Application of the lifting line vortex wake method to dynamic load case simulations

Within the EU AVATAR project, the added benefit of using the vortex line method is researched by calculating aero-elastic response for a variety of IEC load cases. A comparison is made to BEM to identify differences. Results are presented for yawed flow, extreme transient shear, half wake and turbulent inflow conditions. In addition to that also a dynamic pitch step case is performed including a comparison to experimental data. The aerodynamic code used for this purpose allows to easily switch between BEM and vortex line models whilst keeping the external input the same. The comparison indicates that taking into account vortex wake models can yield a significantly different aero-elastic response compared to BEM models, often acting as a damper to fluctuations. As such estimated fatigue loads are reduced for selected load cases. Since the free vortex wake simulations come at a substantial increase of CPU-time, a hybrid approach prescribing the far wake is shown to offer a promising compromise.