Progress on a wind turbine aeroelastic solution methodology using harmonic balance
Steps taken to develop aeroelastic modeling of wind turbine blades derived from the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations and a mode shape-based structural dynamics model are presented. For turbulent flows, the system is closed with the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model. The computation times for the aerodynamic solution are significantly reduced using the harmonic balance method. The final model will be significantly more robust than standard aeroelastic codes that rely on blade element momentum theory. Comparisons with published results for the Caradonna-Tung rotor in hover and a laminar shedding cylinder are presented as aerodynamic solver validation. The initial validation of the current aeroelastic model is done by revisiting the classical AGARD 445.6 flutter case.
