Wind energy has become one of the world’s leading sources of clean energy. In order to exploit this to the full, wind turbines need to become even more powerful, reliable, cost-efficient and quieter. Several trends are dominating the industry, in particular increased turbine size and the growing offshore wind market.
Larger wind turbines capture more energy and are more cost-effective, but their size introduces new challenges for designers. Advanced composites technology has enabled the development of large wind turbine blades, however, larger blade size is one factor associated with increased noise levels. Using vibro- and aero-acoustic simulation to visualize noise sources and propagation gives engineers the insight needed to create new innovative noise suppression add-ons and help comply with stricter local regulations. The use of larger blades also places increasing demands on other wind turbine components or subsystems such as the drive train, tower, and foundation. The non-linear bend-twist coupling of the blades needs to be accurately modeled in a wind turbine simulation in order to correctly predict component loading and optimize the turbine’s output.
Wind turbines are also especially well-suited for offshore installation, where space is almost unlimited and winds are better. The conditions at sea are intense though. Extreme load cases and adverse conditions must be taken into consideration as durability and reliability issues play a large part in a wind turbines’ overall efficiency.
SIMULIA offers a comprehensive suite of wind turbine simulation technologies to optimize and accelerate the design of wind turbines while complying with strict local regulations and helping to further reduce the cost of clean energy.
The SIMULIA Wind Turbine Engineering solution enables different aspects of a wind turbine to be predicted, optimized and virtually tested even before the first prototype is built. Using a virtual twin not only reduces expensive testing but also unlocks entirely new avenues for innovation by giving every engineer a full understanding of the entire system.
By accessing SIMULIA wind turbine simulation technology through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, all design groups and their suppliers can benefit from real-time collaboration and a system-level view on all components
Wind Turbine Engineering Workflows
Extreme Load Cases
Simulations of extreme loads must often consider additional effects in order to achieve accurate results:
- Non linear blade deformation
- Flexibility of large components in addition to the blades and tower
Component Optimization
Analysis and optimization of all mechanical components. Holistic component simulation for achieving accurate dynamics and loading:
- Standalone for plausibility checks
- Within test rig for component validation
- Within complete turbine for correct loads
Structural Noise
Stricter regulations has made noise reduction one of the primary design drivers for onshore turbines. Vibro-acoustic sources include:
- Gear wheel meshing
- Pumps
- Motors
Wind Turbine Aerodynamics and Acoustics
Estimate the complete assessment on full wind turbine system level for aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performances:
- Real life effects
- System level noise prediction
Trailing Edge Noise
Estimate noise levels from small wind turbine blade sections while designing and optimizing noise suppression add-ons:
- Design of Experiments
- Simulate real life conditions
- Fully automated on SIMULIA Cloud
Blade Structural Design
Streamline the complete process for blade design and enable new and innovative designs while minimizing time to market and risk:
- Load Calculations
- Composite Concept Design
- Composite Detailed Design
- Optimization and preparation for manufacturing
