Final Report Summary - PROND (Small Wind Turbine Composite Blade PRoperties ON Demand by Means of Functionally Graded Materials)
The use of renewable energy sources in Europe will increase, leading to more sustainable energy mix and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Wind has been the world's fastest growing renewable energy source for the last seven years, and this trend is expected to continue with falling costs of wind energy. Small wind systems can produce electricity cheaper than the grid and payback their embedded carbon within months.
Today Europe has literally millions of homes and businesses waiting to benefit from the effective deployment of this technology.
The main goal of this project was to investigate coupled mechanical and aero-dynamic properties the self-adaptive blade of small wind turbine made of functionally graded composite materials. The basic goal of small wind turbine improvement is significant reduction in the wind turbine set price.
Object of the investigation was selected upon information provided from http://www.allsmallwindturbines.com/. The site has 647 small wind turbines from 234 manufacturers indexed out of which 521 are horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT). Basic specification of the 3 blades, 1 kW wind-driven generator was redesigned in order to incorporate sensory system to measure running performance of the SWT.
Summary description of the project objectives
The main goal of this project was to investigate coupled mechanical and aero-dynamic properties the self-adaptive blade of small wind turbine made of functionally graded composite materials. Overall goal of the research was achieved through several objectives:
- investigation of the innovative methods for intelligent design of blades and novel composite materials for realisation of the intelligent design,
- application of the technical innovations such as novel materials,
- complete small wind system analysis encompassing material sciences, structural dynamics, computational fluid dynamics, optimisation, stochastic analysis,
- fluid-structure-interaction investigations,
- reduce the weight of the blades,
- improve the self-controlling characteristics ('component intelligence') of small wind system blade,
- design a blade in such a way that aerodynamic loads do not increase too much with increasing wind speed,
- optimisation of the structural and aerodynamic models.
During project execution, the main object of the investigation which was small wind system was complemented by numerical and experimental research done on the full scale blades of the helicopter main rotor, section of the blade of the large wind turbine and the active flow control technologies.
Description of the work performed since the beginning of the project
Small wind system test stand was developed. It was set up through the modification of the existing three bladed horizontal axis turbine in order to incorporate sensory system (rotational speed, vibration accelerations, torque, wind speed and direction). Blades of the wind turbine were made of composite material. Main research activities performed:
Small wind system:
- design and manufacture of the small wind system test stand,
- experimental campaign on the small wind system,
- three-dimensional (3D) lasser scanning of the geometry of the blades,
- implementation of three and six bladed rotors for different wind conditions,
- development of the in-house application of the automated application for continuous condition monitoring of the system,
- development of numerical model of the blade and rotor,
- experimental and numerical modal analysis of the single blade and three bladed rotor,
- development of numerical model of entire small wind system incorporating fluid-structure interaction, electrical system (generator, converter and batteries),
- numerical model of fluid structure interaction of the blade,
- design of the self-adapting, aero-elastic tailored blade,
- optimisation analysis of the designed blade for the mass reduction and durability improvement.
Helicopter main rotor blades:
- parametric study of the influence of the test setup on the outcomes of the experimental structural dynamics identification,
- measurement campaigns incorporation contact (accelerometers) and non-contact (scanning laser vibrometer and microflown probe for particle velocity measurement),
- assessment of the test setup and particular blade influence on the test data variability (test to test and object to object),
- experimental investigation of the static preload on the structural dynamics in two bladed coupled configuration.
Section of the blade of the large wind turbine:
- development of the numerical model of entire test stand configuration incorporating 8 m section of the blade, clamping and the support structure,
- experimental and numerical modal analysis of the blade fixed in the support structure,
- correlation, sensitivity and updating analysis of the numerical model according to measurement results.
Active flow control actuator - Synthetic jet:
- development of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical model of the synthetic jet,
- development of the finite element method (FEM) model of the synthetic jet,
- design and manufacture of the synthetic jet actuator,
- experimental identification of the structural dynamics of synthetic jet actuator,
- jet flow velocity measurement,
- development of the coupled fluid-structure interaction model of the synthetic jet actuator.
Description of the main results achieved so far
There are several results achieved:
- verified experimental and numerical modal model of the small wind system rotor,
- fluid structure interaction numerical model of the small wind system blade,
- aeroelastic tailored and mass reduction optimised design of the self-adapting small wind system blade,
- integrated model of the entire small wind system incorporating flow, structure and electrical system,
- automated condition based structural health monitoring application of the small wind system,
- verified experimental modal models of the full scale composite material blades of the helicopter main rotor obtained from contact and non-contact measurement,
- validated and updated experimental and numerical modal models of the section of full scale composite material blade of the large wind turbine.
Today Europe has literally millions of homes and businesses waiting to benefit from the effective deployment of this technology.
The main goal of this project was to investigate coupled mechanical and aero-dynamic properties the self-adaptive blade of small wind turbine made of functionally graded composite materials. The basic goal of small wind turbine improvement is significant reduction in the wind turbine set price.
Object of the investigation was selected upon information provided from http://www.allsmallwindturbines.com/. The site has 647 small wind turbines from 234 manufacturers indexed out of which 521 are horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT). Basic specification of the 3 blades, 1 kW wind-driven generator was redesigned in order to incorporate sensory system to measure running performance of the SWT.
Summary description of the project objectives
The main goal of this project was to investigate coupled mechanical and aero-dynamic properties the self-adaptive blade of small wind turbine made of functionally graded composite materials. Overall goal of the research was achieved through several objectives:
- investigation of the innovative methods for intelligent design of blades and novel composite materials for realisation of the intelligent design,
- application of the technical innovations such as novel materials,
- complete small wind system analysis encompassing material sciences, structural dynamics, computational fluid dynamics, optimisation, stochastic analysis,
- fluid-structure-interaction investigations,
- reduce the weight of the blades,
- improve the self-controlling characteristics ('component intelligence') of small wind system blade,
- design a blade in such a way that aerodynamic loads do not increase too much with increasing wind speed,
- optimisation of the structural and aerodynamic models.
During project execution, the main object of the investigation which was small wind system was complemented by numerical and experimental research done on the full scale blades of the helicopter main rotor, section of the blade of the large wind turbine and the active flow control technologies.
Description of the work performed since the beginning of the project
Small wind system test stand was developed. It was set up through the modification of the existing three bladed horizontal axis turbine in order to incorporate sensory system (rotational speed, vibration accelerations, torque, wind speed and direction). Blades of the wind turbine were made of composite material. Main research activities performed:
Small wind system:
- design and manufacture of the small wind system test stand,
- experimental campaign on the small wind system,
- three-dimensional (3D) lasser scanning of the geometry of the blades,
- implementation of three and six bladed rotors for different wind conditions,
- development of the in-house application of the automated application for continuous condition monitoring of the system,
- development of numerical model of the blade and rotor,
- experimental and numerical modal analysis of the single blade and three bladed rotor,
- development of numerical model of entire small wind system incorporating fluid-structure interaction, electrical system (generator, converter and batteries),
- numerical model of fluid structure interaction of the blade,
- design of the self-adapting, aero-elastic tailored blade,
- optimisation analysis of the designed blade for the mass reduction and durability improvement.
Helicopter main rotor blades:
- parametric study of the influence of the test setup on the outcomes of the experimental structural dynamics identification,
- measurement campaigns incorporation contact (accelerometers) and non-contact (scanning laser vibrometer and microflown probe for particle velocity measurement),
- assessment of the test setup and particular blade influence on the test data variability (test to test and object to object),
- experimental investigation of the static preload on the structural dynamics in two bladed coupled configuration.
Section of the blade of the large wind turbine:
- development of the numerical model of entire test stand configuration incorporating 8 m section of the blade, clamping and the support structure,
- experimental and numerical modal analysis of the blade fixed in the support structure,
- correlation, sensitivity and updating analysis of the numerical model according to measurement results.
Active flow control actuator - Synthetic jet:
- development of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical model of the synthetic jet,
- development of the finite element method (FEM) model of the synthetic jet,
- design and manufacture of the synthetic jet actuator,
- experimental identification of the structural dynamics of synthetic jet actuator,
- jet flow velocity measurement,
- development of the coupled fluid-structure interaction model of the synthetic jet actuator.
Description of the main results achieved so far
There are several results achieved:
- verified experimental and numerical modal model of the small wind system rotor,
- fluid structure interaction numerical model of the small wind system blade,
- aeroelastic tailored and mass reduction optimised design of the self-adapting small wind system blade,
- integrated model of the entire small wind system incorporating flow, structure and electrical system,
- automated condition based structural health monitoring application of the small wind system,
- verified experimental modal models of the full scale composite material blades of the helicopter main rotor obtained from contact and non-contact measurement,
- validated and updated experimental and numerical modal models of the section of full scale composite material blade of the large wind turbine.