Development of a novel design approach for the optimum design of offshore wind turbine blades

During the last decades, wind turbine technology development has been phenomenal in the renewable field, as we are witnessing the construction of enormous wind turbines in the middle of oceans. The blades of wind turbines are an engineering marvel consisting of complex curved geometry surfaces. Optimising the blade shape can significantly improve the energy output. This project focused on the study of the operating logic of wind turbines, and in particular, their blades’ design. XFOIL was used to study the aerodynamic behaviour of the NACA four-digit airfoils family. This study allowed to characterise the aerodynamic properties of each airfoil, which were then validated by direct comparison with Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations’ results and third- party experimental work. Then, an algorithm based on the Blade Element Momentum methodology was programmed, to configure and predict the performance of a certain blade design through and iterative process. Optimisation methods were applied to find a set of profiles, chord and attack and twist angles distribution, to compose a blade design that optimises the aerodynamic performance of the blade, thus maximising the harvestable energy from the wind. The optimisation resulted in a blade design that has increased the power obtained by 67% with respect to the non-optimised base case.Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant::7.b - Per a 2030, ampliar la infraestructura i millorar la tecnologia per tal d’oferir serveis d’energia moderns i sos­tenibles per a tots els països en desenvolupament, en particular els països menys avançats, els petits estats insulars en desenvolupament i els països en desenvolupament sense litoral, d’acord amb els programes de suport respectiu