Abstract
With the ongoing increase in the size of wind turbines, experimental investigations have become more complicated and expensive. Therefore, computational models have proven to be a viable solution for design purposes. This article aims to validate CFD simulations of an experimental model wind turbine (MoWiTO 1.8) using Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (DDES) and Improved DDES (IDDES) turbulence modelling approaches. For the purpose of validation, integral quantities (such as power, thrust, torque and blade-root bending moment in the flapwise direction) measured in the wind tunnel are compared with numerical results obtained with OpenFOAM. In general, the computational results show a very good agreement with the measurements for most of the monitored quantities. In particular, the blade-root bending moment presents the largest difference, taking into account that the simulation assumes the turbine blades are rigid. Nevertheless, the simulation does achieve in recreating the turbulent behavior as can be evidenced by the Power Spectral Density graphs, and the wake’s velocity measurements. In general, the IDDES turbulent model achieves a better agreement to the experimental results, while maintaining a very similar computational time as the DDES model.
Highlights
With larger wind turbines it is possible to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCoE)
There have been two main approaches to solving this issue: scaled model turbines with which experimental analysis can be performed in wind tunnels under controlled conditions and through numerical methods
The OpenFOAM 4.0 software was used [16]; in particular the ’pimpleDyMFoam’ solver. This solver uses the PIMPLE algorithm to iterate the solution of the pressure and velocity coupling [17]. Since it is a blade resolved simulation, it was necessary to use a dynamic mesh (DyM) in order to account for the rotation of the blades, assuming this has a constant speed
Summary
With larger wind turbines it is possible to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCoE). This is why one of the main trends in wind energy has been to further increase the size of turbines. By increasing the rotor’s diameter, wind turbine loads start to have a larger influence on their structural design, on their cost [1]. In research projects such as the AVATAR project [2], turbines of 10 MW or larger are being studied. There have been two main approaches to solving this issue: scaled model turbines with which experimental analysis can be performed in wind tunnels under controlled conditions and through numerical methods
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