ENGINEERING TRIPOS PART IB

PAPER 8 ELECTIVE (2)

Mechanical Engineering for Renewable Energy Systems

Dr. Digby Symons
Wind Turbine Blade Design

Lecturers Master Copy

CONTENTS
1

Introduction................................................................................................................3

Wind Turbine Blade Aerodynamics.........................................................................4

2.1

Aerofoil Aerodynamics........................................................................................4

2.2

Wind Turbine Blade Kinematics..........................................................................7

Blade Element Momentum Theory........................................................................12

3.1

Momentum changes...........................................................................................12

3.2

Blade forces.......................................................................................................13

3.3

Induction factors................................................................................................14

3.4

Iterative procedure.............................................................................................14

Blade Loading..........................................................................................................19
4.1

Aerodynamic Loading.......................................................................................19

4.2

Centrifugal Loading...........................................................................................21

4.3

Self Weight loading............................................................................................22

4.4

Combined Loading............................................................................................23

4.5

Storm Loading...................................................................................................24

More detailed coverage of the material in this handout can be found in various books,
e.g. Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines, Hansen M.O.L. 2000

INTRODUCTION

1.1.1

Aim

Preliminary design of a wind turbine:

1.1.2

Aerodynamics of blade

Loadings on blade

Structure of blade

Wind turbine type

Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) with 3 blade upwind rotor the Danish concept:

1.1.3

Load cases

We will consider two load cases:

1)

Normal operation continuous loading

Aerodynamic, centrifugal and self-weight loading

Deflection - blades must not hit tower

Cyclic stresses fatigue

2)

Extreme wind loading storm loading with rotor stopped

Strength calculation

WIND TURBINE BLADE AERODYNAMICS

2.1

2.1.1

Aerofoil Aerodynamics

Lift, drag and angle of attack

FL

FD

V
c

2.1.2

Lift and drag coefficients

Define non-dimensional lift and drag coefficients

CL

FL

1
V 2 c
2

CD

2.1.3

FD

1
V 2 c
2

Variation of lift and drag coefficients with angle of attack

How does lift and drag vary with angle of attack

CL , CD

CL
CD

C L 2

Stall:

2.1.4

Application of 2D theory to wind turbines

Tip leakage means flow is not purely two dimensional

5

2.1.5

Wind turbine blades are spinning with an angular velocity

The angle of attack depends on the relative wind velocity direction.

Example aerofoil shape used in wind turbines

Lift and drag coefficients for the NACA 0012 symmetric aerofoil (Miley, 1982)

2.2
2.2.1

Wind Turbine Blade Kinematics

Blade rotation

Relative wind

2.2.2

Wake rotation

r
R

Axial velocity

V0

V0 (1 a )

V0 (1 2a )

Tangential velocity

ra

2ra

Rotor
plane

2.2.3

Annular control volume

Wake rotates in the opposite sense to the blade rotation

r R

V0

2.2.4

ra

V0 (1 a )

2ra
V0 (1 2a )

Wind and blade velocities

Induced wind velocities seen by blade + blade motion

10

V0 (1 a )

ra

Local twist angle of blade =

2.2.5

Blade relative motion and lift and drag forces

V
V0

rel

FL
FY

FD

11

Local angle of attack =

Relative wind speed Vrel has direction

where
Vrel sin V0 (1 a )

and
Vrel cos r (1 a )

tan

(1 a )V0
(1 a )r

FL and FD are aligned to the direction of Vrel

Obtain C L and C D for from table or graph for aerofoil used

2.2.6

Resolve forces into normal and tangential directions

12

FT

Vrel

FD

We can resolve lift and drag forces into forces normal and tangential to the rotor plane:
FN FL cos FD sin

FT FL sin FD cos

We can normalize these forces to obtain force coefficients:

CN

FN

1
Vrel 2 c
2

CT

FT

1
Vrel 2 c
2

Hence:
C N C L cos C D sin

CT C L sin C D cos

13

BLADE ELEMENT MOMENTUM THEORY

Split the blade up along its length into elements.

Use momentum theory to equate the momentum changes in the air flowing through the
turbine with the forces acting upon the blades.
Pressure distribution along curved streamlines enclosing the wake does not give an axial
force component. (For proof see one-dimensional momentum theory, e.g. Hansen)
3.1

Momentum changes

r R

V0

ra

V0 (1 a )

2ra
V0 (1 2a )

Thrust from the rotor plane on the annular control volume is N

(V0 u1 ) 2ru (V0 u1 )r
N m

= 2r (1 a )V0 (V0 (1 2a )V0 )r = 4rV0 2 a (1 a )r

Torque from rotor plane on this control volume is T
ru = 2m
T m
r 2 a

= 4r 3 ua r = 4r 3 V0 (1 a )a r

14

3.2

Blade forces

Now equate the momentum changes in the flow to the forces on the blades:
3.2.1

Normal forces
N BFN r
4rV0 2 a (1 a )r =

1
BVrel 2 cC N r
2

V0 2 (1 a ) 2
1
cC N r
= B
2
sin 2
1

4ra = 2 B

Therefore:
Define the rotor solidity: ( r )

sin 2

cC N

c( r ) B
2r
4 sin 2
a 1 a
C N

Hence:

3.2.2

(1 a )

Tangential forces
T rBFT r
4r 3 V0 (1 a )a r =

1
rBVrel 2 cCT r
2

V0 (1 a ) r (1 a )
1
cCT r
= rB
2
sin cos
1
2

4ra = B

Therefore:

Use the rotor solidity

(1 a )
cCT
sin cos

4 sin cos
a 1 a
CT

15

3.3

Induction factors

These equations can be rearranged to give the axial and angular induction factors as a
function of the flow angle.
a

Axial induction factor:

a'

Angular induction factor:

1
4 sin 2
1
C N

1
4 sin cos
1
CT

However, recall that the flow angle is given by:

tan

Because the flow angle depends on the induction factors

must be solved iteratively.

3.4

(1 a )V0
(1 a )r

a and

a ' these equations

Iterative procedure

Choose blade aerofoil section.

Define blade twist angle and chord length c as a function of radius r.
Define operating wind speed V0 and rotor angular velocity

For a particular annular control volume of radius r :

1. Make initial choice for a and a , typically a = a = 0.
2. Calculate the flow angle .
3. Calculate the local angle of attack .
4. Find C L and C D for

from table or graph for the aerofoil used.

5. Calculate C N and CT .
6. Calculate a and a .
7. If a and a have changed by more than a certain tolerance return to step 2.
8. Calculate the local forces on the blades.

16

3.4.1

Example wind turbine

Blade element theory has been applied to an example 42 m diameter wind turbine with
the parameters below. Each element has a radial thickness r = 1m.
Incident wind speed

V0

8 m/s

Angular velocity

30 rpm

Blade tip radius

21 m

Tip speed ratio

R /V0

8.25

Number of blades

Air density

1.225 kg/m3

Blade shape (chord c and twist ) are based on the Nordtank NTK 500/41 wind turbine
(see Hansen, page 62).

Chord c

17

Blade twist angle

3.4.2

Results of BEM analysis

Axial induction factor a

18

Angular induction factor a

Flow angle and local angle of attack

19

Normal FN and tangential FT forces on blade

Total power (3 blades) P = 184 kW

Coefficient of performance

Cp

P
1
V0 3 A
2

P
1
= 0.42
V0 3R 2
2

Contribution of blade elements to total torque (and therefore power)

20

BLADE LOADING

4.1

Aerodynamic Loading

Once values of a and a have converged the blade loads can be calculated:

FN

1 V0 2 (1 a ) 2

cC N
2
sin 2

FT

1 V0 (1 a )r (1 a )

cCT
2
sin cos

4.1.1

Stresses at blade root

The normal force FN causes a flapwise bending moment at the root of the blade.
R

MN

FN ( r rmin )dr

rmin

The tangential force FT causes a tangential bending moment at the root of the blade.
R

MT

FT ( r rmin )dr

rmin

For convenience we will neglect the relatively small twist of the blade cross section and
assume that these bending moments are aligned with the principal axes of the blade
structural cross section. The maximum tensile stress due to aerodynamic loading is
therefore given by:
max,aero

M N do M T b

I TT 2 I NN 2

21

4.1.2

Deflection of blade tip

FN

dS
dr

dM
dr

d 2v
dr

M
[ EI ]( r )

Simplified approach:

Split blade into elements.

Assume that for each element the loading

constant.

Find the shear force and bending moment transferred between each element.

Use data book deflection coefficients for each element.

Find the cumulative rotations along the blade.

Find the cumulative deflections along the blade.

FN and flexural rigidity EI are

22

4.2

Centrifugal Loading

The large mass of a wind turbine blade and the relatively high angular velocities can give
rise to significant centrifugal stresses in the blade.

Consider equilibrium of element of blade:

F (r)
c c
A( r )

dFc
m( r ) 2 r
dr

Simplified method:

Split blade up into elements.

Assume each element has a constant cross-section

1
Fc,n Fc,n 1 m( rn 1 rn ) ( rn 1 rn ) 2
2
1
2

2
2 2
= Fc,n 1 m rn 1 rn

23

4.3

Self Weight loading

The bending moment at the blade root due to self weight loading can dominate the
stresses at the blade root. Because the turbine is rotating the bending moment is a cyclic
load with a frequency of f / 2 . The maximum self-weight bending moment occurs
when a blade is horizontal.

Bending moment at root of blade due to self weight

R

M sw

m( r ) g ( r rmin )dr

rmin

where m(r) is the mass of the blade per unit length. This is a tangential (edge-wise)
bending moment and therefore the maximum bending stress due to self-weight is given
by:
max,sw

M sw b
I NN 2

Simplified method: split blade into elements, assume each element has uniform self
weight.

24

4.4

Combined Loading

max,aero

M N do M T b

I TT 2 I NN 2

F (r)
c c
A( r )

max,sw

M sw b
I NN 2

Operational maximum stress:

max max,aero + c max,sw

Minimum stress at same location:

min max,aero + c max,sw

25

4.5
4.5.1

Storm Loading
Drag force on blade

Blades parked. Extreme wind speed

FD ( r )

1
2
Vmax
C D c( r ) load per unit length
2

Vmax

Vmax = 50 m/s,

Re =

FD

c = 1.3m

Vmax c
= 1.225 50 1.3 / 1.79 10-5 = 4.4 106

Hence C D = 1.5

26

4.5.2

Bending moment

Find bending moment at root of blade

rmin rFD dr

E
y
I

M do
I 2

b( d o 3 d i 3 )
I
12

27

4.5.3

Shear stress
R

rmin FD dr

SAc y
I

q t w

Note:
High solidity rotor (multi bladed) gives excessive forces on tower during extreme wind
speeds. Therefore use fewer blades.

28