Assessment of a modular composite wind turbine blade
Conference Paper
Overview
Identity
Additional Document Info
View All
Overview
abstract
Wind energy is one of the most promising and mature alternatives to satisfy the global demand for energy as the world population and the economic activity surge. Since the wind turbine power output is dependent on the blade length, wind speed, and mechanical efficiency, the size of the wind turbines has increased rapidly to match the higher power demand. Herein, a two-section modular blade concept utilizing carbon and glass fiber reinforced polymers is introduced to reduce weight and to simplify manufacturing-assembly processes. Furthermore, multi-section configuration of the blade will reduce expenses both in transportation and facilities requirements. The emphasis is placed on understanding the impact of introducing joint-transition-region to create full length blades. The large-scale single length wind turbine blade geometry is based on our model of 80 m blade with sandwich skin, spar cap and shear web reinforcements. Computational models throughout the static and dynamic operation regimes are conducted to understand the significance of material and geometric hybridization. Displacements, stresses, strains, and vibration mode results provide the guidance to assess the present joining concept. The preliminary results show that the modular blade follows the single length blade response without any significant alterations to its mechanical and frequency response.
