Testing of a one-bladed 30-meter-diameter rotor on the DOE/NASA Mod-0 wind turbine
As part of the Federal Wind Energy Program of the Department of Energy, NASA Lewis Research Center conducted tests on the DOE/NASA Mod-O horizontal-axis wind turbine with a one-bladed rotor configuration. The single blade had an overall length of 15.2 m, and used a pitchable tip that spanned 12 percent of the blade radius. The blade was balanced by a counterweight assembly that consisted of a solid steel ellipsoid supported at an outer radius of 4.6 m by a steel spar. The blade and counterweight assembly were mounted to a teetered hub in a downwind configuration. The objectives of these tests were to obtain data on the performance, loads, and dynamic characteristics of an intermediate-size, one-bladed rotor. These data, measured at a nominal rotor speed of 49 rpm, were compared with corresponding data for a two-bladed rotor at 33 rpm, having the same blade length and airfoil characteristics. The two-bladed rotor was previously operated on the same machine. The one-bladed and two-bladed rotors used common components wherever possible and did not represent optimized rotor designs. The results of the one-bladed rotor tests showed that this configuration can be operated successfully. There were no significant dynamic loads with this configuration, and the fatigue loads were comparable to those of a two-bladed rotor. A decrease in power output equivalent to a reduction in wind-speed by 1 m/sec occurred with the one-bladed rotor when compared with the aerodynamically similar two-bladed rotor operating at two-thirds of the rotor speed. Analytical methods for predicting the performance and dynamic characteristics of a one-bladed rotor were verified. 2 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab.
- Research Organization:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (USA). Lewis Research Center; Sverdrup Technology, Inc., Cleveland, OH (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AI01-76ET20320
- OSTI ID:
- 6846417
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/NASA/20320-74; NASA-TM-100274; ON: DE88015114
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Testing of a one-bladed 30-meter-diameter rotor on the DOE/NASA Mod-O wind turbine: Final report
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HORIZONTAL AXIS TURBINES
PERFORMANCE TESTING
AERODYNAMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
ROTORS
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MACHINERY
MECHANICS
NUMERICAL DATA
POWER PLANTS
TESTING
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
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