HAWT’s PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION

AirWorks is currently developing and testing a code aimed at performance-optimization of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines(in cooperation with Rotorcraft Group of Engineering Department University Roma Tre, UR3)
Highlights:

  • fast, as accurate as possible both in the aerodynamics and in structural dynamics modelling, useful to dramatically speed up the preliminary-design phase of HAWT blades layout;
  • takes into account elastic deformations not only due to torsion contribution to the angle of attack, but due to bending deflections as well, simultaneously allowing to consider not axial/steady conditions;
  • a database relating the main sectional aeroelastic properties to a selection of meaningful internal parameters describing the actual blade section box, has been identified;
  • a Genetic-Algorithm, Multi-Disciplinary-Optimization (MDO) process has been set by UR3, based on the aeroelastic tool developed, to identify a configuration able to enhance the obtainable maximum power coefficients, under suitable structural constraints.