Dynamic Aeroelastic Response of Stall-Controlled Wind Turbine Rotors in Turbulent Wind Conditions

Abstract

With the current global trend of the wind turbines to be commissioned, the next generation of state-of-the-art turbines will have a generating capacity of 20 MW with rotor diameters of 250 m or larger. This systematic increase in rotor size is prompted by economies-of-scale factors, thereby resulting in a continuously decreasing cost per kWh generated. However, such large rotors have larger masses associated with them and necessitate studies in order to better understand their dynamics. The present work regarding the aeroelastic behavior of stall-controlled rotors involves the study of the frequency content and time evolution of their oscillatory behavior. A wide range of experiments were conducted to assess the effects of rapid variations on the rotor’s operational conditions. Various gust conditions were tested at different wind speeds, which are represented by pulses of different intensities, occurring suddenly in an otherwise constant wind regime. This allowed us to observe the pure aero-elasto-inertial dynamics of the rotor’s response. A reduced-order characterization of the rotor’s dynamics as an oscillatory system was obtained on the basis of energy-transfer principles. This is of fundamental interest for researchers and engineers working on developing optimized control strategies for wind turbines. It allows for the critical elements of the rotor’s dynamic behavior to be described as a reduced-order model that can be solved in real time, an essential requirement for determining predictive control actions.