Behavior Of Turbine Research Articles

Frequency Security Constraint in Unit Commitment with Detailed Frequency Response Behavior of Wind Turbines

Frequency Security Constraint in Unit Commitment with Detailed Frequency Response Behavior of Wind Turbines

Semi-Active Vibration Control for Wind Turbines: A Variable Tuned Mass Damper Approach Utilizing 1st Modal and 3P Tuning

Vibration in wind turbine towers poses a significant threat to the service life and structural integrity of wind turbines. Dampers have been identified as a pivotal strategy for alleviating such vibrations. Despite this, the dynamic behavior of large-scale offshore wind turbines is frequently swayed by wind shear, the tower shadow effect, and the Rotor-Nacelle Assembly (RNA) control system, typically manifesting as responses to the blade passing frequency (3P). To mitigate these vibrations, this study introduces a 3P tuning method for tuned mass dampers (TMDs), alongside a sophisticated design approach that targets optimal frequency and damping ratios. The integration of a semi-active variable-tuned mass damper (SA-V-TMD) offers a dual-mode control solution: The “3P tuning mode” adeptly manages vibrations across a spectrum of operating conditions, while the “1st modal frequency tuning mode” stabilizes the structure during parked states. Simulations substantiate the 3P tuning method’s enhanced efficacy over standard methods under operational conditions. Furthermore, the SA-V-TMD demonstrates superior effectiveness and stability in comparison to traditional TMDs, underscoring its potential as a preeminent solution in wind turbine vibration management.

Experimental Assessment of Hydrodynamic Behavior in a Gravitational Vortex Turbine with Different Inlet Channel and Discharge Basin Configurations

Gravitational vortex turbines can provide a sustainable and efficient solution for generating renewable energy from small watercourses, minimizing environmental impact, and contributing to the decentralization of energy production. Their design allows for high energy efficiency even under low flow conditions, thus benefiting rural communities and reducing their dependence on fossil fuels. This paper presents an experimental assessment of the hydrodynamic behavior of gravitational vortex turbines by examining various geometric configurations. The combinations of two types of inlet channels (spiral and tangential) and two types of discharge basins (conical and cylindrical) were investigated. Additionally, different geometries and placements of the runners were evaluated to determine their influence on the efficiency and performance of the turbine. The results indicate that the highest efficiency of 60.85% was achieved with a configuration that included a spiral inlet channel, cylindrical discharge, and a runner placement of 50%.

Analyzing the Impact of Multiple Foundation Stiffness Correlation on the Natural Frequency of Offshore wind turbines

The analysis of wind turbine behavior should avoid unplanned resonance, as it can increase fatigue damage. It is essential to rigorously evaluate the natural frequency of wind turbines in the initial design stage. This estimation can be done through two steps, the first one is the computing of the fixed base natural frequency of the wind turbine. The second is the estimation of the foundation stiffness effect. This paper examines the error margin of four correlations of foundation stiffness namely Randolph, Davies and Budhu, DNV, and Higgins in the estimation of the natural frequency of wind turbines. The fixed base natural frequency was estimated in this paper using a special-purpose finite element computer program called TurbiSoft through beam and volume elements. A reference 5.0 MW offshore wind turbine and 9 other turbines from different wind farms have been analyzed. For the fixed base natural frequency, obtained results demonstrate the reliability of the finite element program TurbiSoft through an error margin between 1-4% for the reference 5.0 MW offshore wind turbine. For the natural frequency of the whole system, the estimated error marking was between 9-20% which is an important value.This significant error is attributed to the low accuracy of these four correlation formulas for predicting the foundation flexibility contribution. The results from the four correlation formulas used are quite similar, with a difference in the error margin of less than 1%. However, the largest error margins are observed with the Higgins formula, which has been originally developed for short monopiles, even though the analyzed monopiles can be considered short, with monopile slenderness ratios less than 8.

Numerical modeling of seismic behavior of Caisson foundation for Offshore Wind Turbines taking into account wave and marine currents forces

It is crucial to simulate the seismic behavior of offshore wind turbines, especially when dealing with foundations on non-cohesive soil. There is a risk of liquefaction occurring, which highlights the need to obtain values of excess pore water pressure. In this study, we created a three-dimensional model of a caisson foundation for an offshore wind turbine on loose sandy soil from the Syrian coast. The Mohr-Coulomb constitutive plasticity model was used to analyze two scenarios. The first scenario involved applying wind and earthquake loads, while the second scenario included marine currents and wave loads in addition to the wind and earthquake loads. We used Coupled acoustic-structural medium analysis after confirming its effectiveness on the soil through comparison with simulation results of the FLAC3D program from a previous study. The numerical modeling results indicated that it is possible to use Coupled acoustic-structural analysis in soil and water modeling. The study monitored the values of excess pore water pressure and found that liquefaction occurred in the soil due to the earthquake. The analysis also highlighted the importance of considering wave and marine currents loads in analyzing these structures. While these factors had a slight impact on excess pore pressure values, they significantly affected the directions and values of displacements.

Analysis of the vibration behaviour of a gas turbine during operation

The vibratory behaviour of the gas turbine during operation is analysed in this article. The modern method consists of studying the state of a machine during its operation, to intervene only when the parameters allow it. However, experience has shown that vibration analysis is the most widely used technique to make a reliable diagnosis and to detect the appearance and evolution of most mechanical and hydraulic defects. In our study, we applied the method of vibration analysis of the gas turbine line using monitoring methods to diagnose mechanical defects in shaft bearings. In this sense, the experimental was carried out by measuring and monitoring the level of vibration produced by the turbine, an indicator on its condition was obtained. Should the rise in vibration levels of the machine facilitate the identification of a fault, the subsequent analysis of the machine's vibration characteristics will enable the source of the fault to be determined. It is then possible to determine with accuracy the time before the situation becomes critical.

Advanced Modeling of Hydrogen Turbines Using Generalized Conformable Calculus

This article addresses critical challenges in the transition to clean energy sources by highlighting the importance of advanced mathematical modeling and computational techniques in turbine design and operation. Specifically, we extend and generalize the work of Camporeale to advance the modeling of hydrogen turbine systems. By utilizing conformable calculus, we develop dynamic equations that analyze key aspects of turbine performance, including temperature variations in turbine blades, angular velocities of rotating shafts, and mass--energy balances within the plenum and combustion chamber. Furthermore, we incorporate Kirchhoff's equation in its generalized conformable integral form, enhancing the precision of energy balance calculations and improving the representation of heat transfer processes in the combustion chamber. This methodology introduces novel perspectives in hydrogen turbine research, contributing to the advancement of sustainable and efficient technologies. Our comprehensive approach aims to provide more accurate and efficient predictions of turbine behavior, thereby impacting the design and optimization of hydrogen-based clean energy systems.

The Problem of Power Variations in Wind Turbines Operating under Variable Wind Speeds over Time and the Need for Wind Energy Storage Systems

One of the most important and efficient sources of green electricity is catching air currents through wind turbine technology. Wind power plants are located in areas where the energy potential of the wind is high but it varies. The time variation of the wind generates fluctuations in the power produced by the wind farms that is injected into the grid. This elevates, depending on the intensity, problems of network stability and the need for balancing energy, thus raising both technical and cost issues. The present paper analyzes the behavior of a wind turbine (WT) over time in varying wind speed conditions, highlighting that without automation algorithms, a WT is far from the operation at the maximum power point (MPP). However, even when it is brought to operate at MPP, there are still significant variations in the power injected into the network. These power variations can be compensated if the wind system has energy storage facilities for the captured wind. All of these assumptions are analyzed using improved mathematical models and processed in simulations, with experimental data used as input from a wind turbine with an installed power of 2.5 [MW] in operation on the Romanian Black Sea coastal area. Consequently, the paper demonstrates that during an operation in the optimal area, from an energy perspective, the wind turbine’s maximum power point requires a storage system for the captured wind energy.

Aerodynamic Behavior of a Wind Turbine Under Blade Pitching Motion

It is essential for advanced turbine design and wind-farm control strategy formulation to acquire an improved understanding of the aerodynamic behavior in the rotor plane and the wake downstream of a wind turbine under blade pitching motion, reacting to highly stochastic atmospheric conditions. Using an unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulation, the effects of the dynamic variations in blade pitch are investigated on the unsteady aerodynamic behavior of an NREL-5 MW wind turbine. The results show that the wake after a pitching maneuver exhibits a local contraction region, resulting in the leapfrogging phenomenon of tip vortices. The influences of different pitch ranges and pitch rates on the aerodynamic behavior of the wind turbine are studied. The degree of wake contraction depends strongly on the pitch range, whereas an increase in pitch rate is mainly dominated by the shed vorticity, indicating a larger deviation from the quasi-state behavior. In addition, interaction between the shed vorticity and the neighboring tip vortex is observed in the near wake under the condition at a fast pitch rate, which may have an influence on the mutual inductance instability.

Improving operation flexibility of the gas turbine through coolant intercooling and air injection using a sub-compressor

The use of renewable energy, particularly solar and wind power, is increasing, but it is necessary to alleviate the variation of such resources, a key drawback of using renewable energy. In this context, gas turbines capable of fast startup and rapidly changing power following a load have attracted considerable attention. Nevertheless, enhancing the operational flexibility of gas turbines is crucial to ensure their stable operation under various conditions. Several studies have attempted to enhance the flexible operating capabilities, by examining the operational stability assurance under a variety of conditions and life cycle increases by changing the operating conditions. This paper proposes a new gas turbine configuration and operating strategy in which a sub-compressor is used to increase the ramp rate and mitigate the thermal load of the turbine blades. The performance and dynamic behavior of the novel gas turbine was simulated using an in-house program based on the gas path analysis. Specifically, a sub-compressor with an inter-cooler was used to cool the coolant from 398 °C to 300 °C, which increased the gas turbine power by 1.3 MW and efficiency by 0.4%p compared to the conventional gas turbine. In addition, when applying a new operating strategy during the ramp-up phase, a part of coolant air was injected into the combustor to suppress the maximum turbine inlet temperature by 15 °C compared to the conventional gas turbine. As a result, the ramp rate could be doubled (from 18.75 to 37.5 %/min) by alleviating the fluctuations of hot gas temperature in the ramp-up phase.

Unsteady aerodynamic interaction in regulated two-stage radial turbine at pulsating conditions

Regulated multi-stage turbocharging is an indispensable technology to achieve high boosting pressure and hence power recovery for High-Altitude Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (HALE UAV). Inevitably, unsteady interstage coupling has become a key factor restricting the pursuit of higher aerodynamic performance in multi-stage turbochargers. This study is to investigate the unsteady gasdynamic behavior of two-stage radial turbines and aimed to obtained the knowledge of unsteady aerodynamic interaction at pulsating conditions. Results reveal an obvious difference in the performance discrepancy mechanisms of high-pressure turbine (HPT) and low-pressure turbine (LPT). HPT shows more unsteady than that of LPT according to the discussion on mass accumulation and local temporal gradient. Furthermore, this unsteadiness is drastically enhanced when the valve is open. For HPT with open valve, a sharp reduction of up to 10.7% in the cycle-averaged efficiency is observed. Both the volute and the rotor are the main components causing the deterioration of efficiency. Swirling flow precession leads to a dramatically loss generation in the volute. Leading-edge separation and tip leakage flow are the dominated factors in rotor. The former is primarily attributed to inlet swirling flow and the latter is predominantly attributed to the pulsating effect. For LPT, the performance is not sensitive to the valve state, with no more than 3% discrepancy on efficiency. At specific velocity ratio, the negative swirling flow tends to exert a positive effect to the rotor efficiency, whereas the positive swirling flow leads to a higher entropy generation in rotor passage.

MPPT Optimal Torque Control Strategy for a PMSG-based Wind Turbine Emulator

A wind turbine emulator is a valuable tool, which enables real-time physical simulation of a wind turbine behavior using a dedicated experimental test setup, providing a controlled environment for research and development purposes. One significant advantage of using this tool is its ability to test control algorithms designed to maximize power extraction from the wind turbine. This paper continues previous work on developing a small-scale variable-speed wind turbine emulator based on a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator for stand-alone applications (Benhacine et al., 2024). This paper presents enhancements made to the emulator. These improvements facilitate the assessment of a maximum power point tracking control strategy designed to optimize power extraction from the wind turbine.

Exploring explainable ensemble machine learning methods for long-term performance prediction of industrial gas turbines: A comparative analysis

In today's modern life, where electricity demand is one of the fundamental necessities, gas turbines play a pivotal role in meeting this demand. As such, it is imperative to address the challenges faced in the field. Current models often rely on simplifying assumptions, neglecting the intricate relationships between variables. This limitation leads to reduced accuracy and reliability, ultimately affecting the overall efficiency of gas turbine systems. Furthermore, the complexity of gas turbine behavior, coupled with the scarcity of comprehensive datasets, exacerbates the problem.To address these challenges, this research aimed to develop an advanced model capable of accurately forecasting real gas turbine behavior. The proposed approach leveraged ensemble decision trees, robust preprocessing techniques, and rigorous evaluation using an extensive dataset spanning from 2011 to 2015. The training and validation phases were conducted on data from 2011 to 2014, with the 2015 dataset reserved for evaluation.The results demonstrated that the bagging structure outperformed the boosted structure, exhibiting lower complexity and higher reliability. Remarkably, the bagging approach with only 30 estimators achieved a superior root mean square error of 1.4176, outperforming the boosted trees with 200 learners. The model effectively captured the overall gas turbine performance, though it encountered limitations in certain specific operating ranges.To further investigate the model's behavior, an evaluation was conducted to assess the effects of the input variables on the output power. While the interpretability of the results posed some challenges, the overall findings were deemed acceptable and provide valuable insights for optimizing gas turbine performance. The significance of this research lies in its potential to inform decision-making and enhance the efficiency of gas turbine systems, ultimately contributing to the reliable and sustainable supply of electricity.

Investigation on fixed pitch Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine

Small-scale Darrieus wind turbines have a wide scope in areas that are isolated from the power grid for such small-scale household applications. Applications of wind turbines on house roofs are one potential way to generate electricity from wind energy harvesting in low-wind urban locations. This work studies the aerodynamic behavior of a vertical axis wind turbine based on a MATLAB programming mathematical model. The NACA0021 airfoil profile blade was used in this present research investigation. The turbine was fabricated with dimensions such as chord length, c = 95 mm, blade height, h = 600 mm, and turbine diameter, D = 600 mm. The experimental results of the turbine for air velocity from 1 to 12 ms−1 were used in this paper and compared with analytical results. It has been observed that the fixed-pitch turbine does not start by itself at a low air velocity of 1 to 5 m/s due to a minimum and negative torque.

Turbine-Level Possible Power Prediction using Farm-Wide Spatial Information through Similarity-Based Multivariate Gaussians

Wind farms usually comprise several turbines of the same type in proximity to one another. Therefore, similarities exist between the power production of specific turbines within the wind farm over time. Considering this, it is possible to find a way to express the similarity between turbines and exploit their properties to find a formulation of the expected behavior of a turbine. With this estimation of possible power output, one can analyze the losses generated by curtailments or transients with a higher precision. Based on this, a probabilistic model is proposed that can be used to calculate energy losses due to maintenance or environmental reasons. On top of that, heavy deviations in the behavior of specific wind turbines can be detected on high-frequency (1-second) data. Overall, the goal of this work is to predict possible power on high-frequency SCADA data using a statistical white-box modeling approach. The presented method is based on a probabilistic framework, constructing a system of linear combinations that permits analytically tracking the expected behavior of a turbine, even if it is non-operational for a specific amount of time. The methodology includes two parts, the first one is the use of data-driven power curves, and the second one consists of an inferential framework based on the environmental conditions of the farm. Results show that the method presented performs better than the manufacturer’s power curves under specific wind speeds and wind directions.

Edgewise Structural Damping of a 2.8-MW Land-Based Wind Turbine Rotor Blade

Modern wind turbines push the predictive capabilities of state-of-the-art aero-servo-elastic tools. The existing limitations hide across the numerical tool chain and can result in serious issues, such as missing aeroelastic instabilities during the design phase. Structural damping is an input that is usually hard to estimate, but also has a major impact on the turbine behavior. In this paper, we discuss an experiment that aims to accurately quantify the structural damping characterizing the edgewise modes of modern wind turbine blades. The experiment is carried out on a 2.8-MW land-based wind turbine and features a fast yaw actuation that induces an edgewise motion on one of the three blades. The Covariant-subspace system identification (Cov-SSI) method is then used to post-process the blade root moment to estimate the short-term edgewise structural damping. Despite limitations of the Cov-SSI method, which consistently under-predicts the absolute values of damping, we observe that structural damping decreases across the first three blade edgewise modes, which is different from the stiffness-proportional damping model that assumes that structural damping increases with the modes. This paper argues that a stiffness-proportional damping model, which is implemented in most aeroelastic tools, is therefore not conservative and might hide aeroelastic instabilities that can instead appear in the field.

Validation of the structural response of a 70kW VAWT

This paper describes a project for predicting and measuring the structural response of a 70 kW vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT), while offering insights for optimizing efficiency and ensuring longevity. We employ the traditional frequency response approach and model the turbine behavior using its stationary modal shapes. Results for three key sensor locations – lower central mast bending, upper blade flapwise bending, and central horizontal arm out-of-plane bending – reveal that the codes accurately predict the critical resonance and capture the dominant harmonic amplitudes. In addition, it is shown how a statistical treatment of the steady state solution can lead to predictions of the fatigue cycle distribution enabling accurate life predictions. The program demonstrates the potential to significantly improve the design and operation of VAWT using simple, steady state, simulation codes for capturing VAWT aerodynamics. The model demonstrates sufficient accuracy while offering computational efficiency compared to more complex models.

Numerical and experimental validation of tribological phenomenon in wind turbine brake pads using novel Archard's wear coefficient

Designing effective mechanical brakes for wind turbines has been hindered by the historical reliance on simplistic criteria such as wear rate and friction coefficient for material selection. In this study, a novel approach to predicting wear rate was proposed, utilizing Archard's wear coefficient and considering factors such as material composition, hardness, sliding distance, and axial load. Furthermore, we developed a numerical model to simulate the tribological behavior of wind turbine brake pads, integrating the novel wear coefficient derived from a hybrid mathematical model with cubic and radial basis functions. This comprehensive approach bridges the gap between experimental data and theoretical insights, offering a robust framework for optimizing brake pad design and performance.

Analysis of the Flow Behavior and Pressure Fluctuation of a Pump Turbine with Splitter Blades in Part-Load Pump Mode

The internal flow of a pump turbine is unstable in part-load pump mode for small guide-vane openings, and the strong vibration caused by pressure pulsation is related to the safe and stable operation of the unit. A pump turbine with a six-splitter-blade runner was chosen for unsteady simulation analyses. A standard k-epsilon turbulence model was adopted to study the unsteady flow and pressure pulsation in part-load pump mode. The predicted results show that the flow in the draft tube and the runner with splitter blades was relatively stable and the flow of the blade-to-blade channel was symmetrical. When the inlet and outlet velocity distribution of the vanes was not uniform, a vortex began to form in the stay-vane domain. The reason for this vortex formation is explained, and it is pointed out that the existence of the vortex and backflow leads to uneven velocity distribution. The unsteady calculation results showed that the pressure-pulsation peak-to-peak amplitudes in the vaneless area and guide vanes were much higher than those of other monitor points because of rotor–stator interference between the rotating runner and the vanes. In addition, the pulsation characteristics of the monitor points at different circumferential positions in the vaneless region were quite different. In the vaneless area, the velocity gradient along the circumferential direction was very large, and there was a phenomenon of backflow. Also, the pressure pulsation was 0.2 times that of the runner rotational frequency, and the blade-passing frequency was a third-order frequency. At the outlet of the guide vane, the pressure pulsation was mainly of a low frequency with a complex vortex flow. Finally, the pressure pulsation began to decrease rapidly in the stay-vane region.

Effect of Water-added-mass on Modal Behavior of Shaft-line of Large Hydroelectric Generator Unit

The water-added-mass to a hydro turbine-shaft-line can significantly affect its modal behavior including the vibration modes and their natural frequencies. So it is of great significance to consider the effect of added water mass on the modal behavior of a hydro turbine to assure the safe and efficient operation of the hydro turbine-shaft-line system. In this investigation, the effect of water-added-mass on the shaft-line of one large prototype hydroelectric generator unit has been investigated in detail via the finite element tool. First, a CAD model of the shaft-line was created based on actual dimensions. Then a finite element model of the entire shaft-line was generated with high-quality hexahedral and tetrahedral cells. A first round of finite element simulation of the shaft-line in the air was performed without considering the effect of surrounding water, but the results were not realistic. On this basis, a finite element-based water-structure coupling simulation was carried out to analyze the effect of water-added-mass on the modal behavior of the shaft-line of the large hydroelectric generator unit. The result is more realistic to reality than that in the air. The results of this study show that when the water surrounding the turbine runner is added to the hydro-turbine shaft-line, it increases the overall mass of the shaft-line system, thereby reducing the natural frequencies of the system. The decrease in natural frequencies can cause the shaft-line to approach its critical speed during operation, vibrate at higher amplitudes than usual, and even lead to potential damage to the shaft-line system. According to the results calculated with the finite element water-structure coupling method, the countermeasures to improve the evaluation of the water-added-mass effect on the structural modal behavior of the shaft-line for the hydroelectric generator units have been provided. The conclusion can also apply to other hydraulic turbine and pump units.