Application of combined analytical/FEA coupled aero-structure simulation in design of wind turbine adaptive blades

This paper demonstrates the application of combined analytical/FEA coupled aero-structure simulation in design of bend-twist adaptive blades. A genetic algorithm based design tool, in which the power curve is predicted through a combined coupled aero-structure simulation, has been developed. A bend-twist adaptive blade has been designed to be used on the rotor of a constant speed stall regulated wind turbine. The bend-twist adaptive blade is assumed to be made out of anisotropic composite materials. The designed blade has the same aerofoil and chord distribution as the original blade used on the wind turbine, but with a different pre-twist distribution. The simulated results show a significant improvement in the average power of the studied stall regulated wind turbine when employing the designed adaptive blades.