. Larsen

2005-10-01

Full Text Available The second Sporadic E Experiment over Kyushu (SEEK-2 was carried out on 3 August 2002, during an active sporadic-E event that also showed quasi-periodic (QP echoes. Two rockets were launched into the event from Kagoshima Space Center in southern Japan 15 min apart. Both carried a suite of instruments, but the second rocket also released a trimethyl aluminum (TMA trail to measure the neutral winds and turbulence structure. In a number of earlier measurements in similar conditions, large winds and shears that were either unstable or close to instability were observed in the altitude range where the ionization layer occurred. The SEEK-2 wind measurements showed similar vertical structure, but unlike earlier experiments, there was a significant difference between the up-leg and down-leg wind profiles. In addition, wave or billow-like fluctuations were evident in the up-leg portion of the trail, while the lower portion of the down-leg trail was found to have extremely strong turbulence that led to a rapid break-up of the trail. The large east-west gradient in the winds and the strong turbulence have not been observed before. The wind profiles and shears, as well as the qualitative characteristics of the strong turbulence are presented, along with a discussion of the implications of the dynamical features. Keywords. Ionosphere (Mid-latitude ionosphere; Ionospheric irregularities; Electric field and currents

Grid faults' impact on wind turbine structural loads

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anca Daniela; Cutululis, Nicolaos Antonio; Iov, F.

2007-01-01

The objective of this work is to illustrate the impact of the grid faults on the wind turbine structural loads. Grid faults are typically simulated in detailed power system simulation tools, which by applying simplified mechanical models, are not able to provide a throughout insight...... on the structural loads caused by sudden disturbances on the grid. On the other hand, structural loads of the wind turbine are typically assessed in advanced aerolastic computer codes, which by applying simplified electrical models do not provide detailed electrical insight. This paper presents a simulation...... strategy, where the focus is on how to access a proper combination of two complimentary simulations tools, such as the advanced aeroelastic computer code HAWC2 and the detailed power system simulation tool DIgSILENT, in order to provide a whole overview of both the structural and the electrical behaviour...

Dynamic Analysis of Wind Turbines Including Soil-Structure Interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harte, M.; Basu, B.; Nielsen, Søren R.K.

2012-01-01

This paper investigates the along-wind forced vibration response of an onshore wind turbine. The study includes the dynamic interaction effects between the foundation and the underlying soil, as softer soils can influence the dynamic response of wind turbines. A Multi-Degree-of-Freedom (MDOF......) horizontal axes onshore wind turbine model is developed for dynamic analysis using an Euler–Lagrangian approach. The model is comprised of a rotor blade system, a nacelle and a flexible tower connected to a foundation system using a substructuring approach. The rotor blade system consists of three rotating...... for displacement of the turbine system are obtained and the modal frequencies of the combined turbine-foundation system are estimated. Simulations are presented for the MDOF turbine structure subjected to wind loading for different soil stiffness conditions. Steady state and turbulent wind loading, developed using...

A New Structure Based on Cascaded Multilevel Converter for Variable Speed Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deng, Fujin; Chen, Zhe

2010-01-01

An alternative structure for variable speed wind turbine, using multiple permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs) drive-train configuration and cascaded multilevel converter is proposed in this paper. This study presents a power electronic solution for the wind turbine. A transformer......-less cascaded multilevel converter interface based on PMSGs is developed to synthesize a desired high ac sinusoidal output voltage. The benefits of high power and high ac voltage make this structure possible to be applied in the wind power generation. In addition, the bulky transformer could be omitted....... A simulation model of 10 MW variable speed wind turbine based on PMSGs developed in PSCAD/EMTDC is presented. The dynamic performance of grid-connected wind turbine is analyzed. Simulation results shows that the proposed structure may be attractive in wind power generation....

Damage Analysis and Evaluation of Light Steel Structures Exposed to Wind Hazards

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Na Yang

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Compared to hot-rolled steel structures, cold-formed steel structures are susceptible to extreme winds because of the light weight of the building and its components. Many modern cold-formed steel structures have sustained significant structural damage ranging from loss of cladding to complete collapse in recent cyclones. This article first provides some real damage cases for light steel structures induced by the high winds. After that, the paper reviews research on the damage analysis and evaluation of light steel structures caused by strong winds, which include connection failure, fatigue failure, purlin buckling, and primary frame component instability problems. Moreover, this review will mention some applications of structure damage assessment methods in this area, such as vulnerability analysis and performance-based theory, etc.

Damage tolerance and structural monitoring for wind turbine blades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McGugan, Malcolm; Pereira, Gilmar Ferreira; Sørensen, Bent F.

2015-01-01

The paper proposes a methodology for reliable design and maintenance of wind turbine rotor blades using a condition monitoring approach and a damage tolerance index coupling the material and structure. By improving the understanding of material properties that control damage propagation it will b......The paper proposes a methodology for reliable design and maintenance of wind turbine rotor blades using a condition monitoring approach and a damage tolerance index coupling the material and structure. By improving the understanding of material properties that control damage propagation...

Lightweight structure design for wind energy by integrating nanostructured materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Ying; Lu, Jian

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Integrate high-strength nano-materials into lightweight design. • Lightweight design scheme for wind turbine tower application. • Expand the bending formulae for tapered tubular structures with varying thickness. • We rewrite the Secant Formula for a tapered beam under eccentric compression. - Abstract: Wind power develops very fast nowadays with high expectation. Although at the mean time, the use of taller towers, however, smacks head-on into the issue of transportability. The engineering base and computational tools have to be developed to match machine size and volume. Consequently the research on the light weight structures of tower is carrying out in the main countries which are actively developing wind energy. This paper reports a new design scheme of light weight structure for wind turbine tower. This design scheme is based on the integration of the nanostructured materials produced by the Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment (SMAT) process. The objective of this study is to accomplish the weight reduction by optimizing the wall thickness of the tapered tubular structure. The basic methods include the identification of the critical zones and the distribution of the high strength materials according to different necessities. The equivalent strength or stiffness design method and the high strength material properties after SMAT process are combined together. Bending and buckling are two main kinds of static loads concerned in consideration. The study results reveal that there is still enough margin for weight reduction in the traditional wind turbine tower design

Verification of the Wind Response of a Stack Structure

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D. Makovička

2003-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with verification analysis of the wind response of a power plant stack structure. Over a period two weeks the actual history of the dynamic response of the structure, and the direction and intensity of the actual wind load was measured, reported and processed with the use of a computer. The resulting data was used to verify the design stage data of the structure, with the natural frequencies and modes assumed by the design and with the dominant effect of other sources on the site. In conclusion the standard requirements are compared with the actual results of measurements and their expansion to the design load.

Community investment in wind farms: funding structure effects in wind energy infrastructure development.

Science.gov (United States)

Beery, Joshua A; Day, Jennifer E

2015-03-03

Wind energy development is an increasingly popular form of renewable energy infrastructure in rural areas. Communities generally perceive socioeconomic benefits accrue and that community funding structures are preferable to corporate structures, yet lack supporting quantitative data to inform energy policy. This study uses the Everpower wind development, to be located in Midwestern Ohio, as a hypothetical modeling environment to identify and examine socioeconomic impact trends arising from corporate, community and diversified funding structures. Analysis of five National Renewable Energy Laboratory Jobs and Economic Development Impact models incorporating local economic data and review of relevant literature were conducted. The findings suggest that community and diversified funding structures exhibit 40-100% higher socioeconomic impact levels than corporate structures. Prioritization of funding sources and retention of federal tax incentives were identified as key elements. The incorporation of local shares was found to mitigate the negative effects of foreign private equity, local debt financing increased economic output and opportunities for private equity investment were identified. The results provide the groundwork for energy policies focused to maximize socioeconomic impacts while creating opportunities for inclusive economic participation and improved social acceptance levels fundamental to the deployment of renewable energy technology.

Investigation of air transportation technology at Princeton University, 1983

Science.gov (United States)

Stengel, Robert F.

1987-01-01

Progress is discussed for each of the following areas: voice recognition technology for flight control; guidance and control strategies for penetration of microbursts and wind shear; application of artificial intelligence in flight control systems; and computer-aided aircraft design.

Turbulence and turbulence-generated structural loading in wind turbine clusters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frandsen, Sten Tronæs

2007-01-01

of the model is that it became part of the Danish standard for wind turbine design DS 472 (2001) in August 2001 and it is part of the corresponding international standard, IEC61400-1 (2005). Also, extreme loading under normal operation for wake conditions and the efficiency of very large wind farms......Turbulence - in terms of standard deviation of wind speed fluctuations - and other flow characteristics are different in the interior of wind farms relative to the free flow and action must be taken to ensure sufficient structural sustainability of the wind turbines exposed to “wind farm flow......”. The standard deviation of wind speed fluctuations is a known key parameter for both extreme- and fatigue loading, and it is argued and found to be justified that a model for change in turbulence intensity alone may account for increased fatigue loading in wind farms. Changes in scale of turbulence...

Structural Analysis of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Plastic Wind Turbine Blade

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Mengal Ali Nawaz

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In this study, Basalt fiber reinforced plastic (BFRP wind turbine blade was analyzed and compared with Glass fiber reinforced plastic blade (GFRP. Finite element analysis (FEA of blade was carried out using ANSYS. Data for FEA was obtained by using rule of mixture. The shell element in ANSYS was used to simulate the wind turbine blade and to conduct its strength analysis. The structural analysis and comparison of blade deformations proved that BFRP wind turbine blade has better strength compared to GFRP wind turbine blade.

Aspects of structural health and condition monitoring of offshore wind turbines.

Science.gov (United States)

Antoniadou, I; Dervilis, N; Papatheou, E; Maguire, A E; Worden, K

2015-02-28

Wind power has expanded significantly over the past years, although reliability of wind turbine systems, especially of offshore wind turbines, has been many times unsatisfactory in the past. Wind turbine failures are equivalent to crucial financial losses. Therefore, creating and applying strategies that improve the reliability of their components is important for a successful implementation of such systems. Structural health monitoring (SHM) addresses these problems through the monitoring of parameters indicative of the state of the structure examined. Condition monitoring (CM), on the other hand, can be seen as a specialized area of the SHM community that aims at damage detection of, particularly, rotating machinery. The paper is divided into two parts: in the first part, advanced signal processing and machine learning methods are discussed for SHM and CM on wind turbine gearbox and blade damage detection examples. In the second part, an initial exploration of supervisor control and data acquisition systems data of an offshore wind farm is presented, and data-driven approaches are proposed for detecting abnormal behaviour of wind turbines. It is shown that the advanced signal processing methods discussed are effective and that it is important to adopt these SHM strategies in the wind energy sector.

Aspects of structural health and condition monitoring of offshore wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Antoniadou, I.; Dervilis, N.; Papatheou, E.; Maguire, A. E.; Worden, K.

2015-01-01

Wind power has expanded significantly over the past years, although reliability of wind turbine systems, especially of offshore wind turbines, has been many times unsatisfactory in the past. Wind turbine failures are equivalent to crucial financial losses. Therefore, creating and applying strategies that improve the reliability of their components is important for a successful implementation of such systems. Structural health monitoring (SHM) addresses these problems through the monitoring of parameters indicative of the state of the structure examined. Condition monitoring (CM), on the other hand, can be seen as a specialized area of the SHM community that aims at damage detection of, particularly, rotating machinery. The paper is divided into two parts: in the first part, advanced signal processing and machine learning methods are discussed for SHM and CM on wind turbine gearbox and blade damage detection examples. In the second part, an initial exploration of supervisor control and data acquisition systems data of an offshore wind farm is presented, and data-driven approaches are proposed for detecting abnormal behaviour of wind turbines. It is shown that the advanced signal processing methods discussed are effective and that it is important to adopt these SHM strategies in the wind energy sector. PMID:25583864

Turbulence and turbulence-generated structural loading in wind turbine clusters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frandsen, Sten

2007-01-15

Turbulence, in terms of standard deviation of wind speed fluctuations, and other flow characteristics are different in the interior of wind farms relative to the free flow and action must be taken to ensure sufficient structural sustainability of the wind turbines exposed to 'wind farm flow'. The standard deviation of wind speed fluctuations is a known key parameter for both extreme- and fatigue loading, and it is argued and found to be justified that a model for change in turbulence intensity alone may account for increased fatigue loading in wind farms. Changes in scale of turbulence and horizontal flow-shear also influence the dynamic response and thus fatigue loading. However, these parameters are typically negatively or positively correlated with the standard deviation of wind speed fluctuations, which therefore can, if need be, represent these other variables. Thus, models for spatially averaged turbulence intensity inside the wind farm and direct-wake turbulence intensity are being devised and a method to combine the different load situations is proposed. The combination of the load cases implies a weighting method involving the slope of the considered material's Woehler curve. In the context, this is novel and necessary to avoid excessive safety for fatigue estimation of the structure's steel components, and non-conservatism for fibreglass components. The proposed model offers significant reductions in computational efforts in the design process. The status for the implementation of the model is that it became part of the Danish standard for wind turbine design DS 472 (2001) in August 2001 and it is part of the corresponding international standard, IEC61400-1 (2005). Also, extreme loading under normal operation for wake conditions and the efficiency of very large wind farms are discussed. (au)

Objective estimation of tropical cyclone innercore surface wind structure using infrared satellite images

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Changjiang; Dai, Lijie; Ma, Leiming; Qian, Jinfang; Yang, Bo

2017-10-01

An objective technique is presented for estimating tropical cyclone (TC) innercore two-dimensional (2-D) surface wind field structure using infrared satellite imagery and machine learning. For a TC with eye, the eye contour is first segmented by a geodesic active contour model, based on which the eye circumference is obtained as the TC eye size. A mathematical model is then established between the eye size and the radius of maximum wind obtained from the past official TC report to derive the 2-D surface wind field within the TC eye. Meanwhile, the composite information about the latitude of TC center, surface maximum wind speed, TC age, and critical wind radii of 34- and 50-kt winds can be combined to build another mathematical model for deriving the innercore wind structure. After that, least squares support vector machine (LSSVM), radial basis function neural network (RBFNN), and linear regression are introduced, respectively, in the two mathematical models, which are then tested with sensitivity experiments on real TC cases. Verification shows that the innercore 2-D surface wind field structure estimated by LSSVM is better than that of RBFNN and linear regression.

Modal Analysis on Fluid-Structure Interaction of MW-Level Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Tower

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Tan Jiqiu

2014-05-01

Full Text Available In order to avoid resonance problem of MW-level vertical axis wind turbine induced by wind, a flow field model of the MW-level vertical axis wind turbine is established by using the fluid flow control equations, calculate flow’s velocity and pressure of the MW-level vertical axis wind turbine and load onto tower’s before and after surface, study the Modal analysis of fluid-structure interaction of MW-level vertical axis wind turbine tower. The results show that fluid-structure interaction field of MW- level vertical axis wind turbine tower has little effect on the modal vibration mode, but has a great effect on its natural frequency and the maximum deformation, and the influence will decrease with increasing of modal order; MW-level vertical axis wind turbine tower needs to be raised the stiffness and strength, its structure also needs to be optimized; In the case of satisfy the intensity, the larger the ratio of the tower height and wind turbines diameter, the more soft the MW-level vertical axis wind turbine tower, the lower its frequency.

Damage Analysis and Evaluation of Light Steel Structures Exposed to Wind Hazards

OpenAIRE

Na Yang; Fan Bai

2017-01-01

Compared to hot-rolled steel structures, cold-formed steel structures are susceptible to extreme winds because of the light weight of the building and its components. Many modern cold-formed steel structures have sustained significant structural damage ranging from loss of cladding to complete collapse in recent cyclones. This article first provides some real damage cases for light steel structures induced by the high winds. After that, the paper reviews research on the damage analysis and e...

Natural Frequency and Damping Estimation of an Offshore Wind Turbine Structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Mads; Andersen, Jacob K. F.; Ibsen, Lars Bo

2012-01-01

During the last years, offshore wind turbines have increased significantly in size with larger rotors and more powerful generators. The costs are kept as low as possible by reducing the overall weight, which leads to very slender and flexible structures. An improper design may cause resonance due...... of an offshore wind turbine located in the North Sea. Simple Fourier Transformation and least square fitting to the vibration decay of ten “rotor stop” tests make it possible to evaluate the dynamic properties of the wind turbine structure. Based on the traditionally p-y curve method (Winkler type approach...

Combined Structural Optimization and Aeroelastic Analysis of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roscher, Björn; Ferreira, Carlos Simao; Bernhammer, Lars O.

2015-01-01

Floating offshore wind energy poses challenges on the turbine design. A possible solution is vertical axis wind turbines, which are possibly easier to scale-up and require less components (lower maintenance) and a smaller floating structure than horizontal axis wind turbines. This paper presents...... a structural optimization and aeroelastic analysis of an optimized Troposkein vertical axis wind turbine to minimize the relation between the rotor mass and the swept area. The aeroelastic behavior of the different designs has been analyzed using a modified version of the HAWC2 code with the Actuator Cylinder...... model to compute the aerodynamics of the vertical axis wind turbine. The combined shape and topology optimization of a vertical axis wind turbine show a minimum mass to area ratio of 1.82 kg/m2 for blades with varying blade sections from a NACA 0040 at the attachment points to a NACA 0015...

Wake structure of a single vertical axis wind turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Posa, Antonio; Parker, Colin M.; Leftwich, Megan C.; Balaras, Elias

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The wake structure of an isolated Vertical Axis Wind Turbine is studied by both Particle Imaging Velocimetry and Large Eddy Simulation. • The wake structure is investigated for two values of tip speed ratio, TSR_1=1.35 and TSR_2=2.21. • A displacement of the momentum deficit towards the windward side is verified in the wake. • Higher turbulence and coherence is observed on the leeward side of the wake, due to the upwind stall of the blades. • Coherence in the wake core, associated to the downwind stall, decays quickly downstream. - Abstract: The wake structure behind a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is both measured in a wind tunnel using particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) and computed with large-eddy simulation (LES). Geometric and dynamic conditions are closely matched to typical applications of VAWTs (Re_D ∼ 1.8 × 10"5). The experiments and computations were highly coordinated with continuous two-way feedback to produce the most insightful results. Good qualitative agreement is seen between the computational and experimental results. The dependence of the wake structure on the tip speed ratio, TSR, is investigated, showing higher asymmetry and larger vortices at the lower rotational speed, due to stronger dynamic stall phenomena. Instantaneous, ensemble-averaged and phase-averaged fields are discussed, as well as the dynamics of coherent structures in the rotor region and downstream wake.

Modal Analysis on Fluid-Structure Interaction of MW-Level Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Tower

OpenAIRE

Tan Jiqiu; Zhong Dingqing; Wang Qiong

2014-01-01

In order to avoid resonance problem of MW-level vertical axis wind turbine induced by wind, a flow field model of the MW-level vertical axis wind turbine is established by using the fluid flow control equations, calculate flow’s velocity and pressure of the MW-level vertical axis wind turbine and load onto tower’s before and after surface, study the Modal analysis of fluid-structure interaction of MW-level vertical axis wind turbine tower. The results show that fluid-structure interaction fie...

Coherent structures at ion scales in fast and slow solar wind: Cluster observations

Science.gov (United States)

Perrone, D.; Alexandrova, O.; Zouganelis, Y.; Roberts, O.; Lion, S.; Escoubet, C. P.; Walsh, A. P.; Maksimovic, M.; Lacombe, C.

2017-12-01

Spacecraft measurements generally reveal that solar wind electromagnetic fluctuations are in a state of fully-developed turbulence. Turbulence represents a very complex problem in plasmas since cross-scale coupling and kinetic effects are present. Moreover, the intermittency phenomenon, i.e. the manifestation of the non-uniform and inhomogeneous energy transfer and dissipation in a turbulent system, represents a very important aspect of the solar wind turbulent cascade. Here, we study coherent structures responsible for solar wind intermittency around ion characteristic scales. We find that, in fast solar wind, intermittency is due to Alfvén vortex-like structures and current sheets. In slow solar wind, we observe as well compressive structures like magnetic solitons, holes and shocks. By using high-time resolution magnetic field data of multi-point measurements of Cluster spacecraft, we characterize the observed coherent structures in terms of topology and propagation speed. We show that all structures around ion characteristic scales, both in fast and slow solar wind, are characterized by a strong wave-vector anisotropy in the perpendicular direction with respect to the local magnetic field. Moreover, some of them propagate in the plasma rest frame in the direction perpendicular to the local field. Finally, a further analysis on the electron and ion velocity distributions shows a high variability; in particular, close to coherent structures the electron and ion distribution functions appear strongly deformed and far from the thermodynamic equilibrium. Possible interpretations of the observed structures and their role in the heating process of the plasma are also discussed.

FADING CORONAL STRUCTURE AND THE ONSET OF TURBULENCE IN THE YOUNG SOLAR WIND

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DeForest, C. E. [Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO (United States); Matthaeus, W. H. [Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 (United States); Viall, N. M. [NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 671, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Cranmer, S. R. [University of Colorado, Duane E226, Boulder, CO 80305 (United States)

2016-09-10

Above the top of the solar corona, the young, slow solar wind transitions from low- β , magnetically structured flow dominated by radial structures to high- β , less structured flow dominated by hydrodynamics. This transition, long inferred via theory, is readily apparent in the sky region close to 10° from the Sun in processed, background-subtracted solar wind images. We present image sequences collected by the inner Heliospheric Imager instrument on board the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory ( STEREO /HI1) in 2008 December, covering apparent distances from approximately 4° to 24° from the center of the Sun and spanning this transition in the large-scale morphology of the wind. We describe the observation and novel techniques to extract evolving image structure from the images, and we use those data and techniques to present and quantify the clear textural shift in the apparent structure of the corona and solar wind in this altitude range. We demonstrate that the change in apparent texture is due both to anomalous fading of the radial striae that characterize the corona and to anomalous relative brightening of locally dense puffs of solar wind that we term “flocculae.” We show that these phenomena are inconsistent with smooth radial flow, but consistent with the onset of hydrodynamic or magnetohydrodynamic instabilities leading to a turbulent cascade in the young solar wind.

Fading Coronal Structure and the Onset of Turbulence in the Young Solar Wind

Science.gov (United States)

DeForest, C. E.; Matthaeus, W. H.; Viall, N. M.; Cranmer, S. R.

2016-01-01

Above the top of the solar corona, the young, slow solar wind transitions from low-beta, magnetically structured flow dominated by radial structures to high-beta, less structured flow dominated by hydrodynamics. This transition, long inferred via theory, is readily apparent in the sky region close to 10deg from the Sun in processed, background-subtracted solar wind images. We present image sequences collected by the inner Heliospheric Imager instrument on board the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO/HI1) in 2008 December, covering apparent distances from approximately 4deg to 24deg from the center of the Sun and spanning this transition in the large-scale morphology of the wind. We describe the observation and novel techniques to extract evolving image structure from the images, and we use those data and techniques to present and quantify the clear textural shift in the apparent structure of the corona and solar wind in this altitude range. We demonstrate that the change in apparent texture is due both to anomalous fading of the radial striae that characterize the corona and to anomalous relative brightening of locally dense puffs of solar wind that we term "flocculae." We show that these phenomena are inconsistent with smooth radial flow, but consistent with the onset of hydrodynamic or magnetohydrodynamic instabilities leading to a turbulent cascade in the young solar wind.

Three-dimensional structure of wind turbine wakes as measured by scanning lidar

Science.gov (United States)

Bodini, Nicola; Zardi, Dino; Lundquist, Julie K.

2017-08-01

The lower wind speeds and increased turbulence that are characteristic of turbine wakes have considerable consequences on large wind farms: turbines located downwind generate less power and experience increased turbulent loads. The structures of wakes and their downwind impacts are sensitive to wind speed and atmospheric variability. Wake characterization can provide important insights for turbine layout optimization in view of decreasing the cost of wind energy. The CWEX-13 field campaign, which took place between June and September 2013 in a wind farm in Iowa, was designed to explore the interaction of multiple wakes in a range of atmospheric stability conditions. Based on lidar wind measurements, we extend, present, and apply a quantitative algorithm to assess wake parameters such as the velocity deficits, the size of the wake boundaries, and the location of the wake centerlines. We focus on wakes from a row of four turbines at the leading edge of the wind farm to explore variations between wakes from the edge of the row (outer wakes) and those from turbines in the center of the row (inner wakes). Using multiple horizontal scans at different elevations, a three-dimensional structure of wakes from the row of turbines can be created. Wakes erode very quickly during unstable conditions and can in fact be detected primarily in stable conditions in the conditions measured here. During stable conditions, important differences emerge between the wakes of inner turbines and the wakes of outer turbines. Further, the strong wind veer associated with stable conditions results in a stretching of the wake structures, and this stretching manifests differently for inner and outer wakes. These insights can be incorporated into low-order wake models for wind farm layout optimization or for wind power forecasting.

Field investigation of a wake structure downwind of a VANT (Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine) in a wind farm array

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, H. T.; Buck, J. W.; Germain, A. C.; Hinchee, M. E.; Solt, T. S.; Leroy, G. M.; Srnsky, R. A.

1988-09-01

The effects of upwind turbine wakes on the performance of a FloWind 17-m vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) were investigated through a series of field experiments conducted at the FloWind wind farm on Cameron Ridge, Tehachapi, California. From the field measurements, we derived the velocity and power/energy deficits under various turbine on/off configurations. Much information was provided to characterize the structure of VAWT wakes and to assess their effects on the performance of downwind turbines. A method to estimate the energy deficit was developed based on the measured power deficit and the wind speed distributions. This method may be adopted for other turbine types and sites. Recommendations are made for optimizing wind farm design and operations, as well as for wind energy management.

Probabilistic Calibration of Fatigue Design Factors for Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramirez, José Rangel; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2010-01-01

for the considered offshore wind turbines in such a way that the specific uncertainties for the fatigue life are accounted in a rational manner. Similar approaches have been used for offshore oil & gas sub-structures, but the required reliability level for offshore wind turbines is generally lower and the fatigue......This paper describes a reliability-based approach to determine fatigue design factors (FDF) for offshore wind turbine support structures made of steel. The FDF values are calibrated to a specific reliability level and linked to a specific inspection and maintenance (I&M) strategy used...

Wind-Induced Fatigue Analysis of High-Rise Steel Structures Using Equivalent Structural Stress Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Fang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Welded beam-to-column connections of high-rise steel structures are susceptive to fatigue damage under wind loading. However, most fatigue assessments in the field of civil engineering are mainly based on nominal stress or hot spot stress theories, which has the disadvantage of dependence on the meshing styles and massive curves selected. To address this problem, in this paper, the equivalent structural stress method with advantages of mesh-insensitive quality and capability of unifying different stress-life curves (S-N curves into one is introduced to the wind-induced fatigue assessment of a large-scale complicated high-rise steel structure. The multi-scale finite element model is established and the corresponding wind loading is simulated. Fatigue life assessments using equivalent structural stress method, hot spot stress method and nominal stress method are performed, and the results are verified and comparisons are made. The mesh-insensitive quality is also verified. The results show that the lateral weld toe of the butt weld connecting the beam flange plate and the column is the location where fatigue damage most likely happens. Nominal stress method considers fatigue assessment of welds in a more global way by averaging all the stress on the weld section while in equivalent structural stress method and hot spot method local stress concentration can be taken into account more precisely.

Active vibration-based structural health monitoring system for wind turbine blade: Demonstration on an operating Vestas V27 wind turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tcherniak, Dmitri; Mølgaard, Lasse Lohilahti

2017-01-01

enough to be able to propagate the entire blade length. This article demonstrates the system on a Vestas V27 wind turbine. One blade of the wind turbine was equipped with the system, and a 3.5-month monitoring campaign was conducted while the turbine was operating normally. During the campaign, a defect......—a trailing-edge opening—was artificially introduced into the blade and its size was gradually increased from the original 15 to 45 cm. Using a semi-supervised learning algorithm, the system was able to detect even the smallest amount of damage while the wind turbine was operating under different weather......This study presents a structural health monitoring system that is able to detect structural defects of wind turbine blade such as cracks, leading/trailing-edge opening, or delamination. It is shown that even small defects of at least 15 cm size can be detected remotely without stopping the wind...

Spatial-temporal analysis of coherent offshore wind field structures measured by scanning Doppler-lidar

Science.gov (United States)

Valldecabres, L.; Friedrichs, W.; von Bremen, L.; Kühn, M.

2016-09-01

An analysis of the spatial and temporal power fluctuations of a simplified wind farm model is conducted on four offshore wind fields data sets, two from lidar measurements and two from LES under unstable and neutral atmospheric conditions. The integral length scales of the horizontal wind speed computed in the streamwise and the cross-stream direction revealed the elongation of the structures in the direction of the mean flow. To analyse the effect of the structures on the power output of a wind turbine, the aggregated equivalent power of two wind turbines with different turbine spacing in the streamwise and cross-stream direction is analysed at different time scales under 10 minutes. The fact of considering the summation of the power of two wind turbines smooths out the fluctuations of the power output of a single wind turbine. This effect, which is stronger with increasing spacing between turbines, can be seen in the aggregation of the power of two wind turbines in the streamwise direction. Due to the anti-correlation of the coherent structures in the cross-stream direction, this smoothing effect is stronger when the aggregated power is computed with two wind turbines aligned orthogonally to the mean flow direction.

Wind induced fatigue of slender light weight structures in structural dynamics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Staalduinen, P.C. van; Courage, W.M.G.

1996-01-01

The paper presents a simplified analytical method for calculating the stress ranges in light weight slender structures due to wind loading. The background and assumptions of the method have been explained as well as the derivation of the relevant formula. The application of the simplified method on

Three-dimensional density and compressible magnetic structure in solar wind turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Owen W.; Narita, Yasuhito; Escoubet, C.-Philippe

2018-03-01

The three-dimensional structure of both compressible and incompressible components of turbulence is investigated at proton characteristic scales in the solar wind. Measurements of the three-dimensional structure are typically difficult, since the majority of measurements are performed by a single spacecraft. However, the Cluster mission consisting of four spacecraft in a tetrahedral formation allows for a fully three-dimensional investigation of turbulence. Incompressible turbulence is investigated by using the three vector components of the magnetic field. Meanwhile compressible turbulence is investigated by considering the magnitude of the magnetic field as a proxy for the compressible fluctuations and electron density data deduced from spacecraft potential. Application of the multi-point signal resonator technique to intervals of fast and slow wind shows that both compressible and incompressible turbulence are anisotropic with respect to the mean magnetic field direction P⟂ ≫ P∥ and are sensitive to the value of the plasma beta (β; ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure) and the wind type. Moreover, the incompressible fluctuations of the fast and slow solar wind are revealed to be different with enhancements along the background magnetic field direction present in the fast wind intervals. The differences in the fast and slow wind and the implications for the presence of different wave modes in the plasma are discussed.

The structure and strength of public attitudes towards wind farm development

Science.gov (United States)

Bidwell, David Charles

A growing social science literature seeks to understand why, despite broad public support for wind energy, proposals for specific projects are often met with strong local opposition. This gap between general and specific attitudes is viewed as a significant obstacle to the deployment of wind energy technologies. This dissertation applies theoretical perspectives and methodological tools from social psychology to provide insights on the structure and strength of attitudes towards the potential development of commercial wind farm in three coastal areas of Michigan. A survey of attitudes was completed by 375 residents in these communities and structural equation modeling was used to explore the relationship among variables. The analysis found that attitudes towards wind farm development are shaped by anticipated economic benefits to the community, but expectations of economic benefit are driven by personal values. Social psychology has long recognized that all attitudes are not created equal. Weak attitudes are fleeting and prone to change, while strong attitudes are stable over time and resistant to change. There are two fundamental paths to strong attitudes: repeated experience with an attitude object or the application of deeply held principles or values to that object. Structural equation models were also used to understand the strength of attitudes among the survey respondents. Both the anticipated effects of wind farm development and personal values were found to influence the strength of attitudes towards wind farms. However, while expectations that wind farm development will have positive effects on the economy bolster two measures of attitude strength (collective identity and importance), these expectations are associated with a decline in a third measure (confidence). A follow-up survey asking identical questions was completed by completed by 187 respondents to the initial survey. Linear regressions models were used to determine the effects of attitude

Random lock-in intervals for tubular structural elements subject to simulated natural wind

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Claus F.; Ditlevsen, Ove Dalager

1999-01-01

The paper reports on wind tunnel experiments with an elastically suspended circular cylinder vibrating under the excitation of natural wind of high turbulence degree. The natural wind turbulence was simulated bysuperposing the low frequency part of the natural wind turbulence on the background high...... structural elements subject to thenatural wind. The engineering relevance of the investigation is supported by comparing with the unrealistic highlyconservative rules of wind induced fatique commonly given in codes of practice. The stochastic lock-in model aswell as the related fatigue calculation procedure...

Atmospheric Science: It's More than Meteorology.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, David R.; Krockover, Gerald H.

1988-01-01

Indicates that atmospheric science is not just forcasting the weather. Gives an overview of current topics in meteorology including ozone depletion, acid precipitation, winter cyclones, severe local storms, the greenhouse effect, wind shear and microbursts. Outlines the Atmospheric Sciences Education Program at Purdue University to produce…

Wind Loads on Ships and Offshore Structures Estimated by CFD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aage, Christian; Hvid, S.L.; Hughes, P.H.

1997-01-01

Wind loads on ships and offshore structures could until recently be determined only by model tests, or by statistical methods based on model tests. By the development of Computational Fluid Dynamics or CFD there is now a realistic computational alternative available. In this paper, wind loads...... on a seagoing ferry and on a semisubmersible offshore platform have been estimated by CFD. The results have been compared with wind tunnel model tests and, for the ferry, a few full-scale measurements, and good agreement is obtained. The CFD method offers the possibility of a computational estimate of scale...... effects related to wind tunnel model testing. An example of such an estimate on the ferry is discussed. Due to the time involved in generating the computational mesh and in computing the solution, the CFD method is not at the moment economically competitive to routine wind tunnel model testing....

Towards uncovering the structure of power fluctuations of wind farms.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Huiwen; Jin, Yaqing; Tobin, Nicolas; Chamorro, Leonardo P

2017-12-01

The structure of the turbulence-driven power fluctuations in a wind farm is fundamentally described from basic concepts. A derived tuning-free model, supported with experiments, reveals the underlying spectral content of the power fluctuations of a wind farm. It contains two power-law trends and oscillations in the relatively low- and high-frequency ranges. The former is mostly due to the turbulent interaction between the flow and the turbine properties, whereas the latter is due to the advection between turbine pairs. The spectral wind-farm scale power fluctuations Φ_{P} exhibit a power-law decay proportional to f^{-5/3-2} in the region corresponding to the turbulence inertial subrange and at relatively large scales, Φ_{P}∼f^{-2}. Due to the advection and turbulent diffusion of large-scale structures, a spectral oscillation exists with the product of a sinusoidal behavior and an exponential decay in the frequency domain.

Structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades

Science.gov (United States)

Rumsey, Mark A.; Paquette, Joshua A.

2008-03-01

As electric utility wind turbines increase in size, and correspondingly, increase in initial capital investment cost, there is an increasing need to monitor the health of the structure. Acquiring an early indication of structural or mechanical problems allows operators to better plan for maintenance, possibly operate the machine in a de-rated condition rather than taking the unit off-line, or in the case of an emergency, shut the machine down to avoid further damage. This paper describes several promising structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques that were recently exercised during a fatigue test of a 9 meter glass-epoxy and carbon-epoxy wind turbine blade. The SHM systems were implemented by teams from NASA Kennedy Space Center, Purdue University and Virginia Tech. A commercial off-the-shelf acoustic emission (AE) NDT system gathered blade AE data throughout the test. At a fatigue load cycle rate around 1.2 Hertz, and after more than 4,000,000 fatigue cycles, the blade was diagnostically and visibly failing at the out-board blade spar-cap termination point at 4.5 meters. For safety reasons, the test was stopped just before the blade completely failed. This paper provides an overview of the SHM and NDT system setups and some current test results.

Structural Optimization of an Innovative 10 MW Wind Turbine Nacelle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dabrowski, Dariusz; Natarajan, Anand; Stehouwer, Ewoud

2015-01-01

For large wind turbine configurations of 10 MW and higher capacities, direct-drives present a more compact solution over conventional geared drivetrains. Further, if the generator is placed in front of the wind turbine rotor, a compact “king-pin” drive is designed, that allows the generator...... to be directly coupled to the hub. In presented study, the structural re-design of the innovative 10 MW nacelle was made using extreme loads obtained from a 10 MW reference wind turbine. On the basis of extreme loads the ultimate stresses on critical nacelle components were determined to ensure integrity...

Structured, Gain-Scheduled Control of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adegas, Fabiano Daher

2013-01-01

Improvements in cost-effectiveness and reliability of wind turbines is a constant in the industry. This requires new knowledge and systematic methods for analyzing and designing the interaction of structural dynamics, aerodynamics, and controllers. This thesis presents novel methods and theoretical....... Robustness and fault-tolerance capabilities are also important properties, which should be considered in the design process. Novel gain-scheduling and robust control methods that adapt to variations in the operational conditions of the wind turbine are proposed under the linear parameter-varying (LPV...... intuitive and physical specifications for vibration control, such as minimum damping and decay rate of aeroelastic modes. Moreover, the number of weighting functions and consequently the order of the final controller is reduced. Inspired by this application, theoretical control developments are presented...

Soil structure interaction in offshore wind turbine collisions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Samsonovs, Artjoms; Giuliani, Luisa; Zania, Varvara

2014-01-01

Vessel impact is one of the load cases which should be accounted for in the design of an offshore wind turbine (OWT) according to design codes, but little guidance or information is given on the employed methodology. This study focuses on the evaluation of the distress induced in a wind turbine...... after a ship collision, thus providing an insight on the consequences of a collision event and on the main aspects to be considered when designing for this load case. In particular, the role of the foundation soil properties (site conditions) on the response of the structural system is investigated....... Dynamic finite element analyses have been performed taking into account the geometric and material nonlinearity of the tower, and the effects of soil structure interaction (SSI) have been studied in two representative collision scenarios of a service vessel with the turbine: a moderate energy impact...

Stochastic model for joint wave and wind loads on offshore structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ditlevsen, Ove Dalager

2002-01-01

_s,T_z)$ from the North Sea a well fitting joint distribution of $(H_s,T_z)$ is obtained as a so-called Nataf model. Since the wave field is wind driven, there is a correlation between the time averaged wind velocity pressure $Q$ and the characteristic wave height in the stationary situation. Using the Poisson...... process model to concentrate on those load events that are of importance for the evaluation of the safety of the structure, that is, events with $Q$ larger than some threshold $q_0$, available information about the wind velocity pressure distributionin high wind situations can be used to formulate a Nataf...

Solar wind plasma structure near a 'HELIOS-Perihelion'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kikuchi, H.

1979-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a couple of preliminary but important results obtained from HELIOS observation concerning solar wind plasma structure near a ''HELIOS-Perihelion'' among the data analyses in progress, partly in relation to laboratory plasma. Idealized profiles of the bulk velocity, density and temperature of solar wind near 0.3 AU as deduced from HELIOS A data and correlated K-coronal contours were obtained. During 1974 - 1976, the sun was in the period of declining cycle, and the coronal holes expanded to lower latitudes from northern and southern holes. There is general tendency that the northern coronal hole is somewhat larger than the southern coronal hole. In regards to solar wind velocity, there are two fast stream regions with velocity as high as 800 Km/sec. An electron spectrum measured near a HELIOS-Perihelion (0.3 AU) approximately in the solar direction is shown. Three regions can be distinguished in velocity distribution. The density contours of solar wind electrons in velocity space exhibit a narrow beam of electrons in the magnetic field direction close to the plane of observation. (Kato, T.)

On the Value of Structural Health Monitoring Information for the Operation of Wind Parks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thöns, Sebastian; Faber, Michael H.; Val, Dimitri V.

2017-01-01

wind turbine systems and its components is developed accounting for the wind park functionality, i.e. power production, its operation and its cascading damage and failure scenarios. This system model facilitates to quantify the expected benefits and risks throughout the service life accounting......In the present paper, an approach for the quantification of the Value of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) Information building upon a framework for infrastructure system utility and decision analysis is developed and applied to the operation of wind parks. The quantification of the value of SHM...... facilitates a benefit and risk informed assessment and optimization of SHM strategies and encompasses models for the infrastructure functionality, the structural constituent and system risks and its management as well as the performance of SHM strategies. A wind park system model incorporating the structural...

Active structural control of a floating wind turbine with a stroke-limited hybrid mass damper

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yaqi; He, Erming

2017-12-01

Floating wind turbines are subjected to more severe structural loads than fixed-bottom wind turbines due to additional degrees of freedom (DOFs) of their floating foundations. It's a promising way of using active structural control method to improve the structural responses of floating wind turbines. This paper investigates an active vibration control strategy for a barge-type floating wind turbine by setting a stroke-limited hybrid mass damper (HMD) in the turbine's nacelle. Firstly, a contact nonlinear modeling method for the floating wind turbine with clearance between the HMD and the stroke limiters is presented based on Euler-Lagrange's equations and an active control model of the whole system is established. The structural parameters are validated for the active control model and an equivalent load coefficient method is presented for identifying the wind and wave disturbances. Then, a state-feedback linear quadratic regulator (LQR) controller is designed to reduce vibration and loads of the wind turbine, and two optimization methods are combined to optimize the weighting coefficients when considering the stroke of the HMD and the active control power consumption as constraints. Finally, the designed controllers are implemented in high fidelity simulations under five typical wind and wave conditions. The results show that active HMD control strategy is shown to be achievable and the designed controllers could further reduce more vibration and loads of the wind turbine under the constraints of stroke limitation and power consumption. "V"-shaped distribution of the TMD suppression effect is inconsistent with the Weibull distribution in practical offshore floating wind farms, and the active HMD control could overcome this shortcoming of the passive TMD.

Large fog collectors: New strategies for collection efficiency and structural response to wind pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, Robert; Rivera, Juan de Dios; de la Jara, Emilio

2015-01-01

Most studies of large fog collectors (LFC) have focused on the collection efficiency, the amount of water collected, or economic and social aspects, but have not addressed the effects of strong winds on the system. Wind pressure is directly related to fog water collection efficiency but on the other hand may cause serious damage on the structure of LFCs. This study focuses in the effects of wind pressure on the components of the LFC as an integral system, and the ways to face strong winds with no significant damage. For this purpose we analysed cases of mechanical failure of LFCs both in our experimental station at Peña Blanca in Chile and elsewhere. The effects of wind pressure can be described as a sequence of physical processes, starting with the mesh deformation as a way of adapting to the induced stresses. For a big enough pressure, local stress concentrations generate a progressive rupture of the mesh. In cases where the mesh is sufficiently strong the wind force causes the partial or total collapse of the structure. Usually the weakest part is the mesh, especially close to where it is attached to the structure. The way the mesh is attached to the frame or cable of the structure is particularly important since it can induce significant stress concentrations. Mesh failure before the structure failure may be considered as a mechanical fuse, since it is cheaper to repair. However, more practical mechanical fuses can be conceived. In relation to structural performance and water collection efficiency, we propose a new design strategy that considers a three-dimensional spatial display of the collection screen, oblique incidence angle of wind on mesh and small mesh area between the supporting frame. The proposed design strategies consider both the wind pressure on mesh and structure and the collection efficiency as an integral solution for the LFC. These new design strategies are the final output of this research. Applying these strategies a multi-funnel LFC is

Lawn Structured Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Scavenging Sweeping Wind Energy on Rooftops.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lei; Zhang, Binbin; Chen, Jun; Jin, Long; Deng, Weili; Tang, Junfeng; Zhang, Haitao; Pan, Hong; Zhu, Minhao; Yang, Weiqing; Wang, Zhong Lin

2016-02-24

A novel triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is designed, based on flexible and transparent vertical-strip arrays, for environmental wind-energy harvesting. Given the low cost, simple structure, and wide applicability, the TENGs present a green alternative to traditional methods used for large-scale wind-energy harvesting. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Structural experiment of wind turbine blades; Fushayo blade no zairyo rikigakuteki jikken kenkyu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seki, K; Shimizu, Y; Kuroyanagi, H [Tokai University, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-11-25

Aluminum, GFRP and composite of aluminum coated with carbon as structural materials for wind turbine blades were bending-tested, to improve blade bending stiffness, understand stress conditions at each position, and clarify structural dynamic strength by the bending-failure test. It is possible to estimate stress conditions at each position from the test results of displacement and strain at each load. The test results with GFRP are well explained qualitatively by the boundary theory, known as a theory for composite materials. The test gives reasonable material strength data, useful for designing wind turbines of high functions and safety. The results of the blade bending-failure test are in good agreement with the calculated structural blade strength. It is also found that GFRP is a good material of high structural strength for wind turbines. 8 refs., 6 tabs.

Design of Large Wind Turbines using Fluid-Structure Coupling Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sessarego, Matias

Aerodynamic and structural dynamic performance analysis of modern wind turbines are routinely carried out in the wind energy field using computational tools known as aero-elastic codes. Most aero-elastic codes use the blade element momentum (BEM) technique to model the rotor aerodynamics......-dimensional viscous-inviscid interactive method, MIRAS, with the dynamics model used in the aero-elastic code FLEX5. Following the development of MIRAS-FLEX, a surrogate optimization methodology using MIRAS alone has been developed for the aerodynamic design of wind-turbine rotors. Designing a rotor using...... a computationally expensive MIRAS instead of an inexpensive BEM code represents a challenge, which is resolved by using the proposed surrogate-based approach. The approach is unique because most aerodynamic wind-turbine rotor design codes use the more common and inexpensive BEM technique. As a verification case...

Investigation Of Failure Mechanisms In A Wind Turbine Blade Root Sub-Structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bender, Jens Jakob; Hallett, S.R.; Lindgaard, Esben

2017-01-01

and realistic results at the fraction of the cost of a full-scale test. Therefore, this work focuses on testing of sub-structures from the root end of wind turbine blades at the transition from the thick root laminate to the thinner main laminate. Some wind turbine blade manufacturers include pre-cured tapered...... beams in the root to reduce the time required to place the large quantity of material in the mould and to decrease manufacturing defects in these elements. However, this entails the risk of introducing other manufacturing defects during the Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding process such as resin...... pockets and fibre wrinkles. Through this work it is sought to determine the effect that these manufacturing defects can have on the strength properties of the sub-structure. The sub-structures used in this work are cut out from actual wind turbine blades, meaning that the manufacturing defects...

Wind Turbine Model and Observer in Takagi-Sugeno Model Structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georg, Sören; Müller, Matthias; Schulte, Horst

2014-01-01

Based on a reduced-order, dynamic nonlinear wind turbine model in Takagi- Sugeno (TS) model structure, a TS state observer is designed as a disturbance observer to estimate the unknown effective wind speed. The TS observer model is an exact representation of the underlying nonlinear model, obtained by means of the sector-nonlinearity approach. The observer gain matrices are obtained by means of a linear matrix inequality (LMI) design approach for optimal fuzzy control, where weighting matrices for the individual system states and outputs are included. The observer is tested in simulations with the aero-elastic code FAST for the NREL 5 MW reference turbine, where it shows a stable behaviour in turbulent wind simulations

3D WindScanner lidar measurements of wind and turbulence around wind turbines, buildings and bridges

Science.gov (United States)

Mikkelsen, T.; Sjöholm, M.; Angelou, N.; Mann, J.

2017-12-01

WindScanner is a distributed research infrastructure developed at DTU with the participation of a number of European countries. The research infrastructure consists of a mobile technically advanced facility for remote measurement of wind and turbulence in 3D. The WindScanners provide coordinated measurements of the entire wind and turbulence fields, of all three wind components scanned in 3D space. Although primarily developed for research related to on- and offshore wind turbines and wind farms, the facility is also well suited for scanning turbulent wind fields around buildings, bridges, aviation structures and of flow in urban environments. The mobile WindScanner facility enables 3D scanning of wind and turbulence fields in full scale within the atmospheric boundary layer at ranges from 10 meters to 5 (10) kilometers. Measurements of turbulent coherent structures are applied for investigation of flow pattern and dynamical loads from turbines, building structures and bridges and in relation to optimization of the location of, for example, wind farms and suspension bridges. This paper presents our achievements to date and reviews briefly the state-of-the-art of the WindScanner measurement technology with examples of uses for wind engineering applications.

A numerical study on the mechanism and optimization of wind-break structures for indirect air-cooling towers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu, Hongfang; Wang, Haijun; Gu, Yuqian; Yao, Jianan

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Numerical study on the optimization of windbreak structure for IDAC was conducted. • Windbreak wall is the most effective structure but is affected by wind direction. • The louver is next best and it can be flexibly adjusted at the windy conditions. • An optimal louver opening was obtained for achieving a good cooling performance. - Abstract: The heat transfer performance of indirect air-cooling (IDAC) towers in large power stations is sensitive to the ambient wind velocity. To ensure the economic and reliable operation of units under windy conditions, it is important to conduct research on the optimization of different wind-break structures. This paper uses computational fluid dynamics method (CFD) to simulate the heat transfer performance of a 1000 MW IDAC tower power stations with four different wind-break structures namely, cross walls, wind-break walls, cross line-screen, and louvers. The research results show that the order of the effective heat transfer improvement of four wind-break structures is the wind-break, cross wall, line-screen and louvers. The wind-break wall is the most optimal structure, but its performance is strictly influenced by the direction and velocity of the wind, and the cross walls and cross line-screen structure have similar limitation in the practice operation. The louver is installed in each sector, and it is the next best option for increasing the heat transfer performance. It can be flexibly adjusted based on the wind direction and velocity. With the decrease in the louver opening, k, there is a decrease in the heat transfer rate of the windward sectors, and a significant increase in the heat transfer rate of the leeward sectors. Thus the total heat transfer rate of the IDAC tower can be improved tremendously. Based on the analysis of heat transfer and air flow mechanisms, there is an optimal opening, k, which achieves the largest heat transfer performance in an IDAC tower at each wind velocity. This study

Near-wake flow structure downwind of a wind turbine in a turbulent boundary layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Wei; Markfort, Corey D. [University of Minnesota, Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, Minneapolis, MN (United States); Porte-Agel, Fernando [Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), ENAC-IIE-WIRE, Wind Engineering and Renewable Energy Laboratory (WIRE), Lausanne (Switzerland)

2012-05-15

Wind turbines operate in the surface layer of the atmospheric boundary layer, where they are subjected to strong wind shear and relatively high turbulence levels. These incoming boundary layer flow characteristics are expected to affect the structure of wind turbine wakes. The near-wake region is characterized by a complex coupled vortex system (including helicoidal tip vortices), unsteadiness and strong turbulence heterogeneity. Limited information about the spatial distribution of turbulence in the near wake, the vortex behavior and their influence on the downwind development of the far wake hinders our capability to predict wind turbine power production and fatigue loads in wind farms. This calls for a better understanding of the spatial distribution of the 3D flow and coherent turbulence structures in the near wake. Systematic wind-tunnel experiments were designed and carried out to characterize the structure of the near-wake flow downwind of a model wind turbine placed in a neutral boundary layer flow. A horizontal-axis, three-blade wind turbine model, with a rotor diameter of 13 cm and the hub height at 10.5 cm, occupied the lowest one-third of the boundary layer. High-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure velocities in multiple vertical stream-wise planes (x-z) and vertical span-wise planes (y-z). In particular, we identified localized regions of strong vorticity and swirling strength, which are the signature of helicoidal tip vortices. These vortices are most pronounced at the top-tip level and persist up to a distance of two to three rotor diameters downwind. The measurements also reveal strong flow rotation and a highly non-axisymmetric distribution of the mean flow and turbulence structure in the near wake. The results provide new insight into the physical mechanisms that govern the development of the near wake of a wind turbine immersed in a neutral boundary layer. They also serve as important data for the development and

Diode rectifier bridge-based structure for DFIG-based wind turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Rongwu; Chen, Zhe; Wu, Xiaojie

2015-01-01

This paper proposes a new structure for the doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind turbine. The proposed structure consists of a DFIG controlled by a partial rated power converter in the rotor side, a three-phase diode rectifier bridge (DRB) connected to the stator, and a DC/AC full rated...

Probabilistic Design of Wind Turbine Structures: Design Studies and Sensitivities to Model Parameters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

NJOMO WANDJI, Wilfried

: decrease of conservatism level, improvement of design procedures, and development of innovative structural systems that suit well for large wind turbines. The increasing size of the structure introduces new problems that were not present for small structures. These problems include: (i) the preparation...... substructures. In addition to being aggressive, conditions for offshore environments and the associated models are highly uncertain. Appropriate statistical methodologies should be used in order to design robust structures, which are structures whose engineering performance is not significantly affected....... These research areas are differentially implemented through tasks on various wind turbine structures (shaft, jacket, semi-floater, monopile, and grouted joint). In particular the following research questions are answered: How are extreme and fatigue loads on a given structure influenced by the design of other...

Statistical Evaluation of the Identified Structural Parameters of an idling Offshore Wind Turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kramers, Hendrik C.; Van der Valk, Paul L.C.; Van Wingerden, Jan-Willem

2016-01-01

With the increased need for renewable energy, new offshore wind farms are being developed at an unprecedented scale. However, as the costs of offshore wind energy are still too high, design optimization and new innovations are required for lowering its cost. The design of modern day offshore wind turbines relies on numerical models for estimating ultimate and fatigue loads of the turbines. The dynamic behavior and the resulting structural loading of the turbines is determined for a large part by its structural properties, such as the natural frequencies and damping ratios. Hence, it is important to obtain accurate estimates of these modal properties. For this purpose stochastic subspace identification (SSI), in combination with clustering and statistical evaluation methods, is used to obtain the variance of the identified modal properties of an installed 3.6MW offshore wind turbine in idling conditions. It is found that one is able to obtain confidence intervals for the means of eigenfrequencies and damping ratios of the fore-aft and side-side modes of the wind turbine. (paper)

Effect of soil-foundation-structure interaction on the seismic response of wind turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sam Austin

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Soil-foundation-structure interaction can affect the seismic response of wind turbines. This paper studies the effects of soil-foundation-structure interaction on the seismic response of 65 kW, 1 MW, and 2 MW horizontal-axis wind turbines with truncated cone steel towers. Four types of foundations with frequency-based design were analyzed, including spread foundation, mono pile, pile group with cap, and anchored spread foundation. Soil is modeled both implicitly (subgrade reaction modulus and explicitly. The finite element model developed using the ANSYS program was first validated using experimental data. Numerical models are then analyzed in both frequency and time domains using the Block Lanczos and generalized HHT-α formulations. Recommendations were given to simplify the soil-foundation-structure interaction analysis of wind turbines subjected to seismic loading.

Dynamic Analysis of A 5-MW Tripod Offshare Wind Turbine by Considering Fluid-Structure Interaction

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZHANG Li-wei; LI Xin

2017-01-01

Fixed of fshore wind turbines usually have large underwater supporting structures. The fluid influences the dynamic characteristics of the structure system. The dynamic model of a 5-MW tripod of fshore wind turbine considering the pile–soil system and fluid structure interaction (FSI) is established, and the structural modes in air and in water are obtained by use of ANSYS. By comparing low-order natural frequencies and mode shapes, the influence of sea water on the free vibration characteristics of of fshore wind turbine is analyzed. On basis of the above work, seismic responses under excitation by El-Centro waves are calculated by the time-history analysis method. The results reveal that the dynamic responses such as the lateral displacement of the foundation and the section bending moment of the tubular piles increase substantially under the influence of the added-mass and hydrodynamic pressure of sea water. The method and conclusions presented in this paper can provide a theoretical reference for structure design and analysis of of fshore wind turbines fixed in deep seawater.

Dynamic analysis of a 5-MW tripod offshore wind turbine by considering fluid-structure interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Li-wei; Li, Xin

2017-10-01

Fixed offshore wind turbines usually have large underwater supporting structures. The fluid influences the dynamic characteristics of the structure system. The dynamic model of a 5-MW tripod offshore wind turbine considering the pile-soil system and fluid structure interaction (FSI) is established, and the structural modes in air and in water are obtained by use of ANSYS. By comparing low-order natural frequencies and mode shapes, the influence of sea water on the free vibration characteristics of offshore wind turbine is analyzed. On basis of the above work, seismic responses under excitation by El-Centro waves are calculated by the time-history analysis method. The results reveal that the dynamic responses such as the lateral displacement of the foundation and the section bending moment of the tubular piles increase substantially under the influence of the added-mass and hydrodynamic pressure of sea water. The method and conclusions presented in this paper can provide a theoretical reference for structure design and analysis of offshore wind turbines fixed in deep seawater.

On the vertical structure of wind gusts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Suomi, I.; Gryning, Sven-Erik; Floors, Rogier Ralph

2015-01-01

The increasing size of wind turbines, their height and the area swept by their blades have revised the need for understanding the vertical structure of wind gusts. Information is needed for the whole profile. In this study, we analyzed turbulence measurements from a 100m high meteorological mast...... and the turbulence intensity, of which the turbulence intensity was found to dominate over the peak factor in determining the effects of stability and height above the surface on the gust factor. The peak factor only explained 15% or less of the vertical decrease of the gust factor, but determined the effect of gust...... duration on the gust factor. The statistical method to estimate the peak factor did not reproduce the observed vertical decrease in near-neutral and stable conditions and near-constant situation in unstable conditions. Despite this inconsistency, the theoretical method provides estimates for the peak...

Conceptual Design of a Floating Support Structure and Mooring System for a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berthelsen, Petter Andreas; Fylling, Ivar; Vita, Luca

2012-01-01

This paper deals with the conceptual design of a floating support structure and mooring system for a 5MW vertical axis offshore wind turbine. The work is carried out as part of the DeepWind project, where the main objective is to investigate the feasibility of a floating vertical axis offshore wind...... turbine. The DeepWind concept consists of a Darrieus rotor mounted on a spar buoy support structure. The conceptual design is carried out in an iterative process, involving the different subcomponents. The present work is part of the first design iteration and the objective is to find a feasible floating...... support structure and mooring system for the DeepWind concept. The conceptual design is formulated as an optimization problem: Starting with an initial configuration, the optimization procedure tries to find a cheaper solution while satisfying a set of design requirements. This approach utilizes available...

Modified Adaptive Control for Region 3 Operation in the Presence of Wind Turbine Structural Modes

Science.gov (United States)

Frost, Susan Alane; Balas, Mark J.; Wright, Alan D.

2010-01-01

Many challenges exist for the operation of wind turbines in an efficient manner that is reliable and avoids component fatigue and failure. Turbines operate in highly turbulent environments resulting in aerodynamic loads that can easily excite turbine structural modes, possibly causing component fatigue and failure. Wind turbine manufacturers are highly motivated to reduce component fatigue and failure that can lead to loss of revenue due to turbine down time and maintenance costs. The trend in wind turbine design is toward larger, more flexible turbines that are ideally suited to adaptive control methods due to the complexity and expense required to create accurate models of their dynamic characteristics. In this paper, we design an adaptive collective pitch controller for a high-fidelity simulation of a utility-scale, variable-speed horizontal axis wind turbine operating in Region 3. The objective of the adaptive pitch controller is to regulate generator speed, accommodate wind gusts, and reduce the excitation of structural modes in the wind turbine. The control objective is accomplished by collectively pitching the turbine blades. The adaptive collective pitch controller for Region 3 was compared in simulations with a baseline classical Proportional Integrator (PI) collective pitch controller. The adaptive controller will demonstrate the ability to regulate generator speed in Region 3, while accommodating gusts, and reducing the excitation of certain structural modes in the wind turbine.

Observations of peculiar sporadic sodium structures and their relation with wind variations

Science.gov (United States)

Sridharan, S.; Prasanth, P. Vishnu; Kumar, Y. Bhavani; Ramkumar, Geetha; Sathishkumar, S.; Raghunath, K.

2009-04-01

Resonance lidar observations of sodium density in the upper mesosphere region over Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) rarely show complex structures with rapid enhancements of sodium density, completely different from normal sporadic sodium structures. The hourly averaged meteor radar zonal winds over Trivandrum (8.5°N, 76.5°E) show an eastward shear with altitude during the nights, when these events are formed. As suggested by Kane et al. [2001. Joint observations of sodium enhancements and field-aligned ionospheric irregularities. Geophysical Research Letters 28, 1375-1378], our observations show that the complex structures may be formed due to Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, which can occur in the region of strong wind shear.

Structural monitoring and smart control of a wind turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caterino, Nicola; Trinchillo, Francesco; Georgakis, Christos T.

2014-01-01

The remarkable growth in height of wind turbines in the last years - for a higher production of electricity - makes the issues of monitoring and control of such challenging engineering works pressing than ever. The research herein proposed is addressed to monitor the structural demand imposed to ...

Mapping 3D plasma structure in the solar wind with the L1 constellation: joint observations from Wind, ACE, DSCOVR, and SoHO

Science.gov (United States)

Stevens, M. L.; Kasper, J. C.; Case, A. W.; Korreck, K. E.; Szabo, A.; Biesecker, D. A.; Prchlik, J.

2017-12-01

At this moment in time, four observatories with similar instrumentation- Wind, ACE, DSCOVR, and SoHO- are stationed directly upstream of the Earth and making continuous observations. They are separated by drift-time baselines of seconds to minutes, timescales on which MHD instabilities in the solar wind are known to grow and evolve, and spatial baselines of tens to 200 earth radii, length scales relevant to the Earth's magnetosphere. By comparing measurements of matched solar wind structures from the four vantage points, the form of structures and associated dynamics on these scales is illuminated. Our targets include shocks and MHD discontinuities, stream fronts, locii of reconnection and exhaust flow boundary layers, plasmoids, and solitary structures born of nonlinear instability. We use the tetrahedral quality factors and other conventions adopted for Cluster to identify periods where the WADS constellation is suitably non-degenerate and arranged in such a way as to enable specific types of spatial, temporal, or spatiotemporal inferences. We present here an overview of the geometries accessible to the L1 constellation and timing-based and plasma-based observations of solar wind structures from 2016-17. We discuss the unique potential of the constellation approach for space physics and space weather forecasting at 1 AU.

Damping Wind and Wave Loads on a Floating Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Søren; Bak, Thomas; Knudsen, Torben

2013-01-01

Offshore wind energy capitalizes on the higher and less turbulent wind speeds at sea. To enable deployment of wind turbines in deep-water locations, structures are being explored, where wind turbines are placed on a floating platform. This combined structure presents a new control problem, due......, and we show the influence that both wind speed, wave frequencies and misalignment between wind and waves have on the system dynamics. A new control model is derived that extends standard turbine models to include the hydrodynamics, additional platform degrees of freedom, the platform mooring system...

3D WindScanner lidar measurements of wind and turbulence around wind turbines, buildings and bridges

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Torben Krogh; Sjöholm, Mikael; Angelou, Nikolas

2017-01-01

WindScanner is a distributed research infrastructure developed at DTU with the participation of a number of European countries. The research infrastructure consists of a mobile technically advanced facility for remote measurement of wind and turbulence in 3D. The WindScanners provide coordinated...... structures and of flow in urban environments. The mobile WindScanner facility enables 3D scanning of wind and turbulence fields in full scale within the atmospheric boundary layer at ranges from 10 meters to 5 (10) kilometers. Measurements of turbulent coherent structures are applied for investigation...

A novel structure of transmission line pulse transformer with mutually coupled windings.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Binxiong; Su, Jiancang; Li, Rui; Zhao, Liang; Zhang, Xibo; Wang, Junjie

2014-03-01

A novel structure of transmission line transformer (TLT) with mutually coupled windings is described in this paper. All transmission lines except the first stage of the transformer are wound on a common ferrite core for the TLT with this structure. A referral method was introduced to analyze the TLT with this structure, and an analytic expression of the step response was derived. It is shown that a TLT with this structure has a significantly slower droop rate than a TLT with other winding structures and the number of ferrite cores needed is largely reduced. A four-stage TLT with this structure was developed, whose input and output impedance were 4.2 Ω and 67.7 Ω, respectively. A frequency response test of the TLT was carried out. The test results showed that pulse response time of the TLT is several nanoseconds. The TLT described in this paper has the potential to be used as a rectangle pulse transformer with very fast response time.

Cost-efficient foundation structures for large offshore wind farms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birch, C.; Gormsen, C.; Lyngesen, S.; Rasmussen, J. L.; Juhl, H.

1997-01-01

This paper presents the results of the development of a cost-efficient foundation for large (1.5 MW) offshore wind farms at water depth of 5 to 11 m. Previously, medium sized wind turbines (500 kW) in Denmark have been installed offshore at water depths of approximately 5 m on concrete gravity foundations. The installation of larger turbines at greater depth does, however, hold great promise in terms of wind environment and environmental considerations. The costs of a traditional gravity foundation at these increased water depths is expected to be prohibitive, and the aim of the project has been to reduce the foundations costs in general. This paper describes the theoretical basis for the geotechnical and structural design of three alternative concepts and presents an optimised layout of each based on a research and development project. The basis has been a wind farm consisting of 100 turbines. The R and D project has been undertaken by the consulting engineers Nellemann, Nielsen and Rauschenberger A/S (Gravity foundation), LICengineering A/S (Mono pile) and Ramboell (Tripod) in co-operation with the Danish utility engineering companies Elkraft and Elsamprojekt A/S. The project was partly financed by the participants and by the Danish Energy Agency through their 1996 Energy Research Programme (EFP-96). (au) 18 refs

Wind tower service lift

Science.gov (United States)

Oliphant, David; Quilter, Jared; Andersen, Todd; Conroy, Thomas

2011-09-13

An apparatus used for maintaining a wind tower structure wherein the wind tower structure may have a plurality of legs and may be configured to support a wind turbine above the ground in a better position to interface with winds. The lift structure may be configured for carrying objects and have a guide system and drive system for mechanically communicating with a primary cable, rail or other first elongate member attached to the wind tower structure. The drive system and guide system may transmit forces that move the lift relative to the cable and thereby relative to the wind tower structure. A control interface may be included for controlling the amount and direction of the power into the guide system and drive system thereby causing the guide system and drive system to move the lift relative to said first elongate member such that said lift moves relative to said wind tower structure.

Optimised and balanced structural and system reliability of offshore wind turbines. An account

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tarp-Johansen, N.J.; Kozine, I. (Risoe National Lab., DTU, Roskilde, (DK)); Rademarkers, L. (Netherlands Energy Research Foundation (NL)); Dalsgaard Soerensen, J. (Aalborg Univ. (DK)) Ronold, K. (Det Norske Veritas (DK))

2005-04-15

This report gives the results of the research project 'Optimised and Uniform Safety and Reliability of Offshore Wind Turbines (an account)'. The main subject of the project has been the account of the state-of-the art of knowledge about, and/or attempts to, harmonisation of the structural reliability of wind turbines, on the one hand, and the reliability of the wind turbine's control/safety system, on the other hand. Within the project some research pointing ahead has also been conducted. (au)

One-Way Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulation of an Offshore Wind Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhi-Kui Wang

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI has gained great interest of scholars recently, meanwhile, extensive studies have been conducted by the virtue of numerical methods which have been implemented on wind turbine models. The blades of a wind turbine have been gained a deep insight into the FSI analyses, however, few studies have been conducted on the tower and nacelle, which are key components of the wind turbine, using this method. We performed the one-way FSI analysis on a 2-MW offshore wind turbine, using the Finite Volume Method (FVM with ANSYS CFX solver and the RNG k-ε turbulence model, to achieve a comprehensive cognition of it. The grid convergence was studied and verified in this study, and the torque value is chosen to determine the optimal case. The superior case, which was chosen to conduct the FSI analysis, with a relative error is only 2.15%, thus, the accuracy of results is credible.

Implications of Stably Stratified Atmospheric Boundary Layer Turbulence on the Near-Wake Structure of Wind Turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kiran Bhaganagar

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Turbulence structure in the wake behind a full-scale horizontal-axis wind turbine under the influence of real-time atmospheric inflow conditions has been investigated using actuator-line-model based large-eddy-simulations. Precursor atmospheric boundary layer (ABL simulations have been performed to obtain mean and turbulence states of the atmosphere under stable stratification subjected to two different cooling rates. Wind turbine simulations have revealed that, in addition to wind shear and ABL turbulence, height-varying wind angle and low-level jets are ABL metrics that influence the structure of the turbine wake. Increasing stability results in shallower boundary layers with stronger wind shear, steeper vertical wind angle gradients, lower turbulence, and suppressed vertical motions. A turbulent mixing layer forms downstream of the wind turbines, the strength and size of which decreases with increasing stability. Height dependent wind angle and turbulence are the ABL metrics influencing the lateral wake expansion. Further, ABL metrics strongly impact the evolution of tip and root vortices formed behind the rotor. Two factors play an important role in wake meandering: tip vortex merging due to the mutual inductance form of instability and the corresponding instability of the turbulent mixing layer.

Design and Manufacturing of Composite Tower Structure for Wind Turbine Equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hyunbum

2018-02-01

This study proposes the composite tower design process for large wind turbine equipment. In this work, structural design of tower and analysis using finite element method was performed. After structural design, prototype blade manufacturing and test was performed. The used material is a glass fiber and epoxy resin composite. And also, sand was used in the middle part. The optimized structural design and analysis was performed. The parameter for optimized structural design is weight reduction and safety of structure. Finally, structure of tower will be confirmed by structural test.

The structure of rotational discontinuities. [in solar wind

Science.gov (United States)

Neugebauer, M.

1989-01-01

This study examines the structures of a set of rotational discontinuities detected in the solar wind by the ISEE-3 spacecraft. It is found that the complexity of the structure increases as the angle theta between the propagation vector k and the magnetic field decreases. For rotational discontinuities that propagate at a large angle to the field with an ion (left-hand) sense of rotation, the magnetic hodograms tend to be flattened, in agreement with prior numerical simulations. When theta is large, angular 'overshoots' are often observed at one or both ends of the discontinuity. When the propagation is nearly parallel to the field (when theta is small), many different types of structure are seen, ranging from straight lines, to S-shaped curves, to complex, disorganized shapes.

Field measurement of wind pressure and wind-induced vibration of large-span spatial cable-truss system under strong wind or typhoon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHANG Zhihong

2013-10-01

Full Text Available In order to ensure wind-resistance safety of large-span pre-stressed flexible system in southeast coast area of China,and to prepare something for revising of current codes of practice or technical standards,the present paper conducts field measurement of wind pressure and wind-induced vibration of a practical and typical large-span spatial cable-truss system-lunar stadium in Yueqing city.Wind loading and wind effects on full-scale structure under strong wind or typhoon in real architectural environment can be obtained directly and effectively.Field measurement is the best way to investigate the wind loading property,wind effects,and wind-structure interactions of large-span flexible system.Measured data will be highly valuable for scientific research and practical design.On the other hand,it also provides the basis of wind-resistance safety design of this kind of tension structures.If any creative development,it would dramatically improve the research level of large-span pre-stressed flexible system in our country.

Design and calibration of a semi-active control logic to mitigate structural vibrations in wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caterino, Nicola; Georgakis, Christos T.; Spizzuoco, Mariacristina

2016-01-01

The design of a semi-active (SA) control system addressed to mitigate wind induced structural demand to high wind turbine towers is discussed herein. Actually, the remarkable growth in height of wind turbines in the last decades, for a higher production of electricity, makes this issue pressing....../20 scale model of a real, one hundred meters tall wind turbine has been assumed as case study for shaking table tests. A special control algorithm has been purposely designed to drive MR dampers. Starting from the results of preliminary laboratory tests, a finite element model of such structure has been...... calibrated so as to develop several numerical simulations addressed to calibrate the controller, i.e., to achieve as much as possible different, even conflicting, structural goals. The results are definitely encouraging, since the best configuration of the controller leaded to about 80% of reduction of base...

Structural investigation of composite wind turbine blade considering various load cases and fatigue life

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong, C.; Bang, J.; Sugiyama, Y.

2005-01-01

This study proposes a structural design for developing a medium scale composite wind turbine blade made of E-glass/epoxy for a 750 kW class horizontal axis wind turbine system. The design loads were determined from various load cases specified at the IEC61400-1 international specification and GL regulations for the wind energy conversion system. A specific composite structure configuration, which can effectively endure various loads such as aerodynamic loads and loads due to accumulation of ice, hygro-thermal and mechanical loads, was proposed. To evaluate the proposed composite wind turbine blade, structural analysis was performed by using the finite element method. Parametric studies were carried out to determine an acceptable blade structural design, and the most dominant design parameters were confirmed. In this study, the proposed blade structure was confirmed to be safe and stable under various load conditions, including the extreme load conditions. Moreover, the blade adapted a new blade root joint with insert bolts, and its safety was verified at design loads including fatigue loads. The fatigue life of a blade that has to endure for more than 20 years was estimated by using the well-known S-N linear damage theory, the service load spectrum, and the Spera's empirical equations. With the results obtained from all the structural design and analysis, prototype composite blades were manufactured. A specific construction process including the lay-up molding method was applied to manufacturing blades. Full-scale static structural test was performed with the simulated aerodynamic loads. From the experimental results, it was found that the designed blade had structural integrity. In addition, the measured results of deflections, strains, mass, and radial center of gravity agreed well with the analytical results. The prototype blade was successfully certified by an international certification institute, GL (Germanisher Lloyd) in Germany

Structural design of the Sandia 34-M Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Berg, D. E.

Sandia National Laboratories, as the lead DOE laboratory for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) development, is currently designing a 34-meter diameter Darrieus-type VAWT. This turbine will be a research test bed which provides a focus for advancing technology and validating design and fabrication techniques in a size range suitable for utility use. Structural data from this machine will allow structural modeling to be refined and verified for a turbine on which the gravity effects and stochastic wind loading are significant. Performance data from it will allow aerodynamic modeling to be refined and verified. The design effort incorporates Sandia's state-of-the-art analysis tools in the design of a complete machine. The analytic tools used in this design are discussed and the conceptual design procedure is described.

Structural Reliability Methods for Wind Power Converter System Component Reliability Assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kostandyan, Erik; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2012-01-01

Wind power converter systems are essential subsystems in both off-shore and on-shore wind turbines. It is the main interface between generator and grid connection. This system is affected by numerous stresses where the main contributors might be defined as vibration and temperature loadings....... The temperature variations induce time-varying stresses and thereby fatigue loads. A probabilistic model is used to model fatigue failure for an electrical component in the power converter system. This model is based on a linear damage accumulation and physics of failure approaches, where a failure criterion...... is defined by the threshold model. The attention is focused on crack propagation in solder joints of electrical components due to the temperature loadings. Structural Reliability approaches are used to incorporate model, physical and statistical uncertainties. Reliability estimation by means of structural...

Real-time monitoring and structural control of a wind turbine using a rocking system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caterino, Nicola; Spizzuoco, Mariacristina; Georgakis, Christos T.

2016-01-01

The design of a semi-active (SA) control system to mitigate wind induced structural demand to high wind turbine towers is discussed herein. A variable restraint at the base, able to modify in real time its mechanical properties according to the instantaneous response of the tower, is proposed...

A comparative analysis of business structures suitable for farmer-owned wind power projects in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolinger, Mark; Wiser, Ryan

2006-01-01

For years, farmers in the United States have looked with envy on their European counterparts' ability to profitably farm the wind through ownership of distributed, utility-scale wind projects. Only within the past few years, however, has farmer- or community-owned wind power development become a reality in the United States. The primary hurdle to this type of development in the United States has been devising and implementing suitable business and legal structures that enable such projects to take advantage of tax-based federal incentives for wind power. This article discusses the limitations of such incentives in supporting farmer- or community-owned wind projects, describes four ownership structures that potentially overcome such limitations, and finally conducts comparative financial analysis on those four structures, using as an example a hypothetical 1.5 MW farmer-owned project located in the state of Oregon. We find that material differences in the competitiveness of each structure do exist, but that choosing the best structure for a given project will largely depend on the conditions at hand; e.g., the ability of the farmer(s) to utilize tax credits, preference for individual versus 'cooperative' ownership, and the state and utility service territory in which the project will be located

Unbalanced voltage faults: the impact on structural loads of doubly fed asynchronous generator wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barahona Garzón, Braulio; Cutululis, Nicolaos Antonio; Hansen, Anca Daniela

2014-01-01

This paper investigates the impact that unbalanced voltage faults have on wind turbine structural loads. In such cases, electromagnetic torque oscillations occur at two times the supply voltage frequency. The objectives of this work are to quantify wind turbine structural loads induced...... by unbalanced voltage faults relative to those during normal operation; and to evaluate the potential for reducing structural loads with the control of the generator. The method applied is integrated dynamic analysis. Namely, dynamic analysis with models that consider the most important aeroelastic, electrical...

An Introduction to Operational Modal Identification of Offshore Wind Turbine Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Mads

excitation originating from the rotating rotor and broadband excitation from air turbulence is present, which sets limitations on the applicability of operational modal analysis to wind turbine structures. The technical memorandum contains an introduction to the theory within experimental modal analysis and......The present technical memorandum “An Introduction to Operational Modal Identification of Offshore Wind Turbine Structures” is prepared in connection with an ongoing Ph.D study at Aalborg University. The memorandum is intended for use in the civil engineering field and may serve as an inspiration...

Fluid-structure interaction modeling of wind turbines: simulating the full machine

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Ming-Chen; Bazilevs, Yuri

2012-12-01

In this paper we present our aerodynamics and fluid-structure interaction (FSI) computational techniques that enable dynamic, fully coupled, 3D FSI simulation of wind turbines at full scale, and in the presence of the nacelle and tower (i.e., simulation of the "full machine"). For the interaction of wind and flexible blades we employ a nonmatching interface discretization approach, where the aerodynamics is computed using a low-order finite-element-based ALE-VMS technique, while the rotor blades are modeled as thin composite shells discretized using NURBS-based isogeometric analysis (IGA). We find that coupling FEM and IGA in this manner gives a good combination of efficiency, accuracy, and flexibility of the computational procedures for wind turbine FSI. The interaction between the rotor and tower is handled using a non-overlapping sliding-interface approach, where both moving- and stationary-domain formulations of aerodynamics are employed. At the fluid-structure and sliding interfaces, the kinematic and traction continuity is enforced weakly, which is a key ingredient of the proposed numerical methodology. We present several simulations of a three-blade 5~MW wind turbine, with and without the tower. We find that, in the case of no tower, the presence of the sliding interface has no effect on the prediction of aerodynamic loads on the rotor. From this we conclude that weak enforcement of the kinematics gives just as accurate results as the strong enforcement, and thus enables the simulation of rotor-tower interaction (as well as other applications involving mechanical components in relative motion). We also find that the blade passing the tower produces a 10-12 % drop (per blade) in the aerodynamic torque. We feel this finding may be important when it comes to the fatigue-life analysis and prediction for wind turbine blades.

Design and Analysis of Wind Turbine Rotors Using Hinged Structures and Rods

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Hongya; Zeng, Pan; Lei, Liping

2018-03-01

Light weight and high stiffness are key design factors in ensuring cost effectiveness and reliability of wind turbines, especially for the inboard region of the rotor blades. In this study, several novel designs were developed to improve the mechanical performance of the rotor. Experiments were performed on an isolated blade incorporating the new features of a hinged structure and rods. The results validated the effectiveness of these features at alleviating the root-bending moment of the blade under varying wind loads and enhancing the stiffness of the blade. A numerical investigation was carried out to further examine the bending moment distribution, shear and axial force, and rod tension of these novel rotor designs under uniform loads. Longitudinal geometrical variations of the blade were considered in the model. Results showed that two designs realized a favorable bending moment distribution and improved the modal frequencies of the edgewise modes: bisymmetrical rods on a single-hinged structure and interveined symmetrical rods on a cantilevered structure. However, these designs have different deformation mechanisms. In addition, the first group of edgewise modal frequencies of these two designs were improved compared with the traditional rotor design. Their potential values in the application to the design of a lightweight, high-stiffness, and reliable wind turbine rotor were discussed.

Fundamentals for remote structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades - a preproject. Annex A. Cost-benefit for embedded sensors in large wind turbine blades

OpenAIRE

Hansen, L.G.; Lading, Lars

2002-01-01

This report contains the results of a cost-benefit analysis for the use of embed-ded sensors for damage detection in large wind turbine blades - structural health monitoring - (in connection with remote surveillance) of large wind turbine placedoff-shore. The total operating costs of a three-bladed 2MW turbine placed offshore either without sensors or with sensors are compared. The price of a structural health monitoring system of a price of 100 000 DKK (per tur-bine) results in a break-event...

Large eddy simulation study of the kinetic energy entrainment by energetic turbulent flow structures in large wind farms

Science.gov (United States)

VerHulst, Claire; Meneveau, Charles

2014-02-01

In this study, we address the question of how kinetic energy is entrained into large wind turbine arrays and, in particular, how large-scale flow structures contribute to such entrainment. Previous research has shown this entrainment to be an important limiting factor in the performance of very large arrays where the flow becomes fully developed and there is a balance between the forcing of the atmospheric boundary layer and the resistance of the wind turbines. Given the high Reynolds numbers and domain sizes on the order of kilometers, we rely on wall-modeled large eddy simulation (LES) to simulate turbulent flow within the wind farm. Three-dimensional proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis is then used to identify the most energetic flow structures present in the LES data. We quantify the contribution of each POD mode to the kinetic energy entrainment and its dependence on the layout of the wind turbine array. The primary large-scale structures are found to be streamwise, counter-rotating vortices located above the height of the wind turbines. While the flow is periodic, the geometry is not invariant to all horizontal translations due to the presence of the wind turbines and thus POD modes need not be Fourier modes. Differences of the obtained modes with Fourier modes are documented. Some of the modes are responsible for a large fraction of the kinetic energy flux to the wind turbine region. Surprisingly, more flow structures (POD modes) are needed to capture at least 40% of the turbulent kinetic energy, for which the POD analysis is optimal, than are needed to capture at least 40% of the kinetic energy flux to the turbines. For comparison, we consider the cases of aligned and staggered wind turbine arrays in a neutral atmospheric boundary layer as well as a reference case without wind turbines. While the general characteristics of the flow structures are robust, the net kinetic energy entrainment to the turbines depends on the presence and relative

Accuracy of an efficient framework for structural analysis of wind turbine blades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blasques, José Pedro Albergaria Amaral; Bitsche, Robert D.; Fedorov, Vladimir

2016-01-01

-section analysis tool is able to capture the effects stemming from material anisotropy and inhomogeneity for sections of arbitrary geometry. The proposed framework is very efficient and therefore ideally suited for integration within wind turbine aeroelastic design and analysis tools. A number of benchmark......This paper presents a novel framework for the structural design and analysis of wind turbine blades and establishes its accuracy. The framework is based on a beam model composed of two parts—a 2D finite element-based cross-section analysis tool and a 3D beam finite element model. The cross...... examples are presented comparing the results from the proposed beam model to 3D shell and solid finite element models. The examples considered include a square prismatic beam, an entire wind turbine rotor blade and a detailed wind turbine blade cross section. Phenomena at both the blade length scale...

Wind structure during mid-latitude storms and its application in Wind Energy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsén, Xiaoli Guo; Du, Jianting; Bolanos, Rodolfo

2015-01-01

in Denmark. The extreme wind and wave conditions in the coastal area for wind energy application are important but have rarely been studied in the literature. Our experiments are done to the Danish coasts where the mid-latitude depression systems are causes of the extreme wind and wave conditions....... The numerical modeling is done through an atmosphere-wave coupled system, where the atmospheric model is the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and the wave model is the Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) model. Measurements from offshore stations, Horns Rev and the FINO platform, as well as satellite...... and the modeling will be presented. Here the “key” is referring both to the application of wind energy and the wind-wave coupling system. The various parameterization of the interface parameter for the atmospheric and wave modeling, the roughness length, has been examined. Data analysis reveals the importance...

Solar wind and coronal structure near sunspot minimum - Pioneer and SMM observations from 1985-1987

Science.gov (United States)

Mihalov, J. D.; Barnes, A.; Hundhausen, A. J.; Smith, E. J.

1990-01-01

Changes in solar wind speed and magnetic polarity observed at the Pioneer spacecraft are discussed here in terms of the changing magnetic geometry implied by SMM coronagraph observations over the period 1985-1987. The pattern of recurrent solar wind streams, the long-term average speed, and the sector polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field all changed in a manner suggesting both a temporal variation, and a changing dependence on heliographic latitude. Coronal observations during this epoch show a systematic variation in coronal structure and the magnetic structure imposed on the expanding solar wind. These observations suggest interpretation of the solar wind speed variations in terms of the familiar model where the speed increases with distance from a nearly flat interplanetary current sheet, and where this current sheet becomes aligned with the solar equatorial plane as sunspot minimum approaches, but deviates rapidly from that orientation after minimum.

Structural Load Alleviation Applied to Next Generation Aircraft and Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Frost, Susan

2011-01-01

Reducing the environmental impact of aviation is a goal of the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project under the Fundamental Aeronautics Program of NASAs Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. Environmental impact of aviation is being addressed by novel aircraft configurations and materials that reduce aircraft weight and increase aerodynamic efficiency. NASA is developing tools to address the challenges of increased airframe flexibility created by wings constructed with reduced structural material and novel light-weight materials. This talk will present a framework and demonstration of a flight control system using optimal control allocation with structural load feedback and constraints to achieve safe aircraft operation. As wind turbines age, they become susceptible to many forms of blade degradation. Results will be presented on work in progress that uses adaptive contingency control for load mitigation in a wind turbine simulation with blade damage progression modeled.

Wind energy systems

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, H. J.

1978-01-01

A discussion on wind energy systems involved with the DOE wind energy program is presented. Some of the problems associated with wind energy systems are discussed. The cost, efficiency, and structural design of wind energy systems are analyzed.

Periodic Density Structures and the Origin of the Slow Solar Wind

Science.gov (United States)

Viall-Kepko, Nicholeen M.; Vourlidas, Angelos

2015-01-01

The source of the slow solar wind has challenged scientists for years. Periodic density structures (PDSs), observed regularly in the solar wind at 1 AU (Astronomical Unit), can be used to address this challenge. These structures have length scales of hundreds to several thousands of megameters and frequencies of tens to hundreds of minutes. Two lines of evidence indicate that PDSs are formed in the solar corona as part of the slow solar wind release and/or acceleration processes. The first is corresponding changes in compositional data in situ, and the second is PDSs observed in the inner Heliospheric Imaging data on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)/Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) suite. The periodic nature of these density structures is both a useful identifier as well as an important physical constraint on their origin. In this paper, we present the results of tracking periodic structures identified in the inner Heliospheric Imager in SECCHI back in time through the corresponding outer coronagraph (COR2) images. We demonstrate that the PDSs are formed around or below 2.5 solar radii-the inner edge of the COR2 field of view. We compute the occurrence rates of PDSs in 10 days of COR2 images both as a function of their periodicity and location in the solar corona, and we find that this set of PDSs occurs preferentially with a periodicity of approximately 90 minutes and occurs near streamers. Lastly, we show that their acceleration and expansion through COR2 is self-similar, thus their frequency is constant at distances beyond 2.5 solar radii.

Forest structure and light regimes following moderate wind storms: implications for multi-cohort management.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, Jacob J; Lorimer, Craig G

2007-07-01

Moderate-severity disturbances appear to be common throughout much of North America, but they have received relatively little detailed study compared to catastrophic disturbances and small gap dynamics. In this study, we examined the immediate impact of moderate-intensity wind storms on stand structure, opening sizes, and light regimes in three hemlock-hardwood forests of northeastern Wisconsin. These were compared to three stands managed by single-tree and group selection, the predominant forest management system for northern hardwoods in the region. Wind storms removed an average of 41% of the stand basal area, compared to 27% removed by uneven-aged harvests, but both disturbances removed trees from a wide range of size classes. The removal of nearly half of the large trees by wind in two old-growth stands caused partial retrogression to mature forest structure, which has been hypothesized to be a major disturbance pathway in the region. Wind storms resulted in residual stand conditions that were much more heterogeneous than in managed stands. Gap sizes ranged from less than 10 m2 up to 5000 m2 in wind-disturbed stands, whereas the largest opening observed in managed stands was only 200 m2. Wind-disturbed stands had, on average, double the available solar radiation at the forest floor compared to managed stands. Solar radiation levels were also more heterogeneous in wind-disturbed stands, with six times more variability at small scales (0.1225 ha) and 15 times more variability at the whole-stand level. Modification of uneven-aged management regimes to include occasional harvests of variable intensity and spatial pattern may help avoid the decline in species diversity that tends to occur after many decades of conventional uneven-aged management. At the same time, a multi-cohort system with these properties would retain a high degree of average crown cover, promote structural heterogeneity typical of old-growth forests, and maintain dominance by late

Noise pollution from wind turbine gears loudness of structural noise sources related to gears

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crone, A.

1995-04-01

The purpose of the project has been to develop a method for determination of the structure-borne noise source strength of the gearbox in a typical modern Danish wind turbine construction, with special reference to the tonal noise emission form the turbines. Through study and evaluation of eight potential methods, a simple method has ben formulated. The method is based on measurements of the free vibration velocity level on the gearbox in a load test bed. The relation between this source strength measure and the gearbox related noise from wind turbines has been documented by measurements made during the project together with earlier measurements. The method is intended as a tool for the wind turbine manufacturer, for control of the gearbox related noise from the wind turbines, due to structure-borne noise from the gearbox. It may be used for preparation of specifications to the gearbox manufacturer on test procedure and acceptable source strength levels. Also, it may be used for evaluation of the transmission and radiation of gearbox related noise, for example in order to uncover weaknesses in a prototype turbine. Suggestions for adaptation and evolution of the method has been given, thereby improving the strength of the method for the individual wind turbine manufacturer. (au) 19 refs

The importance of including dynamic soil-structure interaction into wind turbine simulation codes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Mads; Andersen, Lars Vabbersgaard; Ibsen, Lars Bo

2014-01-01

A rigorous numerical model, describing a wind turbine structure and subsoil, may contain thousands of degrees of freedom, making the approach computationally inefficient for fast time domain analysis. In order to meet the requirements of real-time calculations, the dynamic impedance of the founda......A rigorous numerical model, describing a wind turbine structure and subsoil, may contain thousands of degrees of freedom, making the approach computationally inefficient for fast time domain analysis. In order to meet the requirements of real-time calculations, the dynamic impedance...... of the foundation from a rigorous analysis can be formulated into a so-called lumped-parameter model consisting of a few springs, dashpots and point masses which are easily implemented into aeroelastic codes. In this paper, the quality of consistent lumped-parameter models of rigid surface footings and mono piles...... is examined. The optimal order of the models is determined and implemented into the aeroelastic code HAWC2, where the dynamic response of a 5.0 MW wind turbine is evaluated. In contrast to the fore-aft vibrations, the inclusion of soil-structure interaction is shown to be critical for the side-side vibrations...

Breaking wave impact forces on truss support structures for offshore wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Cieślikiewicz, Witold; Gudmestad, Ove T.; Podrażka, Olga

2014-05-01

Due to depletion of the conventional energy sources, wind energy is becoming more popular these days. Wind energy is being produced mostly from onshore farms, but there is a clear tendency to transfer wind farms to the sea. The foundations of offshore wind turbines may be truss structures and might be located in shallow water, where are subjected to highly varying hydrodynamic loads, particularly from plunging breaking waves. There are models for impact forces prediction on monopiles. Typically the total wave force on slender pile from breaking waves is a superposition of slowly varying quasi-static force, calculated from the Morison equation and additional dynamical, short duration force due to the impact of the breaker front or breaker tongue. There is not much research done on the truss structures of wind turbines and there are still uncertainties on slamming wave forces, due to plunging breaking waves on those structures. Within the WaveSlam (Wave slamming forces on truss structures in shallow water) project the large scale tests were carried out in 2013 at the Large Wave Flume in Forschungszentrum Küste (FZK) in Hannover, Germany. The following institutions participated in this initiative: the University of Stavanger and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (project management), University of Gdańsk, Poland, Hamburg University of Technology and the University of Rostock, Germany and Reinertsen AS, Norway. This work was supported by the EU 7th Framework Programme through the grant to the budget of the Integrating Activity HYDRALAB IV. The main aim of the experiment was to investigate the wave slamming forces on truss structures, development of new and improvement of existing methods to calculate forces from the plunging breakers. The majority of the measurements were carried out for regular waves with specified frequencies and wave heights as well as for the irregular waves based on JONSWAP spectrum. The truss structure was equipped with both

CubeSat Constellation Cloud Winds(C3Winds) A New Wind Observing System to Study Mesoscale Cloud Dynamics and Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, D. L.; Kelly, M.A.; Yee, J.-H.; Boldt, J.; Demajistre, R.; Reynolds, E. L.; Tripoli, G. J.; Oman, L. D.; Prive, N.; Heidinger, A. K.;

Strength Analysis of a Large-Size Supporting Structure for an Offshore Wind Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niklas Karol

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The offshore wind power industry is the branch of electric energy production from renewable sources which is most intensively developed in EU countries. At present, there is a tendency to install larger-power wind turbines at larger distances from the seashore, on relatively deep waters. Consequently, technological solutions for new supporting structures intended for deeper water regions are undergoing rapid development now. Various design types are proposed and analysed, starting from gravitational supports (GBS, through monopiles and 3D frame structures (jackets, tripods, and ending with floating and submerged supports anchored to the seabed by flexible connectors, including TLP type solutions.

Wind Power Today: 1998 Wind Energy Program Highlights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tromly, K.

1999-06-17

The US Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy manages the Federal Wind Energy Program. The mission of the program is to help the US wind industry to complete the research, testing, and field verification needed to fully develop advanced wind technologies that will lead the world in cost-effectiveness and reliability. This publication, printed annually, provides a summary of significant achievements in wind energy made during the previous calendar year. Articles include wind energy in the Midwest, an Alaskan wind energy project, the US certification program, structural testing, and the federal program in review.

Probabilistic analysis of wind-induced vibration mitigation of structures by fluid viscous dampers

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jianbing; Zeng, Xiaoshu; Peng, Yongbo

2017-11-01

The high-rise buildings usually suffer from excessively large wind-induced vibrations, and thus vibration control systems might be necessary. Fluid viscous dampers (FVDs) with nonlinear power law against velocity are widely employed. With the transition of design method from traditional frequency domain approaches to more refined direct time domain approaches, the difficulty of time integration of these systems occurs sometimes. In the present paper, firstly the underlying reason of the difficulty is revealed by identifying that the equations of motion of high-rise buildings installed with FVDs are sometimes stiff differential equations. Thus, an approach effective for stiff differential systems, i.e., the backward difference formula (BDF), is then introduced, and verified to be effective for the equation of motion of wind-induced vibration controlled systems. Comparative studies are performed among some methods, including the Newmark method, KR-alpha method, energy-based linearization method and the statistical linearization method. Based on the above results, a 20-story steel frame structure is taken as a practical example. Particularly, the randomness of structural parameters and of wind loading input is emphasized. The extreme values of the responses are examined, showing the effectiveness of the proposed approach, and also necessitating the refined probabilistic analysis in the design of wind-induced vibration mitigation systems.

ON THE LAUNCHING AND STRUCTURE OF RADIATIVELY DRIVEN WINDS IN WOLF–RAYET STARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ro, Stephen; Matzner, Christopher D., E-mail: ro@astro.utoronto.ca [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4 (Canada)

2016-04-20

Hydrostatic models of Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars typically contain low-density outer envelopes that inflate the stellar radii by a factor of several and are capped by a denser shell of gas. Inflated envelopes and density inversions are hallmarks of envelopes that become super-Eddington as they cross the iron-group opacity peak, but these features disappear when mass loss is sufficiently rapid. We re-examine the structures of steady, spherically symmetric wind solutions that cross a sonic point at high optical depth, identifying the physical mechanism through which the outflow affects the stellar structure, and provide an improved analytical estimate for the critical mass-loss rate above which extended structures are erased. Weak-flow solutions below this limit resemble hydrostatic stars even in supersonic zones; however, we infer that these fail to successfully launch optically thick winds. WR envelopes will therefore likely correspond to the strong, compact solutions. We also find that wind solutions with negligible gas pressure are stably stratified at and below the sonic point. This implies that convection is not the source of variability in WR stars, as has been suggested; however, acoustic instabilities provide an alternative explanation. Our solutions are limited to high optical depths by our neglect of Doppler enhancements to the opacity, and do not account for acoustic instabilities at high Eddington factors; yet, they do provide useful insights into WR stellar structures.

Reliability assessment of Wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2015-01-01

Wind turbines can be considered as structures that are in between civil engineering structures and machines since they consist of structural components and many electrical and machine components together with a control system. Further, a wind turbine is not a one-of-a-kind structure...... but manufactured in series production based on many component tests, some prototype tests and zeroseries wind turbines. These characteristics influence the reliability assessment where focus in this paper is on the structural components. Levelized Cost Of Energy is very important for wind energy, especially when...... comparing to other energy sources. Therefore much focus is on cost reductions and improved reliability both for offshore and onshore wind turbines. The wind turbine components should be designed to have sufficient reliability level with respect to both extreme and fatigue loads but also not be too costly...

Investigating fundamental properties of wind turbine wake structure using particle image velocimetry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whale, J. [Univ. of Edinburgh, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Edinburgh (United Kingdom)

1997-08-01

Low Reynolds number flow visualization tests are often used for showing the flow pattern changes associated with changes in lift-coefficients at a higher Reynolds number. In wind turbine studies, analysis of measured wake structures at small scale may reveal fundamental properties of the wake which will offer wake modellers a more complete understanding of rotor flows. Measurements are presented from experiments on a model wind turbine rig conducted in a water channel. The laser-optics technique of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used to make simultaneous multi-point measurements of the wake flow behind small-scale rotors. Analysis of the PIV data shows trends in velocity and vorticity structure in the wake. Study of the flow close to the rotor plane reveals information on stalled flow and blade performance. (au)

NWTC Researchers Field-Test Advanced Control Turbine Systems to Increase Performance, Decrease Structural Loading of Wind Turbines and Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2015-08-01

Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) are studying component controls, including new advanced actuators and sensors, for both conventional turbines as well as wind plants. This research will help develop innovative control strategies that reduce aerodynamic structural loads and improve performance. Structural loads can cause damage that increase maintenance costs and shorten the life of a turbine or wind plant.

Structural damage identification in wind turbine blades using piezoelectric active sensing with ultrasonic validation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Claytor, Thomas N [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Ammerman, Curtt N [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Park, Gyu Hae [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Farinholt, Kevin M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Farrar, Charles R [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Atterbury, Marie K [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2010-01-01

This paper gives a brief overview of a new project at LANL in structural damage identification for wind turbines. This project makes use of modeling capabilities and sensing technology to understand realistic blade loading on large turbine blades, with the goal of developing the technology needed to automatically detect early damage. Several structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques using piezoelectric active materials are being investigated for the development of wireless, low power sensors that interrogate sections of the wind turbine blade using Lamb wave propagation data, frequency response functions (FRFs), and time-series analysis methods. The modeling and sensor research will be compared with extensive experimental testing, including wind tunnel experiments, load and fatigue tests, and ultrasonic scans - on small- to mid-scale turbine blades. Furthermore, this study will investigate the effect of local damage on the global response of the blade by monitoring low-frequency response changes.

A Comparison on the Dynamics of a Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine on Three Different Floating Support Structures

OpenAIRE

Borg, Michael; Collu, Maurizio

2014-01-01

To increase the competitiveness of offshore wind energy in the global energy market, it is necessary to identify optimal offshore wind turbine configurations to deliver the lowest cost of energy. For deep waters where floating wind turbines are the feasible support structure option, the vertical axis wind turbine concept might prove to be one of these optimal configurations. This paper carries out a preliminary investigation into the dynamics of a vertical axis wind turbine coupled with three...

Influence of the control system on wind turbine loads during power production in extreme turbulence: Structural reliability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abdallah, Imad; Natarajan, Anand; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2016-01-01

structural reliability are assessed when the extreme turbulence model is uncertain. The structural reliability is assessed for the wind turbine when three configurations of an industrial grade load alleviation control system of increasing complexity and performance are used. The load alleviation features......The wind energy industry is continuously researching better computational models of wind inflow and turbulence to predict extreme loading (the nature of randomness) and their corresponding probability of occurrence. Sophisticated load alleviation control systems are increasingly being designed...... and deployed to specifically reduce the adverse effects of extreme load events resulting in lighter structures. The main objective herein is to show that despite large uncertainty in the extreme turbulence models, advanced load alleviation control systems yield both a reduction in magnitude and scatter...

Wind of opportunity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jamieson, Peter

1999-01-01

This article traces the move towards the offshore exploitation of wind energy in Europe, and presents information on existing offshore wind energy projects and proposed wind turbine prototypes for offshore operation. The building of the first major offshore wind project at Vindeby, the use of rock socketed monopile foundations for pile drilling and erection of the wind turbines from a mobile jack-up barge, the costs of wind turbines, the fatigue loads on the support structures due to the wind loading, and the offshore wind market in the UK and Europe are discussed. (UK)

Diurnal evolution of wind structure and data availability measured by the DOE prototype radar system

Science.gov (United States)

Hirth, Brian D.; Schroeder, John L.; Guynes, Jerry G.

2017-11-01

A new Doppler radar prototype has been developed and deployed at Texas Tech University with a focus on enhancing the technologies’ capability to contribute to wind plant relevant complex flow measurements. In particular, improvements in data availability, total data coverage, and autonomous operation were targeted to enable contributions to a wider range of wind energy applications. Doppler radar offers rapid scan speeds, extended maximum range and excellent along-beam range resolution allowing for the simultaneous measurement of various wind phenomena ranging from regional and wind plant scales to inflow and wake flow assessment for an individual turbine. Data examples and performance improvements relative to a previous edition of the technology are presented, including insights into the influence of diurnal atmospheric stability evolution of wind structure and system performance.

Wind Turbine Converter Control Interaction with Complex Wind Farm Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kocewiak, Lukasz Hubert; Hjerrild, Jesper; Bak, Claus Leth

2013-01-01

. The same wind turbine converter control strategy is evaluated in two different wind farms. It is emphasised that the grid-side converter controller should be characterised by sufficient harmonic/noise rejection and adjusted depending on wind farms to which it is connected. Various stability indices......This study presents wind turbine converter stability analysis of wind farms in frequency domain. The interaction between the wind turbine control system and the wind farm structure in wind farms is deeply investigated. Two wind farms (i.e. Horns Rev II and Karnice) are taken into consideration...... in this study. It is shown that wind farm components, such as long high-voltage alternating current cables and park transformers, can introduce significant low-frequency series resonances seen from the wind turbine terminals that can affect wind turbine control system operation and overall wind farm stability...

Structural health monitoring tools for late and end of life management of offshore wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McGugan, Malcolm; McKirdy, Scott

2016-01-01

The late and end of life stages in an offshore wind turbines (OWT) life cycle have unique features that must be considered. The initial focus on risks associated with start-up issues due to design, manufacturing or process elements gives way to a stable period of operation and maintenance...... margins and the predominance of low redundancy structures, accurate structural health monitoring can play a strong role in safe management and enable increased operating time at end of life and decommissioning. Late life operations of offshore wind farms can pose significant challenges, balancing...

Structural health and prognostics management for offshore wind turbines :

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Myrent, Noah J.; Kusnick, Joshua F.; Barrett, Natalie C.; Adams, Douglas E.; Griffith, Daniel

2013-04-01

Operations and maintenance costs for offshore wind plants are significantly higher than the current costs for land-based (onshore) wind plants. One way to reduce these costs would be to implement a structural health and prognostic management (SHPM) system as part of a condition based maintenance paradigm with smart load management and utilize a state-based cost model to assess the economics associated with use of the SHPM system. To facilitate the development of such a system a multi-scale modeling approach developed in prior work is used to identify how the underlying physics of the system are affected by the presence of damage and faults, and how these changes manifest themselves in the operational response of a full turbine. This methodology was used to investigate two case studies: (1) the effects of rotor imbalance due to pitch error (aerodynamic imbalance) and mass imbalance and (2) disbond of the shear web; both on a 5-MW offshore wind turbine in the present report. Based on simulations of damage in the turbine model, the operational measurements that demonstrated the highest sensitivity to the damage/faults were the blade tip accelerations and local pitching moments for both imbalance and shear web disbond. The initial cost model provided a great deal of insight into the estimated savings in operations and maintenance costs due to the implementation of an effective SHPM system. The integration of the health monitoring information and O&M cost versus damage/fault severity information provides the initial steps to identify processes to reduce operations and maintenance costs for an offshore wind farm while increasing turbine availability, revenue, and overall profit.

Radar micro-Doppler of wind turbines : Simulation and analysis using rotating linear wire structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krasnov, O.A.; Yarovoy, A.

2015-01-01

A simple electromagnetic model of wind-turbine's main structural elements as the linear wired structures is developed to simulate the temporal patterns of observed radar return Doppler spectra (micro-Doppler). Using the model, the micro-Doppler for different combinations of the turbines rotation

Fundamentals for remote structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades - a preproject. Annex A. Cost-benefit for embedded sensors in large wind turbine blades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, L.G.; Lading, Lars

2002-01-01

-bladed 2MW turbine placed offshore either without sensors or with sensors are compared. The price of a structural health monitoring system of a price of 100 000 DKK (per tur-bine) results in a break-eventime of about 3 years. For a price of 300 000 DKK the break-even time is about 8 years. However......This report contains the results of a cost-benefit analysis for the use of embed-ded sensors for damage detection in large wind turbine blades - structural health monitoring - (in connection with remote surveillance) of large wind turbine placedoff-shore. The total operating costs of a three......, the cost/benefit analysis has large uncertainties....

Structural Considerations of a 20MW Multi-Rotor Wind Energy System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jamieson, P; Branney, M

2014-01-01

The drive to upscale offshore wind turbines relates especially to possiblereductions in O and M and electrical interconnection costs per MW of installed capacity.Even with best current technologies, designs with rated capacity above about 3 MW are less cost effective exfactory per rated MW(turbine system costs) than smaller machines.Very large offshore wind turbines are thereforejustifiedprimarily by overall offshore project economics. Furthermore, continuing progress in materials and structures has been essential to avoid severe penalties in the power/mass ratio of large multi-MW machines.The multi-rotor concept employs many small rotors to maximise energy capture area withminimum systemvolume. Previous work has indicated that this can enablea very large reduction in the total weight and cost of rotors and drive trains compared to an equivalent large single rotor system.Thus the multi rotor concept may enable rated capacities of 20 MW or more at a single maintenancesite. Establishing the cost benefit of a multi rotor system requires examination of solutions for the support structure and yawing, ensuring aerodynamic losses from rotor interaction are not significant and that overall logistics, with much increased part count (more reliable components) and less consequence of single failuresare favourable. This paper addresses the viability of a support structure in respect of structural concept and likely weight as one necessary step in exploring the potential of the multi rotor concept

Structural Considerations of a 20MW Multi-Rotor Wind Energy System

Science.gov (United States)

Jamieson, P.; Branney, M.

2014-12-01

The drive to upscale offshore wind turbines relates especially to possiblereductions in O&M and electrical interconnection costs per MW of installed capacity.Even with best current technologies, designs with rated capacity above about 3 MW are less cost effective exfactory per rated MW(turbine system costs) than smaller machines.Very large offshore wind turbines are thereforejustifiedprimarily by overall offshore project economics. Furthermore, continuing progress in materials and structures has been essential to avoid severe penalties in the power/mass ratio of large multi-MW machines.The multi-rotor concept employs many small rotors to maximise energy capture area withminimum systemvolume. Previous work has indicated that this can enablea very large reduction in the total weight and cost of rotors and drive trains compared to an equivalent large single rotor system.Thus the multi rotor concept may enable rated capacities of 20 MW or more at a single maintenancesite. Establishing the cost benefit of a multi rotor system requires examination of solutions for the support structure and yawing, ensuring aerodynamic losses from rotor interaction are not significant and that overall logistics, with much increased part count (more reliable components) and less consequence of single failuresare favourable. This paper addresses the viability of a support structure in respect of structural concept and likely weight as one necessary step in exploring the potential of the multi rotor concept.

An extended structure-function model and its application to the analysis of solar wind intermittency properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C.-Y. Tu

Full Text Available An extended structure-function model is developed by including the new effect in the p-model of Meneveau and Sreenivasan which shows that the averaged energy cascade rate changes with scale, a situation which has been found to prevail in non-fully-developed turbulence in the inner solar wind. This model is useful for the small-scale fluctuations in the inner heliosphere, where the turbulence is not fully developed and cannot be explained quantitatively by any of the previous intermittency turbulence models. With two model parameters, the intrinsic index of the energy spectrum α, and the fragmentation fraction P₁, the model can fit, for the first time, all the observed scaling exponents of the structure functions, which are calculated for time lags ranging from 81 s to 0.7 h from the Helios solar wind data. From the cases we studied we cannot establish for P₁ either a clear radial evolution trend, or a solar-wind-speed or stream-structure dependence or a systematic anisotropy for both the flow velocity and magnetic field component fluctuations. Generally, P₁ has values between 0.7 and 0.8. However, in some cases in low-speed wind P₁ has somewhat higher values for the magnetic components, especially for the radial component. In high-speed wind, the inferred intrinsic spectral indices α of the velocity and magnetic field components are about equal, while the experimental spectral indices derived from the observed power spectra differ. The magnetic index is somewhat larger than the index of the velocity spectrum. For magnetic fluctuations in both high- and low-speed winds, the intrinsic exponent α has values which are near 1.5, while the observed spectral exponent has much higher values. In the solar wind with considerable density fluctuations near the interplanetary current sheet near 1 AU, it is found that P₁ has a comparatively high value of 0

Wind Turbine Test. Wind Matic WM 17S

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Friis Pedersen, Troels

The report describes standard measurements performed on a Wind-Matic WM 17S, 75 kW wind turbine. The measurements carried out and reported here comprises the power output, system efficiency, energy production, transmission efficiency, rotor power, rotor efficiency, air-brakes efficiency, structural...

Floating wind turbine system

Science.gov (United States)

Viterna, Larry A. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A floating wind turbine system with a tower structure that includes at least one stability arm extending therefrom and that is anchored to the sea floor with a rotatable position retention device that facilitates deep water installations. Variable buoyancy for the wind turbine system is provided by buoyancy chambers that are integral to the tower itself as well as the stability arm. Pumps are included for adjusting the buoyancy as an aid in system transport, installation, repair and removal. The wind turbine rotor is located downwind of the tower structure to allow the wind turbine to follow the wind direction without an active yaw drive system. The support tower and stability arm structure is designed to balance tension in the tether with buoyancy, gravity and wind forces in such a way that the top of the support tower leans downwind, providing a large clearance between the support tower and the rotor blade tips. This large clearance facilitates the use of articulated rotor hubs to reduced damaging structural dynamic loads. Major components of the turbine can be assembled at the shore and transported to an offshore installation site.

Solar wind and coronal structure near sunspot minimum: Pioneer and SMM observations from 1985-1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihalov, J.D.; Barnes, A.; Hundhausen, A.J.; Smith, E.J.

1990-01-01

The solar wind speeds observed in the outer heliosphere (20 to 40 AU heliocentric distance, approximately) by Pioneers 10 an 11, and at a heliocentric distance of 0.7 AU by the Pioneer Venus spacecraft, reveal a complex set of changes in the years near the recent sunspot minimum, 1985-1987. The pattern of recurrent solar wind streams, the long-term average speed, and the sector polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field all changed in a manner suggesting both a temporal variation, and a changing dependence on heliographic latitude. Coronal observations made from the Solar Maximum Mission spacecraft during the same epoch show a systematic variation in coronal structure and (by implication) the magnetic structure imposed on the expanding solar wind. These observations suggest interpretation of the solar wind speed variations in terms of the familiar model where the speed increases with distance from a nearly flat interplanetary current sheet (or with heliomagnetic latitude), and where this current sheet becomes aligned with the solar equatorial plane as sunspot minimum approaches, but deviates rapidly from that orientation after minimum. The authors confirm here that this basic organization of the solar wind speed persists in the outer heliosphere with an orientation of the neutral sheet consistent with that inferred at a heliocentric distance of a few solar radii, from the coronal observations

Development of Wind Operated Passive Evaporative Cooling Structures for Storage of Tomatoes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. O. Sunmonu

2016-08-01

Full Text Available A Wind operated passive evaporative cooler was developed. Two cooling chambers were made with clay container (cylindrical and square shapes. These two containers were separately inserted inside bigger clay pot inter- spaced with clay soil of 7 cm (to form pot-in-pot and wall-in wall with the outside structure wrapped with jute sack. The soil and the jute sacks were wetted with salt solution. Five blades were constructed inside the cooling chambers with aluminium material which were connected with a shaft to a vane located on a wooden cover outside the cooling chamber. The vanes (made of aluminium were to be powered by the wind which in turn rotates the blades inside the cooling chamber. The total volume of 40500cm3 and storage capacity of 31500cm3 were recorded for the square structures while total volume of 31792.5cm3 and storage capacity of 24727.5cm3 were recorded for the cylindrical structures. During the test period, the average temperatures of 27.07oC, 27.09oC and 33.6oC were obtained for the pot-in-pot (cylindrical, wall-in-wall (square and the ambient respectively. The average relative humidity of 92.27%, 91.99% and 69.41% were obtained for the pot-in-pot (cylindrical, wall-in-wall (square and the ambient respectively. The average minimum and maximum wind speed recorded for the month of October was 2.5m/s and 2.6m/s respectively

Improved ADRC for a Maglev planar motor with a concentric winding structure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kou, Baoquan; Xing, Feng; Zhang, Chaoning; Zhang, L.; Zhou, Yiheng; Wang, Tiecheng

2016-01-01

In the semiconductor industry, positioning accuracy and acceleration are critical parameters. To improve the acceleration speed of a motor, this paper proposes the moving-coil maglev planar motor with a concentric winding structure. The coordinate system has been built for the multiple degrees of

Full-scale investigation of wind-induced vibrations of mast-arm traffic signal structures.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-08-01

Because of their inherent : fl : exibility and low damping ratios, cantilevered mast : - : arm : tra : ffi : c signal structures are suscepti : b : le to : wind : - : induced vibrations. : These vibrations : cause stru : ctural stresses and strains t...

Finite element structural study of the VGOT wind turbine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Otero, A.D. [University of Buenos Aires (Argentina). College of Engineering; Ponta, F.L. [University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States). Dept. of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

2004-07-01

We analyse the implementation of the finite element method to simulate the structural behaviour of the blade-wagons of variable-geometry oval-trajectory (VGOT) Darrieus wind turbines. The key feature of a VGOT machine is that each blade, instead of rotating around a central vertical axis, slides over rails mounted on a wagon formed by a tubular reticulated structure supported by standard train bogies. The structure should be designed to absorb the efforts in the vertical and traverse directions of the railroad due to the aerodynamic loads, the weight of the components and the centrifugal acceleration along the curved tracks. We show some results for the tip deflection and the tip torsion of the blade, the frontal and lateral angle variations in the blade bottom and the Von Misses tensions of five sample beams, all of them in function of the trajectory-length parameter; and some examples of the deformed configuration of the reticulated structure. (author)

Wind Spires as an Alternative Energy Source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Majid Rashidi, Ph.D., P.E.

2012-10-30

This report discloses the design and development of an innovative wind tower system having an axisymmetric wind deflecting structure with a plurality of symmetrically mounted rooftop size wind turbines near the axisymmetric structure. The purpose of the wind deflecting structure is to increase the ambient wind speed that in turn results in an overall increase in the power capacity of the wind turbines. Two working prototypes were constructed and installed in the summer of 2009 and 2012 respectively. The system installed in the Summer of 2009 has a cylindrical wind deflecting structure, while the tower installed in 2012 has a spiral-shape wind deflecting structure. Each tower has 4 turbines, each rated at 1.65 KW Name-Plate-Rating. Before fabricating the full-size prototypes, computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analyses and scaled-down table-top models were used to predict the performance of the full-scale models. The performance results obtained from the full-size prototypes validated the results obtained from the computational models and those of the scaled-down models. The second prototype (spiral configuration) showed at a wind speed of 11 miles per hour (4.9 m/s) the power output of the system could reach 1,288 watt, when a typical turbine installation, with no wind deflecting structure, could produce only 200 watt by the same turbines at the same wind speed. At a wind speed of 18 miles per hour (8 m/sec), the spiral prototype produces 6,143 watt, while the power generated by the same turbines would be 1,412 watt in the absence of a wind deflecting structure under the same wind speed. Four US patents were allowed, and are in print, as the results of this project (US 7,540,706, US 7,679,209, US 7,845,904, and US 8,002,516).

Wind loads and competition for light sculpt trees into self-similar structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Eloy, Christophe; Fournier, Meriem; Lacointe, André; Moulia, Bruno

2017-10-18

Trees are self-similar structures: their branch lengths and diameters vary allometrically within the tree architecture, with longer and thicker branches near the ground. These tree allometries are often attributed to optimisation of hydraulic sap transport and safety against elastic buckling. Here, we show that these allometries also emerge from a model that includes competition for light, wind biomechanics and no hydraulics. We have developed MECHATREE, a numerical model of trees growing and evolving on a virtual island. With this model, we identify the fittest growth strategy when trees compete for light and allocate their photosynthates to grow seeds, create new branches or reinforce existing ones in response to wind-induced loads. Strikingly, we find that selected trees species are self-similar and follow allometric scalings similar to those observed on dicots and conifers. This result suggests that resistance to wind and competition for light play an essential role in determining tree allometries.

Fragmentation increases wind disturbance impacts on forest structure and carbon stocks in a western Amazonian landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Naomi B; Uriarte, María; DeFries, Ruth; Bedka, Kristopher M; Fernandes, Katia; Gutiérrez-Vélez, Victor; Pinedo-Vasquez, Miguel A

2017-09-01

Tropical second-growth forests could help mitigate climate change, but the degree to which their carbon potential is achieved will depend on exposure to disturbance. Wind disturbance is common in tropical forests, shaping structure, composition, and function, and influencing successional trajectories. However, little is known about the impacts of extreme winds on second-growth forests in fragmented landscapes, though these ecosystems are often located in mosaics of forest, pasture, cropland, and other land cover types. Indirect evidence suggests that fragmentation increases risk of wind damage in tropical forests, but no studies have found such impacts following severe storms. In this study, we ask whether fragmentation and forest type (old vs. second growth) were associated with variation in wind damage after a severe convective storm in a fragmented production landscape in western Amazonia. We applied linear spectral unmixing to Landsat 8 imagery from before and after the storm, and combined it with field observations of damage to map wind effects on forest structure and biomass. We also used Landsat 8 imagery to map land cover with the goals of identifying old- and second-growth forest and characterizing fragmentation. We used these data to assess variation in wind disturbance across 95,596 ha of forest, distributed over 6,110 patches. We find that fragmentation is significantly associated with wind damage, with damage severity higher at forest edges and in edgier, more isolated patches. Damage was also more severe in old-growth than in second-growth forests, but this effect was weaker than that of fragmentation. These results illustrate the importance of considering landscape context in planning tropical forest restoration and natural regeneration projects. Assessments of long-term carbon sequestration potential need to consider spatial variation in disturbance exposure. Where risk of extreme winds is high, minimizing fragmentation and isolation could increase

Smart Sensor System for Structural Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbines: 30 May 2002--30 April 2006

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulz, M. J.; Sundaresan, M. J.

2006-08-01

This report describes the efforts of the University of Cincinnati, North Carolina A&T State University, and NREL to develop a structural neural system for structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades.

Optimization of offshore wind turbine support structures using analytical gradient-based method

OpenAIRE

Chew, Kok Hon; Tai, Kang; Ng, E.Y.K.; Muskulus, Michael

2015-01-01

Design optimization of the offshore wind turbine support structure is an expensive task; due to the highly-constrained, non-convex and non-linear nature of the design problem. This report presents an analytical gradient-based method to solve this problem in an efficient and effective way. The design sensitivities of the objective and constraint functions are evaluated analytically while the optimization of the structure is performed, subject to sizing, eigenfrequency, extreme load an...

Structural Load Analysis of a Wind Turbine under Pitch Actuator and Controller Faults

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Etemaddar, Mahmoud; Gao, Zhen; Moan, Torgeir

2014-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of a wind turbine under blade pitch angle and shaft speed sensor faults as well as pitch actuator faults. A land-based NREL 5MW variable speed pitch reg- ulated wind turbine is considered as a reference. The conventional collective blade pitch angle controller strategy with independent pitch actuators control is used for load reduction. The wind turbine class is IEC-BII. The main purpose is to investigate the severity of end effects on structural loads and responses and consequently identify the high-risk components according to the type and amplitude of fault using a servo-aero-elastic simulation code, HAWC2. Both transient and steady state effects of faults are studied. Such information is useful for wind turbine fault detection and identification as well as system reliability analysis. Results show the effects of faults on wind turbine power output and responses. Pitch sensor faults mainly affects the vibration of shaft main bearing, while generator power and aerodynamic thrust are not changed significantly, due to independent pitch actuator control of three blades. Shaft speed sensor faults can seriously affect the generator power and aerodynamic thrust. Pitch actuator faults can result in fully pitching of the blade, and consequently rotor stops due to negative aerodynamic torque

Measurements of Coastal Winds and Temperature. Sensor Evaluation, Data Quality, and Wind Structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heggem, Tore

1997-12-31

The long Norwegian coastline has excellent sites for wind power production. This thesis contains a documentation of a measurement station for maritime meteorological data at the coast of Mid-Norway, and analysis of temperature and wind data. It discusses experience with different types of wind speed and wind direction sensors. Accurate air temperature measurements are essential to obtain information about the stability of the atmosphere, and a sensor based on separately calibrated thermistors is described. The quality of the calibrations and the measurements is discussed. A database built up from measurements from 1982 to 1995 has been available. The data acquisition systems and the programs used to read the data are described, as well as data control and gap-filling methods. Then basic statistics from the data like mean values and distributions are given. Quality control of the measurements with emphasis on shade effects from the masts and direction alignment is discussed. The concept of atmospheric stability is discussed. The temperature profile tends to change from unstable to slightly stable as maritime winds passes land. Temperature spectra based on two-year time series are presented. Finally, there is a discussion of long-term turbulence spectra calculated from 14 years of measurements. The lack of a gap in the one-hour region of the spectra is explained from the overweight of unstable atmospheric conditions in the dominating maritime wind. Examples of time series with regular 40-minute cycles, and corresponding effect spectra are given. The validity of local lapse rate as a criterion of atmospheric stability is discussed. 34 refs., 86 figs., 11 tabs.

Measurements of Coastal Winds and Temperature. Sensor Evaluation, Data Quality, and Wind Structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heggem, Tore

1998-12-31

The long Norwegian coastline has excellent sites for wind power production. This thesis contains a documentation of a measurement station for maritime meteorological data at the coast of Mid-Norway, and analysis of temperature and wind data. It discusses experience with different types of wind speed and wind direction sensors. Accurate air temperature measurements are essential to obtain information about the stability of the atmosphere, and a sensor based on separately calibrated thermistors is described. The quality of the calibrations and the measurements is discussed. A database built up from measurements from 1982 to 1995 has been available. The data acquisition systems and the programs used to read the data are described, as well as data control and gap-filling methods. Then basic statistics from the data like mean values and distributions are given. Quality control of the measurements with emphasis on shade effects from the masts and direction alignment is discussed. The concept of atmospheric stability is discussed. The temperature profile tends to change from unstable to slightly stable as maritime winds passes land. Temperature spectra based on two-year time series are presented. Finally, there is a discussion of long-term turbulence spectra calculated from 14 years of measurements. The lack of a gap in the one-hour region of the spectra is explained from the overweight of unstable atmospheric conditions in the dominating maritime wind. Examples of time series with regular 40-minute cycles, and corresponding effect spectra are given. The validity of local lapse rate as a criterion of atmospheric stability is discussed. 34 refs., 86 figs., 11 tabs.

RBI Optimization of Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramírez, José G. Rangel; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2009-01-01

methods for oil & gas installations, a framework for optimal inspection and maintenance planning of offshore wind turbines is presented. Special aspects for offshore wind turbines considered are the fatigue loading characteristics where usually the wind loading are dominating the wave loading, wake......Wind turbines for electricity production have increased significantly the last years both in production capability and size. This development is expected to continue also in the coming years. Offshore wind turbines with an electricity production of 5-10 MW are planned. Typically, the wind turbine...... support structure is a steel structure consisting of a tower and a monopile, tripod or jacket type foundation. This paper considers aspects of inspection and maintenance planning of fatigue prone details in jacket and tripod type of wind turbine support structures. Based on risk-based inspection planning...

Progress in wind tunnel experimental techniques for wind turbine?

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Jingping XIAO; Li CHEN; Qiang WANG; Qiao WANG

2016-01-01

Based on the unsteady aerodynamics experiment (UAE) phase VI and the model experiment in controlled conditions (MEXICO) projects and the related research carried out in China Aerodynamic Research and Development Center (CARDC), the recent progress in the wind tunnel experimental techniques for the wind turbine is sum-marized. Measurement techniques commonly used for di?erent types of wind tunnel ex-periments for wind turbine are reviewed. Important research achievements are discussed, such as the wind tunnel disturbance, the equivalence of the airfoil in?ow condition, the three-dimensional (3D) e?ect, the dynamic in?ow in?uence, the ?ow ?eld structure, and the vortex induction. The corresponding research at CARDC and some ideas on the large wind turbine are also introduced.

On the structural behaviour of variable-geometry oval-trajectory Darrieus wind turbines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Otero, A.D. [College of Engineering, University of Buenos Aires, Paseo Colon 850, Buenos Aires C1063ACV (Argentina); Ponta, F.L. [Department of Mechanical Engineering - Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931 (United States)

2009-03-15

We developed a computational model based on a finite-element mixed formulation with quadratic isoparametric beam elements. We applied this model to the analysis of a blade-wagon: a novel structure characteristic of an innovative concept in wind-power called VGOT Darrieus turbine. We studied the structural behaviour of its main components: chassis, suspension and blade, using combinations of beam/bar elements in an appropriate assembling. We defined a set of parameters to characterize the structural behaviour which help to understand the contribution of the different components and assist the process of redesign. (author)

Wind Farms: Modeling and Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Soleimanzadeh, Maryam

2012-01-01

is minimized. The controller is practically feasible. Yet, the results on load reduction in this approach are not very significant. In the second strategy, the wind farm control problem has been divided into below rated and above rated wind speed conditions. In the above rated wind speed pitch angle and power....... Distributed controller design commences with formulating the problem, where a structured matrix approach has been put in to practice. Afterwards, an H2 control problem is implemented to obtain the controller dynamics for a wind farm such that the structural loads on wind turbines are minimized.......The primary purpose of this work is to develop control algorithms for wind farms to optimize the power production and augment the lifetime of wind turbines in wind farms. In this regard, a dynamical model for wind farms was required to be the basis of the controller design. In the first stage...

Preliminary design of offshore wind turbine support structures : The importance of proper mode shape estimation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Male, P.

2013-01-01

Offshore wind turbines are highly exposed to timevarying loads. For support structures, estimation of the fatigue damage during the lifetime of the structure is an essential design aspect. This already applies for the preliminary design stage. In determining the dynamic amplification in the

Measuring and modelling of the wind on the scale of tall wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Floors, Rogier Ralph

The air flow in the lower atmosphere on the spatial scale of the modern wind turbines is studied. Because wind turbines are nowadays often taller than 100 m, the validity of current analytical and numerical atmospheric models has to be evaluated and more knowledge about the structure of the atmos......The air flow in the lower atmosphere on the spatial scale of the modern wind turbines is studied. Because wind turbines are nowadays often taller than 100 m, the validity of current analytical and numerical atmospheric models has to be evaluated and more knowledge about the structure...

Structural and functional plasticity specific to musical training with wind instruments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uk-Su eChoi

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Numerous neuroimaging studies have shown structural and functional changes resulting from musical training. Among these studies, changes in primary sensory areas are mostly related to motor functions. In this study, we looked for some similar functional and structural changes in other functional modalities, such as somatosensory function, by examining the effects of musical training with wind instruments. We found significant changes in two aspects of neuroplasticity, cortical thickness and resting-state neuronal networks. A group of subjects with several years of continuous musical training and who are currently playing in university wind ensembles showed differences in cortical thickness in lip- and tongue-related brain areas versus non-music playing subjects. Cortical thickness in lip-related brain areas was significantly thicker and that in tongue-related areas was significantly thinner in the music playing group compared with that in the non-music playing group. Association analysis of lip-related areas in the music playing group showed that the increase in cortical thickness was caused by musical training. In addition, seed-based correlation analysis showed differential activation in the precentral gyrus and supplementary motor areas between the music and non-music playing groups. These results suggest that high-intensity training with specific musical instruments could induce structural changes in related anatomical areas and could also generate a new functional neuronal network in the brain.

Probabilistic Fatigue Analysis of Jacket Support Structures for Offshore Wind Turbines Exemplified on Tubular Joints

OpenAIRE

Kelma, Sebastian; Schaumann, Peter

2015-01-01

The design of offshore wind turbines is usually based on the semi-probabilistic safety concept. Using probabilistic methods, the aim is to find an advanced structural design of OWTs in order to improve safety and reduce costs. The probabilistic design is exemplified on tubular joints of a jacket substructure. Loads and resistance are considered by their respective probability distributions. Time series of loads are generated by fully-coupled numerical simulation of the offshore wind turbine. ...

Design methods to assess the resistance of Offshore wind Turbine Structures impacted by a ship

OpenAIRE

Echeverry Jaramillo, Sara; Le Sourne, Hervé; Bela, Andreea; Pire, Timothée; Rigo, Philippe

2017-01-01

The dynamic modes of jacket, monopile and Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT) after a collision event are presented. The authors have developed simplified analytical formulations based on plastic limit analysis to assess the resistance of an offshore wind turbine jacket impacted by a ship. For the case of collisions with monopile foundations and FOWT, the crushing behavior and structure dynamics are studied by means of finite element simulations. Numerical results for both monopile and flo...

Wind lens technology and its application to wind and water turbine and beyond

OpenAIRE

Ohya Yuji; Karasudani Takashi; Nagai Tomoyuki; Watanabe Koichi

2017-01-01

Wind lens is a new type of wind power system consisting of a simple brimmed ring structure that surrounds the rotor causing greater wind to pass through the turbine. As a consequence, the turbine's efficiency of capturing energy from the wind gets dramatically increased. A Wind lens turbine can generate 2–5 times the power of an existing wind turbine given at the same rotor diameter and incoming wind speed. This fluid dynamical effect is also effective in the water. We have developed 1–3 kW W...

Offshore wind energy developments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stolpe, Mathias; Buhl, Thomas; Sumer, B. Mutlu

2014-01-01

This chapter will give a brief overview of a few of the activities within offshore wind energy research, specifically 1) Support structure optimization, 2) Blade coatings for wind turbines; 3) Scour protection of foundations, 4) Offshore HVDC and 5) Offshore wind services....

Wind power takes off. A structural revolution; Vindkraften tar fart. En strukturell revolution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Staahl, Benjamin; Lilliecreutz, Johan

2009-03-15

is still important growth opportunities in the future. It is still a relatively open market - which also can have large impact on the management of the electricity market as a whole. Wind power has reached a 'Tipping point' and growth will continue to be very strong. A dominant design has been established where the majority of development can be carried out, which in itself is accelerating the development. The growing market attracts new entrants, for example from China. Wind power contributes to a structural overhaul of the electricity market. Expansion of wind power changes the conditions of the electricity market as a whole. Traditionally, wind power was owned and operated on a smaller scale by local actors. Although the power companies are now taking a more active role, wind power is still suitable for small scale electricity generation, modular expansion and power generation close to the consumer. It allows for partial or full self-sufficiency for forestry and agriculture enterprises, associations and individual citizens. They can also become net producers of electricity. This can mean a big change long-term electricity market as a whole, particularly as some other renewable energy sources share this characteristic

Structural health and prognostics management for offshore wind turbines :

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Griffith, Daniel; Resor, Brian Ray; White, Jonathan Randall; Paquette, Joshua A.; Yoder, Nathanael C.

2012-12-01

Operations and maintenance costs for offshore wind plants are expected to be significantly higher than the current costs for onshore plants. One way in which these costs may be able to be reduced is through the use of a structural health and prognostic management system as part of a condition based maintenance paradigm with smart load management. To facilitate the creation of such a system a multiscale modeling approach has been developed to identify how the underlying physics of the system are affected by the presence of damage and how these changes manifest themselves in the operational response of a full turbine. The developed methodology was used to investigate the effects of a candidate blade damage feature, a trailing edge disbond, on a 5-MW offshore wind turbine and the measurements that demonstrated the highest sensitivity to the damage were the local pitching moments around the disbond. The multiscale method demonstrated that these changes were caused by a local decrease in the blades torsional stiffness due to the disbond, which also resulted in changes in the blades local strain field. Full turbine simulations were also used to demonstrate that derating the turbine power by as little as 5% could extend the fatigue life of a blade by as much as a factor of 3. The integration of the health monitoring information, conceptual repair cost versus damage size information, and this load management methodology provides an initial roadmap for reducing operations and maintenance costs for offshore wind farms while increasing turbine availability and overall profit.

Multiple tuned mass damper based vibration mitigation of offshore wind turbine considering soil-structure interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Hussan, Mosaruf; Sharmin, Faria; Kim, Dookie

2017-08-01

The dynamics of jacket supported offshore wind turbine (OWT) in earthquake environment is one of the progressing focuses in the renewable energy field. Soil-structure interaction (SSI) is a fundamental principle to analyze stability and safety of the structure. This study focuses on the performance of the multiple tuned mass damper (MTMD) in minimizing the dynamic responses of the structures objected to seismic loads combined with static wind and wave loads. Response surface methodology (RSM) has been applied to design the MTMD parameters. The analyses have been performed under two different boundary conditions: fixed base (without SSI) and flexible base (with SSI). Two vibration modes of the structure have been suppressed by multi-mode vibration control principle in both cases. The effectiveness of the MTMD in reducing the dynamic response of the structure is presented. The dynamic SSI plays an important role in the seismic behavior of the jacket supported OWT, especially resting on the soft soil deposit. Finally, it shows that excluding the SSI effect could be the reason of overestimating the MTMD performance.

Facilitating wind development: the importance of electric industry structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirby, Brendan; Milligan, Michael

2008-04-15

ISOs and RTOs, with their day-ahead and real-time markets, large geographies to aggregate diverse wind resources, large loads to aggregate with wind, large generation pools that tap conventional-generator flexibility, and regional transmission planning efforts, offer the best environments for wind generation to develop. (author)

Generation of electricity by wind power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Golding, E W

1976-01-01

Information on wind power is presented concerning the history of windmills; estimation of the energy obtainable from the wind; wind characteristics and distribution; wind power sites; wind surveys; wind flow over hills; measurement of wind velocity; wind structure and its determination; wind data and energy estimation; testing of wind driven ac generators; wind-driven machines; propeller type windmills; plants for isolated premises and small communities; economy of wind power generation; construction costs for large wind-driven generators; relationship of wind power to other power sources; research and development; and international cooperation.

Financing renewables - wind energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armstrong, J.

1998-01-01

This paper describes the status of the wind energy markets world-wide, in Europe and in the UK. It outlines the main methods of financing wind energy installations and discusses why different institutional structures have led to different markets in the UK and in Germany, with some concern about the state of the UK onshore industry. The paper looks ahead to the opening up of the potentially much larger offshore wind resource, concluding that in this area, existing UK development and financing structures are well suited. (Author)

Observations of the structure and evolution of surface and flight-level wind asymmetries in Hurricane Rita (2005)

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Robert; Uhlhorn, Eric

2008-11-01

Knowledge of the magnitude and distribution of surface winds, including the structure of azimuthal asymmetries in the wind field, are important factors for tropical cyclone forecasting. With its ability to remotely measure surface wind speeds, the stepped frequency microwave radiometer (SFMR) has assumed a prominent role for the operational tropical cyclone forecasting community. An example of this instrument's utility is presented here, where concurrent measurements of aircraft flight-level and SFMR surface winds are used to document the wind field evolution over three days in Hurricane Rita (2005). The amplitude and azimuthal location (phase) of the wavenumber-1 asymmetry in the storm-relative winds varied at both levels over time. The peak was found to the right of storm track at both levels on the first day. By the third day, the peak in flight-level storm-relative winds remained to the right of storm track, but it shifted to left of storm track at the surface, resulting in a 60-degree shift between the surface and flight-level and azimuthal variations in the ratio of surface to flight-level winds. The asymmetric differences between the surface and flight-level maximum wind radii also varied, indicating a vortex whose tilt was increasing.

A Laminar Model for the Magnetic Field Structure in Bow-Shock Pulsar Wind Nebulae

Science.gov (United States)

Bucciantini, N.

2018-05-01

Bow Shock Pulsar Wind Nebulae are a class of non-thermal sources, that form when the wind of a pulsar moving at supersonic speed interacts with the ambient medium, either the ISM or in a few cases the cold ejecta of the parent supernova. These systems have attracted attention in recent years, because they allow us to investigate the properties of the pulsar wind in a different environment from that of canonical Pulsar Wind Nebulae in Supernova Remnants. However, due to the complexity of the interaction, a full-fledged multidimensional analysis is still laking. We present here a simplified approach, based on Lagrangian tracers, to model the magnetic field structure in these systems, and use it to compute the magnetic field geometry, for various configurations in terms of relative orientation of the magnetic axis, pulsar speed and observer direction. Based on our solutions we have computed a set of radio emission maps, including polarization, to investigate the variety of possible appearances, and how the observed emission pattern can be used to constrain the orientation of the system, and the possible presence of turbulence.

Calculation and design of steel bearing structure for wind turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bešević Miroslav

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Wind represents directed movement of the air and is caused by differences in atmospheric pressure which are caused by uneven heating of air masses. Global and local winds can be distinguished. Global winds have high altitude, while local winds occur in the ground layer of the atmosphere. Given that the global wings have high altitude they cannot be used as propellant for wind generators, but they should be known for their effects on the winds in the lower atmosphere. Modern wind turbines are made with a horizontal axle that has a system for the swiveling axis in the horizontal plane for tracking wind direction changes. They can have different number of blades, but for larger forces three blades are commonly used because they provide the greatest efficiency. Rotor diameter of these turbines depends on the strength and it ranges from 30 m for the power of 300 kW to 115 m for the power of 5 MW. Wind turbines are mounted on vertical steel tower which can be high even more than 100 m. Depending on the diameter of the turbine rotor, column is usually built as steel conical and less often as a steel-frame. This study includes analysis and design of steel tower for wind generator made by manufacturer Vestas, type V112 3MW HH 119 (power 3.2 MW for the construction of wind farm 'Kovačica'.

Effective Method for Determining Environmental Loads on Supporting Structures for Offshore Wind Turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dymarski Paweł

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a description of an effective method for determining loads due to waves and current acting on the supporting structures of the offshore wind turbines. This method is dedicated to the structures consisting of the cylindrical or conical elements as well as (truncates pyramids of polygon with a large number of sides (8 or more. The presented computational method is based on the Morison equation, which was originally developed only for cylindrically shaped structures. The new algorithm shown here uses the coefficients of inertia and drag forces that were calculated for non-cylindrical shapes. The analysed structure consists of segments which are truncated pyramids on the basis of a hex decagon. The inertia coefficients, CM, and drag coefficients, CD, were determined using RANSE-CFD calculations. The CFD simulations were performed for a specific range of variation of the period, and for a certain range of amplitudes of the velocity. In addition, the analysis of influence of the surface roughness on the inertia and drag coefficients was performed. In the next step, the computations of sea wave, current and wind load on supporting structure for the fifty-year storm were carried out. The simulations were performed in the time domain and as a result the function of forces distribution along the construction elements was obtained. The most unfavourable distribution of forces will be used, to analyse the strength of the structure, as the design load.

Integrated analysis of wind turbines - The impact of power systems on wind turbine design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barahona Garzón, Braulio

Megawatt-size wind turbines nowadays operate in very complex environmental conditions, and increasingly demanding power system requirements. Pursuing a cost-effective and reliable wind turbine design is a multidisciplinary task. However nowadays, wind turbine design and research areas...... conditions that stem from disturbances in the power system. An integrated simulation environment, wind turbine models, and power system models are developed in order to take an integral perspective that considers the most important aeroelastic, structural, electrical, and control dynamics. Applications...... of the integrated simulation environment are presented. The analysis of an asynchronous machine, and numerical simulations of a fixedspeed wind turbine in the integrated simulation environment, demonstrate the effects on structural loads of including the generator rotor fluxes dynamics in aeroelastic studies. Power...

Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Martin Otto Laver

Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines is the established essential text for the fundamental solutions to efficient wind turbine design. Now in its second edition, it has been entirely updated and substantially extended to reflect advances in technology, research into rotor aerodynamics and the structural...... response of the wind turbine structure. Topics covered include increasing mass flow through the turbine, performance at low and high wind speeds, assessment of the extreme conditions under which the turbine will perform and the theory for calculating the lifetime of the turbine. The classical Blade Element...... Momentum method is also covered, as are eigenmodes and the dynamic behavior of a turbine. The new material includes a description of the effects of the dynamics and how this can be modeled in an aeroelastic code, which is widely used in the design and verification of modern wind turbines. Further...

Strategic structure matrix: A framework for explaining the impact of superstructure organizations on the diffusion of wind energy infrastructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, Amy; Taylor, John E.; Mahalingam, Ashwin

2013-01-01

Increasing the use of renewables in the global energy mix has become a top priority for policy makers. In this paper, we use a diffusion theory based approach to analyze the impact of government initiatives on the development of wind energy infrastructure focusing on the specific case of wind energy diffusion in India. We propose a new framework—the strategic structure matrix—as a way to characterize the strategic focus and analyze the effectiveness of different initiatives to increase wind power diffusion. We apply the matrix to explain the different pace and paths of wind energy growth observed in five Indian states: Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Our findings suggest the importance of a comprehensive approach that includes multiple strategies across initiatives, local regulatory measures, and supply-side incentives. - Highlights: • A new framework—the Strategic Structure Matrix—is proposed. • It characterizes strategic initiatives designed to promote innovation diffusion. • The matrix was validated using case study data on wind power diffusion in India. • The matrix can help shape government policies to improve RET diffusion

Structured Linear Parameter Varying Control of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adegas, Fabiano Daher; Sloth, Christoffer; Stoustrup, Jakob

2012-01-01

High performance and reliability are required for wind turbines to be competitive within the energy market. To capture their nonlinear behavior, wind turbines are often modeled using parameter-varying models. In this chapter, a framework for modelling and controller design of wind turbines is pre...... in the controller synthesis are solved by an iterative LMI-based algorithm. The resulting controllers can also be easily implemented in practice due to low data storage and simple math operations. The performance of the LPV controllers is assessed by nonlinear simulations results....

Structural design optimization of a morphing trailing edge flap for wind turbine blades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barlas, Athanasios; Lin, Yu-Huan; Aagaard Madsen, Helge

A flap actuation system, the Controllable Rubber Trailing Edge Flap (CRTEF), for distributed load control on a wind turbine blade had been developed in the period from 2006 to 2013 at DTU (http://www.induflap.dk/). The purpose of the presented work is to optimize the structural design of the flex......A flap actuation system, the Controllable Rubber Trailing Edge Flap (CRTEF), for distributed load control on a wind turbine blade had been developed in the period from 2006 to 2013 at DTU (http://www.induflap.dk/). The purpose of the presented work is to optimize the structural design...... of the flexible part of the CRTEF based on a realistic blade section geometry in order to meet the required objectives and constraints. The objectives include the deflection requirements and the energy efficiency, while the constraints include the bending stiffness of the structure, the local shape deformations......, critical material strength, and manufacturing limitations. A model with arches forming concave on the flap surface and enclosing the voids to be pressurized results in the bending movement of the flap when pressure is applied on the voids to straighten the arches. The model is designed using SolidWorks...

3D printing meets computational astrophysics: deciphering the structure of η Carinae's inner colliding winds

Science.gov (United States)

Madura, T. I.; Clementel, N.; Gull, T. R.; Kruip, C. J. H.; Paardekooper, J.-P.

2015-06-01

We present the first 3D prints of output from a supercomputer simulation of a complex astrophysical system, the colliding stellar winds in the massive (≳120 M⊙), highly eccentric (e ˜ 0.9) binary star system η Carinae. We demonstrate the methodology used to incorporate 3D interactive figures into a PDF (Portable Document Format) journal publication and the benefits of using 3D visualization and 3D printing as tools to analyse data from multidimensional numerical simulations. Using a consumer-grade 3D printer (MakerBot Replicator 2X), we successfully printed 3D smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of η Carinae's inner (r ˜ 110 au) wind-wind collision interface at multiple orbital phases. The 3D prints and visualizations reveal important, previously unknown `finger-like' structures at orbital phases shortly after periastron (φ ˜ 1.045) that protrude radially outwards from the spiral wind-wind collision region. We speculate that these fingers are related to instabilities (e.g. thin-shell, Rayleigh-Taylor) that arise at the interface between the radiatively cooled layer of dense post-shock primary-star wind and the fast (3000 km s-1), adiabatic post-shock companion-star wind. The success of our work and easy identification of previously unrecognized physical features highlight the important role 3D printing and interactive graphics can play in the visualization and understanding of complex 3D time-dependent numerical simulations of astrophysical phenomena.

Structural modelling of composite beams with application to wind turbine rotor blades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Couturier, Philippe

The ever changing structure and growing size of wind turbine blades put focus on the accuracy and flexibility of design tools. The present thesis is organized in four parts - all concerning the development of efficient computational methods for the structural modelling of composite beams which...... will support future growth in the rotor size.The first part presents a two-node beam element formulation, based on complementary elastic energy, valid for fully coupled beams with variable cross-section properties.The element stiffness matrix is derived by use of the six equilibrium states of the element...

Turbulent Structure Under Short Fetch Wind Waves

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

maximum 200 words ) Momentum transfer from wind forcing into the ocean is complicated by the presence of surface waves. Wind momentum and energy are...1,520 m from the mouth of the river to the deployment site ). Map created in Google Earth, October 12, 2015, http://www.google.com/earth/. 33...Doppler processing electronics for each transducer uses 14 bit analog to digital converter to digitize the 1.2 MHz acoustic frequency from the four

Evaluation of different inertial control methods for variable-speed wind turbines simulated by fatigue, aerodynamic, structures and turbulence (FAST)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiao; Gao, Wenzhong; Scholbrock, Andrew; Muljadi, Eduard; Gevorgian, Vahan; Wang, Jianhui; Yan, Weihang; Zhang, Huaguang

2017-10-18

To mitigate the degraded power system inertia and undesirable primary frequency response caused by large-scale wind power integration, the frequency support capabilities of variable-speed wind turbines is studied in this work. This is made possible by controlled inertial response, which is demonstrated on a research turbine - controls advanced research turbine, 3-bladed (CART3). Two distinct inertial control (IC) methods are analysed in terms of their impacts on the grids and the response of the turbine itself. The released kinetic energy in the IC methods are determined by the frequency measurement or shaped active power reference in the turbine speed-power plane. The wind turbine model is based on the high-fidelity turbine simulator fatigue, aerodynamic, structures and turbulence, which constitutes the aggregated wind power plant model with the simplified power converter model. The IC methods are implemented over the baseline CART3 controller, evaluated in the modified 9-bus and 14-bus testing power grids considering different wind speeds and different wind power penetration levels. The simulation results provide various insights on designing such kinds of ICs. The authors calculate the short-term dynamic equivalent loads and give a discussion about the turbine structural loadings related to the inertial response.

Evidence for a connection between photospheric and wind structure in HD 64760

Science.gov (United States)

Kaufer, A.; Prinja, R. K.; Stahl, O.

2002-02-01

structure which is maintained throughout the photosphere - wind transition zone (this work) out into the UV regime of the terminal velocity outflow. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory at La Silla, Chile (Proposal ID 56.D-0235).

Condensation of long-term wave climates for the fatigue design of hydrodynamically sensitive offshore wind turbine support structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Passon, Patrik; Branner, Kim

2016-01-01

important for hydrodynamically sensitive structures since the applied met-ocean parameters have a non-linear influence on calculated fatigue design loads. The present article introduces a new wave lumping method for condensation of the wave climate. The novelty is predominantly based on refined equivalence......Cost-efficient and reliable fatigue designs of offshore wind turbine support structures require an adequate representation of the site-specific wind–wave joint distribution. Establishment of this wind–wave joint distribution for design load calculation purposes requires typically a correlation...... of the marginal wind and wave distribution. This is achieved by condensation of the site-specific wave climate in terms of wave period or wave height lumping, subsequently used as input for a correlation with the corresponding wind climate. The quality of this resulting wind–wave correlation is especially...

Structural optimization procedure of a composite wind turbine blade for reducing both material cost and blade weight

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Weifei; Park, Dohyun; Choi, DongHoon

2013-12-01

A composite blade structure for a 2 MW horizontal axis wind turbine is optimally designed. Design requirements are simultaneously minimizing material cost and blade weight while satisfying the constraints on stress ratio, tip deflection, fatigue life and laminate layup requirements. The stress ratio and tip deflection under extreme gust loads and the fatigue life under a stochastic normal wind load are evaluated. A blade element wind load model is proposed to explain the wind pressure difference due to blade height change during rotor rotation. For fatigue life evaluation, the stress result of an implicit nonlinear dynamic analysis under a time-varying fluctuating wind is converted to the histograms of mean and amplitude of maximum stress ratio using the rainflow counting algorithm Miner's rule is employed to predict the fatigue life. After integrating and automating the whole analysis procedure an evolutionary algorithm is used to solve the discrete optimization problem.

Development of Self-Powered Wireless Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) for Wind Turbine Blades

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Dong-Won

Wind turbine blade failure can lead to unexpected power interruptions. Monitoring wind turbine blades is important to ensure seamless electricity delivery from power generation to consumers. Structural health monitoring (SHM) enables early recognition of structural problems so that the safety and reliability of operation can be enhanced. This dissertation focuses on the development of a wireless SHM system for wind turbine blades. The sensor is comprised of a piezoelectric energy harvester (EH) and a telemetry unit. The sensor node is mounted on the blade surface. As the blade rotates, the blade flexes, and the energy harvester captures the strain energy on the blade surface. Once sufficient electricity is captured, a pulse is sent from the sensing node to a gateway. Then, a central monitoring algorithm processes a series of pulses received from all three blades. This wireless SHM, which uses commercially available components, can be retrofitted to existing turbines. The harvested energy for sensing can be estimated in terms of two factors: the available strain energy and conversion efficiency. The available strain energy was evaluated using the FAST (Fatigue, Aerodynamics, Structures, and Turbulence) simulator. The conversion efficiency was studied analytically and experimentally. An experimental set-up was designed to mimic the expected strain frequency and amplitude for rotor blades. From a series of experiments, the efficiency of a piezoelectric EH at a typical rotor speed (0.2 Hz) was approximately 0.5%. The power requirement for sending one measurement (280 muJ) can be achieved in 10 minutes. Designing a detection algorithm is challenging due to this low sampling rate. A new sensing approach-the timing of pulses from the transmitter-was introduced. This pulse timing, which is tied to the charging time, is indicative of the structural health. The SHM system exploits the inherent triple redundancy of the three blades. The timing data of the three blades are

Comparative Study on Uni- and Bi-Directional Fluid Structure Coupling of Wind Turbine Blades

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mesfin Belayneh Ageze

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The current trends of wind turbine blade designs are geared towards a longer and slender blade with high flexibility, exhibiting complex aeroelastic loadings and instability issues, including flutter; in this regard, fluid-structure interaction (FSI plays a significant role. The present article will conduct a comparative study between uni-directional and bi-directional fluid-structural coupling models for a horizontal axis wind turbine. A full-scale, geometric copy of the NREL 5MW blade with simplified material distribution is considered for simulation. Analytical formulations of the governing relations with appropriate approximation are highlighted, including turbulence model, i.e., Shear Stress Transport (SST k-ω. These analytical relations are implemented using Multiphysics package ANSYS employing Fluent module (Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD-based solver for the fluid domain and Transient Structural module (Finite Element Analysis-based solver for the structural domain. ANSYS system coupling module also is configured to model the two fluid-structure coupling methods. The rated operational condition of the blade for a full cycle rotation is considered as a comparison domain. In the bi-directional coupling model, the structural deformation alters the angle of attack from the designed values, and by extension the flow pattern along the blade span; furthermore, the tip deflection keeps fluctuating whilst it tends to stabilize in the uni-directional coupling model.

Wind Turbine Blade Design System - Aerodynamic and Structural Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Dey, Soumitr

2011-12-01

The ever increasing need for energy and the depletion of non-renewable energy resources has led to more advancement in the "Green Energy" field, including wind energy. An improvement in performance of a Wind Turbine will enhance its economic viability, which can be achieved by better aerodynamic designs. In the present study, a design system that has been under development for gas turbine turbomachinery has been modified for designing wind turbine blades. This is a very different approach for wind turbine blade design, but will allow it to benefit from the features inherent in the geometry flexibility and broad design space of the presented system. It starts with key overall design parameters and a low-fidelity model that is used to create the initial geometry parameters. The low-fidelity system includes the axisymmetric solver with loss models, T-Axi (Turbomachinery-AXIsymmetric), MISES blade-to-blade solver and 2D wing analysis code XFLR5. The geometry parameters are used to define sections along the span of the blade and connected to the CAD model of the wind turbine blade through CAPRI (Computational Analysis PRogramming Interface), a CAD neutral API that facilitates the use of parametric geometry definition with CAD. Either the sections or the CAD geometry is then available for CFD and Finite Element Analysis. The GE 1.5sle MW wind turbine and NERL NASA Phase VI wind turbine have been used as test cases. Details of the design system application are described, and the resulting wind turbine geometry and conditions are compared to the published results of the GE and NREL wind turbines. A 2D wing analysis code XFLR5, is used for to compare results from 2D analysis to blade-to-blade analysis and the 3D CFD analysis. This kind of comparison concludes that, from hub to 25% of the span blade to blade effects or the cascade effect has to be considered, from 25% to 75%, the blade acts as a 2d wing and from 75% to the tip 3D and tip effects have to be taken into account

Reliability Assessment Of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2014-01-01

Reduction of cost of energy for wind turbines are very important in order to make wind energy competitive compared to other energy sources. Therefore the turbine components should be designed to have sufficient reliability but also not be too costly (and safe). This paper presents models...... for uncertainty modeling and reliability assessment of especially the structural components such as tower, blades, substructure and foundation. But since the function of a wind turbine is highly dependent on many electrical and mechanical components as well as a control system also reliability aspects...... of these components are discussed and it is described how there reliability influences the reliability of the structural components. Two illustrative examples are presented considering uncertainty modeling, reliability assessment and calibration of partial safety factors for structural wind turbine components exposed...

Offshore code comparison collaboration continuation (OC4), phase I - Results of coupled simulations of an offshore wind turbine with jacket support structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Popko, Wojciech; Vorpahl, Fabian; Zuga, Adam

2012-01-01

In this paper, the exemplary results of the IEA Wind Task 30 "Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation" (OC4) Project - Phase I, focused on the coupled simulation of an offshore wind turbine (OWT) with a jacket support structure, are presented. The focus of this task has been the verif......In this paper, the exemplary results of the IEA Wind Task 30 "Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation" (OC4) Project - Phase I, focused on the coupled simulation of an offshore wind turbine (OWT) with a jacket support structure, are presented. The focus of this task has been...... the verification of OWT modeling codes through code-to-code comparisons. The discrepancies between the results are shown and the sources of the differences are discussed. The importance of the local dynamics of the structure is depicted in the simulation results. Furthermore, attention is given to aspects...

Structures and Intermittency in Small Scales Solar Wind Turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahraoui, Fouad; Goldstein, Melvyn

2010-01-01

Several observations in space plasmas have reported the presence of coherent structures at different plasma scales. Structure formation is believed to result from nonlinear interactions between the plasma modes, which depend strongly on their phase synchronization. Despite this important role of the phases in turbulence, very limited work has been devoted to study the phases as potential tracers of nonlinearities in comparison with the wealth of literature on power spectra of turbulence where phases are totally missed. The reason why the phases are seldom used is probably because they usually appear to be completely mixed (due to their dependence on an arbitrary time origin and to 2π periodicity). To handle the phases properly, a new method based on using surrogate data has been developed recently to detect coherent structures in magnetized plasmas [Sahraoui, PRE, 2008]. Here, we show new applications of the technique to study the nature (weak vs strong, self-similar vs intermittent) of the small scale turbulence in the solar wind using the Cluster observations.

Wind turbine structural dynamics - a review of the principles for modern power generation, onshore and offshore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tempel, J. van der; Molenaar, D.-P.

2002-07-01

Wind turbines for electricity production have two seemingly opposing constraints; they need to be structural secure yet of low cost. To meet the first constraint, it would be an obvious choice to design a stiff structure of consequently large mass but this would drive up the cost. By reducing the mass a more cost effective turbine can be realized. However, such lightweight structures are by definition more flexible. To design a cost effective flexible system, thorough understanding of the dynamics is essential. This paper reviews the theoretical basics of the dynamic design options and applies these to realistic situations, including offshore machines under wave action. The wind energy converter and the support structure form an integrated dynamic system that must be developed in mutual interdependency and close co-operation. This paper provides a contribution to this integration process by extending the design approach initiated in the Opti-OW ECS study and the work of Kuhn. (author)

Aerodynamics of wind turbines emerging topics

CERN Document Server

Amano, R S

2014-01-01

Focusing on Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines with topics ranging from Fundamental to Application of horizontal axis wind turbines, this book presents advanced topics including: Basic Theory for Wind turbine Blade Aerodynamics, Computational Methods, and Special Structural Reinforcement Technique for Wind Turbine Blades.

Aeroelastic impact of above-rated wave-induced structural motions on the near-wake stability of a floating offshore wind turbine rotor

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Steven; Jaworski, Justin

2017-11-01

The impact of above-rated wave-induced motions on the stability of floating offshore wind turbine near-wakes is studied numerically. The rotor near-wake is generated using a lifting-line free vortex wake method, which is strongly coupled to a finite element solver for kinematically nonlinear blade deformations. A synthetic time series of relatively high-amplitude/high-frequency representative of above-rated conditions of the NREL 5MW referece wind turbine is imposed on the rotor structure. To evaluate the impact of these above-rated conditions, a linear stability analysis is first performed on the near wake generated by a fixed-tower wind turbine configuration at above-rated inflow conditions. The platform motion is then introduced via synthetic time series, and a stability analysis is performed on the wake generated by the floating offshore wind turbine at the same above-rated inflow conditions. The stability trends (disturbance modes versus the divergence rate of vortex structures) of the two analyses are compared to identify the impact that above-rated wave-induced structural motions have on the stability of the floating offshore wind turbine wake.

Wind Observatory 2017. Analysis of the wind power market, wind jobs and future of the wind industry in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-09-01

Two years after the enactment of the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act, wind power capacity continues to grow in France, exceeding 12 GWatt the end of 2016 and soon to account for 5% of France's electric power consumption. This vitality, which is set to continue in 2017, will help France achieve its objectives of an installed capacity of 15,000 MW in onshore wind by 2018 and 21,800 to 26,000 MW by 2023. The current pace will nevertheless have to be accelerated in order to reach the realistic objective of 26 GW by 2023 mentioned in the multi-annual energy plan (PPE). With 1,400 jobs created in one year and more than 3,300 over the last two years, the relevance of wind power as a driving force of sustainable job creation throughout the country is unequivocally confirmed: the increase in wind power capacity continues to contribute to the growth in employment in the country. Prepared in collaboration with the consulting firm BearingPoint, the 2017 edition of the Observatory aims to give the reader an overview of employment in the wind industry and the wind power market over the period under consideration. Any changes from the three previous editions are highlighted. It is based on a comprehensive census of all market participants on three themes: employment, the market and the future of wind power. The Observatory gives an accurate picture of how the wind energy industry is structured, thereby presenting a precise overview of the wind energy industry and all its components

design of a small scale wind generator for low wind speed areas

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

Most small scale level wind turbine generators are directly driven system, variable speed, and partially ... the best solutions for small-scale wind power plants. Low-speed multi-pole PM generators ..... Designs of the Same Magnet Structure for.

Design of Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structures: Selected topics in the field of geotechnical engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bakmar, Christian LeBlanc

.D. thesis was to enable low-cost and low-risk support structures to be designed in order to improve the economic feasibility of future offshore wind farms. The research work was divided in the following four selected research topics in the field of geotechnical engineering, relating to the monopile......Breaking the dependence on fossil fuels offers many opportunities for strengthened competitiveness, technological development and progress. Offshore wind power is a domestic, sustainable and largely untapped energy resource that provides an alternative to fossil fuels, reduces carbon emissions......, and decreases the economic and supply risks associated with reliance on imported fuels. Today, the modern offshore wind turbine offers competitive production prices for renewable energy and is therefore a key technology in achieving the energy and climate goals of the future. The overall aim of this Ph...

Nonlinear Dynamics of Wind Turbine Wings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Jesper Winther

, large wind turbines become increasingly flexible and dynamically sensitive. This project focuses on the structural analysis of highly flexible wind turbine wings, and the aerodynamic loading of wind turbine wings under large changes in flow field due to elastic deformations and changing wind conditions....

Investigation of air transportation technology at Princeton University, 1986

Science.gov (United States)

Stengel, Robert F.

1988-01-01

The Air Transportation Technology Program at Princeton proceeded along four avenues: Guidance and control strategies for penetration of microbursts and wind shear; Application of artificial intelligence in flight control systems; Computer aided control system design; and Effects of control saturation on closed loop stability and response of open loop unstable aircraft. Areas of investigation relate to guidance and control of commercial transports as well as general aviation aircraft. Interaction between the flight crew and automatic systems is a subject of prime concern.

ewec 2007 - Europe's premier wind energy event

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaviaropoulos, T.

2007-01-01

This online collection of papers - the ewec 2007 proceedings - reflects the various sessions and lectures presented at the ewec wind-energy convention held in Milan in 2007. The first day's sessions looked at the following topics: Renewable Energy Roadmap, the changing structure of the wind industry, politics and programmes, aerodynamics and innovation in turbine design, wind resources and site characterisation (2 sessions), energy scenarios, harmonisation of incentive schemes, structural design and materials, forecasting, integration studies, integrating wind into electricity markets, wind-turbine electrical systems and components, as well as loads, noise and wakes. The second day included sessions on offshore: developments and prospects, extreme wind conditions and forecasting techniques, small wind turbines, distributed generation and autonomous systems cost effectiveness, cost effectiveness of wind energy, financing wind energy concepts, wind and turbulence, wind power plants and grid integration, offshore technology, global challenges and opportunities, aero-elasticity, loads and control, operations and maintenance, carbon trading and the emission trading schemes, investment strategies of power producers, wind power plants and grid integration, wind turbine electrical systems and components, and wakes. The third day offered sessions on environmental issues, condition monitoring, operation and maintenance, structural design and materials, the Up-Wind workshop, winning hearts and minds, offshore technology, advances in measuring methods and advancing drive-train reliability. In a closing session the conference was summarised, awards for poster contributions were made and the Poul la Cour Prize was presented

Integrated monitoring of wind plant systems

Science.gov (United States)

Whelan, Matthew J.; Janoyan, Kerop D.; Qiu, Tong

2008-03-01

Wind power is a renewable source of energy that is quickly gaining acceptance by many. Advanced sensor technologies have currently focused solely on improving wind turbine rotor aerodynamics and increasing of the efficiency of the blade design and concentration. Alternatively, potential improvements in wind plant efficiency may be realized through reduction of reactionary losses of kinetic energy to the structural and substructural systems supporting the turbine mechanics. Investigation of the complete dynamic structural response of the wind plant is proposed using a large-scale, high-rate wireless sensor network. The wireless network enables sensors to be placed across the sizable structure, including the rotating blades, without consideration of cabling issues and the economic burden associated with large spools of measurement cables. A large array of multi-axis accelerometers is utilized to evaluate the modal properties of the system as well as individual members and would enable long-term structural condition monitoring of the wind turbine as well. Additionally, environmental parameters, including wind speed, temperature, and humidity, are wirelessly collected for correlation. Such a wireless system could be integrated with electrical monitoring sensors and actuators and incorporated into a remote multi-turbine centralized plant monitoring and control system.

Short-duration Electron Precipitation Studied by Test Particle Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaejin Lee

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Energy spectra of electron microbursts from 170 keV to 340 keV have been measured by the solid-state detectors aboard the low-altitude (680 km polar-orbiting Korean STSAT-1 (Science and Technology SATellite. These measurements have revealed two important characteristics unique to the microbursts: (1 They are produced by a fast-loss cone-filling process in which the interaction time for pitch-angle scattering is less than 50 ms and (2 The e-folding energy of the perpendicular component is larger than that of the parallel component, and the loss cone is not completely filled by electrons. To understand how wave-particle interactions could generate microbursts, we performed a test particle simulation and investigated how the waves scattered electron pitch angles within the timescale required for microburst precipitation. The application of rising-frequency whistler-mode waves to electrons of different energies moving in a dipole magnetic field showed that chorus magnetic wave fields, rather than electric fields, were the main cause of microburst events, which implied that microbursts could be produced by a quasi-adiabatic process. In addition, the simulation results showed that high-energy electrons could resonate with chorus waves at high magnetic latitudes where the loss cone was larger, which might explain the decreased e-folding energy of precipitated microbursts compared to that of trapped electrons.

Second wind in the offshore wind industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philippe, Edouard; Neyme, Eric; Deboos, Christophe; Villageois, Jean-Remy; Gouverneur, Philippe; Gerard, Bernard; Fournier, Eric; Petrus, Raymond; Lemarquis, David; Dener, Marc; Bivaud, Jean-Pierre; Lemaire, Etienne; Nielsen, Steffen; Lafon, Xavier; Lagandre, Pierre; Nadai, Alain; Pinot de Villechenon, Edouard; Westhues, Markus; Herpers, Frederick; Bisiaux, Christophe; Sperlich, Miriam; Bales, Vincent; Vandenbroeck, Jan; His, Stephane; Derrey, Thierry; Barakat, Georges; Dakyo, Brayima; Carme, Laurent; Petit, Frederic; Ytournel, Sophie; Westhues, Markus; Diller, Armin; Premont, Antoine de; Ruer, Jacques; Lanoe, Frederic; Declercq, Jan; Holmager, Morten; Fidelin, Daniel; Guillet, Jerome; Dudziak, Gregory; Lapierre, Anne; Couturier, Ludovic; Audineau, Jean-Pierre; Rouaix, Eric; De Roeck, Yann-Herve; Quesnel, Louis; Duguet, Benjamin

2011-06-01

After several keynote addresses, this publication contains contributions and Power Point presentations proposed during this conference on the development of offshore wind energy. The successive sessions addressed the following issues: the offshore mass production of electricity (examples of Denmark and Belgium, laying and protecting offshore cables), the space, economic and environmental planning (the Danish experience, the role of the Coastal area integrated management, importance of the public debate, so on), the logistics of port infrastructures (simulation tools, example of Bremerhaven, issues related to project management), innovation at the core of industrial strategies (high power wind turbines, the 6 MW Alstom turbine, chain value and innovation in offshore wind energy, the Vertiwing innovating project of a floating wind turbine, a bench test in Charleston, foundations, gravity base structures, the British experience, the Danish experience), the economic and organisational conditions for development, the validation and certification of technologies

Seismic analysis of offshore wind turbines on bottom-fixed support structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Alati, Natale; Failla, Giuseppe; Arena, Felice

2015-02-28

This study investigates the seismic response of a horizontal axis wind turbine on two bottom-fixed support structures for transitional water depths (30-60 m), a tripod and a jacket, both resting on pile foundations. Fully coupled, nonlinear time-domain simulations on full system models are carried out under combined wind-wave-earthquake loadings, for different load cases, considering fixed and flexible foundation models. It is shown that earthquake loading may cause a significant increase of stress resultant demands, even for moderate peak ground accelerations, and that fully coupled nonlinear time-domain simulations on full system models are essential to capture relevant information on the moment demand in the rotor blades, which cannot be predicted by analyses on simplified models allowed by existing standards. A comparison with some typical design load cases substantiates the need for an accurate seismic assessment in sites at risk from earthquakes. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Assessment of Wind Parameter Sensitivity on Extreme and Fatigue Wind Turbine Loads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robertson, Amy N [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sethuraman, Latha [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Jonkman, Jason [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Quick, Julian [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-01-12

Wind turbines are designed using a set of simulations to ascertain the structural loads that the turbine could encounter. While mean hub-height wind speed is considered to vary, other wind parameters such as turbulence spectra, sheer, veer, spatial coherence, and component correlation are fixed or conditional values that, in reality, could have different characteristics at different sites and have a significant effect on the resulting loads. This paper therefore seeks to assess the sensitivity of different wind parameters on the resulting ultimate and fatigue loads on the turbine during normal operational conditions. Eighteen different wind parameters are screened using an Elementary Effects approach with radial points. As expected, the results show a high sensitivity of the loads to the turbulence standard deviation in the primary wind direction, but the sensitivity to wind shear is often much greater. To a lesser extent, other wind parameters that drive loads include the coherence in the primary wind direction and veer.

Investigation of structural behaviour due to bend-twist couplings in wind turbine blades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fedorov, Vladimir; Dimitrov, Nikolay Krasimiroy; Berggreen, Christian

2009-01-01

The structural behaviour of a composite wind turbine blade with implemented bend-twist coupling is examined in this paper. Several shell finite element models of the blade have been developed and validated against full-scale tests. All shell models performed well for flap-wise bending......, but performed poorly in torsion, when employing material off-sets....

Analysis of Grid-Scored Sandwich Structures of Different Curvatures and Grid Sizes For Wind Turbine Blades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laustsen, Steffen; Thomsen, Ole Thybo; Lund, Erik

2012-01-01

The stress and strain field developed locally in-situ the core of grid-scored sandwich structures in wind turbine blades is investigated. Due to the many singularities occurring from the “tri-material corners”, a full 3D analysis of the sandwich structure in terms of the Finite Element Method is ...

Fluid-structure interaction simulation of floating structures interacting with complex, large-scale ocean waves and atmospheric turbulence with application to floating offshore wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Calderer, Antoni; Guo, Xin; Shen, Lian; Sotiropoulos, Fotis

2018-02-01

We develop a numerical method for simulating coupled interactions of complex floating structures with large-scale ocean waves and atmospheric turbulence. We employ an efficient large-scale model to develop offshore wind and wave environmental conditions, which are then incorporated into a high resolution two-phase flow solver with fluid-structure interaction (FSI). The large-scale wind-wave interaction model is based on a two-fluid dynamically-coupled approach that employs a high-order spectral method for simulating the water motion and a viscous solver with undulatory boundaries for the air motion. The two-phase flow FSI solver is based on the level set method and is capable of simulating the coupled dynamic interaction of arbitrarily complex bodies with airflow and waves. The large-scale wave field solver is coupled with the near-field FSI solver with a one-way coupling approach by feeding into the latter waves via a pressure-forcing method combined with the level set method. We validate the model for both simple wave trains and three-dimensional directional waves and compare the results with experimental and theoretical solutions. Finally, we demonstrate the capabilities of the new computational framework by carrying out large-eddy simulation of a floating offshore wind turbine interacting with realistic ocean wind and waves.

Two-way Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulation of a Micro Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi-Bao Chen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A two-way Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI analyses performed on a micro horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT which coupled the CFX solver with Structural solver in ANSYS Workbench was conducted in this paper. The partitioned approach-based non-conforming mesh methods and the k-ε turbulence model were adopted to perform the study. Both the results of one-way and two-way FSI analyses were presented and compared with each other, and discrepancy of the results, especially the mechanical properties, were analysed. Grid convergence which is crucial to the results was performed, and the relationship between the inner flow field domain (rotational domain and the number of grids (number of cells, elements was verified for the first time. Dynamical analyses of the wind turbine were conducted using the torque as a reference value, to verify the rationality of the model which dominates the accuracy of results. The optimal case was verified and used to conduct the study, thus, the results derived from the simulation of the FSI are accurate and credible.

The urban wind energy potential for integrated roof wind energy systems based on local building height distributions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blok, R.; Coers, M.D.

2017-01-01

An Integrated Roof Wind Energy System (IRWES) is a roof mounted structure with an internal wind turbine that uses smart aerodynamics to catch and accelerate wind flow. It has been designed for application on (existing) buildings in the urban environment. To estimate the maximum total wind energy

Thermospheric winds in the auroral oval: observations of small scale structures and rapid fluctuations by a Doppler imaging system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batten, S.; Rees, D.

1990-01-01

At high geomagnetic latitudes, thermospheric wind flows are dramatically affected by the combined effects of magnetospheric ion convection and Joule and particle heating. Thermospheric winds have been observed by ground based and space-borne Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs). Short period, localized wind fluctuations have always been difficult to resolve with a conventional FPI, due to the limited time and spatial resolution. However, the highest quality wind data obtained by these instruments from the middle and upper thermosphere have implied that thermospheric winds may respond to the combination of strong local ion drag forcing and heating within the auroral oval and polar cap, with spatial scale sizes of 50-500 km, and with time scales as short as 10-30 min. Since the 1982/1983 winter, a prototype Doppler Imaging System (DIS) has been operated at Kiruna (67.84 0 N, 20.42 0 E). This instrument maps thermospheric wind flows over a region some 500 km in diameter centred on Kiruna and has observed many interesting features in the thermospheric wind fields. In particular, strong local wind gradients, rapid wind reversals and small scale structures are regularly observed, particularly during geomagnetically disturbed nights. (author)

Structural Flexibility of Large Direct Drive Generators for Wind Turbines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shrestha, G.

2013-01-01

The trend in wind energy is towards large offshore wind farms. This trend has led to the demand for high reliability and large single unit wind turbines. Different energy conversion topologies such as multiple stage geared generators, single stage geared generators and gearless (direct drive)

Reliability Modeling of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kostandyan, Erik

Cost reductions for offshore wind turbines are a substantial requirement in order to make offshore wind energy more competitive compared to other energy supply methods. During the 20 – 25 years of wind turbines useful life, Operation & Maintenance costs are typically estimated to be a quarter...... and uncertainties are quantified. Further, estimation of annual failure probability for structural components taking into account possible faults in electrical or mechanical systems is considered. For a representative structural failure mode, a probabilistic model is developed that incorporates grid loss failures...

Wind lens technology and its application to wind and water turbine and beyond

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ohya Yuji

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Wind lens is a new type of wind power system consisting of a simple brimmed ring structure that surrounds the rotor causing greater wind to pass through the turbine. As a consequence, the turbine's efficiency of capturing energy from the wind gets dramatically increased. A Wind lens turbine can generate 2–5 times the power of an existing wind turbine given at the same rotor diameter and incoming wind speed. This fluid dynamical effect is also effective in the water. We have developed 1–3 kW Wind lens turbines and a 100 kW Wind lens turbine. In addition to the enhanced output power, Wind lens turbine is quiet. The technology is now used in an offshore experiment with a hexagonal float 18 meters in diameter set off the coast of Hakata Bay in Fukuoka City. Moreover, we are now pursuing larger size Wind lens turbines through multi-rotor design consisting of multiple Wind lens turbines in a same vertical plane to embody larger total power output.

Identification of support structure damping of a full scale offshore wind turbine in normal operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koukoura, Christina; Natarajan, Anand; Vesth, Allan

2015-01-01

damping from the decaying time series. The Enhanced Frequency Domain Decomposition (EFDD) method was applied to the wind turbine response under ambient excitation, for estimation of the damping in normal operation. The aero-servo-hydro-elastic tool HAWC2 is validated with offshore foundation load...... maxima of an impulse response caused by a boat impact. The result is used in the verification of the non aerodynamic damping in normal operation for low wind speeds. The auto-correlation function technique for damping estimation of a structure under ambient excitation was validated against the identified...... measurements. The model was tuned to the damping values obtained from the boat impact to match the measured loads. Wind turbulence intensity and wave characteristics used in the simulations are based on site measurements. A flexible soil model is included in the analysis. The importance of the correctly...

Numerical simulation of the effect of wind removing the corona space charge over grounded structures under thunderstorm conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vogel, Stephan; Lopez, Javier; Holbøll, Joachim

2015-01-01

agrounded object under thunderstorm conditions. The electric fieldcreated by the charge distribution in the thundercloud above theobject, which is in first place enhanced by its geometry, leadsto the generation and secondly upward propagation of chargefrom the object. Recent investigations underline......Different types of tall structures are severely exposed to lightning discharges, including power lines, communicationtowers, buildings and wind turbines all over the world. Thepresent paper focuses on the numerical modelling and simulationof the effect of wind on the electric field developed over...... quantifies thedifference between static towers and rotating wind turbines whichare influenced by different resultant wind velocities. The voltagedistribution and ion drift velocities in the vicinity of the groundedstructures are illustrated. The results show a higher voltagegradient at the side of the object...

Aeroservoelasticity of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kallesøe, Bjarne Skovmose

2007-01-01

This thesis deals with the fundamental aeroelastic interaction between structural motion, Pitch action and control for a wind turbine blade. As wind turbines become larger, the interaction between pitch action, blade motion, aerodynamic forces, and control become even more important to understand......, and furthermore linear and therefore suitable for control design. The development of the primary aeroelastic blade model is divided into four steps: 1) Nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) of structural blade motion are derived together with equations of pitch action and rotor speed; the individual...... to a 2D blade section model, and it can be used instead of this in many applications, giving a transparent connection to a real wind turbine blade. In this work the aeroelastic blade model is used to analyze interaction between pitch action, blade motion and wind speed variations. Furthermore the model...

A ground-base Radar network to access the 3D structure of MLT winds

Science.gov (United States)

Stober, G.; Chau, J. L.; Wilhelm, S.; Jacobi, C.

2016-12-01

The mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) is a highly variable atmospheric region driven by wave dynamics at various scales including planetary waves, tides and gravity waves. Some of these propagate through the MLT into the thermosphere/ionosphere carrying energy and momentum from the middle atmosphere into the upper atmosphere. To improve our understanding of the wave energetics and momentum transfer during their dissipation it is essential to characterize their space time properties. During the last two years we developed a new experimental approach to access the horizontal structure of wind fields at the MLT using a meteor radar network in Germany, which we called MMARIA - Multi-static Multi-frequency Agile Radar for Investigation of the Atmosphere. The network combines classical backscatter meteor radars and passive forward scatter radio links. We present our preliminary results using up to 7 different active and passive radio links to obtain horizontally resolved wind fields applying a statistical inverse method. The wind fields are retrieved with 15-30 minutes temporal resolution on a grid with 30x30 km horizontal spacing. Depending on the number of observed meteors, we are able to apply the wind field inversion at heights between 84-94 km. The horizontally resolved wind fields provide insights of the typical horizontal gravity wave length and the energy cascade from large scales to small scales. We present first power spectra indicating the transition from the synoptic wave scale to the gravity wave scale.

Vertical axis wind turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obretenov, V.; Tsalov, T.; Chakarov, T.

2012-01-01

In recent years, the interest in wind turbines with vertical axis noticeably increased. They have some important advantages: low cost, relatively simple structure, reliable packaging system of wind aggregate long period during which require no maintenance, low noise, independence of wind direction, etc.. The relatively low efficiency, however, makes them applicable mainly for small facilities. The work presents a methodology and software for approximately aerodynamic design of wind turbines of this type, and also analyzed the possibility of improving the efficiency of their workflow

Wind Climate in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, and Attribution of Leading Wind Driving Mechanisms through Turbulence-Resolving Simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor Esau

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents analysis of wind climate of the Kongsfjorden-Kongsvegen valley, Svalbard. The Kongsfjorden-Kongsvegen valley is relatively densely covered with meteorological observations, which facilitate joint statistical analysis of the turbulent surface layer structure and the structure of the higher atmospheric layers. Wind direction diagrams reveal strong wind channeled in the surface layer up to 300 m to 500 m. The probability analysis links strong wind channeling and cold temperature anomalies in the surface layer. To explain these links, previous studies suggested the katabatic wind flow mechanism as the leading driver responsible for the observed wind climatology. In this paper, idealized turbulence-resolving simulations are used to distinct between different wind driving mechanisms. The simulations were performed with the real surface topography at resolution of about 60 m. These simulations resolve the obstacle-induced turbulence and the turbulence in the non-stratified boundary layer core. The simulations suggest the leading roles of the thermal land-sea breeze circulation and the mechanical wind channeling in the modulation of the valley winds. The characteristic signatures of the developed down-slope gravity-accelerated flow, that is, the katabatic wind, were found to be of lesser significance under typical meteorological conditions in the valley.

Imaging Plasma Density Structures in the Soft X-Rays Generated by Solar Wind Charge Exchange with Neutrals

Science.gov (United States)

Sibeck, David G.; Allen, R.; Aryan, H.; Bodewits, D.; Brandt, P.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Brown, G.; Carter, J. A.; Collado-Vega, Y. M.; Collier, M. R.; Connor, H. K.; Cravens, T. E.; Ezoe, Y.; Fok, M.-C.; Galeazzi, M.; Gutynska, O.; Holmström, M.; Hsieh, S.-Y.; Ishikawa, K.; Koutroumpa, D.; Kuntz, K. D.; Leutenegger, M.; Miyoshi, Y.; Porter, F. S.; Purucker, M. E.; Read, A. M.; Raeder, J.; Robertson, I. P.; Samsonov, A. A.; Sembay, S.; Snowden, S. L.; Thomas, N. E.; von Steiger, R.; Walsh, B. M.; Wing, S.

2018-06-01

Both heliophysics and planetary physics seek to understand the complex nature of the solar wind's interaction with solar system obstacles like Earth's magnetosphere, the ionospheres of Venus and Mars, and comets. Studies with this objective are frequently conducted with the help of single or multipoint in situ electromagnetic field and particle observations, guided by the predictions of both local and global numerical simulations, and placed in context by observations from far and extreme ultraviolet (FUV, EUV), hard X-ray, and energetic neutral atom imagers (ENA). Each proposed interaction mechanism (e.g., steady or transient magnetic reconnection, local or global magnetic reconnection, ion pick-up, or the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability) generates diagnostic plasma density structures. The significance of each mechanism to the overall interaction (as measured in terms of atmospheric/ionospheric loss at comets, Venus, and Mars or global magnetospheric/ionospheric convection at Earth) remains to be determined but can be evaluated on the basis of how often the density signatures that it generates are observed as a function of solar wind conditions. This paper reviews efforts to image the diagnostic plasma density structures in the soft (low energy, 0.1-2.0 keV) X-rays produced when high charge state solar wind ions exchange electrons with the exospheric neutrals surrounding solar system obstacles. The introduction notes that theory, local, and global simulations predict the characteristics of plasma boundaries such the bow shock and magnetopause (including location, density gradient, and motion) and regions such as the magnetosheath (including density and width) as a function of location, solar wind conditions, and the particular mechanism operating. In situ measurements confirm the existence of time- and spatial-dependent plasma density structures like the bow shock, magnetosheath, and magnetopause/ionopause at Venus, Mars, comets, and the Earth. However, in situ

Structural analysis of wind turbine rotors for NSF-NASA Mod-0 wind power system

Science.gov (United States)

Spera, D. A.

1976-01-01

Preliminary estimates are presented of vibratory loads and stresses in hingeless and teetering rotors for the proposed NSF-NASA Mod-0 wind power system. Preliminary blade design utilizes a tapered tubular aluminum spar which supports nonstructural aluminum ribs and skin and is joined to the rotor hub by a steel shank tube. Stresses in the shank of the blade are calculated for static, rated, and overload operating conditions. Blade vibrations were limited to the fundamental flapping modes, which were elastic cantilever bending for hingeless rotor blades and rigid-body rotation for teetering rotor blades. The MOSTAB-C computer code was used to calculate aerodynamic and mechanical loads. The teetering rotor has substantial advantages over the hingeless rotor with respect to shank stresses, fatigue life, and tower loading. The hingeless rotor analyzed does not appear to be structurally stable during overloads.

Characterization of the wind loads and flow fields around a gable-roof building model in tornado-like winds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Hui; Yang, Zifeng; Sarkar, Partha [Iowa State University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Ames, IA (United States); Haan, Fred [Iowa State University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Ames, IA (United States); Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Terre Haute, IN (United States)

2011-09-15

An experimental study was conducted to quantify the characteristics of a tornado-like vortex and to reveal the dynamics of the flow-structure interactions between a low-rise, gable-roof building model and swirling, turbulent tornado-like winds. The experimental work was conducted by using a large-scale tornado simulator located in the Aerospace Engineering Department of Iowa State University. In addition to measuring the pressure distributions and resultant wind loads acting on the building model, a digital Particle Image Velocimetry system was used to conduct detailed flow field measurements to quantify the evolution of the unsteady vortices and turbulent flow structures around the gable-roof building model in tornado-like winds. The effects of important parameters, such as the distance between the centers of the tornado-like vortex and the test model and the orientation angles of the building model related to the tornado-like vortex, on the evolutions of the wake vortices and turbulent flow structures around the gable-roof building model as well as the wind loads induced by the tornado-like vortex were assessed quantitatively. The detailed flow field measurements were correlated with the surface pressure and wind load measurements to elucidate the underlying physics to gain further insight into flow-structure interactions between the gable-roof building model and tornado-like winds in order to provide more accurate prediction of wind damage potential to built structures. (orig.)

Optimization and Reliability Problems in Structural Design of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2007-01-01

are discussed. Limit state equations are presented for fatigue limit states and for ultimate limit states with extreme wind load, and illustrated by bending failure. Illustrative examples are presented, and as a part of the results optimal reliability levels are obtained which corresponds to an annual...... reliability index equal to 3. An example with fatigue failure indicates that the reliability level is almost the same for single wind turbines and for wind turbines in wind farms if the wake effects are modeled equivalently in the design equation and the limit state equation....

Noise from wind turbines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fegeant, Olivier [Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden). Dept. of Building Sciences

2002-02-01

A rapid growth of installed wind power capacity is expected in the next few years. However, the siting of wind turbines on a large scale raises concerns about their environmental impact, notably with respect to noise. To this end, variable speed wind turbines offer a promising solution for applications in densely populated areas like the European countries, as this design would enable an efficient utilisation of the masking effect due to ambient noise. In rural and recreational areas where wind turbines are sited, the ambient noise originates from the action of wind on the vegetation and about the listener's ear (pseudo-noise). It shows a wind speed dependence similar to that of the noise from a variable speed wind turbine and can therefore mask the latter for a wide range of conditions. However, a problem inherent to the design of these machines is their proclivity to pure tone generation, because of the enhanced difficulty of avoiding structural resonances in the mechanical parts. Pure tones are deemed highly annoying and are severely regulated by most noise policies. In relation to this problem, the vibration transmission of structure-borne sound to the tower of the turbine is investigated, in particular when the tower is stiffened at its upper end. Furthermore, since noise annoyance due to wind turbine is mostly a masking issue, the wind-related sources of ambient noise are studied and their masking potentials assessed. With this aim, prediction models for wind-induced vegetation noise and pseudo-noise have been developed. Finally, closely related to the effect of masking, is the difficulty, regularly encountered by local authorities and wind farm developers, to measure noise immission from wind turbines. A new measurement technique has thus been developed in the course of this work. Through improving the signal-to-noise ratio between wind turbine noise and ambient noise, the new technique yields more accurate measurement results.

Wind Farm Decentralized Dynamic Modeling With Parameters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Soltani, Mohsen; Shakeri, Sayyed Mojtaba; Grunnet, Jacob Deleuran

2010-01-01

Development of dynamic wind flow models for wind farms is part of the research in European research FP7 project AEOLUS. The objective of this report is to provide decentralized dynamic wind flow models with parameters. The report presents a structure for decentralized flow models with inputs from...... local models. The results of this report are especially useful, but not limited, to design a decentralized wind farm controller, since in centralized controller design one can also use the model and update it in a central computing node.......Development of dynamic wind flow models for wind farms is part of the research in European research FP7 project AEOLUS. The objective of this report is to provide decentralized dynamic wind flow models with parameters. The report presents a structure for decentralized flow models with inputs from...

Reliability of wind turbine blades: An overview of materials testing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holmes, John W.; Sørensen, Bent F.; Brøndsted, Povl

2007-01-01

an understanding of how damage develops in composite structures, composite materials and adhesives. Designing reliable wind turbine blades also requires the further development of laboratory scale and full scale test methods to evaluate the structural response and durability of new materials under various loading......The structural reliability of wind turbine components can have a profound impact on both the profitability and reputation of a wind turbine manufacturer or supplier of wind turbine components. The issue of reliability is of critical concern when large wind farm co-operatives are considered......, and when wind turbines are located in remote regions where the cost of inspections and repairs can be very high. From a structural viewpoint, wind turbine blades are subjected to very complex loading histories with coupled deformation modes. The long-term reliability of wind turbine blades requires...

Assessment of Wind Parameter Sensitivity on Ultimate and Fatigue Wind Turbine Loads: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robertson, Amy N [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sethuraman, Latha [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Jonkman, Jason [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Quick, Julian [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-02-13

Wind turbines are designed using a set of simulations to ascertain the structural loads that the turbine could encounter. While mean hub-height wind speed is considered to vary, other wind parameters such as turbulence spectra, sheer, veer, spatial coherence, and component correlation are fixed or conditional values that, in reality, could have different characteristics at different sites and have a significant effect on the resulting loads. This paper therefore seeks to assess the sensitivity of different wind parameters on the resulting ultimate and fatigue loads on the turbine during normal operational conditions. Eighteen different wind parameters are screened using an Elementary Effects approach with radial points. As expected, the results show a high sensitivity of the loads to the turbulence standard deviation in the primary wind direction, but the sensitivity to wind shear is often much greater. To a lesser extent, other wind parameters that drive loads include the coherence in the primary wind direction and veer.

A comparison study of offshore wind support structures with monopiles and jackets for U.S. waters

Science.gov (United States)

Damiani, R.; Dykes, K.; Scott, G.

2016-09-01

U.S. experience in offshore wind is limited, and high costs are expected unless innovations are introduced in one or multiple aspects of the project, from the installed technology to the balance of system (BOS). The substructure is the main single component responsible for the BOS capital expenditure (CapEx) and thus one that, if improved, could yield significant levelized cost of energy (LCOE) savings. For projects in U.S. waters, multimember lattice structures (also known as jackets) can render required stiffness for transitional water depths at potentially lower costs than monopiles (MPs). In this study, we used a systems engineering approach to evaluate the LCOE of prototypical wind power plants at six locations along the eastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico for both types of support structures. Using a reference wind turbine and actual metocean conditions for the selected sites, we calculated loads for a parked and an operational situation, and we optimized the MP- and jacket-based support structures to minimize their overall mass. Using a suite of cost models, we then computed their associated LCOE. For all water depths, the MP-based configurations were heavier than their jacket counterparts, but the overall costs for the MPs were less than they were for jackets up to depths of slightly less than 30m. When the associated manufacturing and installation costs were included, jackets resulted in lower LCOE for depths greater than 40m. These results can be used by U.S. stakeholders to understand the potential for different technologies at different sites, but the methodology illustrated in this study can be further employed to analyze the effects of innovations and design choices throughout wind power plant systems.

Renewable energy finance and project ownership. The impact of alternative development structures on the cost of wind power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiser, R.H.

1997-01-01

This paper uses traditional financial cash flow techniques to examine the impact of different ownership and financing structures on the cost of renewable energy, specifically wind power. Most large, non-hydroelectric, renewable energy projects are developed, owned and financed by private non-utility generators. Recently, however, US utilities have begun to consider owning and financing their own wind power facilities rather than purchasing power from independent renewable energy suppliers. Utilities in other countries have also expressed interest in direct renewable energy investments. A primary justification for utility ownership of wind turbine power plants is that utility self-financing and ownership is cheaper than purchasing wind energy from non-utility renewable energy suppliers. The results presented in this paper support that justification, although some of the estimated cost savings associated with utility ownership are a result of suboptimal utility analysis procedures and implicit risk shifting. Financing terms and variables are shown to significantly impact wind power costs. (author)

Model-Based Control of a Ballast-Stabilized Floating Wind Turbine Exposed to Wind and Waves

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Søren

2013-01-01

wind turbine, for water depths beyond 50 meters where winds are stronger and less turbulent. A floating wind turbine is subject to not only aerodynamics and wind induced loads, but also to hy-drodynamics and wave induced loads. In contrast to a bottom fixed wind turbine, the floating structure......, the hydrodynamics and the loads change the dynamic behavior of a floating wind turbine. Consequently, conventional wind turbine control cause instabilities on floating wind turbines. This work addresses the control of a floating spar buoy wind turbine, and focuses on the impact of the additional platform dynamics....... A time varying control model is presented based on the wind speed and wave frequency. Estimates of the wind speed and wave frequency are used as scheduling variables in a gain scheduled linear quadratic controller to improve the electrical power production while reducing fatigue. To address the problem...

Integrating Structural Health Management with Contingency Control for Wind Turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai Goebel

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Maximizing turbine up-time and reducing maintenance costs are key technology drivers for wind turbine operators. Components within wind turbines are subject to considerable stresses due to unpredictable environmental conditions resulting from rapidly changing local dynamics. In that context, systems health management has the aim to assess the state-of-health of components within a wind turbine, to estimate remaining life, and to aid in autonomous decision-making to minimize damage to the turbine. Advanced contingency control is one way to enable autonomous decision-making by providing the mechanism to enable safe and efficient turbine operation. The work reported herein explores the integration of condition monitoring of wind turbine blades with contingency control to balance the trade-offs between maintaining system health and energy capture. Results are demonstrated using a high fidelity simulator of a utility-scale wind turbine.

Wind loads on flat plate photovoltaic array fields (nonsteady winds)

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, R. D.; Zimmerman, D. K.

1981-01-01

Techniques to predict the dynamic response and the structural dynamic loads of flat plate photovoltaic arrays due to wind turbulence were analyzed. Guidelines for use in predicting the turbulent portion of the wind loading on future similar arrays are presented. The dynamic response and the loads dynamic magnification factor of the two array configurations are similar. The magnification factors at a mid chord and outer chord location on the array illustrated and at four points on the chord are shown. The wind tunnel test experimental rms pressure coefficient on which magnification factors are based is shown. It is found that the largest response and dynamic magnification factor occur at a mid chord location on an array and near the trailing edge. A technique employing these magnification factors and the wind tunnel test rms fluctuating pressure coefficients to calculate design pressure loads due to wind turbulence is presented.

Smart Wind Turbine : Analysis and Autonomous Flap

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bernhammer, L.O.

2015-01-01

Wind turbines convert kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy. Unfortunately, this process is everything but constant, as the wind source shows large fluctuations with high and low frequencies. This turbulence, together with the wind shear and yawed inflow, excites the turbine structure,

Reconstruction of a large-scale reconnection exhaust structure in the solar wind

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W.-L. Teh

2009-02-01

Full Text Available We recover two-dimensional (2-D magnetic field and flow field configurations from three spacecraft encounters with a single large-scale reconnection exhaust structure in the solar wind, using a new reconstruction method (Sonnerup and Teh, 2008 based on the ideal single-fluid MHD equations in a steady-state, 2-D geometry. The reconstruction is performed in the rest frame of the X-line, where the flow into, and the plasma jetting within, the exhaust region are clearly visible. The event was first identified by Phan et al. (2006 in the ACE, Cluster, and Wind data sets; they argued that quasi-steady reconnection persisted for over 2 h at a long (390 R_E X-line. The reconnection exhaust is sandwiched between two discontinuities, both of which contain elements of intermediate- and slow-mode behavior; these elements are co-located rather than being spatially separated. These composite discontinuities do not satisfy the coplanarity condition or the standard MHD jump conditions. For all three spacecraft, the Walén regression line slope was positive (negative for the leading (trailing discontinuity. Our MHD reconstruction shows that: (1 the X-line orientation was close to the bisector of the overall magnetic shear angle and exhibited a slow rotating motion toward the Sun-Earth line; (2 the X-line moved earthward, dawnward, and southward; (3 the reconnection electric field was small (~0.02 mV/m on average and gradually decreased from the first crossing (ACE to the last (Wind. The magnetic field and flow field configurations recovered from ACE and Cluster are similar while those recovered from Wind also include a magnetic island and an associated vortex. Reconnection persisted for at least 2.4 h involving inflow into the exhaust region from its two sides. Time-dependence in the reconnection electric fields seen by ACE and Wind indicates local temporal variations in the field configuration. In addition to the reconstruction results, we

Reconstruction of a large-scale reconnection exhaust structure in the solar wind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teh, W.L.; Sonnerup, B.U.Oe.; Hu, Q.; Farrugia, C.J.

2009-01-01

We recover two-dimensional (2-D) magnetic field and flow field configurations from three spacecraft encounters with a single large-scale reconnection exhaust structure in the solar wind, using a new reconstruction method (Sonnerup and Teh, 2008) based on the ideal single-fluid MHD equations in a steady-state, 2-D geometry. The reconstruction is performed in the rest frame of the X-line, where the flow into, and the plasma jetting within, the exhaust region are clearly visible. The event was first identified by Phan et al. (2006) in the ACE, Cluster, and Wind data sets; they argued that quasi-steady reconnection persisted for over 2 h at a long (390 R E ) X-line. The reconnection exhaust is sandwiched between two discontinuities, both of which contain elements of intermediate- and slow-mode behavior; these elements are co-located rather than being spatially separated. These composite discontinuities do not satisfy the coplanarity condition or the standard MHD jump conditions. For all three spacecraft, the Walen regression line slope was positive (negative) for the leading (trailing) discontinuity. Our MHD reconstruction shows that: (1) the X-line orientation was close to the bisector of the overall magnetic shear angle and exhibited a slow rotating motion toward the Sun-Earth line; (2) the X-line moved earthward, dawnward, and southward; (3) the reconnection electric field was small (∝0.02 mV/m on average) and gradually decreased from the first crossing (ACE) to the last (Wind). The magnetic field and flow field configurations recovered from ACE and Cluster are similar while those recovered from Wind also include a magnetic island and an associated vortex. Reconnection persisted for at least 2.4 h involving inflow into the exhaust region from its two sides. Time-dependence in the reconnection electric fields seen by ACE and Wind indicates local temporal variations in the field configuration. In addition to the reconstruction results, we provide a description and

Reconstruction of a large-scale reconnection exhaust structure in the solar wind

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W.-L. Teh

2009-02-01

Full Text Available We recover two-dimensional (2-D magnetic field and flow field configurations from three spacecraft encounters with a single large-scale reconnection exhaust structure in the solar wind, using a new reconstruction method (Sonnerup and Teh, 2008 based on the ideal single-fluid MHD equations in a steady-state, 2-D geometry. The reconstruction is performed in the rest frame of the X-line, where the flow into, and the plasma jetting within, the exhaust region are clearly visible. The event was first identified by Phan et al. (2006 in the ACE, Cluster, and Wind data sets; they argued that quasi-steady reconnection persisted for over 2 h at a long (390 RE X-line. The reconnection exhaust is sandwiched between two discontinuities, both of which contain elements of intermediate- and slow-mode behavior; these elements are co-located rather than being spatially separated. These composite discontinuities do not satisfy the coplanarity condition or the standard MHD jump conditions. For all three spacecraft, the Walén regression line slope was positive (negative for the leading (trailing discontinuity. Our MHD reconstruction shows that: (1 the X-line orientation was close to the bisector of the overall magnetic shear angle and exhibited a slow rotating motion toward the Sun-Earth line; (2 the X-line moved earthward, dawnward, and southward; (3 the reconnection electric field was small (~0.02 mV/m on average and gradually decreased from the first crossing (ACE to the last (Wind. The magnetic field and flow field configurations recovered from ACE and Cluster are similar while those recovered from Wind also include a magnetic island and an associated vortex. Reconnection persisted for at least 2.4 h involving inflow into the exhaust region from its two sides. Time-dependence in the reconnection electric fields seen by ACE and Wind indicates local temporal variations in the field configuration. In addition to the reconstruction results, we provide a description

Optimal Risk-Based Inspection Planning for Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rangel-Ramirez, Jose G.; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2008-01-01

, inspection and maintenance activities are developed. This paper considers aspects of inspection and maintenance planning of fatigue prone details in jacket and tripod types of wind turbine support structures. Based oil risk-based inspection planning methods used for oil & gas installations, a framework......Wind turbines for electricity production have increased significantly the last years both in production capability and size. This development is expected to continue also in the coining years. The Support structure for offshore wind turbines is typically a steel structure consisting of a tower...... for optimal inspection and maintenance planning of offshore wind turbines is presented. Special aspects for offshore wind turbines are considered: usually the wind loading are dominating the wave loading, wake effects in wind farms are important and the reliability level is typically significantly lower than...

Three-dimensional structure of the coronal magnetic field and the solar wind speed distribution projected on the photosphere in 1974

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakamada, K.

1987-01-01

Since the solar wind and coronal holes were relatively steady in 1974, the average distribution of the solar wind speed on the source surface and that of the line-of-sight component of the photospheric magnetic fields (B 1 ) can be constructed, with fair accuracy, by the superposed epoch analysis. The three-dimensional structure of the coronal magnetic fields is then computed from this average map of B 1 based on the potential model. The average distribution of the solar wind speed on the source surface, obtained from interplanetary scintillation observations, is then projected onto the photosphere along the open field lines in the corona. The high-speed regions thus projected are compared with the He I (1083 nm) coronal holes and are found to have a similar geometry. The results are also suggestive that the solar wind does not blow out uniformly from the vicinity of a coronal hole and that the speed is higher at the east side in that region than at the west side. The slower speed regions on the source surface have a sinusoidal structure in heliographic latitude-longitude coordinates and are similar to the brightness distribution of the K corona and the structure of closed field line regions projected onto the photosphere. copyrightAmerican Geophysical Union 1987

VLTI-AMBER Velocity-Resolved Aperture-Synthesis Imaging of Eta Carinae with a Spectral Resolution of 12 000: Studies of the Primary Star Wind and Innermost Wind-Wind Collision Zone

Science.gov (United States)

Weigelt, G.; Hofmann, K.-H.; Schertl, D.; Clementel, N.; Corcoran, M. F.; Damineli, A.; de Wit, W.-J.; Grellmann, R.; Groh, J.; Guieu, S.;

Composite Structural Analysis of Flat-Back Shaped Blade for Multi-MW Class Wind Turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Soo-Hyun; Bang, Hyung-Joon; Shin, Hyung-Ki; Jang, Moon-Seok

2014-06-01

This paper provides an overview of failure mode estimation based on 3D structural finite element (FE) analysis of the flat-back shaped wind turbine blade. Buckling stability, fiber failure (FF), and inter-fiber failure (IFF) analyses were performed to account for delamination or matrix failure of composite materials and to predict the realistic behavior of the entire blade region. Puck's fracture criteria were used for IFF evaluation. Blade design loads applicable to multi-megawatt (MW) wind turbine systems were calculated according to the Germanischer Lloyd (GL) guideline and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61400-1 standard, under Class IIA wind conditions. After the post-processing of final load results, a number of principal load cases were selected and converted into applied forces at the each section along the blade's radius of the FE model. Nonlinear static analyses were performed for laminate failure, FF, and IFF check. For buckling stability, linear eigenvalue analysis was performed. As a result, we were able to estimate the failure mode and locate the major weak point.

Corrosion Protection Systems and Fatigue Corrosion in Offshore Wind Structures: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seth J. Price

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Concerns over reducing CO2 emissions associated with the burning of fossil fuels in combination with an increase in worldwide energy demands is leading to increased development of renewable energies such as wind. The installation of offshore wind power structures (OWS is one of the most promising approaches for the production of renewable energy. However, corrosion and fatigue damage in marine and offshore environments are major causes of primary steel strength degradation in OWS. Corrosion can reduce the thickness of structural components which may lead towards fatigue crack initiation and buckling. These failure mechanisms affect tower service life and may result in catastrophic structural failure. Additionally, environmental pollution stemming from corrosion’s by-products is possible. As a result, large financial investments are made yearly for both the prevention and recovery of these drawbacks. The corrosion rate of an OWS is dependent on different characteristics of attack which are influenced by access to oxygen and humidity. Structural degradation can occur due to chemical attack, abrasive action of waves, and microorganism attacks. Inspired by technological and scientific advances in recent years, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the current protective coating system technologies used to protect OWS as well as future perspectives.

Optimization of Support Structures for Offshore Wind Turbines Using Genetic Algorithm with Domain-Trimming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad AlHamaydeh

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The powerful genetic algorithm optimization technique is augmented with an innovative “domain-trimming” modification. The resulting adaptive, high-performance technique is called Genetic Algorithm with Domain-Trimming (GADT. As a proof of concept, the GADT is applied to a widely used benchmark problem. The 10-dimensional truss optimization benchmark problem has well documented global and local minima. The GADT is shown to outperform several published solutions. Subsequently, the GADT is deployed onto three-dimensional structural design optimization for offshore wind turbine supporting structures. The design problem involves complex least-weight topology as well as member size optimizations. The GADT is applied to two popular design alternatives: tripod and quadropod jackets. The two versions of the optimization problem are nonlinearly constrained where the objective function is the material weight of the supporting truss. The considered design variables are the truss members end node coordinates, as well as the cross-sectional areas of the truss members, whereas the constraints are the maximum stresses in members and the maximum displacements of the nodes. These constraints are managed via dynamically modified, nonstationary penalty functions. The structures are subject to gravity, wind, wave, and earthquake loading conditions. The results show that the GADT method is superior in finding best discovered optimal solutions.

Hanford Site peak gust wind speeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsdell, J.V.

1998-01-01

Peak gust wind data collected at the Hanford Site since 1945 are analyzed to estimate maximum wind speeds for use in structural design. The results are compared with design wind speeds proposed for the Hanford Site. These comparisons indicate that design wind speeds contained in a January 1998 advisory changing DOE-STD-1020-94 are excessive for the Hanford Site and that the design wind speeds in effect prior to the changes are still appropriate for the Hanford Site

Aeroelastic analysis of large horizontal wind turbine baldes?

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Di TANG; Zhiliang LU; Tongqing GUO

2016-01-01

A nonlinear aeroelastic analysis method for large horizontal wind turbines is described. A vortex wake method and a nonlinear ?nite element method (FEM) are coupled in the approach. The vortex wake method is used to predict wind turbine aero-dynamic loads of a wind turbine, and a three-dimensional (3D) shell model is built for the rotor. Average aerodynamic forces along the azimuth are applied to the structural model, and the nonlinear static aeroelastic behaviors are computed. The wind rotor modes are obtained at the static aeroelastic status by linearizing the coupled equations. The static aeroelastic performance and dynamic aeroelastic responses are calculated for the NH1500 wind turbine. The results show that structural geometrical nonlinearities signi?cantly reduce displacements and vibration amplitudes of the wind turbine blades. Therefore, structural geometrical nonlinearities cannot be neglected both in the static aeroelastic analysis and dynamic aeroelastic analysis.

WindPACT Reference Wind Turbines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dykes, Katherine L [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Rinker, Jennifer [Former National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) employee

2018-04-02

To fully understand how loads and turbine cost scale with turbine size, it is necessary to have identical turbine models that have been scaled to different rated powers. The report presents the WindPACT baseline models, which are a series of four baseline models that were designed to facilitate investigations into the scalings of loads and turbine cost with size. The models have four different rated powers (750 kW, 1.5 MW, 3.0 MW, and 5.0 MW), and each model was designed to its specified rated power using the same design methodology. The models were originally implemented in FAST_AD, the predecessor to NREL's open-source wind turbine simulator FAST, but have yet to be implemented in FAST. This report contains the specifications for all four WindPACT baseline models - including structural, aerodynamic, and control specifications - along with the inherent assumptions and equations that were used to calculate the model parameters. It is hoped that these baseline models will serve as extremely useful resources for investigations into the scalings of costs, loads, or optimization routines.

Prototype bucket foundation for wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ibsen, Lars Bo; Liingaard, Morten

The first full scale prototype bucket foundation for wind turbines has been installed in October 2002 at Aalborg University offshore test facility in Frederikshavn, Denmark. The suction caisson and the wind turbine have been equipped with an online monitoring system, consisting of 15 accelerometers...... and a real-time data-acquisition system. The report concerns the in service performance of the wind turbine, with focus on estimation of the natural frequencies of the structure/foundation. The natural frequencies are initially estimated by means of experimental Output-only Modal analysis. The experimental...... estimates are then compared with numerical simulations of the suction caisson foundation and the wind turbine. The numerical model consists of a finite element section for the wind turbine tower and nacelle. The soil-structure interaction of the soil-foundation section is modelled by lumped-parameter models...

Reliability-Based Planning of Inspection, Operation and Maintenance for Offshore Oil & Gas Structures and Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2011-01-01

Reliability-based cost-optimal planning of inspection, maintenance and operation has many applications. In this paper applications for planning of inspections for oil & gas jacket structures and of operation and maintenance of offshore wind turbines are described and illustrated by examples....

Particle transport patterns of short-distance soil erosion by wind-driven rain, rain and wind

Science.gov (United States)

Marzen, Miriam; Iserloh, Thomas; de Lima, João L. M. P.; Ries, Johannes B.

2015-04-01

Short distance erosion of soil surface material is one of the big question marks in soil erosion studies. The exact measurement of short-distance transported soil particles, prior to the occurrence of overland flow, is a challenge to soil erosion science due to the particular requirements of the experimental setup and test procedure. To approach a quantification of amount and distance of each type of transport, we applied an especially developed multiple-gutter system installed inside the Trier Portable Wind and Rainfall Simulator (PWRS). We measured the amount and travel distance of soil particles detached and transported by raindrops (splash), wind-driven rain (splash-saltation and splash-drift) and wind (saltation). The test setup included three different erosion agents (rain/ wind-driven rain/ wind), two substrates (sandy/ loamy), three surface structures (grain roughness/ rills lengthwise/ rills transversal) and three slope angles (0°/+7°/-7°). The results present detailed transport patterns of the three erosion agents under the varying soil and surface conditions up to a distance of 1.6 m. Under the applied rain intensity and wind velocity, wind-driven rain splash generates the highest erosion. The erodibility and travel distance of the two substrates depend on the erosion agent. The total erosion is slightly higher for the slope angle -7° (downslope), but for wind-driven rain splash, the inclination is not a relevant factor. The effect of surface structures (rills) changes with traveling distance. The wind driven rain splash generates a much higher amount of erosion and a further travel distance of the particles due to the combined action of wind and rain. The wind-driven rain factor appears to be much more significant than the other factors. The study highlights the effects of different erosion agents and surface parameters on short-distance particle transport and the powerful impact of wind-driven rain on soil erosion.

Fourier Simulation of a Non-Isotropic Wind Field Model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mann, J.; Krenk, S.

Realistic modelling of three dimensional wind fields has become important in calculation of dynamic loads on same spatially extended structures, such as large bridges, towers and wind turbines. For some structures the along wind component of the of the turbulent flow is important while for others...

Development of arctic wind technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holttinen, H.; Marjaniemi, M.; Antikainen, P. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

1998-10-01

The climatic conditions of Lapland set special technical requirements for wind power production. The most difficult problem regarding wind power production in arctic regions is the build-up of hard and rime ice on structures of the machine

Wind Tunnel Modeling Of Wind Flow Over Complex Terrain

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, D.; Cochran, B.

2010-12-01

This presentation will describe the finding of an atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) wind tunnel study conducted as part of the Bolund Experiment. This experiment was sponsored by Risø DTU (National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark) during the fall of 2009 to enable a blind comparison of various air flow models in an attempt to validate their performance in predicting airflow over complex terrain. Bohlund hill sits 12 m above the water level at the end of a narrow isthmus. The island features a steep escarpment on one side, over which the airflow can be expected to separate. The island was equipped with several anemometer towers, and the approach flow over the water was well characterized. This study was one of only two only physical model studies included in the blind model comparison, the other being a water plume study. The remainder were computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, including both RANS and LES. Physical modeling of air flow over topographical features has been used since the middle of the 20th century, and the methods required are well understood and well documented. Several books have been written describing how to properly perform ABL wind tunnel studies, including ASCE manual of engineering practice 67. Boundary layer wind tunnel tests are the only modelling method deemed acceptable in ASCE 7-10, the most recent edition of the American Society of Civil Engineers standard that provides wind loads for buildings and other structures for buildings codes across the US. Since the 1970’s, most tall structures undergo testing in a boundary layer wind tunnel to accurately determine the wind induced loading. When compared to CFD, the US EPA considers a properly executed wind tunnel study to be equivalent to a CFD model with infinitesimal grid resolution and near infinite memory. One key reason for this widespread acceptance is that properly executed ABL wind tunnel studies will accurately simulate flow separation

Wind Turbine Control: Robust Model Based Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mirzaei, Mahmood

. Wind turbines are the most common wind energy conversion systems and are hoped to be able to compete economically with fossil fuel power plants in near future. However this demands better technology to reduce the price of electricity production. Control can play an essential part in this context....... This is because, on the one hand, control methods can decrease the cost of energy by keeping the turbine close to its maximum efficiency. On the other hand, they can reduce structural fatigue and therefore increase the lifetime of the wind turbine. The power produced by a wind turbine is proportional...... to the square of its rotor radius, therefore it seems reasonable to increase the size of the wind turbine in order to capture more power. However as the size increases, the mass of the blades increases by cube of the rotor size. This means in order to keep structural feasibility and mass of the whole structure...

Wind on the moors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, S.

1992-01-01

A local town councillor describes the setting up of a wind farm in the south Pennines which plans to sell electricity to the local electricity suppliers. The Coal Clough wind farm will generate sufficient electricity to meet the average demand of 7,500 households and will be managed by a consortium known as Wind Resources Limited linking the construction company and the utilities aiming to buy the electricity produced. While wind power offers many environmental advantages over other means of power generation, local opposition was strong on the basis of the noise produced and clearly visible structures in an area designated as being of outstanding natural beauty. (UK)

A Comparison Study of Offshore Wind Support Structures with Monopiles and Jackets for U.S. Waters: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Damiani, Rick; Dykes, Katherine; Scott, George

2016-08-01

U.S. experience in offshore wind is limited, and high costs are expected unless innovations are introduced in one or multiple aspects of the project, from the installed technology to the balance of system (BOS). The substructure is the main single component responsible for the BOS capital expenditure (CapEx) and thus one that, if improved, could yield significant levelized cost of energy (LCOE) savings. For projects in U.S. waters, multimember, lattice structures (also known as jackets) can render required stiffness for transitional water depths at potentially lower costs than monopiles (MPs). In this study, we used a systems engineering approach to evaluate the LCOE of prototypical wind power plants at six locations along the eastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico for both types of support structures. Using a reference wind turbine and actual metocean conditions for the selected sites, we calculated loads for a parked and an operational situation, and we optimized the MP- and jacket-based support structures to minimize their overall mass. Using a suite of cost models, we then computed their associated LCOE. For all water depths, the MP-based configurations were heavier than their jacket counterparts, but the overall costs for the MPs were less than they were for jackets up to depths of slightly less than 30 m. When the associated manufacturing and installation costs were included, jackets resulted in lower LCOE for depths greater than 40 m. These results can be used by U.S. stakeholders to understand the potential for different technologies at different sites, but the methodology illustrated in this study can be further employed to analyze the effects of innovations and design choices throughout wind power plant systems.

ewec 2007 - Europe's premier wind energy event

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chaviaropoulos, T. (ed.)

2007-07-01

This online collection of papers - the ewec 2007 proceedings - reflects the various sessions and lectures presented at the ewec wind-energy convention held in Milan in 2007. The first day's sessions looked at the following topics: Renewable Energy Roadmap, the changing structure of the wind industry, politics and programmes, aerodynamics and innovation in turbine design, wind resources and site characterisation (2 sessions), energy scenarios, harmonisation of incentive schemes, structural design and materials, forecasting, integration studies, integrating wind into electricity markets, wind-turbine electrical systems and components, as well as loads, noise and wakes. The second day included sessions on offshore: developments and prospects, extreme wind conditions and forecasting techniques, small wind turbines, distributed generation and autonomous systems cost effectiveness, cost effectiveness of wind energy, financing wind energy concepts, wind and turbulence, wind power plants and grid integration, offshore technology, global challenges and opportunities, aero-elasticity, loads and control, operations and maintenance, carbon trading and the emission trading schemes, investment strategies of power producers, wind power plants and grid integration, wind turbine electrical systems and components, and wakes. The third day offered sessions on environmental issues, condition monitoring, operation and maintenance, structural design and materials, the Up-Wind workshop, winning hearts and minds, offshore technology, advances in measuring methods and advancing drive-train reliability. In a closing session the conference was summarised, awards for poster contributions were made and the Poul la Cour Prize was presented.

Lower Sioux Wind Feasibility & Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minkel, Darin

2012-04-01

This report describes the process and findings of a Wind Energy Feasibility Study (Study) conducted by the Lower Sioux Indian Community (Community). The Community is evaluating the development of a wind energy project located on tribal land. The project scope was to analyze the critical issues in determining advantages and disadvantages of wind development within the Community. This analysis addresses both of the Community's wind energy development objectives: the single turbine project and the Commerical-scale multiple turbine project. The main tasks of the feasibility study are: land use and contraint analysis; wind resource evaluation; utility interconnection analysis; and project structure and economics.

Modeling 3-D solar wind structure

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Odstrčil, Dušan

2003-01-01

Roč. 32, č. 4 (2003), s. 497-506 ISSN 0273-1177 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA3003003; GA AV ČR IBS1003006 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1003909 Keywords : solar wind * modeling Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 0.483, year: 2003

Wind Turbine Blade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2010-01-01

The invention relates to a blade for a wind turbine, particularly to a blade that may be produced by an advanced manufacturing process for producing a blade with high quality structural components. Particularly, the structural components, which are preferably manufactured from fibre reinforced...

Database on wind characteristics - Analyses of wind turbine design loads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsen, G.C.; Hansen, K.S.

2004-06-01

The main objective of IEA R and D Wind Annex XVII - Database on Wind Characteristics - has been to provide wind energy planners, designers and researchers, as well as the international wind engineering community in general, with a source of actual wind field data (time series and resource data) observed in a wide range of different wind climates and terrain types. Connected to an extension of the initial Annex period, the scope for the continuation was widened to include also support to the international wind turbine standardisation efforts.. The project partners are Sweden, Norway, U.S.A., The Netherlands and Denmark, with Denmark as the Operating Agent. The reporting of the continuation of Annex XVII falls in two separate parts. Part one accounts in details for the available data in the established database bank, and part two describes various data analyses performed with the overall purpose of improving the design load cases with relevance for to wind turbine structures. The present report constitutes the second part of the Annex XVII reporting. Both fatigue and extreme load aspects are dealt with, however, with the main emphasis on the latter. The work has been supported by The Ministry of Environment and Energy, Danish Energy Agency, The Netherlands Agency for Energy and the Environment (NOVEM), The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Administration (NVE), The Swedish National Energy Administration (STEM) and The Government of the United States of America. (au)

Wind effects on long-span bridges: Probabilistic wind data format for buffeting and VIV load assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, K.; Srouji, R. G.; Hansen, S. O.

2017-12-01

The technology development within the structural design of long-span bridges in Norwegian fjords has created a need for reformulating the calculation format and the physical quantities used to describe the properties of wind and the associated wind-induced effects on bridge decks. Parts of a new probabilistic format describing the incoming, undisturbed wind is presented. It is expected that a fixed probabilistic format will facilitate a more physically consistent and precise description of the wind conditions, which in turn increase the accuracy and considerably reduce uncertainties in wind load assessments. Because the format is probabilistic, a quantification of the level of safety and uncertainty in predicted wind loads is readily accessible. A simple buffeting response calculation demonstrates the use of probabilistic wind data in the assessment of wind loads and responses. Furthermore, vortex-induced fatigue damage is discussed in relation to probabilistic wind turbulence data and response measurements from wind tunnel tests.

Aerodynamics of wind turbines

CERN Document Server

Hansen, Martin O L

2015-01-01

Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines is the established essential text for the fundamental solutions to efficient wind turbine design. Now in its third edition, it has been substantially updated with respect to structural dynamics and control. The new control chapter now includes details on how to design a classical pitch and torque regulator to control rotational speed and power, while the section on structural dynamics has been extended with a simplified mechanical system explaining the phenomena of forward and backward whirling modes. Readers will also benefit from a new chapter on Vertical Axis W

Project "Convective Wind Gusts" (ConWinG)

Science.gov (United States)

Mohr, Susanna; Richter, Alexandra; Kunz, Michael; Ruck, Bodo

2017-04-01

Convectively-driven strong winds usually associated with thunderstorms frequently cause substantial damage to buildings and other structures in many parts of the world. Decisive for the high damage potential are the short-term wind speed maxima with duration of a few seconds, termed as gusts. Several studies have shown that convectively-driven gusts can reach even higher wind speeds compared to turbulent gusts associated with synoptic-scale weather systems. Due to the small-scale and non-stationary nature of convective wind gusts, there is a considerable lack of knowledge regarding their characteristics and statistics. Furthermore, their interaction with urban structures and their influence on buildings is not yet fully understood. For these two reasons, convective wind events are not included in the present wind load standards of buildings and structures, which so far have been based solely on the characteristics of synoptically-driven wind gusts in the near-surface boundary layer (e. g., DIN EN 1991-1-4:2010-12; ASCE7). However, convective and turbulent gusts differ considerably, e.g. concerning vertical wind-speed profiles, gust factors (i.e., maximum to mean wind speed), or exceedance probability curves. In an effort to remedy this situation, the overarching objective of the DFG-project "Convective Wind Gusts" (ConWinG) is to investigate the characteristics and statistics of convective gusts as well as their interaction with urban structures. Based on a set of 110 climate stations of the German Weather Service (DWD) between 1992 and 2014, we analyzed the temporal and spatial distribution, intensity, and occurrence probability of convective gusts. Similar to thunderstorm activity, the frequency of convective gusts decreases gradually from South to North Germany. A relation between gust intensity/probability to orography or climate conditions cannot be identified. Rather, high wind speeds, e.g., above 30 m/s, can be expected everywhere in Germany with almost

Grid fault and design-basis for wind turbines. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, A.D.; Cutululis, N.A.; Markou, H.; Soerensen, Poul; Iov, F.

2010-01-15

This is the final report of a Danish research project 'Grid fault and design-basis for wind turbines'. The objective of this project has been to assess and analyze the consequences of the new grid connection requirements for the fatigue and ultimate structural loads of wind turbines. The fulfillment of the grid connection requirements poses challenges for the design of both the electrical system and the mechanical structure of wind turbines. The development of wind turbine models and novel control strategies to fulfill the TSO's requirements are of vital importance in this design. Dynamic models and different fault ride-through control strategies have been developed and assessed in this project for three different wind turbine concepts (active stall wind turbine, variable speed doublyfed induction generator wind turbine, variable speed multipole permanent magnet wind turbine). A computer approach for the quantification of the wind turbines structural loads caused by the fault ride-through grid requirement, has been proposed and exemplified for the case of an active stall wind turbine. This approach relies on the combination of knowledge from complimentary simulation tools, which have expertise in different specialized design areas for wind turbines. In order to quantify the impact of the grid faults and grid requirements fulfillment on wind turbines structural loads and thus on their lifetime, a rainflow and a statistical analysis for fatigue and ultimate structural loads, respectively, have been performed and compared for two cases, i.e. one when the turbine is immediately disconnected from the grid when a grid fault occurs and one when the turbine is equipped with a fault ride-through controller and therefore it is able to remain connected to the grid during the grid fault. Different storm control strategies, that enable variable speed wind turbines to produce power at wind speeds higher than 25m/s and up to 50m/s without substantially increasing

WIND observations of coherent electrostatic waves in the solar wind

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Mangeney

1999-03-01

Full Text Available The time domain sampler (TDS experiment on WIND measures electric and magnetic wave forms with a sampling rate which reaches 120 000 points per second. We analyse here observations made in the solar wind near the Lagrange point L1. In the range of frequencies above the proton plasma frequency fpi and smaller than or of the order of the electron plasma frequency fpe, TDS observed three kinds of electrostatic (e.s. waves: coherent wave packets of Langmuir waves with frequencies f ~ fpe, coherent wave packets with frequencies in the ion acoustic range fpi < f < fpe, and more or less isolated non-sinusoidal spikes lasting less than 1 ms. We confirm that the observed frequency of the low frequency (LF ion acoustic wave packets is dominated by the Doppler effect: the wavelengths are short, 10 to 50 electron Debye lengths λD. The electric field in the isolated electrostatic structures (IES and in the LF wave packets is more or less aligned with the solar wind magnetic field. Across the IES, which have a spatial width of the order of ~ 25λD, there is a small but finite electric potential drop, implying an average electric field generally directed away from the Sun. The IES wave forms, which have not been previously reported in the solar wind, are similar, although with a smaller amplitude, to the weak double layers observed in the auroral regions, and to the electrostatic solitary waves observed in other regions in the magnetosphere. We have also studied the solar wind conditions which favour the occurrence of the three kinds of waves: all these e.s. waves are observed more or less continuously in the whole solar wind (except in the densest regions where a parasite prevents the TDS observations. The type (wave packet or IES of the observed LF waves is mainly determined by the proton temperature and by the direction of the magnetic field, which themselves depend on the latitude of WIND with respect to the heliospheric current sheet.Key words

Structural Health Monitoring of Wind Turbine Blades: Acoustic Source Localization Using Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omar Mabrok Bouzid

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Structural health monitoring (SHM is important for reducing the maintenance and operation cost of safety-critical components and systems in offshore wind turbines. This paper proposes an in situ wireless SHM system based on an acoustic emission (AE technique. By using this technique a number of challenges are introduced due to high sampling rate requirements, limitations in the communication bandwidth, memory space, and power resources. To overcome these challenges, this paper focused on two elements: (1 the use of an in situ wireless SHM technique in conjunction with the utilization of low sampling rates; (2 localization of acoustic sources which could emulate impact damage or audible cracks caused by different objects, such as tools, bird strikes, or strong hail, all of which represent abrupt AE events and could affect the structural health of a monitored wind turbine blade. The localization process is performed using features extracted from aliased AE signals based on a developed constraint localization model. To validate the performance of these elements, the proposed system was tested by testing the localization of the emulated AE sources acquired in the field.

O?shore ?oating wind turbine and its dynamic problems?

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Renchuan ZHU; Guoping MIAO; Ju FAN; Hua LIU

2016-01-01

Green energy sources and ocean wind power are plentiful in deep sea. More and more o?shore wind power plants are constructed in the deep water over hundred meters below the surface. While o?shore ?oating wind turbine system is working, wind turbine, ?oating foundation, and mooring system a?ect each other with wind, waves, and currents acting on them. Various o?shore ?oating wind turbine systems and the encoun-tered environmental loads are brie?y reviewed and discussed. It is di?cult and crucial to comprehensively analyze the aerodynamic-hydrodynamic-service system-structure un-der the coupling e?ect of o?shore ?oating wind turbine system. The environmental ?ow ?eld, structure scale, and rational applications of theories and approaches should be well considered in advance.

Electric power from vertical-axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Touryan, K. J.; Strickland, J. H.; Berg, D. E.

1987-12-01

Significant advancements have occurred in vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) technology for electrical power generation over the last decade; in particular, well-proven aerodynamic and structural analysis codes have been developed for Darrieus-principle wind turbines. Machines of this type have been built by at least three companies, and about 550 units of various designs are currently in service in California wind farms. Attention is presently given to the aerodynamic characteristics, structural dynamics, systems engineering, and energy market-penetration aspects of VAWTs.

Improved ADRC for a Maglev Planar Motor with a Concentric Winding Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baoquan Kou

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In the semiconductor industry, positioning accuracy and acceleration are critical parameters. To improve the acceleration speed of a motor, this paper proposes the moving-coil maglev planar motor with a concentric winding structure. The coordinate system has been built for the multiple degrees of freedom movement system. The Lorenz force method has been applied to solve its electromagnetic model. The real-time solving of the generalized inverse matrix of factors can realize the decoupling of the winding current. When the maglev height changes, the electromagnetic force and torque decreases exponentially with the increase of the air gap. To decrease the influence on control system performance by the internal model change and the external disturbance, this paper proposes an improved active disturbance rejection control (ADRC to design the controller. This new controller overcomes the jitter phenomenon due to the turning point for the traditional ADRC, thus it is more suitable for the maglev control system. The comparison between ADRC and the improved ADRC has been conducted, the result of which shows the improved ADRC has greater robustness.

Wind tunnel tests of a free yawing downwind wind turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verelst, David Robert; Larsen, Torben J.; van Wingerden, Jan-Willem

2014-01-01

. The discussed test cases show that the turbine is stable while operating in free yawing conditions. Further, the effect of the tower shadow passage on the blade flapwise strain measurement is evaluated. Finally, data from the experiment is compared with preliminary simulations using DTU Wind Energy......This research paper presents preliminary results on a behavioural study of a free yawing downwind wind turbine. A series of wind tunnel tests was performed at the TU Delft Open Jet Facility with a three bladed downwind wind turbine and a rotor radius of 0.8 meters. The setup includes an off...... the shelf three bladed hub, nacelle and generator on which relatively flexible blades are mounted. The tower support structure has free yawing capabilities provided at the base. A short overview on the technical details of the experiment is given as well as a brief summary of the design process...

Wind Turbine With Concentric Ducts

Science.gov (United States)

Muhonen, A. J.

1983-01-01

Wind Turbine device is relatively compact and efficient. Converging inner and outer ducts increase pressure difference across blades of wind turbine. Turbine shaft drives alternator housed inside exit cone. Suitable for installation on such existing structures as water towers, barns, houses, and commercial buildings.

Scour Forecasting for Offshore Wind Parks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartvig, Peres Akrawi

In an effort to minimize the costs of offshore wind parks, the present research deals with optimizing a certain aspect of the support structure, namely the approach to scour. Scour is the phenomenon of seabed changes in the vicinity of the support structure that arises when the support structure......, scour forecasts facilitate the comparison between a scour design based on either deployment of scour-protection or enhanced structural design. The broad goal is to develop a method that produces accurate scour forecasts for offshore wind parks. The present research investigates more specifically which...

Orthogonal Analysis Based Performance Optimization for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Song

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Geometrical shape of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT is composed of multiple structural parameters. Since there are interactions among the structural parameters, traditional research approaches, which usually focus on one parameter at a time, cannot obtain performance of the wind turbine accurately. In order to exploit overall effect of a novel VAWT, we firstly use a single parameter optimization method to obtain optimal values of the structural parameters, respectively, by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD method; based on the results, we then use an orthogonal analysis method to investigate the influence of interactions of the structural parameters on performance of the wind turbine and to obtain optimization combination of the structural parameters considering the interactions. Results of analysis of variance indicate that interactions among the structural parameters have influence on performance of the wind turbine, and optimization results based on orthogonal analysis have higher wind energy utilization than that of traditional research approaches.

Smart Wind Turbine: Analysis and Autonomous Flap

OpenAIRE

Bernhammer, L.O.

2015-01-01

Wind turbines convert kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy. Unfortunately, this process is everything but constant, as the wind source shows large fluctuations with high and low frequencies. This turbulence, together with the wind shear and yawed inflow, excites the turbine structure, thereby driving the loads and the design of turbines in general and blades in particular. In response to this, several control mechanisms have been applied to wind turbines since the generation of s...

Global empirical wind model for the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere. I. Prevailing wind

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. I. Portnyagin

Full Text Available An updated empirical climatic zonally averaged prevailing wind model for the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere (70-110 km, extending from 80°N to 80°S is presented. The model is constructed from the fitting of monthly mean winds from meteor radar and MF radar measurements at more than 40 stations, well distributed over the globe. The height-latitude contour plots of monthly mean zonal and meridional winds for all months of the year, and of annual mean wind, amplitudes and phases of annual and semiannual harmonics of wind variations are analyzed to reveal the main features of the seasonal variation of the global wind structures in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Some results of comparison between the ground-based wind models and the space-based models are presented. It is shown that, with the exception of annual mean systematic bias between the zonal winds provided by the ground-based and space-based models, a good agreement between the models is observed. The possible origin of this bias is discussed.

Key words: Meteorology and Atmospheric dynamics (general circulation; middle atmosphere dynamics; thermospheric dynamics

WEP. A wind energy planning system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsen, H.V.

1991-11-01

The report describes the Wind Energy Planning system (WEP). It is intended as a decision support system to be used in the economic evaluation of wind energy projects. Such projects could be minor projects with only a single wind turbine or large wind farm projects consisting of several wind turbine plants. In the WEP system, a wind turbine is described by data on initial investment, possible later reinvestments, O and M costs, expected yearly production, life time, and capacity factor. The raising of loans are modelled, too. Depending on which output report is created, the value of the wind generated electricity is calculated in two different ways: either the electricity is assumed to be sold at a price (time series) given by the user, or the alternative conventional power production is modelled by its specific investment, O and M costs, life time, effectivity, fuel mix, and time series for fuel prices. Using these data, capacity credit and saved fuel and O and M costs are calculated. Due to the flexible data structure of the model, the user can easily create a scenario that models a large scale introduction of wind power. In such a scenario the gradual build up through several years of the wind power capacity can be modelled. The report describes in detail the menu structure, the input facilities, the output reports, and the organization of data. Also included is an example with full input documentation and output reports. (au)

The aerodynamics of wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Jens Nørkær; Mikkelsen, Robert Flemming; Troldborg, Niels

2013-01-01

In the paper we present state-of-the-art of research in wind turbine aerodynamics. We start be giving a brief historical review and a survey over aerodynamic research in wind energy. Next, we focus on some recent research results obtained by our wind energy group at Department of Mechanical...... Engineering at DTU. In particular, we show some new results on the classical problem of the ideal rotor and present a series of new results from an on-going research project dealing with the modelling and simulation of turbulent flow structures in the wake behind wind turbines....

Power reserve provision with wind farms. Grid integration of wind power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gesino, Alejandro J.

2011-07-01

Wind power is, admittedly, different from other power technologies and integrating large amounts of it in the existing power systems is a challenge that requires innovative approaches to keep the sustainability of the power system operation. In the coming years its contribution to the system security will become mandatory as far as the trend goes towards more decentralized structures and an increase in complexity due to a higher number of market participants. This PhD addresses one of the fundamental ancillary services researching about a secure and flexible methodology for power reserve provision with wind farms. Based on the current needs and security standards of those highly developed European grid codes, a new model for power reserve provision with wind power is developed. This methodology, algorithms and variables are tested based on real scenarios from five German wind farm clusters. Finally, once the methodology for power reserve provision with wind power has been tested, real control capabilities from already installed wind farms in Germany and Portugal are analyzed. Their capabilities of following control commands as well as an error deviation analysis are also presented. (orig.)

Cross-Wind Modal Properties of Offshore Wind Turbines Identified by Full Scale Testing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Mads; Ibsen, Lars Bo; Andersen, Lars Vabbersgaard

2013-01-01

-2011, the paper evaluates the first natural frequency and modal damping of the structures. In addition, fitting of theoretical energy spectra to measured response spectra of operating turbines is presented as an alternative method of determining the system damping. Analyses show distinctly time-dependent cross......Cross-wind vibrations due to wave loading misaligned with wind turbulence are often a design driver for offshore wind turbine foundations. The phenomenon is characterised by increasing fatigue loads compared to the fore-aft fatigue and a small amount of system damping since almost no aerodynamic...

Computational Modelling of Materials for Wind Turbine Blades: Selected DTU Wind Energy Activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Mikkelsen, Lars Pilgaard; Mishnaevsky, Leon

2017-11-08

Computational and analytical studies of degradation of wind turbine blade materials at the macro-, micro-, and nanoscale carried out by the modelling team of the Section Composites and Materials Mechanics, Department of Wind Energy, DTU, are reviewed. Examples of the analysis of the microstructural effects on the strength and fatigue life of composites are shown. Computational studies of degradation mechanisms of wind blade composites under tensile and compressive loading are presented. The effect of hybrid and nanoengineered structures on the performance of the composite was studied in computational experiments as well.

The Department of Energy (DOE) research program in structural analysis of vertical-axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Sullivan, W. N.

The Darrieus-type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) presents a variety of unusual structural problems to designers. The level of understanding of these structural problems governs, to a large degree, the success or failure of today's rotor designs. A survey is presented of the technology available for rotor structural design with emphasis on the DOE research program now underway. Itemizations are included of the major structural issues unique to the VAWT along with discussion of available analysis techniques for each problem area. It is concluded that tools are available to at least approximately address the most important problems. However, experimental data for confirmation is rather limited in terms of volume and the range of rotor configurations tested.

BNL Direct Wind Superconducting Magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parker, B.; Anerella, M.; Escallier, J.; Ghosh, A.; Jain, A.; Marone, A.; Muratore, A.; Wanderer, P.

2011-09-12

BNL developed Direct Wind magnet technology is used to create a variety of complex multi-functional multi-layer superconducting coil structures without the need for creating custom production tooling and fixturing for each new project. Our Direct Wind process naturally integrates prestress into the coil structure so external coil collars and yokes are not needed; the final coil package transverse size can then be very compact. Direct Wind magnets are produced with very good field quality via corrections applied during the course of coil winding. The HERA-II and BEPC-II Interaction Region (IR) magnet, J-PARC corrector and Alpha antihydrogen magnetic trap magnets and our BTeV corrector magnet design are discussed here along with a full length ILC IR prototype magnet presently in production and the coils that were wound for an ATF2 upgrade at KEK. A new IR septum magnet design concept for a 6.2 T combined-function IR magnet for eRHIC, a future RHIC upgrade, is introduced here.

Wind turbine with lightning protection system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2016-01-01

The present invention relates to a wind turbine comprising a lightning protection system comprising a waveguide interconnecting a communication device and a signal-carrying structure. In other aspects, the present invention relates to the use of a waveguide in a lightning protection system...... of a wind turbine, a power splitter and its use in a lightning protection system of a wind turbine....

Fragmentation reduces regional-scale spatial genetic structure in a wind-pollinated tree because genetic barriers are removed.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Rong; Compton, Stephen G; Shi, Yi-Su; Chen, Xiao-Yong

2012-09-01

Gene flow strongly influences the regional genetic structuring of plant populations. Seed and pollen dispersal patterns can respond differently to the increased isolation resulting from habitat fragmentation, with unpredictable consequences for gene flow and population structuring. In a recently fragmented landscape we compared the pre- and post-fragmentation genetic structure of populations of a tree species where pollen and seed dispersal respond differentially to forest fragmentation generated by flooding. Castanopsis sclerophylla is wind-pollinated, with seeds that are dispersed by gravity and rodents. Using microsatellites, we found no significant difference in genetic diversity between pre- and post-fragmentation cohorts. Significant genetic structure was observed in pre-fragmentation cohorts, due to an unknown genetic barrier that had isolated one small population. Among post-fragmentation cohorts this genetic barrier had disappeared and genetic structure was significantly weakened. The strengths of genetic structuring were at a similar level in both cohorts, suggesting that overall gene flow of C. sclerophylla has been unchanged by fragmentation at the regional scale. Fragmentation has blocked seed dispersal among habitats, but this appears to have been compensated for by enhanced pollen dispersal, as indicated by the disappearance of a genetic barrier, probably as a result of increased wind speeds and easier pollen movement over water. Extensive pollen flow can counteract some negative effects of fragmentation and assist the long-term persistence of small remnant populations.

Structural damage detection in wind turbine blades based on time series representations of dynamic responses

Science.gov (United States)

Hoell, Simon; Omenzetter, Piotr

2015-03-01

The development of large wind turbines that enable to harvest energy more efficiently is a consequence of the increasing demand for renewables in the world. To optimize the potential energy output, light and flexible wind turbine blades (WTBs) are designed. However, the higher flexibilities and lower buckling capacities adversely affect the long-term safety and reliability of WTBs, and thus the increased operation and maintenance costs reduce the expected revenue. Effective structural health monitoring techniques can help to counteract this by limiting inspection efforts and avoiding unplanned maintenance actions. Vibration-based methods deserve high attention due to the moderate instrumentation efforts and the applicability for in-service measurements. The present paper proposes the use of cross-correlations (CCs) of acceleration responses between sensors at different locations for structural damage detection in WTBs. CCs were in the past successfully applied for damage detection in numerical and experimental beam structures while utilizing only single lags between the signals. The present approach uses vectors of CC coefficients for multiple lags between measurements of two selected sensors taken from multiple possible combinations of sensors. To reduce the dimensionality of the damage sensitive feature (DSF) vectors, principal component analysis is performed. The optimal number of principal components (PCs) is chosen with respect to a statistical threshold. Finally, the detection phase uses the selected PCs of the healthy structure to calculate scores from a current DSF vector, where statistical hypothesis testing is performed for making a decision about the current structural state. The method is applied to laboratory experiments conducted on a small WTB with non-destructive damage scenarios.

Optimization of monopiles for offshore wind turbines.

Science.gov (United States)

Kallehave, Dan; Byrne, Byron W; LeBlanc Thilsted, Christian; Mikkelsen, Kristian Kousgaard

2015-02-28

The offshore wind industry currently relies on subsidy schemes to be competitive with fossil-fuel-based energy sources. For the wind industry to survive, it is vital that costs are significantly reduced for future projects. This can be partly achieved by introducing new technologies and partly through optimization of existing technologies and design methods. One of the areas where costs can be reduced is in the support structure, where better designs, cheaper fabrication and quicker installation might all be possible. The prevailing support structure design is the monopile structure, where the simple design is well suited to mass-fabrication, and the installation approach, based on conventional impact driving, is relatively low-risk and robust for most soil conditions. The range of application of the monopile for future wind farms can be extended by using more accurate engineering design methods, specifically tailored to offshore wind industry design. This paper describes how state-of-the-art optimization approaches are applied to the design of current wind farms and monopile support structures and identifies the main drivers where more accurate engineering methods could impact on a next generation of highly optimized monopiles. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

In Search of the Wind Energy Potential

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lundtang Petersen, Erik

2017-01-01

The worldwide advancement of wind energy is putting high demands on a number of underlying technologies such as wind turbine aerodynamics, structural dynamics, gearbox design, electrical grid connections, and so on. As wind is the only fuel for wind power plants, naturally, wind......-meteorology and wind-climatology are essential for any utilization of wind energy. This is what we are concerned about here with a view on what has happened in wind energy potential assessments in the last 25 years where the utilization of wind turbines in national power supply has accelerated and what...... is the perspective for future improvements of the assessment methods. We take as the starting point the methodology of The European Wind Atlas [I. Troen and E. L. Petersen, European Wind Atlas (Risø National Laboratory, Roskilde, Denmark, 1989)]. From there to the global wind atlas methodology [J. Badger et al...

Single ICMEs and Complex Transient Structures in the Solar Wind in 2010 - 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Rodkin, D.; Slemzin, V.; Zhukov, A. N.; Goryaev, F.; Shugay, Y.; Veselovsky, I.

2018-05-01

We analyze the statistics, solar sources, and properties of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) in the solar wind. The total number of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) registered in the Coordinated Data Analysis Workshops catalog (CDAW) during the first eight years of Cycle 24 was 61% larger than in the same period of Cycle 23, but the number of X-ray flares registered by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) was 20 % smaller because the solar activity was lower. The total number of ICMEs in the given period of Cycle 24 in the Richardson and Cane list was 29% smaller than in Cycle 23, which may be explained by a noticeable number of non-classified ICME-like events in the beginning of Cycle 24. For the period January 2010 - August 2011, we identify solar sources of the ICMEs that are included in the Richardson and Cane list. The solar sources of ICME were determined from coronagraph observations of the Earth-directed CMEs, supplemented by modeling of their propagation in the heliosphere using kinematic models (a ballistic and drag-based model). A detailed analysis of the ICME solar sources in the period under study showed that in 11 cases out of 23 (48%), the observed ICME could be associated with two or more sources. For multiple-source events, the resulting solar wind disturbances can be described as complex (merged) structures that are caused by stream interactions, with properties depending on the type of the participating streams. As a reliable marker to identify interacting streams and their sources, we used the plasma ion composition because it freezes in the low corona and remains unchanged in the heliosphere. According to the ion composition signatures, we classify these cases into three types: complex ejecta originating from weak and strong CME-CME interactions, as well as merged interaction regions (MIRs) originating from the CME high-speed stream (HSS) interactions. We describe temporal profiles of the ion composition for

The structure and origin of magnetic clouds in the solar wind

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Bothmer

Full Text Available Plasma and magnetic field data from the Helios 1/2 spacecraft have been used to investigate the structure of magnetic clouds (MCs in the inner heliosphere. 46 MCs were identified in the Helios data for the period 1974–1981 between 0.3 and 1 AU. 85% of the MCs were associated with fast-forward interplanetary shock waves, supporting the close association between MCs and SMEs (solar mass ejections. Seven MCs were identified as direct consequences of Helios-directed SMEs, and the passage of MCs agreed with that of interplanetary plasma clouds (IPCs identified as white-light brightness enhancements in the Helios photometer data. The total (plasma and magnetic field pressure in MCs was higher and the plasma-β lower than in the surrounding solar wind. Minimum variance analysis (MVA showed that MCs can best be described as large-scale quasi-cylindrical magnetic flux tubes. The axes of the flux tubes usually had a small inclination to the ecliptic plane, with their azimuthal direction close to the east-west direction. The large-scale flux tube model for MCs was validated by the analysis of multi-spacecraft observations. MCs were observed over a range of up to ~60° in solar longitude in the ecliptic having the same magnetic configuration. The Helios observations further showed that over-expansion is a common feature of MCs. From a combined study of Helios, Voyager and IMP data we found that the radial diameter of MCs increases between 0.3 and 4.2 AU proportional to the distance, R, from the Sun as R^0.8 (R in AU. The density decrease inside MCs was found to be proportional to R^–2.4, thus being stronger compared to the average solar wind. Four different magnetic configurations, as expected from the flux-tube concept, for MCs have been observed in situ by the Helios probes. MCs with left- and right-handed magnetic helicity occurred with about equal frequencies during 1974–1981, but surprisingly, the majority (74% of the MCs had

Wind-power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kling, A

1976-08-26

The invention is concerned with a wind-power plant whose rotor axis is pivoted in the supporting structure and swingable around an axis of tilt, forming an angle with the rotor axis and the vertical axis, and allowing precession of the rotor. On changes of wind direction an electric positioning device is moving the rotor axis into the new direction in such a way that no precession forces are exerted on the supporting structure and this one may very easily be held. Instead of one rotor, also a type with two coaxial, co-planar countercurrent rotors may be used. Each of the two countercurrent rotors is carrying a number of magnetic poles, distributed all over the circumference, acting together with the magnetic poles of the other rotor. At least the poles of one rotor have electric line windings being connected by leads with a collector so that the two rotors form the two parts of a power generator being each rotatable with respect to the other ('stator' and 'rotor').

Estimation of the Lagrangian structure function constant ¤C¤0 from surface-layer wind data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anfossi, D.; Degrazia, G.; Ferrero, E.

2000-01-01

Eulerian turbulence observations, made in the surface layer under unstable conditions (z/L > 0), by a sonic anemometer were used to estimate the Lagrangian structure function constant C(0). Two methods were considered. The first one makes use of a relationship, widely used in the Lagrangian...... stochastic dispersion models, relating C(0) to the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate epsilon, wind velocity variance and Lagrangian decorrelation time. The second one employs a novel equation, connecting C(0) to the constant of the second-order Eulerian structure function. Before estimating C(0...

Dynamic Analysis of Wind Power Turbine's Tower under the Combined Action of Winds and Waves

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

CHENG You-liang; QU Jiang-man; XUE Zhan-pu; JIANG Yan

2017-01-01

To deal with the dynamic response problem of offshore wind power tower under the combined action of winds and waves,finite element method is used to analyze the structure and flow field around the outside flange of the segmentation part.The changes of pressure distribution and vorticity about the outside flange are obtained.Focused on the analysis on the change of hydrostatic pressure and temperature of the tower cut surface,contour lines under the combined action of winds and waves are depicted.Results show that the surface of the offshore wind turbine tower presents instable temperature field when it suffers the action of winds and waves loads,the static pressure increases nonlinearly with the increase of altitude,the fluid vorticity around the outside flange follows an parabolic curve approximately.Results provide a reference for the actual monitoring data of the offshore wind turbine tower under the combined action of winds and waves,so as to ensure the normal operation of tower.

Brief communication: Structural monitoring for lifetime extension of offshore wind monopiles: can strain measurements at one level tell us everything?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Ziegler

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Operators need accurate knowledge on structural reserves to decide about lifetime extension of offshore wind turbines. Load monitoring enables us to directly compare design loads with real loading histories of the support structure in order to calculate its remaining useful lifetime. Monitoring of every hot spot is technically and financially not feasible. This paper presents a novel idea for load monitoring of monopiles. It requires strain measurements at only one level convenient for sensor installation, such as tower bottom. Measurements are converted into damage equivalent loads for 10 min time intervals. Damage equivalent loads are extrapolated to other locations of the structure with a simulation model and statistical algorithm. For this, structural loads at all locations of the monopile are calculated with aero-hydro-elastic software and updated finite element models. Damage equivalent loads at unmeasured locations are predicted from the simulation results with a k-nearest neighbor regression algorithm. The extrapolation was tested with numerical simulations of an 8 MW offshore wind turbine. Results show that damage can be predicted with an error of 1–3 % if this is done conditional on mean wind speed, which is very promising. The load monitoring concept is simple, cheap and easy to implement. This makes it ideal for making decisions on lifetime extension of monopiles.

Tornado type wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Cheng-Ting

1984-01-01

A tornado type wind turbine has a vertically disposed wind collecting tower with spaced apart inner and outer walls and a central bore. The upper end of the tower is open while the lower end of the structure is in communication with a wind intake chamber. An opening in the wind chamber is positioned over a turbine which is in driving communication with an electrical generator. An opening between the inner and outer walls at the lower end of the tower permits radially flowing air to enter the space between the inner and outer walls while a vertically disposed opening in the wind collecting tower permits tangentially flowing air to enter the central bore. A porous portion of the inner wall permits the radially flowing air to interact with the tangentially flowing air so as to create an intensified vortex flow which exits out of the top opening of the tower so as to create a low pressure core and thus draw air through the opening of the wind intake chamber so as to drive the turbine.

Turbulent Flow Inside and Above a Wind Farm: A Wind-Tunnel Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo P. Chamorro

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Wind-tunnel experiments were carried out to better understand boundary layer effects on the flow pattern inside and above a model wind farm under thermally neutral conditions. Cross-wire anemometry was used to characterize the turbulent flow structure at different locations around a 10 by 3 array of model wind turbines aligned with the mean flow and arranged in two different layouts (inter-turbine separation of 5 and 7 rotor diameters in the direction of the mean flow by 4 rotor diameters in its span. Results suggest that the turbulent flow can be characterized in two broad regions. The first, located below the turbine top tip height, has a direct effect on the performance of the turbines. In that region, the turbulent flow statistics appear to reach equilibrium as close as the third to fourth row of wind turbines for both layouts. In the second region, located right above the first one, the flow adjusts slowly. There, two layers can be identified: an internal boundary layer where the flow is affected by both the incoming wind and the wind turbines, and an equilibrium layer, where the flow is fully adjusted to the wind farm. An adjusted logarithmic velocity distribution is observed in the equilibrium layer starting from the sixth row of wind turbines. The effective surface roughness length induced by the wind farm is found to be higher than that predicted by some existing models. Momentum recovery and turbulence intensity are shown to be affected by the wind farm layout. Power spectra show that the signature of the tip vortices, in both streamwise and vertical velocity components, is highly affected by both the relative location in the wind farm and the wind farm layout.

Wind influence on a coastal buoyant outflow

Science.gov (United States)

Whitney, Michael M.; Garvine, Richard W.

2005-03-01

This paper investigates the interplay between river discharge and winds in forcing coastal buoyant outflows. During light winds a plume influenced by the Earth's rotation will flow down shelf (in the direction of Kelvin wave propagation) as a slender buoyancy-driven coastal current. Downwelling favorable winds augment this down-shelf flow, narrow the plume, and mix the water column. Upwelling favorable winds drive currents that counter the buoyancy-driven flow, spread plume waters offshore, and rapidly mix buoyant waters. Two criteria are developed to assess the wind influence on a buoyant outflow. The wind strength index (Ws) determines whether a plume's along-shelf flow is in a wind-driven or buoyancy-driven state. Ws is the ratio of the wind-driven and buoyancy-driven along-shelf velocities. Wind influence on across-shelf plume structure is rated with a timescale (ttilt) for the isopycnal tilting caused by wind-driven Ekman circulation. These criteria are used to characterize wind influence on the Delaware Coastal Current and can be applied to other coastal buoyant outflows. The Delaware buoyant outflow is simulated for springtime high-river discharge conditions. Simulation results and Ws values reveal that the coastal current is buoyancy-driven most of the time (∣Ws∣ Wind events, however, overwhelm the buoyancy-driven flow (∣Ws∣ > 1) several times during the high-discharge period. Strong upwelling events reverse the buoyant outflow; they constitute an important mechanism for transporting fresh water up shelf. Across-shelf plume structure is more sensitive to wind influence than the along-shelf flow. Values of ttilt indicate that moderate or strong winds persisting throughout a day can modify plume width significantly. Plume widening during upwelling events is accompanied by mixing that can erase the buoyant outflow.

Wind farm models and control strategies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soerensen, Poul; Hansen, Anca D.; Iov, F.; Blaabjerg, F.; Donovan, M.H.

2005-08-01

This report describes models and control strategies for 3 different concepts of wind farms. Initially, the potential in improvement of grid integration, structural loads and energy production is investigated in a survey of opportunities. Then simulation models are described, including wind turbine models for a fixed speed wind turbine with active stall control and a variable speed wind turbine with doubly-fed induction generator. After that, the 3 wind farm concepts and control strategies are described. The 3 concepts are AC connected doubly fed turbines, AC connected active stall turbines and DC connected active stall turbines. Finally, some simulation examples and conclusions are presented. (au)

WIND observations of coherent electrostatic waves in the solar wind

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Mangeney

Full Text Available The time domain sampler (TDS experiment on WIND measures electric and magnetic wave forms with a sampling rate which reaches 120 000 points per second. We analyse here observations made in the solar wind near the Lagrange point L1. In the range of frequencies above the proton plasma frequency f_pi and smaller than or of the order of the electron plasma frequency f_pe, TDS observed three kinds of electrostatic (e.s. waves: coherent wave packets of Langmuir waves with frequencies f ~ f_pe, coherent wave packets with frequencies in the ion acoustic range f_pi < f < f_pe, and more or less isolated non-sinusoidal spikes lasting less than 1 ms. We confirm that the observed frequency of the low frequency (LF ion acoustic wave packets is dominated by the Doppler effect: the wavelengths are short, 10 to 50 electron Debye lengths λ_D. The electric field in the isolated electrostatic structures (IES and in the LF wave packets is more or less aligned with the solar wind magnetic field. Across the IES, which have a spatial width of the order of ~ 25λ_D, there is a small but finite electric potential drop, implying an average electric field generally directed away from the Sun. The IES wave forms, which have not been previously reported in the solar wind, are similar, although with a smaller amplitude, to the weak double layers observed in the auroral regions, and to the electrostatic solitary waves observed in other regions in the magnetosphere. We have also studied the solar wind conditions which favour the occurrence of the three kinds of waves: all these e.s. waves are observed more or less continuously in the whole solar wind (except in the densest regions where a parasite prevents the TDS observations. The type (wave packet or IES of the observed LF waves is mainly determined

Shear and Turbulence Estimates for Calculation of Wind Turbine Loads and Responses Under Hurricane Strength Winds

Science.gov (United States)

Kosovic, B.; Bryan, G. H.; Haupt, S. E.

2012-12-01

Schwartz et al. (2010) recently reported that the total gross energy-generating offshore wind resource in the United States in waters less than 30m deep is approximately 1000 GW. Estimated offshore generating capacity is thus equivalent to the current generating capacity in the United States. Offshore wind power can therefore play important role in electricity production in the United States. However, most of this resource is located along the East Coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico, areas frequently affected by tropical cyclones including hurricanes. Hurricane strength winds, associated shear and turbulence can affect performance and structural integrity of wind turbines. In a recent study Rose et al. (2012) attempted to estimate the risk to offshore wind turbines from hurricane strength winds over a lifetime of a wind farm (i.e. 20 years). According to Rose et al. turbine tower buckling has been observed in typhoons. They concluded that there is "substantial risk that Category 3 and higher hurricanes can destroy half or more of the turbines at some locations." More robust designs including appropriate controls can mitigate the risk of wind turbine damage. To develop such designs good estimates of turbine loads under hurricane strength winds are essential. We use output from a large-eddy simulation of a hurricane to estimate shear and turbulence intensity over first couple of hundred meters above sea surface. We compute power spectra of three velocity components at several distances from the eye of the hurricane. Based on these spectra analytical spectral forms are developed and included in TurbSim, a stochastic inflow turbulence code developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, http://wind.nrel.gov/designcodes/preprocessors/turbsim/). TurbSim provides a numerical simulation including bursts of coherent turbulence associated with organized turbulent structures. It can generate realistic flow conditions that an operating turbine

Wind-US Users Guide Version 3.0

Science.gov (United States)

Yoder, Dennis A.

2016-01-01

Wind-US is a computational platform which may be used to numerically solve various sets of equations governing physical phenomena. Currently, the code supports the solution of the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations of fluid mechanics, along with supporting equation sets governing turbulent and chemically reacting flows. Wind-US is a product of the NPARC Alliance, a partnership between the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) dedicated to the establishment of a national, applications-oriented flow simulation capability. The Boeing Company has also been closely associated with the Alliance since its inception, and represents the interests of the NPARC User's Association. The "Wind-US User's Guide" describes the operation and use of Wind-US, including: a basic tutorial; the physical and numerical models that are used; the boundary conditions; monitoring convergence; the files that are read and/or written; parallel execution; and a complete list of input keywords and test options. For current information about Wind-US and the NPARC Alliance, please see the Wind-US home page at http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/winddocs/ and the NPARC Alliance home page at http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/wind/. This manual describes the operation and use of Wind-US, a computational platform which may be used to numerically solve various sets of equations governing physical phenomena. Wind-US represents a merger of the capabilities of four CFD codes - NASTD (a structured grid flow solver developed at McDonnell Douglas, now part of Boeing), NPARC (the original NPARC Alliance structured grid flow solver), NXAIR (an AEDC structured grid code used primarily for store separation analysis), and ICAT (an unstructured grid flow solver developed at the Rockwell Science Center and Boeing).

Temporal and spatial patterns in wind stress and wind stress curl over the central Southern California Bight

Science.gov (United States)

Noble, Marlene A.; Rosenberger, Kurt J.; Rosenfeld, Leslie K.; Robertson, George L.

2012-01-01

In 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey, together with several other federal and municipal agencies, began a series of field programs to determine along and cross-shelf transport patterns over the continental shelves in the central Southern California Bight. As a part of these programs, moorings that monitor winds were deployed off the Palos Verdes peninsula and within San Pedro Bay for six 3–4 month summer and winter periods between 2001 and 2008. In addition, nearly continuous records of winds for this 7-year period were obtained from a terrestrial site at the coast and from a basin site offshore of the long-term coastal site. The mean annual winds are downcoast at all sites. The alongshelf components of wind stress, which are the largest part of the low-frequency wind stress fields, are well correlated between basin, shelf and coastal sites. On average, the amplitude of alongshelf fluctuations in wind stress are 3–4 times larger over the offshore basin, compared to the coastal site, irrespective of whether the fluctuations represent the total, or just the correlated portion of the wind stress field. The curl in the large-scale wind stress tends to be positive, especially in the winter season when the mean wind stress is downcoast and larger at the offshore basin site than at the beach. However, since the fluctuation in wind stress amplitudes are usually larger than the mean, periods of weak negative curl do occur, especially in the summer season when the largest normalized differences in the amplitude of wind stress fluctuations are found in the nearshore region of the coastal ocean. Even though the low-frequency wind stress field is well-correlated over the continental shelf and offshore basins, out to distances of 35 km or more from the coast, winds even 10 km inshore of the beach do not represent the coastal wind field, at least in the summer months. The seasonal changes in the spatial structures in wind stress amplitudes suggest that an assessment of the

Lightning Damage to Wind Turbine Blades From Wind Farms in the U.S

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Candela Garolera, Anna; Madsen, Søren Find; Nissim, Maya

2016-01-01

, laminate structure, and lightning protection systems. The statistics consist of the distribution of lightning damage along the blade and classify the damage by severity. In addition, the frequency of lightning damage to more than one blade of a wind turbine after a thunderstorm is assessed. The results......This paper presents statistical data about lightning damage on wind turbine blades reported at different wind farms in the U.S. The analysis is based on 304 cases of damage due to direct lightning attachment on the blade surface. This study includes a large variety of blades with different lengths...

Wind power scenario generation through state-space specifications for uncertainty analysis of wind power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Díaz, Guzmán; Gómez-Aleixandre, Javier; Coto, José

2016-01-01

Highlights: • State space representations for simulating wind power plant output are proposed. • The representation of wind speed in state space allows structural analysis. • The joint model incorporates the temporal and spatial dependence structure. • The models are easily integrable into a backward/forward sweep algorithm. • Results evidence the remarkable differences between joint and marginal models. - Abstract: This paper proposes the use of state space models to generate scenarios for the analysis of wind power plant (WPP) generation capabilities. The proposal is rooted on the advantages that state space models present for dealing with stochastic processes; mainly their structural definition and the use of Kalman filter to naturally tackle some involved operations. The specification proposed in this paper comprises a structured representation of individual Box–Jenkins models, with indications about further improvements that can be easily performed. These marginal models are combined to form a joint model in which the dependence structure is easily handled. Indications about the procedure to calibrate and check the model, as well as a validation of its statistical appropriateness, are provided. Application of the proposed state space models provides insight on the need to properly specify the structural dependence between wind speeds. In this paper the joint and marginal models are smoothly integrated into a backward–forward sweep algorithm to determine the performance indicators (voltages and powers) of a WPP through simulation. As a result, visibly heavy tails emerge in the generated power probability distribution through the use of the joint model—incorporating a detailed description of the dependence structure—in contrast with the normally distributed power yielded by the margin-based model.

Improved reliability of wind turbine towers with active tuned mass dampers (ATMDs)

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzgerald, Breiffni; Sarkar, Saptarshi; Staino, Andrea

2018-04-01

Modern multi-megawatt wind turbines are composed of slender, flexible, and lightly damped blades and towers. These components exhibit high susceptibility to wind-induced vibrations. As the size, flexibility and cost of the towers have increased in recent years, the need to protect these structures against damage induced by turbulent aerodynamic loading has become apparent. This paper combines structural dynamic models and probabilistic assessment tools to demonstrate improvements in structural reliability when modern wind turbine towers are equipped with active tuned mass dampers (ATMDs). This study proposes a multi-modal wind turbine model for wind turbine control design and analysis. This study incorporates an ATMD into the tower of this model. The model is subjected to stochastically generated wind loads of varying speeds to develop wind-induced probabilistic demand models for towers of modern multi-megawatt wind turbines under structural uncertainty. Numerical simulations have been carried out to ascertain the effectiveness of the active control system to improve the structural performance of the wind turbine and its reliability. The study constructs fragility curves, which illustrate reductions in the vulnerability of towers to wind loading owing to the inclusion of the damper. Results show that the active controller is successful in increasing the reliability of the tower responses. According to the analysis carried out in this paper, a strong reduction of the probability of exceeding a given displacement at the rated wind speed has been observed.

Community Wind: Once Again Pushing the Envelope of Project Finance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

bolinger, Mark A.

2011-01-18

In the United States, the 'community wind' sector - loosely defined here as consisting of relatively small utility-scale wind power projects that sell power on the wholesale market and that are developed and owned primarily by local investors - has historically served as a 'test bed' or 'proving grounds' for up-and-coming wind turbine manufacturers that are trying to break into the U.S. wind power market. For example, community wind projects - and primarily those located in the state of Minnesota - have deployed the first U.S. installations of wind turbines from Suzlon (in 2003), DeWind (2008), Americas Wind Energy (2008) and later Emergya Wind Technologies (2010), Goldwind (2009), AAER/Pioneer (2009), Nordic Windpower (2010), Unison (2010), and Alstom (2011). Thus far, one of these turbine manufacturers - Suzlon - has subsequently achieved some success in the broader U.S. wind market as well. Just as it has provided a proving grounds for new turbines, so too has the community wind sector served as a laboratory for experimentation with innovative new financing structures. For example, a variation of one of the most common financing arrangements in the U.S. wind market today - the special allocation partnership flip structure (see Figure 1 in Section 2.1) - was first developed by community wind projects in Minnesota more than a decade ago (and is therefore sometimes referred to as the 'Minnesota flip' model) before being adopted by the broader wind market. More recently, a handful of community wind projects built over the past year have been financed via new and creative structures that push the envelope of wind project finance in the U.S. - in many cases, moving beyond the now-standard partnership flip structures involving strategic tax equity investors. These include: (1) a 4.5 MW project in Maine that combines low-cost government debt with local tax equity, (2) a 25.3 MW project in Minnesota using a sale/leaseback structure

Exact solutions of magnetohydrodynamics for describing different structural disturbances in solar wind

Science.gov (United States)

Grib, S. A.; Leora, S. N.

2016-03-01

We use analytical methods of magnetohydrodynamics to describe the behavior of cosmic plasma. This approach makes it possible to describe different structural fields of disturbances in solar wind: shock waves, direction discontinuities, magnetic clouds and magnetic holes, and their interaction with each other and with the Earth's magnetosphere. We note that the wave problems of solar-terrestrial physics can be efficiently solved by the methods designed for solving classical problems of mathematical physics. We find that the generalized Riemann solution particularly simplifies the consideration of secondary waves in the magnetosheath and makes it possible to describe in detail the classical solutions of boundary value problems. We consider the appearance of a fast compression wave in the Earth's magnetosheath, which is reflected from the magnetosphere and can nonlinearly overturn to generate a back shock wave. We propose a new mechanism for the formation of a plateau with protons of increased density and a magnetic field trough in the magnetosheath due to slow secondary shock waves. Most of our findings are confirmed by direct observations conducted on spacecrafts (WIND, ACE, Geotail, Voyager-2, SDO and others).

Influence of hurricane wind field in the structure of directional wave spectra

Science.gov (United States)

Esquivel-Trava, Bernardo; Ocampo-Torres, Francisco J.; Osuna, Pedro

2015-04-01

Extensive field measurements of wind waves in deep waters in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, have been analyzed to describe the spatial structure of directional wave spectra during hurricane conditions. Following Esquivel-Trava et al. (2015) this analysis was made for minor hurricanes (categories 1 and 2) and major hurricanes (categories 3, 4 and 5). In both cases the directionality of the energy wave spectrum is similar in all quadrants. Some differences are observed however, and they are associated with the presence and the shape of swell energy in each quadrant. Three numerical experiments using the spectral wave prediction model SWAN were carried out to gain insight into the mechanism that controls the directional and frequency distributions of hurricane wave energy. The aim of the experiments is to evaluate the effect of the translation speed of the hurricane and the presence of concentric eye walls, on both the wave growth process and the shape of the directional wave spectrum. The HRD wind field of Hurricane Dean on August 20 at 7:30 was propagated at two different velocities (5 and 10 m/s). An idealized concentric eye wall (a Gaussian function that evolve in time along a path in the form of an Archimedean spiral) was imposed to the wind field. The white-capping formulation of Westhuysen et al. (2007) was selected. The wave model represents fairly well the directionality of the energy and the shape of the directional spectra in the hurricane domain. The model results indicate that the forward movement of the storm influences the development of the waves, consistent with field observations. This work has been supported by CONACYT scholarship 164510 and projects RugDisMar (155793), CB-2011-01-168173 and the Department of Physical Oceanography of CICESE. References Esquivel-Trava, B., Ocampo-Torres, F. J., & Osuna, P. (2015). Spatial structure of directional wave spectra in hurricanes. Ocean Dynam., 65(1), 65-76. doi:10.1007/s10236-014-0791-9 Van der

Blowin' in the wind? Drivers and barriers for the uptake of wind propulsion in international shipping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rojon, Isabelle; Dieperink, Carel

2014-01-01

International shipping transports around 90% of global commerce and is of major importance for the global economy. Whilst it is the most efficient and environmentally friendly mode of transport, CO 2 emissions from shipping activities still account for an estimated 3% of global emissions. One means of significantly reducing fuel consumption and thereby GHG emissions from shipping are wind propulsion technologies (i.e. towing kites, Flettner rotors and sails) – yet current market uptake is very low. Therefore, the aim of this article is to identify the barriers and drivers for the uptake of wind propulsion technologies. To this end, the theoretical approach of technological innovation systems is adopted. This approach combines structural system components with so-called system functions which represent the dynamics underlying structural changes in the system. The fulfillment of these functions is considered important for the development and diffusion of innovations. Based on newspaper and academic articles, online expert interviews and semi-structured interviews, the level of function fulfillment is evaluated, followed by the identification of structural drivers and barriers influencing function fulfillment. Third, the possibilities to influence these drivers and barriers are discussed. - Highlights: • The overall performance of the technological innovation system for wind propulsion technologies is low. • Experts acknowledge the importance, but also the lack of fulfillment of theoretically relevant innovation functions. • Structural barriers for the development of wind propulsion technologies outweigh drivers. • Drivers for the development of wind propulsion technologies are only emerging while barriers have existed for a long time. • The IMO can stimulate knowledge development and diffusion as well as the development of market-based instruments

Probabilistic Design of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toft, Henrik Stensgaard

During the last decades, wind turbines have been continuously developed with the aim of maximizing the life cycle benefits (production of electricity) minus the costs of planning, materials, installation, operation & maintenance as well as possible failure. In order to continue this development...... turbines and the central topics considered are statistical load extrapolation of extreme loads during operation and reliability assessment of wind turbine blades. Wind turbines differ from most civil engineering structures by having a control system which highly influences the loading. In the literature......, methods for estimating the extreme load-effects on a wind turbine during operation, where the control system is active, have been proposed. But these methods and thereby the estimated loads are often subjected to a significant uncertainty which influences the reliability of the wind turbine...

Prototype bucket foundation for wind turbines - natural frequency estimation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ibsen, Lars Bo; Liingaard, M.

2006-12-15

The first full scale prototype bucket foundation for wind turbines has been installed in October 2002 at Aalborg University offshore test facility in Frederikshavn, Denmark. The suction caisson and the wind turbine have been equipped with an online monitoring system, consisting of 15 accelerometers and a real-time data-acquisition system. The report concerns the in service performance of the wind turbine, with focus on estimation of the natural frequencies of the structure/foundation. The natural frequencies are initially estimated by means of experimental Output-only Modal analysis. The experimental estimates are then compared with numerical simulations of the suction caisson foundation and the wind turbine. The numerical model consists of a finite element section for the wind turbine tower and nacelle. The soil-structure interaction of the soil-foundation section is modelled by lumped-parameter models capable of simulating dynamic frequency dependent behaviour of the structure-foundation system. (au)

Computational testing and design of materials for wind energy and structural applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mishnaevsky, Leon

2012-01-01

The requirements to wind turbine blades and other elements are quite high, In the ideal case, a wind turbine should work for 20.30 years without or with minimum maintenance. That is why the damage resistance and strength of wind blade materials is of great importance. A way to enhance the strengt...

Aeroservoelasticity of wind turbines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skovmose Kallesoee, B.

2007-12-14

This thesis deals with the fundamental aeroelastic interaction between structural motion, Pitch action and control for a wind turbine blade. As wind turbines become larger, the interaction between pitch action, blade motion, aerodynamic forces, and control become even more important to understand and address. The main contribution of this thesis is the development of an aeroelastic blade model which on the one hand includes the important effects of steady state blade deformation, gravity and pitch action, and on the other it is transparent, suitable for analytical analysis and parameter studies, and furthermore linear and therefore suitable for control design. The development of the primary aeroelastic blade model is divided into four steps: 1) Nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) of structural blade motion are derived together with equations of pitch action and rotor speed; the individual terms in these equations are discussed and given physical interpretations; 2) Steady state blade deformation and induced velocities are computed by combining the PDEs with a steady state aerodynamic model; 3) Aeroelastic modes of motion are computed by combining the linearized PDEs with a linear unsteady aerodynamic model; this model is used to analyze how blade deformation effects the modes of motion; and 4) the linear aeroelastic blade model is derived by a modal expansion of the linearized PDEs combined with a linear unsteady aerodynamic model. The aeroelastic blade model has many similarities to a 2D blade section model, and it can be used instead of this in many applications, giving a transparent connection to a real wind turbine blade. In this work the aeroelastic blade model is used to analyze interaction between pitch action, blade motion and wind speed variations. Furthermore the model is used to develop a state estimator for estimating the wind speed and wind shear, and to suggest a load reducing controller. The state estimator estimates the wind shear very

Investigation of air transportation technology at Princeton University, 1984

Science.gov (United States)

Stengel, Robert F.

1987-01-01

The Air Transportation Technology Program at Princeton University, a program emphasizing graduate and undergraduate student research, proceeded along four avenues during 1984: (1) guidance and control strategies for penetration of microbursts and wind shear; (2) application of artificial intelligence in flight control systems; (3) effects of control saturation on closed loop stability; and (4) response of open loop unstable aircraft. Areas of investigation relate to guidance and control of commercial transports as well as to general aviation aircraft. Interaction between the flight crew and automatic systems is a subject of principle concern. These areas of investigation are briefly discussed.

Investigation of air transportation technology at Princeton University, 1985

Science.gov (United States)

Stengel, Robert F.

1987-01-01

The program proceeded along five avenues during 1985. Guidance and control strategies for penetration of microbursts and wind shear, application of artificial intelligence in flight control and air traffic control systems, the use of voice recognition in the cockpit, the effects of control saturation on closed-loop stability and response of open-loop unstable aircraft, and computer aided control system design are among the topics briefly considered. Areas of investigation relate to guidance and control of commercial transports as well as general aviation aircraft. Interaction between the flight crew and automatic systems is the subject of principal concern.

A Cyber-Based Data-Enabled Virtual Organization for Wind Load Effects on Civil Infrastructures: VORTEX-Winds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahsan Kareem

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Despite many advances in the area of wind effects on structures in recent decades, research has been traditionally conducted within limited resources scattered geographically. With the trend toward increasingly complex designs of civil infrastructure combined with the escalating potential for losses by extreme wind events, a new culture of research needs to be established based on innovative and collaborative solutions for better management of the impact of extreme wind events. To address this change, this paper presents a new paradigm of a multiscale cyber-based laboratory framework for the analysis/design, modeling, and simulation of wind load effects based on an ongoing collaborative cyberinfrastructure-based platform, Virtual Organization for Reducing the Toll of EXtreme Winds (VORTEX-Winds, https://vortex-winds.org, and discusses its current status since its inception in 2007 and ongoing developments. This collaborative framework as it evolves would enable a paradigm shift by offering advanced cyber-enabled modules (e-modules for accelerating advances in research and education to achieve improved understanding and better modeling of wind effects on structures. Accordingly, it will enhance wind community’s analysis and design capabilities to address next-generation challenges posed by wind. Through empowering those without computational or experimental resources, the e-modules will encompass a large set of subject areas and topics categorized as Database-enabled design, Full-scale/Field site data repository, Statistical/Stochastic toolboxes, Tele-experimentation, Uncertainty modeling, Damage assessment, and Computational platforms. This prototype will allow access to the individual e-module, while it is envisaged that next level of development in VORTEX-Winds will have the capability for an automated and integrated analysis/design through a nexus of e-modules. A highlight of the e-modules currently completed or in development is presented

Probabilistic Design of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Toft, H.S.

2010-01-01

Probabilistic design of wind turbines requires definition of the structural elements to be included in the probabilistic basis: e.g., blades, tower, foundation; identification of important failure modes; careful stochastic modeling of the uncertain parameters; recommendations for target reliability....... It is described how uncertainties in wind turbine design related to computational models, statistical data from test specimens, results from a few full-scale tests and from prototype wind turbines can be accounted for using the Maximum Likelihood Method and a Bayesian approach. Assessment of the optimal...... reliability level by cost-benefit optimization is illustrated by an offshore wind turbine example. Uncertainty modeling is illustrated by an example where physical, statistical and model uncertainties are estimated....

Wind accretion and formation of disk structures in symbiotic binary systems

Science.gov (United States)

de Val-Borro, M.; Karovska, M.; Sasselov, D. D.; Stone, J. M.

2015-05-01

We investigate gravitationally focused wind accretion in binary systems consisting of an evolved star with a gaseous envelope and a compact accreting companion. We study the mass accretion and formation of an accretion disk around the secondary caused by the strong wind from the primary late-type component using global 2D and 3D hydrodynamic numerical simulations. In particular, the dependence of the mass accretion rate on the mass loss rate, wind temperature and orbital parameters of the system is considered. For a typical slow and massive wind from an evolved star the mass transfer through a focused wind results in rapid infall onto the secondary. A stream flow is created between the stars with accretion rates of a 2--10% percent of the mass loss from the primary. This mechanism could be an important method for explaining periodic modulations in the accretion rates for a broad range of interacting binary systems and fueling of a large population of X-ray binary systems. We test the plausibility of these accretion flows indicated by the simulations by comparing with observations of the symbiotic variable system CH Cyg.

Wind Speed Preview Measurement and Estimation for Feedforward Control of Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Simley, Eric J.

Wind turbines typically rely on feedback controllers to maximize power capture in below-rated conditions and regulate rotor speed during above-rated operation. However, measurements of the approaching wind provided by Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) can be used as part of a preview-based, or feedforward, control system in order to improve rotor speed regulation and reduce structural loads. But the effectiveness of preview-based control depends on how accurately lidar can measure the wind that will interact with the turbine. In this thesis, lidar measurement error is determined using a statistical frequency-domain wind field model including wind evolution, or the change in turbulent wind speeds between the time they are measured and when they reach the turbine. Parameters of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5-MW reference turbine model are used to determine measurement error for a hub-mounted circularly-scanning lidar scenario, based on commercially-available technology, designed to estimate rotor effective uniform and shear wind speed components. By combining the wind field model, lidar model, and turbine parameters, the optimal lidar scan radius and preview distance that yield the minimum mean square measurement error, as well as the resulting minimum achievable error, are found for a variety of wind conditions. With optimized scan scenarios, it is found that relatively low measurement error can be achieved, but the attainable measurement error largely depends on the wind conditions. In addition, the impact of the induction zone, the region upstream of the turbine where the approaching wind speeds are reduced, as well as turbine yaw error on measurement quality is analyzed. In order to minimize the mean square measurement error, an optimal measurement prefilter is employed, which depends on statistics of the correlation between the preview measurements and the wind that interacts with the turbine. However, because the wind speeds encountered by

Time Delay Between Dst Index and Magnetic Storm Related Structure in the Solar Wind

Science.gov (United States)

Osherovich, Vladimir A.; Fainberg, Joseph

2015-01-01

Benson et al. (2015, this volume) selected 10 large magnetic storms, with associated Dst minimum values less than or equal to -100 nT, for which high-latitude topside ionospheric electron density profiles are available from topside-sounder satellites. For these 10 storms, we performed a superposition of Dst and interplanetary parameters B, v, N(sub p) and T(sub p). We have found that two interplanetary parameters, namely B and v, are sufficient to reproduce Dst with correlation coefficient cc approximately 0.96 provided that the interplanetary parameter times are taken 0.15 days earlier than the associated Dst times. Thus we have found which part of the solar wind is responsible for each phase of the magnetic storm. This result is also verified for individual storms as well. The total duration of SRS (storm related structure in the solar wind) is 4 - 5 days which is the same as the associated Dst interval of the magnetic storm.

Pricing offshore wind power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levitt, Andrew C.; Kempton, Willett; Smith, Aaron P.; Musial, Walt; Firestone, Jeremy

2011-01-01

Offshore wind offers a very large clean power resource, but electricity from the first US offshore wind contracts is costlier than current regional wholesale electricity prices. To better understand the factors that drive these costs, we develop a pro-forma cash flow model to calculate two results: the levelized cost of energy, and the breakeven price required for financial viability. We then determine input values based on our analysis of capital markets and of 35 operating and planned projects in Europe, China, and the United States. The model is run for a range of inputs appropriate to US policies, electricity markets, and capital markets to assess how changes in policy incentives, project inputs, and financial structure affect the breakeven price of offshore wind power. The model and documentation are made publicly available. - Highlights: → We calculate the Breakeven Price (BP) required to deploy offshore wind plants. → We determine values for cost drivers and review incentives structures in the US. → We develop 3 scenarios using today's technology but varying in industry experience. → BP differs widely by Cost Scenario; relative policy effectiveness varies by stage. → The low-range BP is below regional market values in the Northeast United States.

75 FR 23263 - Alta Wind I, LLC; Alta Wind II, LLC; Alta Wind III, LLC; Alta Wind IV, LLC; Alta Wind V, LLC...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-03

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL10-62-000] Alta Wind I, LLC; Alta Wind II, LLC; Alta Wind III, LLC; Alta Wind IV, LLC; Alta Wind V, LLC; Alta Wind VI, LLC; Alta Wind VII, LLC; Alta Wind VIII, LLC; Alta Windpower Development, LLC; TGP Development Company, LLC...

77 FR 29633 - Alta Wind VII, LLC, Alta Wind IX, LLC, Alta Wind X, LLC, Alta Wind XI, LLC, Alta Wind XII, LLC...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-18

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL12-68-000] Alta Wind VII, LLC, Alta Wind IX, LLC, Alta Wind X, LLC, Alta Wind XI, LLC, Alta Wind XII, LLC, Alta Wind XIII, LLC, Alta Wind XIV, LLC, Alta Wind XV, LLC, Alta Windpower Development, LLC, TGP Development Company, LLC...

Wind turbines and health

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rideout, K.; Copes, R.; Bos, C.

2010-01-01

This document summarized the potential health hazards associated with wind turbines, such as noise and low frequency sound, vibration and infrasound; electromagnetic fields (EMF); shadow flicker; and ice throw and structural failure. Various symptoms can be attributed to wind turbines, including dizziness, sleep disruption, and headaches. A review of available research regarding potential health affects to residents living in close proximity to wind turbines showed that the sound level associated with wind turbines at common residential setbacks is not sufficient to damage hearing, but may lead to annoyance and sleep disturbance. Research has shown that wind turbines are not a significant source of EMF exposure, and although shadows caused by the blades may be annoying, they are not likely to cause epileptic seizures at normal operational speeds. The risk of injury from ice throw can be minimized with setbacks of 200 to 400 m. Examples of Canadian wind turbine setback guidelines and regulations were also offered. It was concluded that setbacks and operational guidelines can be utilized in combination to address safety hazards, sound levels, land use issues, and impacts on people. 46 refs., 2 tabs., 2 figs.

Wind hazard assessment for Point Lepreau Generating Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullin, D.; Moland, M.; Sciaudone, J.C.; Twisdale, L.A.; Vickery, P.J.; Mizzen, D.R.

2015-01-01

In response to the CNSC Fukushima Action Plan, NB Power has embarked on a wind hazard assessment for the Point Lepreau Generating Station site that incorporates the latest up to date wind information and modeling. The objective was to provide characterization of the wind hazard from all potential sources and estimate wind-driven missile fragilities and wind pressure fragilities for various structures, systems and components that would provide input to a possible high wind Probabilistic Safety Assessment. The paper will discuss the overall methodology used to assess hazards related to tornadoes, hurricanes and straight-line winds, and site walk-down and hazard/fragility results. (author)

Aerodynamics of wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Martin Otto Laver

Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines is the established essential text for the fundamental solutions to efficient wind turbine design. Now in its third edition, it has been substantially updated with respect to structural dynamics and control. The new control chapter now includes details on how to design...... Turbines (VAWT). Topics covered include increasing mass flow through the turbine, performance at low and high wind speeds, assessment of the extreme conditions under which the turbine will perform and the theory for calculating the lifetime of the turbine. The classical Blade Element Momentum method...... is also covered, as are eigenmodes and the dynamic behaviour of a turbine. The book describes the effects of the dynamics and how this can be modelled in an aeroelastic code, which is widely used in the design and verification of modern wind turbines. Furthermore, it examines how to calculate...

The vertical structure of airflow turbulence characteristics within a boundary layer during wind blown sand transport over a beach

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Z. S.; Baas, A. C.; Jackson, D.; Cooper, J. A.; Lynch, K.; Delgado-Fernandez, I.; Beyers, M.

2010-12-01

Recent studies have suggested the significant role of boundary layer turbulence and coherent flow structures on sand transport by wind over beaches and desert dunes. Widespread use of sonic anemometry and high-frequency sand transport sensors and traps have facilitated a move beyond the basic monitoring of shear velocities and bulk sediment transport to more detailed measurements at much higher spatio-temporal resolutions. In this paper we present results of a small-scale point-location field study of boundary layer turbulence and shear stresses conducted under obliquely onshore winds over a beach at Magilligan Strand, Northern Ireland. High-frequency (25 Hz) 3D wind vector measurements were collected at five different heights between 0.13 and 1.67 metres above the bed using sonic anemometry for durations of several hours, and the associated sand transport response was measured using an array of Safires. The wind data are used to investigate the vertical structure of Reynolds shear stresses and burst-sweep event characteristics, as well as a comparison with the standard logarithmic (law-of-the-wall) wind profile. The study explores the identification and selection of a characteristic event duration based on integral time-scales as well as spectral analysis, and includes an assessment of the issues involved with data rotations for yaw, pitch, and roll corrections relative to flow streamlines, and the subsequently derived turbulence parameters based on fluctuating vector components (u’, v’, w’). Results show how the contributions to shear stress and the average pitch of bursts and sweeps changes as a function of height above the bed, indicating the transformation of top-down turbulent eddies as they travel toward the surface. A comparison between the turbulence data and the synchronous sand transport events, meanwhile, reveals the potential effects of enhanced saltation layer roughness feedback on eddies close to the bed.

Wind tunnel tests of a free yawing downwind wind turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verelst, David Robert; Larsen, Torben J.; van Wingerden, J.W.

2012-01-01

During February and April 2012 a series of wind tunnel tests were performed at the TU Delft Open Jet Facility (OJF) with a three bladed downwind wind turbine and a rotor radius of 0.8 meters. The setup includes an off the shelf three bladed hub, nacelle and generator on which relatively flexible ...... in free yawing conditions. Further, the effect of the tower shadow passage on the blade flapwise strain measurement is evaluated. Finally, data from the experiment is compared with preliminary simulations using DTU Wind Energy's aeroelastic simulation program HAWC2....... blades are mounted. The tower support structure has free yawing capabilities provided at the tower base. A short overview on the technical details of the experiment is provided as well as a brief summary of the design process. The discussed test cases show that the turbine is stable while operating...

Interdisciplinary design study of a high-rise integrated roof wind energy system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moonen S.P.G.

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Today’s market in micro-wind turbines is in constant development introducing more efficient solutions for the future. Besides the private use of tower supported turbines, opportunities to integrate wind turbines in the built environment arise. The Integrated Roof Wind Energy System (IRWES presented in this work is a modular roof structure integrated on top of existing or new buildings. IRWES is build up by an axial array of skewed shaped funnels used for both wind inlet and outlet. This inventive use of shape and geometry leads to a converging air capturing inlet to create high wind mass flow and velocity toward a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT in the center-top of the roof unit for the generation of a relatively high amount of energy. The scope of this research aims to make an optimized structural design of IRWES to be placed on top of the Vertigo building in Eindhoven; analysis of the structural performance; and impact to the existing structure by means of Finite Element Modeling (FEM. Results show that the obvious impact of wind pressure to the structural design is easily supported in different configurations of fairly simple lightweight structures. In particular, the weight addition to existing buildings remains minimal.

2015 wind energy observatory. Analysis of market, jobs and future of the wind energy sector in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perot, Olivier; Autier, Emmanuel

2015-11-01

This Power Point presentation proposes graphs, figures, tables and comments on the status and evolution of jobs in the wind energy sector (a growing sector, analysis of job locations), of the wind energy market (assessment of a growing market, dynamic French regions, competitive context, evolution of technologies with higher machines, larger wind farms and a growing production), and on the future of wind energy (a growing number of training courses, an active R and D all over the country, a structuring sector). Sheets presenting actors per categories, and maps of regional activity location are provided in appendix

Experimental Vision Studies of Flow and Structural Effects on Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Najafi, Nadia

In the present thesis, two modern vision technologies are developed and used to study wind turbines: 1- Stereo vision to study vibrations and dynamics of the Vertical Axes Wind Turbine (VAWT) via operational modal analysis (OMA) 2- Background-oriented Schlieren (BOS) method to study the tip...... vortices that are shed from a Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) blades The thesis starts with an introduction to the stereo vision and OMA and is followed by two practical implementations of the basics derived in the introduction. In the first experiment, we developed the image processing tools...... a Nordtank horizontal axis wind turbine based on the density gradient in the vortex. The BOS method does not need complicated equipment such as special cameras or seeded flow, which makes it a convenient method to study large scale flows. However, the challenging part in the current case is the small...

Robust multi-model control of an autonomous wind power system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cutululis, Nicolas Antonio; Hansen, Anca Daniela; Soerensen, Poul [Risoe National Lab., Wind Energy Dept., Roskilde (Denmark); Ceanga, Emil [' Dunarea de Jos' Univ., Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Galati (Romania)

2006-07-01

This article presents a robust multi-model control structure for a wind power system that uses a variable speed wind turbine (VSWT) driving a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) connected to a local grid. The control problem consists in maximizing the energy captured from the wind for varying wind speeds. The VSWT-PMSG linearized model analysis reveals the resonant nature of its dynamic at points on the optimal regimes characteristic (ORC). The natural frequency of the system and the damping factor are strongly dependent on the operating point on the ORC. Under these circumstances a robust multi-model control structure is designed. The simulation results prove the viability of the proposed control structure. (Author)

Robust multi-model control of an autonomous wind power system

Science.gov (United States)

Cutululis, Nicolas Antonio; Ceanga, Emil; Hansen, Anca Daniela; Sørensen, Poul

2006-09-01

This article presents a robust multi-model control structure for a wind power system that uses a variable speed wind turbine (VSWT) driving a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) connected to a local grid. The control problem consists in maximizing the energy captured from the wind for varying wind speeds. The VSWT-PMSG linearized model analysis reveals the resonant nature of its dynamic at points on the optimal regimes characteristic (ORC). The natural frequency of the system and the damping factor are strongly dependent on the operating point on the ORC. Under these circumstances a robust multi-model control structure is designed. The simulation results prove the viability of the proposed control structure. Copyright

Contribution of large scale coherence to wind turbine power: A large eddy simulation study in periodic wind farms

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Tanmoy; Peet, Yulia T.

2018-03-01

Length scales of eddies involved in the power generation of infinite wind farms are studied by analyzing the spectra of the turbulent flux of mean kinetic energy (MKE) from large eddy simulations (LES). Large-scale structures with an order of magnitude bigger than the turbine rotor diameter (D ) are shown to have substantial contribution to wind power. Varying dynamics in the intermediate scales (D -10 D ) are also observed from a parametric study involving interturbine distances and hub height of the turbines. Further insight about the eddies responsible for the power generation have been provided from the scaling analysis of two-dimensional premultiplied spectra of MKE flux. The LES code is developed in a high Reynolds number near-wall modeling framework, using an open-source spectral element code Nek5000, and the wind turbines have been modelled using a state-of-the-art actuator line model. The LES of infinite wind farms have been validated against the statistical results from the previous literature. The study is expected to improve our understanding of the complex multiscale dynamics in the domain of large wind farms and identify the length scales that contribute to the power. This information can be useful for design of wind farm layout and turbine placement that take advantage of the large-scale structures contributing to wind turbine power.

Noise from wind power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ljunggren, S.

2001-12-01

First, the generation of noise at wind power plants and the character of the sound is described. The propagation of the sound and its dependence on the structure of the ground and on wind and temperature is treated next. Models for calculation of the noise emission are reviewed and examples of applications are given. Different means for reducing the disturbances are described

Wind power bidding in electricity markets with high wind penetration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vilim, Michael; Botterud, Audun

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We analyze the pricing systems and wind power trading in electricity markets. • We propose a model that captures the relation between market prices and wind power. • A probabilistic bidding model can increase profits for wind power producers. • Profit maximizing bidding strategies carry risks for power system operators. • We conclude that modifications of current market designs may be needed. - Abstract: Objective: The optimal day-ahead bidding strategy is studied for a wind power producer operating in an electricity market with high wind penetration. Methods: A generalized electricity market is studied with minimal assumptions about the structure of the production, bidding, or consumption of electricity. Two electricity imbalance pricing schemes are investigated, the one price and the two price scheme. A stochastic market model is created to capture the price effects of wind power production and consumption. A bidding algorithm called SCOPES (Supply Curve One Price Estimation Strategy) is developed for the one price system. A bidding algorithm called MIMICS (Multivariate Interdependence Minimizing Imbalance Cost Strategy) is developed for the two price system. Results: Both bidding strategies are shown to have advantages over the assumed “default” bidding strategy, the point forecast. Conclusion: The success of these strategies even in the case of high deviation penalties in a one price system and the implicit deviation penalties of the two price system has substantial implications for power producers and system operators in electricity markets with a high level of wind penetration. Practice implications: From an electricity market design perspective, the results indicate that further penalties or regulations may be needed to reduce system imbalance

Small power wind turbine (Type DARRIEUS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcel STERE

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This presentation focuses on the calculation for small vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT for an urban application. The fixed-pitch straight – bladed vertical axis wind turbine (SB-VAWT is one of the simplest types of wind turbine and accepts wind from any angle (no yaw system. This turbine is useful for moderate wind speeds (3 - 6 m/s. A case study is presented based upon the use of well documented symmetrical NACA 0012 turbine blade profile. We describe a solution for VAWT. To perform a linear static analysis in the structure, the commercial finite element analysis code ANSYS is used because of its flexibility for handling information in files written in a more or less free format.

Reliability Modeling of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kostandyan, Erik

Cost reductions for offshore wind turbines are a substantial requirement in order to make offshore wind energy more competitive compared to other energy supply methods. During the 20 – 25 years of wind turbines useful life, Operation & Maintenance costs are typically estimated to be a quarter...... for Operation & Maintenance planning. Concentrating efforts on development of such models, this research is focused on reliability modeling of Wind Turbine critical subsystems (especially the power converter system). For reliability assessment of these components, structural reliability methods are applied...... to one third of the total cost of energy. Reduction of Operation & Maintenance costs will result in significant cost savings and result in cheaper electricity production. Operation & Maintenance processes mainly involve actions related to replacements or repair. Identifying the right times when...

THE MULTIPHASE STRUCTURE AND POWER SOURCES OF GALACTIC WINDS IN MAJOR MERGERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rupke, David S. N.; Veilleux, Sylvain

2013-01-01

Massive, galaxy-scale outflows are known to be ubiquitous in major mergers of disk galaxies in the local universe. In this paper, we explore the multiphase structure and power sources of galactic winds in six ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at z –1 , and the highest velocities (2000-3000 km s –1 ) are seen only in ionized gas. The outflow energy and momentum in the QSOs are difficult to produce from a starburst alone, but are consistent with the QSO contributing significantly to the driving of the flow. Finally, when all gas phases are accounted for, the outflows are massive enough to provide negative feedback to star formation.

Vibrations of wind power plants; Schwingungen von Windenergieanlagen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-07-01

Within the meeting of the department vibration engineering of the Association of German Engineers (Duesseldorf, Federal Republic of Germany) between 3rd and 4th February, 2010 in Hanover (Federal Republic of Germany) the following lectures are presented: (1) Reduction of forced strengths generated by wagging and snaking of the rotor in the power strain of wind power plants (F. Mitsch); (2) Reduction of vibrations at wind power plants by means of active additional systems (S. Katz, S. Pankoke, N. Loix); (3) Reduction of vibrations by means of balancing and alignment (E. Becker, M. Kenzler); (4) Active absorber for reducing tonal emissions of vibration at wind power plants (R. Neugebauer, M. Linke, H. Kunze, M. Ulrich); (5) Control structures for damping torsion vibrations and peak loads in the power strain of wind power converters (C. Sourkounis); (6) Possibilities of a non-contact investigation of vibrations at wind power plants (R. Behrendt, E. Reimers, H. Wiegers); (7) Influences on the loadability of CMS statements (R. Wirth); (8) Recording modal structural properties with sensor grids and methods of operational modal analysis (A. Friedmann, D. Mayer, M. Koch, M. Kauba, T. Melz); (9) Early failure detection of damages of roller bearings in wind power gear units with variable speed (B. Hacke, G. Poll); (10) Condition monitoring in wind power plants - structure monitoring and life time monitoring of wind power plants (SCMS and LCMS) (H. Lange); (11) Development of a model-based structural health monitoring system for condition monitoring of rotor blades (C. Ebert, H. Friedmann, F.O. Henkel, B. Frankenstein, L. Schubert); (12) Efficient remote monitoring at wind power plants by means of an external diagnosis centre (G. Ceglarek); (13) Accurate turbine modelling at component and assembly level for durability and acoustic analysis (D. v. Werner, W. Hendricx); (14) Possibilities of the investigation of the dynamic behaviour of power strains in wind power plants by

Minimum Thrust Load Control for Floating Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Søren; Bak, Thomas; Knudsen, Torben

2012-01-01

— Offshore wind energy capitalizes on the higher and less turbulent wind at sea. Shallow water sites are profitable for deployment of monopile wind turbines at water depths of up to 30 meters. Beyond 30 meters, the wind is even stronger and less turbulent. At these depths, floating wind turbines be...... and power stability when using the new control strategy.......— Offshore wind energy capitalizes on the higher and less turbulent wind at sea. Shallow water sites are profitable for deployment of monopile wind turbines at water depths of up to 30 meters. Beyond 30 meters, the wind is even stronger and less turbulent. At these depths, floating wind turbines...... presents a new minimum thrust control strategy capable of stabilizing a floating wind turbine. The new control strategy explores the freedom of variable generator speed above rated wind speed. A comparison to the traditional constant speed strategy, shows improvements in structural fore-aft oscillations...

Financial Innovation Among the Community Wind Sector in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bolinger, Mark

2011-01-19

In the relatively brief history of utility-scale wind generation, the 'community wind' sector - defined here as consisting of relatively small utility-scale wind power projects that are at least partly owned by one or more members of the local community - has played a vitally important role as a 'test bed' or 'proving ground' for wind turbine manufacturers. In the 1980s and 1990s, for example, Vestas and other now-established European wind turbine manufacturers relied heavily on community wind projects in Scandinavia and Germany to install - and essentially field-test - new turbine designs. The fact that orders from community wind projects seldom exceeded more than a few turbines at a time enabled the manufacturers to correct any design flaws or manufacturing defects fairly rapidly, and without the risk of extensive (and expensive) serial defects that can accompany larger orders. Community wind has been slower to take root in the United States - the first such projects were installed in the state of Minnesota around the year 2000. Just as in Europe, however, the community wind sector in the U.S. has similarly served as a proving ground - but in this case for up-and-coming wind turbine manufacturers that are trying to break into the broader U.S. wind power market. For example, community wind projects have deployed the first U.S. installations of wind turbines from Suzlon (in 2003), DeWind (2008), Americas Wind Energy (2008) and later Emergya Wind Technologies (2010),1 Goldwind (2009), AAER/Pioneer (2009), Nordic Windpower (2010), Unison (2010), and Alstom (2011). Just as it has provided a proving ground for new turbines, so too has the community wind sector in the United States served as a laboratory for experimentation with innovative new financing structures. For example, a variation of one of the most common financing arrangements in the U.S. wind market today - the 'partnership flip structure' - was first developed by

Resolution 8.069/12. It approve the regulations for the large size structures installation, destined for wind power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

This resolution approve the regulations for the large size structures installation, destined to wind power generation. The objective of this rule is to regulate the urban conditions of the facilities and the environmental guarantees, safety and inhabitants wholesomeness

Proposed Wind Turbine Aeroelasticity Studies Using Helicopter Systems Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Ladkany, Samaan G.

1998-01-01

Advanced systems for the analysis of rotary wing aeroelastic structures (helicopters) are being developed at NASA Ames by the Rotorcraft Aeromechanics Branch, ARA. The research has recently been extended to the study of wind turbines, used for electric power generation Wind turbines play an important role in Europe, Japan & many other countries because they are non polluting & use a renewable source of energy. European countries such as Holland, Norway & France have been the world leaders in the design & manufacture of wind turbines due to their historical experience of several centuries, in building complex wind mill structures, which were used in water pumping, grain grinding & for lumbering. Fossil fuel cost in Japan & in Europe is two to three times higher than in the USA due to very high import taxes. High fuel cost combined with substantial governmental subsidies, allow wind generated power to be competitive with the more traditional sources of power generation. In the USA, the use of wind energy has been limited mainly because power production from wind is twice as expensive as from other traditional sources. Studies conducted at the National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL) indicate that the main cost in the production of wind turbines is due to the materials & the labor intensive processes used in the construction of turbine structures. Thus, for the US to assume world leadership in wind power generation, new lightweight & consequently very flexible wind turbines, that could be economically mass produced, would have to be developed [4,5]. This effort, if successful, would result in great benefit to the US & the developing nations that suffer from overpopulation & a very high cost of energy.

Design and realization on function of pre-forming and continuous winding for HT-7U special winding machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Jie; Gao Daming; Wen Jun; Zhu Wenhua; Cheng Leping; Tao Yuming

2000-05-01

The winding machine is one of the critical facilities for R and D of HT-7U construction. The machine mainly consists of five parts, CICC pay-off spool, a four-rollers straightening assembly, a four-roller forming/bending assembly, continuous winding structure and CNC control system with three-axis CNC control. The facility is needed for CICC magnet fabrication of HT-7U. The main requirements of the winding machine are: continuous winding to reduce number of joints inside the coils; pre-forming CICC conductor to avoid winding with tension; suitable for all TF and PF coils within the scope of various coil shape and dimension limit; improving the configuration tolerance, specially flatness of the CICC conductor. The author emphasizes on the design and realization on function of Pre-forming and Continuous Winding for HT-7U special winding machine. The winding machine with high accuracy has just been developed and applied to the construction of HT-7U model coils

A compound structure of ELM based on feature selection and parameter optimization using hybrid backtracking search algorithm for wind speed forecasting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Chu; Zhou, Jianzhong; Li, Chaoshun; Fu, Wenlong; Peng, Tian

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A novel hybrid approach is proposed for wind speed forecasting. • The variational mode decomposition (VMD) is optimized to decompose the original wind speed series. • The input matrix and parameters of ELM are optimized simultaneously by using a hybrid BSA. • Results show that OVMD-HBSA-ELM achieves better performance in terms of prediction accuracy. - Abstract: Reliable wind speed forecasting is essential for wind power integration in wind power generation system. The purpose of paper is to develop a novel hybrid model for short-term wind speed forecasting and demonstrates its efficiency. In the proposed model, a compound structure of extreme learning machine (ELM) based on feature selection and parameter optimization using hybrid backtracking search algorithm (HBSA) is employed as the predictor. The real-valued BSA (RBSA) is exploited to search for the optimal combination of weights and bias of ELM while the binary-valued BSA (BBSA) is exploited as a feature selection method applying on the candidate inputs predefined by partial autocorrelation function (PACF) values to reconstruct the input-matrix. Due to the volatility and randomness of wind speed signal, an optimized variational mode decomposition (OVMD) is employed to eliminate the redundant noises. The parameters of the proposed OVMD are determined according to the center frequencies of the decomposed modes and the residual evaluation index (REI). The wind speed signal is decomposed into a few modes via OVMD. The aggregation of the forecasting results of these modes constructs the final forecasting result of the proposed model. The proposed hybrid model has been applied on the mean half-hour wind speed observation data from two wind farms in Inner Mongolia, China and 10-min wind speed data from the Sotavento Galicia wind farm are studied as an additional case. Parallel experiments have been designed to compare with the proposed model. Results obtained from this study indicate that the

A Wind Farm Controller for Load and Power Optimization in a Farm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Soleimanzadeh, Maryam; Brand, Arno; Wisniewski, Rafal

2011-01-01

This paper describes the design procedure of an optimal wind farm controller. The controller optimizes the structural load and power production simultaneously, on the basis of an analytical wind farm model. The farm model delivers maps of wind, loads and energy in the wind farm. Moreover, the model...... computes the wind speed at the turbines, turbine bending moments and aerodynamic power and torque. The optimal control problem is formulated based on the model for two different wind directions. The controller determines the reference signals for each individual wind turbine controller in two scenarios...... based on low and high wind speed. In low wind speed, the reference signals for rotor speed are adjusted, taking the trade-off between power maximization and load minimization into account. In high wind speed, the power and pitch angle reference signals are determined while structural loads are minimized....

Design of Wind Turbine Vibration Monitoring System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shoubin Wang

2013-04-01

Full Text Available In order to ensure safety of wind turbine operation and to reduce the occurrence of faults as well as to improve the reliability of wind turbine operation, a vibration monitoring for wind turbine is developed. In this paper, it analyses the enlargement of all the parts of the structure and the working mechanism, the research method of wind turbine operation vibration is introduced, with the focus being the use of the sensor principle. Finally the hardware design and software of this system is introduced and the main function of this system is described, which realizes condition monitoring of the work state of wind turbines.

Equivalent models of wind farms by using aggregated wind turbines and equivalent winds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez, L.M.; Garcia, C.A.; Saenz, J.R.; Jurado, F.

2009-01-01

As a result of the increasing wind farms penetration on power systems, the wind farms begin to influence power system, and therefore the modeling of wind farms has become an interesting research topic. In this paper, new equivalent models of wind farms equipped with wind turbines based on squirrel-cage induction generators and doubly-fed induction generators are proposed to represent the collective behavior on large power systems simulations, instead of using a complete model of wind farms where all the wind turbines are modeled. The models proposed here are based on aggregating wind turbines into an equivalent wind turbine which receives an equivalent wind of the ones incident on the aggregated wind turbines. The equivalent wind turbine presents re-scaled power capacity and the same complete model as the individual wind turbines, which supposes the main feature of the present equivalent models. Two equivalent winds are evaluated in this work: (1) the average wind from the ones incident on the aggregated wind turbines with similar winds, and (2) an equivalent incoming wind derived from the power curve and the wind incident on each wind turbine. The effectiveness of the equivalent models to represent the collective response of the wind farm at the point of common coupling to grid is demonstrated by comparison with the wind farm response obtained from the detailed model during power system dynamic simulations, such as wind fluctuations and a grid disturbance. The present models can be used for grid integration studies of large power system with an important reduction of the model order and the computation time

78 FR 29364 - Exelon Corporation, Exelon Wind 1, LLC, Exelon Wind 2, LLC, Exelon Wind 3, LLC, Exelon Wind 4...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-20

...-005, QF07-55-005, QF07-56-005, QF07-257-004] Exelon Corporation, Exelon Wind 1, LLC, Exelon Wind 2, LLC, Exelon Wind 3, LLC, Exelon Wind 4, LLC, Exelon Wind 5, LLC, Exelon Wind 6, LLC, Exelon Wind 7, LLC, Exelon Wind 8, LLC, Exelon Wind 9, LLC, Exelon Wind 10, LLC, Exelon Wind 11, LLC, High Plains...

Model-based control of a ballast-stabilized floating wind turbine exposed to wind and waves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christiansen, Soeren

2013-01-15

The wind turbine is a commercial product which is competing against other sources of energy, such as coal and gas. This competition drives a constant development to reduce costs and improve efficiency in order to reduce the total cost of the energy. The latest offshore development is the floating wind turbine, for water depths beyond 50 meters where winds are stronger and less turbulent. A floating wind turbine is subject to not only aerodynamics and wind induced loads, but also to hydrodynamics and wave induced loads. In contrast to a bottom fixed wind turbine, the floating structure, the hydrodynamics and the loads change the dynamic behavior of a floating wind turbine. Consequently, conventional wind turbine control cause instabilities on floating wind turbines. This work addresses the control of a floating spar buoy wind turbine, and focuses on the impact of the additional platform dynamics. A time varying control model is presented based on the wind speed and wave frequency. Estimates of the wind speed and wave frequency are used as scheduling variables in a gain scheduled linear quadratic controller to improve the electrical power production while reducing fatigue. To address the problem of negative damped fore-aft tower motion, additional control loops are suggested which stabilize the response of the onshore controller and reduce the impact of the wave induced loads. This research is then extended to model predictive control, to further address wave disturbances. In the context of control engineering, the dynamics and disturbances of a floating wind turbine have been identified and modeled. The objectives of maximizing the production of electrical power and minimizing fatigue have been reached by using advanced methods of estimation and control. (Author)

Wake-Effect Minimising Optimal Control of Wind Farms, with Load Reduction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borchersen, Anders Bech; Larsen, Jesper Abildgaard; Sivabalan, Senthuran

2014-01-01

A power generating wind turbine causes a speed reduction and an added turbulence to the wind. Wind turbines in wind farms are often caught in these wakes and are found to have a higher structural load than non affected wind turbines. This article investigates the possibility of designing a contro...

Dynamic Properties of Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Mads

ages structurally over its service life. Well-covered in the field of earthquake engineering, the dynamic response of civil engineering structures is highly dependent on the impedance of the soil–foundation system. For offshore wind turbine applications, however, the hysteretical and geometrical......, there is a general consensus that offshore wind-generated electricity is still too expensive to be competitive with conventional energy sources. As a consequence, the overall weight of the turbine and foundation is kept to a minimum resulting in a flexible and dynamically active structural system—even at low...

Research and analysis on response characteristics of bracket-line coupling system under wind load

Science.gov (United States)

Jiayu, Zhao; Qing, Sun

2018-01-01

In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element model of bracket-line coupling system is established based on ANSYS software. Using the wind velocity time series which is generated by MATLAB as a power input, by comparing and analyzing the influence of different wind speeds and different wind attack angles, it is found that when 0 degree wind acts on the structure, wires have a certain damping effect in the bracket-line coupling system and at the same wind speed, the 90 degree direction is the most unfavorable wind direction for the whole structure according to the three kinds of angle wind calculated at present. In the bracket-line coupling system, the bracket structure is more sensitive to the increase of wind speed while the conductors are more sensitive to the change of wind attack angle.

Aeroelastic analysis of an offshore wind turbine: Design and Fatigue Performance of Large Utility-Scale Wind Turbine Blades

OpenAIRE

Fossum, Peter Kalsaas

2012-01-01

Aeroelastic design and fatigue analysis of large utility-scale wind turbine blades are performed. The applied fatigue model is based on established methods and is incorporated in an iterative numerical design tool for realistic wind turbine blades. All aerodynamic and structural design properties are available in literature. The software tool FAST is used for advanced aero-servo-elastic load calculations and stress-histories are calculated with elementary beam theory.According to wind energy ...