Aerodynamic noise analysis of large horizontal axis wind turbines considering fluid–structure interaction

Aerodynamic noise is one of the most serious barriers in wind energy development. To develop technologies for wind turbine noise reduction and assessment, noise needs to be predicted precisely with special consideration given to blade flexibility. The numerical tool, WINFAS, which can simulate fluid–structure interaction, consists of three parts: the first part, the Unsteady Vortex Lattice Method, analyzes aerodynamics; the second part, the Nonlinear Composite Beam Theory, analyzes structure; and the third part uses a semi-empirical formula to analyze airfoil self-noise and the Lowson’s formula to analyze turbulence ingestion noise. In this study, using this numerical tool, the change in the noise strength due to blade flexibility was examined. This research showed that elastic blades decreased broadband noise because pitching motion reduced the angle of attack.