Fluid Structure Interaction Simulations of the NREL 5 MW Wind Turbine—Part I: Aerodynamics and Blockage Effect

Abstract

Fluid structure interaction (FSI) simulations of the NREL 5 MW wind turbine are performed using a combination of two separate computational codes: abaqus for the finite element analysis (FEA) of turbine structures and STAR-CCM+ for the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes analysis of flow around the turbine. The main aim of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of using two-way coupled FSI simulations to predict the oscillation of the tower, as well as the rotor blades, of a full-scale wind turbine. Although the magnitude of the oscillation of the tower is much smaller than that of the blades, this oscillation is crucial for the assessment of the fatigue life of the tower. In this first part of the paper, the aerodynamic characteristics of the turbine predicted by the two-way coupled FSI simulations are discussed in comparison with those predicted by Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations of a rigid turbine. Also, two different computational domains with a cross-sectional size of 2D × 2D and 4D × 4D (where D is the rotor diameter) are employed to investigate the blockage effect. The fatigue life assessment of the turbine is planned to be reported in the second part of the paper in the near future.