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At least 343 records · Page 19

A Parametric Study of Actuator Requirements for Active Turbine Tip Clearance Control of a Modern High Bypass Turbofan Engine

The efficiency of aircraft gas turbine engines is sensitive to the distance between the tips of its turbine blades and its shroud, which serves as its containment structure. Maintaining tighter clearance between these components has been shown to increase turbine efficiency, increase fuel efficiency, and reduce the turbine inlet temperature, and this correlates to a longer time-on-wing for the engine. Therefore, there is a desire to maintain a tight clearance in the turbine, which requires fast response active clearance control. Fast response active tip clearance control will require an actuator to modify the physical or effective tip clearance in the turbine. This paper evaluates the requirements of a generic active turbine tip clearance actuator for a modern commercial aircraft engine using the Commercial Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation 40k (C-MAPSS40k) software that has previously been integrated with a dynamic tip clearance model. A parametric study was performed in an attempt to evaluate requirements for control actuators in terms of bandwidth, rate limits, saturation limits, and deadband. Constraints on the weight of the actuation system and some considerations as to the force which the actuator must be capable of exerting and maintaining are also investigated. From the results, the relevant range of the evaluated actuator parameters can be extracted. Some additional discussion is provided on the challenges posed by the tip clearance control problem and the implications for future small core aircraft engines.

Turbine↗

Development of a Control Co-Design Modeling Tool for Marine Hydrokinetic Turbines: Preprint

This report describes the ongoing and planned development of the software package CT-Opt (Current/Tidal Optimization), a control co-design modeling tool for marine hydrokinetic turbines. The commercialization of these turbines has faced significant challenges due to the complex, multidisciplinary nature of their design and the extreme environmental conditions of their operation. This project aims to create a modeling tool that will enable the efficient design of robust, cost-competitive hydrokinetic turbine systems. Rather than using traditional optimization methods, CT-Opt combines multiple models across a range of fidelities to enable coupled optimization of the system design and system controller via a control co-design approach. With this method, the parameters that affect system performance are considered more comprehensively at every stage of the design process. The lowest-fidelity, frequency-domain model called by CT-Opt is RAFT (Response Amplitudes of Floating Turbines), which was originally developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to model response amplitudes of floating offshore wind turbines. The highest-fidelity, time-domain model is OpenFAST, which was developed by NREL for land-based and offshore wind turbines. As part of the CT-Opt project, new functionalities will be added to RAFT and OpenFAST to enable the accurate simulation of fixed and floating marine hydrokinetic turbines. In addition to expanding the capabilities of RAFT and OpenFAST, new midfidelity models will be developed. These models will be based on RAFT and OpenFAST and will consist of linearized, state-space models derived from the fully coupled, nonlinear OpenFAST equations and derivative function surrogate models that approximate the nonlinear system behavior. Each model will be coupled with controllers to allow control co-design methods to be applied both within models and across fidelity levels, enabling efficient system optimization.

control co-design↗

Development of an Optimal Variable-Pitch Controller for Floating Axial-Flow Marine Hydrokinetic Turbines

This article discusses the development of an optimal variable-pitch controller for floating, axial-flow marine turbines. Recently, OpenFAST, an open-source wind turbine modeling tool, has been extended to model marine turbines. A controller is necessary to simulate marine turbines for different load cases using OpenFAST, which greatly impacts the performance of the energy system. Previous studies have designed controllers using a linearized model of the marine turbine, which can be time-consuming and require the expertise of a control engineer. In this study, we use an automated approach that uses generic models of the marine turbine to identify the controller gains, which can expedite the process of designing a controller. Using an optimizer to identify the control system parameters can additionally improve the controller's performance. The optimal controller tuned using such an approach results in a 20% reduction in the tower-base damage equivalent loading and better tracking of the rated generator speed and power.

axial flow↗

A comparison of the power potential for surface- and seabed-deployed tidal turbines in the San Juan Archipelago, Salish Sea, WA

The San Juan archipelago lies along the axis of tidal movement between Straits of Juan de Fuca and Strait of Georgia in the Salish Sea. The amplitude of the tidal exchange produces significant tidal currents between the islands, as well as in Rosario and Haro Straits. These are of interest as a future source of electrical power generation, given the islands’ dependence on electricity supply by a subsea cable from the mainland. Here, we evaluate the tidal current energy potential in this region through a re-analysis of measurements collected by the National Ocean Service (NOS) and a high-resolution numerical model. Given the considerable variations in water depth and vertical velocity profiles across candidate tidal energy sites, we consider the trade-offs between tidal turbines deployed from a floating platform and those anchored to the seabed. Measurement re-analysis indicates several locations that could support tidal current power generation by MW-scale turbines with an acceptable balance between turbine size, rated power, and capacity factor. Even for relatively large (30 m) turbine diameters, surface-deployed turbines would be expected to produce up to 30 % more electricity than the same turbine deployed near the seabed due to vertical shear, with this difference increasing for smaller diameter turbines. A benchmark comparison at the measurement locations with the highest power generation potential shows relatively good model fidelity, though, even with relatively high resolution, time-average power density disagreements of ± 50 % persist throughout the water column. Nonetheless, the simulation identifies several locations with power generation potential more than twice as high as locations in the measurement re-analysis. These sites were either not surveyed by NOS or excluded due to data quality issues. Altogether, these results demonstrate the complimentary of models and measurements for tidal energy site assessment and suggest that tidal currents could be an important source of electricity generation in the San Juan archipelago.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

wtDigiTwin (Wind Turbine Digital Twin) [SWR-21-15]

This wind turbine digital twin software (wtDigiTwin) provides a digital twin solution for wind turbine applications. The focus of wtDigiTwin is to estimate loads, motions and environmental conditions for an operating wind turbine. The program uses supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) measurements as inputs, together with a wind turbine model. The wind industry is currently challenged by the high cost of operation and maintenance. These costs could be mitigated if component failures are predicted, but such predictions are difficult unless the turbines are equipped with expensive measuring devices. The alternative is to use a digital twin such as wtDigiTwin to estimate the necessary signals. wtDigiTwin can perform online prediction of signals that are otherwise not measured, using a limited set of reliable measurements and a physics-based model. The predicted signals can be used in applications that have direct cost benefits: 1) real-time estimation of the fatigue consumption of key components of the wind turbine; 2) root cause analyses and failure detections ; 3) lifetime reassessments ; 4) improvements to follow-on designs. The current version provides examples to estimate wind speed, thrust, torque, tower-top position, and tower loads on an onshore wind turbine using the following measurements tower top acceleration, generator torque, pitch, and rotational speed. The model combines a linear state-space model, a wind speed estimator, and a Kalman filter algorithm that integrates measurements with the state model to perform state estimations. The state space model is obtained either using OpenFAST linearizations, or using the yams package provided with the software.

Branlard, Emmanuel↗

Design Guidelines for Deployable Wind Turbines for Military Operational Energy Applications

This document aims to provide guidance on the design and operation of deployable wind systems that provide maximum value to missions in defense and disaster relief. Common characteristics of these missions are shorter planning and execution time horizons and a global scope of potential locations. Compared to conventional wind turbine applications, defense and disaster response applications place a premium on rapid shipping and installation, short-duration operation (days to months), and quick teardown upon mission completion. Furthermore, defense and disaster response applications are less concerned with cost of energy than conventional wind turbine applications. These factors impart design drivers that depart from the features found in conventional distributed wind turbines, thus necessitating unique design guidance. The supporting information for this guidance comes from available relevant references, technical analyses, and input from industry and military stakeholders. This document is not intended to be a comprehensive, prescriptive design specification. This document is intended to serve as a written record of an ongoing discussion of stakeholders about the best currently available design guidance for deployable wind turbines to help facilitate the effective development and acquisition of technology solutions to support mission success. The document is generally organized to provide high-level, focused guidance in the main body, with more extensive supporting details available in the referenced appendices. Section 2 begins with a brief qualitative description of the design guidelines being considered for the deployable wind turbines. Section 3 provides an overview of the characteristics of the mobile power systems commonly used in U.S. military missions. Section 4 covers current military and industry standards and specifications that are relevant to a deployable wind turbine design. Section 5 presents the deployable turbine design guidelines for the application cases.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Advanced Distributed Wind Turbine Controls Series: Part 1-Flatirons Campus Model Overview – Microgrids, Infrastructure Resilience, and Advanced Controls Launchpad (MIRACL)

Wind turbines are typically deployed to provide energy, reduce diesel-fuel consumption, reduce carbon emissions, and reduce costs for energy and fuel transportation. However, in addition to solely providing energy to the power system, wind turbines contain rotating masses and inverter-based controls that can enable various reliability and resilience services through advance controls. As part of the Microgrids, Infrastructure Resilience, and Advanced Controls Launchpad (MIRACL), it is demonstrated that advanced wind turbine controls can be employed to support higher contributions of wind, and to demonstrate ways that wind can play a role in supporting grid stability in islanded or grid-connected configurations. This paper documents models of various subsystem comprising a portion of NREL's Flatirons campus that will be used in three subsequent reports to demonstrate capabilities of advanced wind turbine controls. The series of reports will detail advanced capabilities of distributed wind turbines to provide support to isolated grids, distribution grids, and microgrids. We developed models to simulate a wind turbine (600 kW), solar PV (430 kW), battery energy storage system (1 MW/1MWh), a diesel generator (2 MW) and various types of loads (critical, dynamic). The model of the subsystems in MATLAB/Simulink are validated with available data from real-world components on NREL's Flatirons Campus. These validated models can be configured for various studies including four MIRACL use cases: 1) isolated grids, 2) microgrids, and 3) behind-the-meter, and 4) front-of-the-meter wind turbine deployments.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

A Framework for Characterizing the Risk of Ice Fall and Ice Throw from Small Wind Turbines

Small wind turbines rated up through 100 kW in size are typically deployed as distributed energy resources. Their proximity to populations, buildings, and other infrastructure can generate safety concerns regarding ice throw (ice detaching from operational turbines) and ice fall (ice detaching from a turbine during standstill or idling) even when the turbines are not installed in cold climates. This paper presents a data-driven approach to characterize and mitigate the potential risk from icing on small wind turbines. By identifying how likely it is that an icing event will occur each year, estimating the distances at which ice could throw or fall from the turbine, defining the risk context, and establishing risk management practices, small wind turbine developers and installers can help address communities’ safety concerns around ice throw and ice fall.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Estimating National-Scale Wind Potential Using Spatially Explicit Turbine Layout Optimization

National renewable energy potential assessments play a broad and critical role in analysis of the clean energy transition by providing foundational estimates of developable clean resources. Common to all past wind potential assessments is an assumption that wraps the complexity of wind plant layout (arrangement of turbines) into a single metric known as capacity density, or rated power capacity per unit of land area. Quite often, a singular capacity density or rotor-diameter driven capacity density is used in wind potential assessments across broad geographies despite the complexities of local drivers. Here, we present a new wind technical potential assessment for the United States, leveraging a spatial optimization approach in lieu of the traditional uniform capacity density. The optimization approach is a spatially explicit method for determining the potential locations of individual wind turbines-taking into account the turbine configuration, plant economics and losses, wind resource, and siting considerations. Our approach accounts for the interactions between wind technology design, wind plant layout, and the vast array of regulatory, land use and infrastructure conflicts with wind development. Our results highlight the potential ability of larger turbines to enable increased wind capacity, up to a point, and increased generation when siting turbines in and around spatial constraints; moreover, they demonstrate and capture the LCOE benefit of relatively lower capacity densities and reduced wake losses when land is relatively abundant. These insights provide foundational knowledge for the wind sector as it develops and pursues future turbine models and as wind energy markets expand in zero-carbon futures. Further, when applied in capacity expansion models, supply curves developed by these methods can provide detailed local insights about where wind turbines might be deployed in and among known siting constraints for those regions where wind energy is determined to be economic, providing critical nuance to local decision-makers and stakeholders.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

TEAMER – Enhanced Flow Measurement for Aquantis Tidal Turbine Test

The AQ10 is a floating, two-bladed, passive yawing tidal turbine developed by Aquantis that has a 10-meterrotor diameter, 160 kW rating, and employs reliable off-the-shelf powertrain and power conversion hardware. Aquantis is planning on-water turbine power performance and loads (blade loading and thrust)testing, where the turbine will be pushed through still water up to 4 knots and placed in a ‘station keeping’ tow in a tidal race up to its rated speed. On-water testing will be conducted using vessels and floating platforms on the sea surface to improve ease of testing and reduce disturbance to the environment. In this TEAMER project, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will conduct water velocity and turbulence measurements in front of the turbine during on-water testing using acoustic Doppler instrumentation. By measuring both the tidal current flowing past the turbine and the resulting electrical power output, test results will provide a power curve (power vs flow speed) for the turbine up to rated power. Measurements of turbulence and velocity shear in front of the rotor will also provide information to assess the structural response of the rotor blades. With this analysis, Aquantis can use the performance and loads data to validate Tidal Bladed and OpenFAST simulations of the measured operating conditions. Measuring the power performance of a prototype turbine is a valuable step to improving device development and conducting a complete power performance assessment to IEC/TS 62600-200 standards in the future.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

FOCAL Campaign I: Advanced Wind Turbine Control Strategies

Campaign I of the Floating Offshore-wind Controls Advanced Laboratory Experimental Program (FOCAL) aims to generate a dataset enabling the validation of aerodynamic performance of a scaled turbine mounted on a rigid tower in a fixed condition. The turbine considered in the FOCAL testing campaigns is the IEA-Wind 15MW Reference Wind Turbine. This scaled model is capable of simulating advanced blade-pitch control strategies in a high-quality wind field. The turbine is fully instrumented to record a variety of parameters in real time such as structural loads and dynamics. The test data considered was generated at the University of Maine's Harold Alfond Wind and Wave (W2) testing facility. The Load Cases (LC) considered in this testing campaign are as follows: LC 1.X - Constant wind and blade-pitch with varying rotor speeds LC 2.X - Constant wind and rotor speed with varying blade-pitch LC 3.X - Varying wind with active closed-loop control Detailed properties on the modeled system are found in the following reference: Lenfest E., Floating Offshore-wind Controls Advanced Laboratory (FOCAL) Experimental Program - Campaign I: 1:70 Model-scale Testing of the IEA-Wind 15MW Reference Turbine. UMaine ASCC Report Number 23-40-1183. Details on the results of the verification and validation are found in the following reference: Mendoza, Nicole et al., "Verification and Validation of Model-Scale Turbine Performance and Control for the IEA Wind 15 MW Reference Wind Turbine," Energies, vol. 15, no. 20, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3390/en15207649.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

FOCAL Campaign IV: Integrated System Control: Turbine + Hull

Campaign IV of the Floating Offshore-wind Controls Advanced Laboratory Experimental Program (FOCAL) aimed to generate a dataset enabling the validation of a floating offshore wind turbine with turbine and hull controls. The turbine considered in this campaign is the scaled IEA 15MW Reference Wind Turbine similar to the setup considered in FOCAL Campaign I. This turbine is mounted on the VolturnUS platform with integrated hull controls similar to the hull considered in FOCAL Campaign II/III. This system is deployed for a fully-coupled wind and wave testing campaign at the University of Maine's Harold Alfond Wind and Wave (W2) facility. System dynamics and turbine characteristics are measured to determine global performance and assess the effect of the control strategies employed. NREL's reference open-source controller (ROSCO) is used for active blade pitch control and hull structural control is examined through the use of tuned mass dampers (TMD's) tuned to the systems pitch and tower-bending natural frequency. The naming convention of the load cases considered are described in the data details section. Detailed properties on the modeled system are found in the following reference: Lenfest E., Floating Offshore-wind Controls Advanced Laboratory (FOCAL) Experimental Program - Campaign IV: 1:70 Model-scale Testing of the IEA-Wind 15MW Reference Turbine and the VolturnUS-S Platform. UMaine ASCC Report Number 23-57-1183.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Insensitivity to propagation timing in a preview-enabled wind turbine control experiment

Lidar scanners are capable of taking measurements of a wind field upstream of a wind turbine. The wind turbine controller can use these measurements as a “preview” of future disturbances impacting the turbine. Such preview-enabled (or feedforward) controllers show superior performance to standard wind turbine control configurations based purely on a feedback architecture. To capitalize on the performance improvements that preview wind measurements can provide, feedforward control actions should be timed to coincide with the arrival of the wind field at the wind turbine location. However, the time of propagation of the wind field between the lidar measurement location and the wind turbine is not perfectly known. Moreover, the best time to take feedforward control action may not perfectly coincide with the true arrival time of the wind disturbance. This contribution presents results from an experiment where preview-enabled model predictive control was deployed on a fully-actuated, scaled model wind turbine operating in a wind tunnel testbed. In the study, we investigate the sensitivity of the controller performance to the assumed propagation delay using a range of wind input sequences. We find that the preview-enabled controller outperforms the feedback only case across a wide range of assumed propagation delays, demonstrating a level of robustness to the time alignment of the incoming disturbances.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Modeling and Analysis of Wind Turbine Wake Vortex Evolution Due to Time-Constant Spatial Variations in Atmospheric Flow

Modern utility-scale wind turbines are evolving toward larger, lighter, and more flexible designs to meet the growing demand for renewable energy while minimizing logistical costs. However, these advancements in lightweight design result in heightened aeroelastic sensitivity, leading to complex interactions which affect the rotor’s capacity to withstand aerodynamic loading and the cascading effects that manifest in the wake’s vortex-structure evolution under variable atmospheric conditions. In this paper, we analyze the influence of stream-wise fluctuating atmospheric flow conditions on wind turbines with large, flexible rotors through simulations of the National Rotor Testbed (NRT) turbine, located at Sandia National Labs’ Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWiFT) facility in Lubbock, Texas. The Common Ordinary Differential Equation Framework (CODEF) modeling suite is used to simulate wind turbine aeroelastic oscillatory behavior and wind farm vortex–wake interactions for a range of conditions with spatially variant atmospheric flow. CODEF solutions for turbine operation in wind conditions featuring only one parameter fluctuation are compared to wind conditions with several wind parameter variations in combination. By isolating individual inflow variations and comparing them to multi-parameter scenarios, we determine the contributions of each atmospheric factor to rotor dynamics, wake evolution, and downstream wind farm interactions. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of spatial variations in atmospheric flow on the topological evolution of wind turbine vortex wakes, which constitutes a gap in the current understanding of wind turbine wake dynamics. The insights gained from this study are particularly valuable for the development of wind farm control strategies aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of wake interactions, enhancing energy capture, and improving the overall stability of wind farm operations. With these insights, we aim to contribute to the development of modeling and simulation tools to optimize utility-scale wind power plants operating in diverse atmospheric environments.

Farrell, Alayna (ORCID:000000023555720X)↗

Offshore Wind Farm Turbine and Energy Storage Optimization

Abstract This paper evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of repurposing decommissioned offshore oil and gas platforms as electrical substations for offshore wind projects in the U.S. Gulf of America, a region characterized by relatively low and highly variable wind speeds, extensive legacy offshore infrastructure, and exposure to merchant electricity markets. A unified techno-economic framework is developed using the Repurposing Offshore Infrastructure for Continued Energy (ROICE) Economic Model (REM) to integrate Gulfspecific wind resource assessment, commercial wind turbine performance, offshore infrastructure cost modeling, and wholesale electricity market exposure. Gulf wind speed data are vertically extrapolated to turbine hub height and combined with manufacturer power curves to compute annual energy production and capacity factors across a broad portfolio of commercial turbines, enabling identification of turbine designs best suited for low-wind offshore environments. Hourly electricity price data from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) day-ahead market are incorporated to characterize revenue potential, price volatility, and the temporal alignment between wind generation and market conditions. In addition, a conceptual framework for offshore battery energy storage system (BESS) integration is developed to support future investigation of market-responsive energy shifting at repurposed platforms. Results from the turbine evaluation demonstrate that machines with lower cut-in wind speeds and earlier ‘rated-power’ characteristics significantly outperform larger, industry-standard offshore turbines for the same net power under Gulf wind conditions, underscoring the need for region-specific technology selection. Market analysis further reveals substantial price variability and limited intrinsic alignment between wind production and high-price periods, motivating consideration of operational flexibility mechanisms. While storage optimization is not implemented in this study, the REM framework establishes a transparent and replicable foundation for co-evaluating turbine selection, infrastructure constraints, and market exposure, providing a practical pathway for assessing the potential role of repurposed offshore platforms in enabling economically viable offshore wind development in the Gulf of America.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Comparison of free vortex wake and blade element momentum results against large-eddy simulation results for highly flexible turbines under challenging inflow conditions

Abstract. Throughout wind energy development, there has been a push to increase wind turbine size due to the substantial economic benefits. However, increasing turbine size presents several challenges, both physically and computationally. Modeling large, highly flexible wind turbines requires highly accurate models to capture the complicated aeroelastic response due to large deflections and nonstraight blade geometries. Additionally, the development of floating offshore wind turbines requires modeling techniques that can predict large rotor and tower motion. Free vortex wake methods model such complex physics while remaining computationally tractable to perform key simulations necessary during the turbine design process. Recently, a free vortex wake model – cOnvecting LAgrangian Filaments (OLAF) – was added to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's engineering tool OpenFAST to allow for the aerodynamic modeling of highly flexible turbines along with the aero-hydro-servo-elastic response capabilities of OpenFAST. In this work, free vortex wake and low-fidelity blade element momentum (BEM) results are compared to high-fidelity actuator-line computational fluid dynamics simulation results via the Simulator fOr Wind Farm Applications (SOWFA) method for a highly flexible downwind turbine for varying yaw misalignment, shear exponent, and turbulence intensity conditions. Through these comparisons, it was found that for all considered quantities of interest, SOWFA, OLAF, and BEM results compare well for steady inflow conditions with no yaw misalignment. For OLAF results, this strong agreement with the SOWFA results was consistent for all yaw misalignment values. The BEM results, however, deviated significantly more from the SOWFA results with increasing absolute yaw misalignment. Differences between OLAF and BEM results were dominated by the yaw misalignment angle, with varying shear exponent and turbulence intensity leading to more subtle differences. Overall, OLAF results were more consistent than BEM results when compared to SOWFA results under challenging inflow conditions.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Performance characteristics of aerodynamically optimum turbines for wind energy generators

This paper presents a brief discussion of the aerodynamic methodology for wind energy generator turbines, an approach to the design of aerodynamically optimum wind turbines covering a broad range of design parameters, some insight on the effect on performance of nonoptimum blade shapes which may represent lower fabrication costs, the annual wind turbine energy for a family of optimum wind turbines, and areas of needed research. On the basis of the investigation, it is concluded that optimum wind turbines show high performance over a wide range of design velocity ratios; that structural requirements impose constraints on blade geometry; that variable pitch wind turbines provide excellent power regulation and that annual energy output is insensitive to design rpm and solidity of optimum wind turbines.

Rohrbach, C.↗

Cost/benefit analysis of advanced material technologies for small aircraft turbine engines

Cost/benefit studies were conducted on ten advanced material technologies applicable to small aircraft gas turbine engines to be produced in the 1985 time frame. The cost/benefit studies were applied to a two engine, business-type jet aircraft in the 6800- to 9100-Kg (15,000- to 20,000-lb) gross weight class. The new material technologies are intended to provide improvements in the areas of high-pressure turbine rotor components, high-pressure turbine rotor components, high-pressure turbine stator airfoils, and static structural components. The cost/benefit of each technology is presented in terms of relative value, which is defined as a change in life cycle cost times probability of success divided by development cost. Technologies showing the most promising cost/benefits based on relative value are uncooled single crystal MAR-M 247 turbine blades, cooled DS MAR-M 247 turbine blades, and cooled ODS 'M'CrAl laminate turbine stator vanes.

Comey, D. H.↗