Wind Turbine Blade Design Optimization using OpenFOAM and DAKOTA software

• Published in: Transportation research procedia (Online) Vol. 56; pp. 71 - 78
• Main Authors: Hoang Quan, Nguyen Ngoc, Lam, Pham Van, Long, Le Van
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 2021
• Subjects: Control point; genetic algorithm; lift coefficient; lift to drag ratio; objective function; shape optimization; genetic algorithm; lift to drag ratio; shape optimization; Control point; lift coefficient; objective function
• ISSN: 2352-1465; 2352-1465
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trpro.2021.09.009

Owing to the fast development in the energy field, the demands are increasing to improve energy efficiency of wind turbine. In order to produce more efficient, sustainable-clean energy, accurate prediction of wind turbine design parameters provide to work the system efficiency at the maximum level. So, many research to determine wind turbine characteristics have been conducted by the researchers with different methods: theoretical analysis, experiment, numerical simulation... One of the main research subjects of wind turbines is blades. The wind blades are considered as the most important and expensive part in the wind turbine. The design optimization of the blades is the most important stage to maximize efficiency production. Aerodynamic characteristics of the blades are critical components that have a large influence on the performance of the turbine. So, the authors built an optimal model of aerodynamic characteristics through maximizing lift coefficient (Cl) and the lift to drag ratio. The lift to drag ratio is used to express the relation between lift and drag, it is determined by dividing the Cl by the drag coefficient (Cd). This value can be maximized by optimizing the blade shape. In this paper, a method of optimizing shape by combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and genetic algorithms (GA) is presented. Firstly, an S809 airfoil which is frequently used in wind turbines will be selected as the initial shape by a list of control points and then the lift and drag coefficients of this airfoil were determined using CFD. Next, the shape of the airfoil will be automatically changed by moving the control point through the GA method by Dakota (Design and Analysis toolKit for Optimization and Terascale Applications) software. The final shape that the lift to drag ratio for the optimal value will be found through a number of loops. The simulation results were validated by comparison with articles of Agarwal. [1] and Ritlop [3]. The main contribution of this paper is that the optimal model for predicting aerodynamic characteristics is built. Furthermore, the present study also points out the possible further research directions of optimizing the wind turbine so as to help researchers in the field develop more effective wind turbine designs according to geographical conditions and user needs at Viet Nam.