Optimization of Blade Motion of Vertical Axis Turbine

In this paper, a method is proposed to improve the energy efficiency of the vertical axis turbine. First of all, a single disk multiple stream-tube model is used to calculate individual fitness. Genetic algorithm is adopted to optimize blade pitch motion of vertical axis turbine with the maximum energy efficiency being selected as the optimization objective. Then, a particular data processing method is proposed, fitting the result data into a cosine-like curve. After that, a general formula calculating the blade motion is developed. Finally, CFD simulation is used to validate the blade pitch motion formula. The results show that the turbine’s energy efficiency becomes higher after the optimization of blade pitch motion; compared with the fixed pitch turbine, the efficiency of variable-pitch turbine is significantly improved by the active blade pitch control; the energy efficiency declines gradually with the growth of speed ratio; besides, compactness has lager effect on the blade motion while the number of blades has little effect on it.     

国电赤峰某风力发电机组基础受力分析

根据风机基础的受力特点,分析了正常运行工况和极端荷载工况下,圆板式扩展基础的受力特点,并借助相关辅助计算程序,得出了合理的结论,供相关科研及设计参考。     

海上风机支撑结构设计分析

介绍海上风机支撑结构的一般失效形式,提出了适合工程实践的设计分析方法,并以某一单立柱三桩的海上风机支撑结构为例,进行了最终强度计算、动力特性分析以及疲劳强度分析。计算结果表明:1)疲劳工况是结构设计的控制工况;2)支撑结构振动频率在风机工作频率1P和3P之间;3)风机工作时的气动阻尼可有效减少支撑结构振动和疲劳损伤。     

Deep ocean wave energy conversion using a cycloidal turbine

A lift based wave energy converter, namely, a cycloidal turbine, is investigated. This type of wave energy converter consists of a shaft with one or more hydrofoils attached eccentrically at a radius. The main shaft is aligned parallel to the wave crests and submerged at a fixed depth. In the two-dimensional limit, i.e. for large spans of the hydrofoil (or an array of these), the geometry of the converter is suitable for wave termination of straight crested Airy waves. Results from two-dimensional potential flow simulations, with thin hydrofoils modeled as either a point vortex or discrete vortex panel, are presented. The operation of the cycloidal turbine both as a wave generator as well as a wave-to-shaft energy converter interacting with a linear Airy wave is demonstrated. The impact on the performance of the converter for design parameters such as device size, submergence depth, and number of hydrofoils is shown. For optimal parameter choices, simulation results demonstrate inviscid energy conversion efficiencies of more than 99% of the incoming wave energy to shaft energy. This is achieved using feedback control to synchronize the rotational rate, blade pitch angle, and phase of the cycloidal wave energy converter to the incoming wave. While complete termination of the incoming wave is shown, the remainder of the energy is lost to harmonic waves traveling in the up-wave and down-wave directions.     

非定常条件下OWC径向透平冲击式动叶片优化研究

为优化径向透平动叶片的结构型式,有效提高透平工作效率,本文基于Ansys-Fluent软件构建振荡水柱波能发电装置径向冲击式透平的三维瞬态全流域数值模型,通过改变透平动叶片吸力面型式,研究了正弦往复入射气流条件下动叶片厚度差异对透平扭矩、压强等参量的影响及其对透平输入系数、扭矩系数和周期平均效率等非定常性能评价参数的影响。在保证压力面型式不变情况下,研究了5种动叶片厚度分别为7 mm、13 mm、16 mm、19 mm和22 mm的透平在呼气、吸气阶段的非定常工作性能,结果表明：不同动叶片厚度的透平的非定常工作性能存在较大差异,动叶片厚度为13 mm的透平非定常工作性能最优,最大峰值效率可达47.7%。     

Dynamic stiffness of monopiles supporting offshore wind turbine generators

Very large diameter steel tubular piles (up to 10 m in diameter, termed as XL or XXL monopiles) and caissons are currently used as foundations to support offshore Wind Turbine Generators (WTG) despite limited guidance in codes of practice. The current codes of practice such as API/DnV suggest methods to analysis long flexible piles which are being used (often without any modification) to analyse large diameter monopiles giving unsatisfactory results. As a result, there is an interest in the analysis of deep foundation for a wide range of length to diameter (L/D) ratio embedded in different types of soil.This paper carries out a theoretical study utilising Hamiltonian principle to analyse deep foundations ($L/D\ge 2$) embedded in three types of ground profiles (homogeneous, inhomogeneous and layered continua) that are of interest to offshore wind turbine industry. Impedance functions (static and dynamic) have been proposed for piles exhibiting rigid and flexible behaviour in all the 3 ground profiles. Through the analysis, it is concluded that the conventional Winkler-based approach (such as p–y curves or Bean-on-Dynamic Winkler Foundations) may not be applicable for piles or caissons having aspect ratio less than about 10 to 15. The results also show that, for the same dimensionless frequency, damping ratio of large diameter rigid piles is higher than long flexible piles and is approximately 1.2–1.5 times the material damping. It is also shown that Winkler-based approach developed for flexible piles will under predict stiffness of rigid piles, thereby also under predicting natural frequency of the WTG system. Four wind turbine foundations from four different European wind farms have been considered to gain further useful insights.     

圆球减振装置对风力发电高塔的振动控制研究

本文提出了圆球减振装置对风力发电高塔振动控制的工作原理和计算方法,并对其控制效果进行了理论研究。首先利用拉格朗日方程推导得到圆球减振装置的自振频率及其对单自由度系统的被动控制力,并推广至多自由度系统。进而将风力发电高塔等效为集中质点模型,建立了风塔-减振装置体系的运动微分方程。用谐波叠加法模拟得到脉动风速时程,分析比较了风力发电高塔在无控及有控状态下的动力响应及疲劳寿命。计算结果表明,圆球减振装置是一种简单、经济和实用的减振装置,能够有效减小风塔的动力响应,延长其疲劳寿命。     

Vertical earthquake response of megawatt‐sized wind turbine with soil‐structure interaction effects

The dynamic response of a wind turbine on monopile is studied under horizontal and vertical earthquake excitations. The analyses are carried out using the finite element program SAP2000. The finite element model of the structure is verified against the results of shake table tests, and the earthquake response of the soil model is verified against analytical solutions of the steady‐state response of homogeneous strata. The focus of the analyses in this paper is the vertical earthquake response of wind turbines including the soil‐structure interaction effects. The analyses are carried out for both a non‐homogeneous stratum and a deep soil using the three‐step method. In addition, a procedure is implemented which allows one to perform coupled soil‐structure interaction analyses by properly tuning the damping in the tower structure. The analyses show amplification of the ground surface acceleration to the top of the tower by a factor of two. These accelerations are capable of causing damage in the turbine and the tower structure, or malfunctioning of the turbine after the earthquake; therefore, vertical earthquake excitation is considered a potential critical loading in design of wind turbines even in low‐to‐moderate seismic areas. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental and numerical investigations of monopile ringing in irregular finite-depth water waves

In storm conditions, nonlinear wave loads on monopile offshore wind turbines can induce resonant ringing-type responses. Efficient, validated methods which capture such events in irregular waves in intermediate or shallow water depth conditions are needed for design. Dedicated experiments and numerical studies were performed toward this goal. The extensive experimental campaign at 1:48 scale was carried out for Statoil related to the development of the Dudgeon wind farm, and included both a rigid model and a flexible, pitching-type, single degree-of-freedom model. Twenty 3-hour duration realizations for 4 sea states and 2 water depths were tested for each model. A high level of repeatability in ringing events was observed. Uncertainties in the experimental results were critically examined. The stochastic variation in the 3-hour maximum bending moment at the sea bed was significantly larger than the random variation in repetition tests, and highlighted the need for a good statistical basis in design. Numerical simulations using a beam element model with a modified Morison wave load model and second order wave kinematics gave reasonable prediction of the ringing response of the flexible model, and of the measured excitation forces on the rigid model in the absence of slamming. The numerical model was also used to investigate the sensitivity of the responses with respect to damping and natural period. A simple single degree-of-freedom model was shown to behave similarly to a fully flexible model when considering changes in natural frequency and damping.     

Investigation of the load-bearing capacity of suction caissons used for offshore wind turbines

This paper presents the results of three-dimensional finite element analyses of the suction bucket foundation used for offshore wind turbines. The behavior of the bucket and the response of soil supporting the bucket in dense and medium dense sandy soils subjected to static horizontal load are investigated. Field tests results and a centrifuge model test are used to validate the numerical model. Dimensionless horizontal load-displacement and overturning moment-rotation relationships are derived utilizing the Power law and Buckingham’s theorem. The results show good agreement between the numerical analysis results and the straight lines obtained from the Power law until a specific value of horizontal load and overturning moment. Regarding stress behavior of soil supporting the bucket, due to soil densification and bucket movement, maximum stresses are seen near the bucket tip at the right inside of the bucket. The major part of the applied load is transferred by the bucket skirt. Numerical analysis modeling results show that the bucket rotation and displacement are highly dependent on the bucket geometry and soil properties in addition to loading conditions. Normalized equations and figures for the ultimate horizontal load and overturning-moment capacities are presented and can be used for the preliminary design of the bucket foundations in sandy soils.