Some modelling improvements for prediction of wind turbine rotor loads in turbulent wind

This paper investigates the accuracy of three aerodynamic models to compute loads on wind turbine rotors under turbulent inflow: Blade Element Momentum (BEM), Unsteady Vortex Lattice Method (UVLM), and Large Eddy Simulation with Actuator Line (LES-AL). Turbulent inflow conditions are numerically generated a new approach that combines control turbulence realistic velocity spectrum by using Mann boxes LES simulations, respectively. Several deficiencies tested found overcome through proposed improvements. First, BEM assumption independent radial sections does not hold in cases long blades. Thus, spatial filter account for interaction is designed analysis these interactions UVLM. Second, absence viscous drag UVLM observed lead very high rotor power coefficient, it shown this can be mitigated including BEM-like-approach look-up tables. Third, free wake model UVLM, required accurately capture thrust, significantly increases computational cost. For reason, discretisation scheme convection equation proposed, which coarse employed far from solid surfaces, reduces time. Finally, improvements performance fidelities analysed reference 10 MW demonstrating, general, good agreement.