Aerodynamic response analysis of wind turbines

Abstract

Wind energy has received increasing attention in the same way as energy crisis and environmental deterioration. The aerodynamic response of wind turbines is the major problem in wind turbine design. Blade element momentum theory was used to study the aerodynamic thrusts of the blades on the tower. Iterative solutions were used to calculate the axial flow induction factor for each cross-section of the blades. The harmonic superposition method was used to simulate the fluctuating wind velocity time histories. The wind shear equation was used to calculate the mean wind velocities at different heights. Finally, the finite element method model was used to study the aerodynamic response of wind turbines under random wind loads. Results show that the top displacement of tower is increased accordingly by increasing the rotational speed of the blades. Hence, this should be considered in wind turbine design.