Full-scale vs. scaled aerodynamics of 5-MW offshore VAWTs under pitch motion: A numerical analysis

Dan Zhang, Zhenglong Wu, Yaoran Chen, Limin Kuang, Yan Peng, Dai Zhou and Yu Tu

Applied Energy, 2024, vol. 372, issue C, No S0306261924012054

Abstract: Earlier studies have shown that the pitch motion of the platform can enhance the power coefficient of offshore vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT), particularly in the realm of scaled model. However, there is a shortage of research employing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to evaluate how that motion affects the aerodynamic performance of full-scale VAWT. Moreover, the differences in aerodynamic characteristics between full-scale and scaled VAWTs are not well-understood. To fill this knowledge gap, we utilize high-fidelity CFD simulations to investigate the aerodynamic performance of a 5.3-MW full-scale offshore H-type VAWT in the presence of pitch motion. Subsequently, we conduct a comparative analysis of the variations between the full-scale VAWT and its scaled counterpart. Furthermore, we explore the influence of pitch amplitude and period on the overall performance. The findings reveal that, with low solidity (i.e., 0.1) and moderate tip speed ratio (i.e., 3.5), periodic pitch motion results in a 16.42% improvement in the power coefficient for the full-scale VAWT. In contrast, the scaled counterpart experiences a significant 56.71% reduction in the power coefficient. Meanwhile, for the full-scale VAWT, selecting a larger pitch amplitude and shorter pitch period holds the potential to enhance the power coefficient; however, the durability concerns stemming from the extensive fluctuations in blade torque need to be addressed. Additionally, it is observed that pitch motion introduces turbulent structures into the wake, facilitating both expansion and recovery. Due to the scale effect (Reynolds number effect), it's crucial to recognize that conclusions drawn about the aerodynamic performance of full-scale VAWT cannot be directly extrapolated from scaled model.

Keywords: Full-scale VAWT; Scaled VAWT; Aerodynamic performance; Pitch motion; Computational fluid dynamics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261924012054
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:appene:v:372:y:2024:i:c:s0306261924012054

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 405891/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.123822

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Energy is currently edited by J. Yan

More articles in Applied Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().