DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF AN ONSHORE HORIZONTAL AXIS WIND TURBINE OF SEGMENTED BLADES USING ANSYS

Abstract

In recent years, the demand for renewable sources for electricity production worldwide has intensified. In particular, the installed capacity for electrical generation by wind turbines has doubled over the last 10 years, and it is projected that 48% of the world's electricity will be generated through renewable sources. The size of wind turbines has increased to meet this demand; for these turbines to generate more electricity, their rotors must capture a greater amount of kinetic energy from the wind. This is achieved by increasing the size of the rotors and, therefore, the size of the blades that make up the rotor. However, this increase in blade size creates a logistical problem regarding their transportation to the wind turbine installation site. There is a solution to this problem: segmenting the blades, transporting the segments separately, and joining the blades at the installation site. However, all scientific knowledge about this is proprietary because it has been developed by private companies.

The present work consisted of designing a permanent coupling medium for a segmented blade of 60 m, which would allow the segmented blade to have a structural behavior equal or better than a conventional blade. Initially, a conventional blade with a weight of 22 tons and 60 m was studied structurally. The results of the structural analyses showed a first natural frequency of 0.658 Hz, a deflection of the tip of 5 m, and a maximum deformation of 2.974 με. The results of the structural behavior of the segmented blade showed the same natural frequency as the conventional one, a lower tip deflection of 2.8 meters, and a deformation of 3.529 με, with a weight increase of 1,150 kg. These results demonstrate behavior similar to that of the conventional blade, with a lower tip deflection and only a 5% increase in weight.