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Gravo-aeroelastic scaling of a 13-MW downwind rotor for 20% scale blades

Journal Article · · Wind Energy
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/we.2569· OSTI ID:1668879
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [5]
  1. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, 122 Engineer's Way University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia USA
  2. RRD Engineering Denver Colorado USA
  3. National Renewable Energy Laboratory Golden Colorado USA
  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson Texas USA
  5. Colorado School of Mines, Department of Electrical Engineering Colorado School of Mines Golden Colorado USA
+ Show Author Affiliations

A 105-m, 13-MW two-bladed downwind Segmented Ultralight Morphing Rotor (SUMR-13) blade was gravo-aeroelastically scaled by 20% to a 20.87-m-long demonstrator blade and confirmed through structural ground testing. The subscale model was achieved through geometric scaling and by aeroelastic scaling principles based on operational flapwise deflections combined with rotational and structural frequencies while retaining the turbine tip-speed ratio. In particular, the subscale demonstrator was designed to replicate, as closely as possible, the nondimensional geometry, the ratio of centrifugal to gravitational moments, the tip-speed ratio, and the nondimensional rotation rate. The intent for this demonstrator was to achieve the same nondimensional flapwise blade deflections and dynamics of the full-scale 13-MW rotor. The manufactured SUMR-D blade resulted in less than half of the mass of the conventional two-bladed Controls Advanced Research Turbine (CART2) rotor blade based on scaling and a lower power rating, though with some differences in mass and stiffness from the ideal scaled-down design to meet safety requirements at the test site. To achieve proper scaling, operational pitch control set points were altered to account for the differences by evaluating simulated operation of both the SUMR-13 and SUMR-D rotors. Structural testing of the SUMR-D blade investigated the response to well-defined flapwise loads and indicated that the subscale blade had the appropriate elastic properties needed for both scaling and for safe operational field testing.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308; AR0000667; AR0000667; AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1668879
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1786583
OSTI ID: 1677417
Journal Information:
Wind Energy, Journal Name: Wind Energy Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 24; ISSN 1095-4244
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English

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