Title: Aero‐servo‐elastic co‐optimization of large wind turbine blades with distributed aerodynamic control devices

Journal Article · · Wind Energy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/we.2840 · OSTI ID:1975890
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [3]
  1. Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA
  2. National Wind Technology Center National Renewable Energy Laboratory Golden Colorado USA
  3. Wind Energy Technologies Department Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque New Mexico USA
  4. Department of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA

Abstract This work introduces automated wind turbine optimization techniques based on full aero‐servo‐elastic models and investigates the potential of trailing edge flaps to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of wind turbines. The Wind Energy with Integrated Servo‐control (WEIS) framework is improved to conduct the presented research. Novel methods for the generic implementation and tuning of trailing edge flap devices and their controller are also introduced. Primary flap and controller parameters are optimized to demonstrate potential maximum blade tip deflection reductions of 21 % . Concurrent design optimization (i.e., co‐design) of a novel segmented wind turbine blade with trailing edge flaps and its controller is then conducted to demonstrate blade cost savings of 5 % . Additionally, rotor diameter co‐design optimization is demonstrated to reduce the LCOE by 1.3 % without significant load increases to the tower. These results demonstrate the efficacy of control co‐design optimization using trailing edge flaps, and the entirety of this work provides a foundation for numerous control co‐design‐oriented studies for distributed aerodynamic control devices.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Wind Energy Technologies Office
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308; NA0003525
OSTI ID:
1975890
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5000-83156
Journal Information:
Wind Energy, Journal Name: Wind Energy Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 26; ISSN 1095-4244
Publisher:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English

References (45)

Wind Energy Handbook book May 2011
Control Co-Design: An engineering game changer journal October 2019
A smart rotor configuration with linear quadratic control of adaptive trailing edge flaps for active load alleviation: A smart rotor configuration with linear quadratic control of ATEF journal February 2014
Aeroservoelastic state-space vortex lattice modeling and load alleviation of wind turbine blades: Aeroservoelastic modeling, load alleviation of wind turbine blades journal April 2014
Simulation comparison of wake mitigation control strategies for a two-turbine case: Simulation comparison of wake mitigation control strategies for a two-turbine case journal October 2014
BeamDyn: a high-fidelity wind turbine blade solver in the FAST modular framework: BeamDyn: a high-fidelity wind turbine blade solver journal March 2017
Analysis and optimal individual pitch control decoupling by inclusion of an azimuth offset in the multiblade coordinate transformation: Analysis of IPC decoupling by an offset in the MBC transformation journal November 2018
On the proof of concept of a ‘Smart’ wind turbine rotor blade for load alleviation journal January 2008
Constrained power reference control for wind turbines journal December 2021
Repetitive model predictive control for load alleviation on a research wind turbine using trailing edge flaps journal April 2022
A comparison of smart rotor control approaches using trailing edge flaps and individual pitch control journal March 2010
An overview of active load control techniques for wind turbines with an emphasis on microtabs journal March 2010
Wind Turbine Control for Load Reduction journal January 2003
XFOIL: An Analysis and Design System for Low Reynolds Number Airfoils book January 1989
A Direct Search Optimization Method That Models the Objective and Constraint Functions by Linear Interpolation book January 1994
Multidisciplinary dynamic optimization of horizontal axis wind turbine design journal August 2015
OpenMDAO: an open-source framework for multidisciplinary design, analysis, and optimization journal March 2019
Latin hypercube sampling and the propagation of uncertainty in analyses of complex systems journal July 2003
Control co-design of 13 MW downwind two-bladed rotors to achieve 25% reduction in levelized cost of wind energy journal January 2021
Fatigue and extreme load reduction of wind turbine components using smart rotors journal July 2016
Review of state of the art in smart rotor control research for wind turbines journal January 2010
Parameter study of sizing and placement of deformable trailing edge flap on blade fatigue load reduction journal May 2015
Wind turbine blade optimisation with individual pitch and trailing edge flap control journal April 2017
DTUWEC: an open-source DTU Wind Energy Controller with advanced industrial features journal September 2020
Extreme load alleviation using industrial implementation of active trailing edge flaps in a full design load basis journal September 2016
Combined individual pitch and trailing edge flap control for structural load alleviation of wind turbines conference July 2016
Numerical Studies of the Effects of Active and Passive Circulation Enhancement Concepts on Wind Turbine Performance journal July 2006
Nested and Simultaneous Solution Strategies for General Combined Plant and Control Design Problems journal October 2018
SNOPT: An SQP Algorithm for Large-Scale Constrained Optimization journal January 2005
A Class of Globally Convergent Optimization Methods Based on Conservative Convex Separable Approximations journal January 2002
Numerical manufacturing and design tool (NuMAD v2.0) for wind turbine blades : user's guide. report August 2012
CCBlade Documentation: Release 0.1.0 report September 2013
IEA Wind TCP Task 37: Definition of the IEA 15-Megawatt Offshore Reference Wind Turbine report March 2020
Smart rotor control of wind turbines under actuator limitations conference July 2019
Review of State of Art of Smart Structures and Integrated Systems journal November 2002
Load control for turbine blades - A non-traditional microtab approach conference January 2002
Power Regulation and Optimization of Offshore Wind Turbines Through Trailing Edge Flap Control conference January 2005
Multi-Blade Coordinate Transformation and its Application to Wind Turbine Analysis conference June 2012
Aero-Elastic Optimization of a 10 MW Wind Turbine conference January 2015
Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines book May 2015
Combined preliminary–detailed design of wind turbines journal January 2016
Aero-elastic wind turbine design with active flaps for AEP maximization journal January 2018
Land-based wind turbines with flexible rail-transportable blades – Part 1: Conceptual design and aeroservoelastic performance journal January 2021
Land-based wind turbines with flexible rail-transportable blades – Part 2: 3D finite element design optimization of the rotor blades journal January 2022
A reference open-source controller for fixed and floating offshore wind turbines journal January 2022