Dynamic Stall Model for Investigating Stall Flutter

Motivation
Discussion of flutter has often been put off until the next generation of larger, more flexible blades For large offshore wind turbines designers are pushing the boundaries: Higher tip speeds More flexible blades More varied lay-up designs Advanced control designs which sacrifice some rotor speed control for other benefits At what point do we meet the limit of blade aeroelastic stability? And what margin do we need to have to avoid flutter in all design situations?

Overview
Unsteady attached flow aerodynamic model Classical flutter analysis Dynamic stall model Stall flutter

Attached flow aerodynamics Theodorsens Theory

Theodorsen, working at NACA wrote a paper in 1934 on solving the linearised potential flow loading solution for a flat plate aerofoil with a flap The aim was the understanding of the phenomenon known as flutter

Theodore Theodorsen (January 8, 1897 November 5, 1978)

Attached flow aerodynamics Theodorsens Theory

The results included equations for the force and moment on the aerofoil section depending on the angle of attack, plunging motion and flap angle as well as their first and second derivatives These equations, along with the Theodorsen function, C, which is a function of the reduced frequency of the motion can be used to construct an approximation to the attached flow aerodynamics of aerofoils

Theodorsens function
A quasi-static assumption for the lift coefficient of an aerofoil is:

Cl = 2
Whereas the full result for an oscillating angle of attack is

k Cl = 2 F + iG + i 2
F+iG is the complex Theodorsen function k = c/2V is the reduced frequency
1/k

1/k for the NREL blade torsional mode at rated 10 8 6 4 2 0 0 20 40 60 80 distance along blade [m]

Time-domain model: Wagners indicial response

The Theodorsen function is frequency dependent Wagner formulated an approximation in the time domain
Cn (s )
0.4 0.35 0.3 0.25 0.2 0.15 0.1 0.05 Normal force coefficient Circulatory normal force coefficient Non-circulatory normal force coefficient

4 nc 2 c (s , M ) (s, M ) + M

nc models the effects from pressure forces accelerating the fluid; c models the creation of circulation around the aerofoil The parameters are the number of semichords travelled, s = tc/2V, and the Mach number, M

0.5

1.5 Time [s]

2.5

Step change angle of attack (2m blade section at 10m/s)

Attached flow: validation

Bladeds model has been tested against the results from Beddoes and Leishmans experiments From version 4.3, Bladed will include dynamic variation of the drag and pitching moment coefficients for the first time
CD -10 -5

1.5

1.0

0.5 CN

0.0 -10 -5 0 5 10 15

-0.5

-1.0 Angle of Attack, deg

10

15

This is important for the torsional stability of wind turbine blades

- 0 .1 A n g le o f A tta c k , d e g

-1 0

-5

10

15

- 0 .1 A n g le o f A tta c k , d e g

Overview
Unsteady attached flow aerodynamic model Classical flutter analysis Dynamic stall model Stall flutter

Flutter: NREL 5MW blade

On the right frequency domain results for flutter showing the system on the limit of stability at 163m/s Below, results of a time-domain simulation with a slow ramp in wind speed

10

Blade geometry
In order to simulate flutter at wind speeds closer to the wind turbine design envelope, the blade was modified by moving the mass axis aft Not an exercise in blade design the aim was to change as few parameters as possible while achieving the desired results
3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 -0.5 -1.0 -1.5 -2.0

Original NREL blade planform

Blade Planform: Chord, Pitch axis (black)

20

40

60

80

Distance along pitch axis (m)

Modified NREL blade planform

Blade Planform: Chord, Pitch axis (black) 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 -0.5 -1.0 -1.5 -2.0

20

40

60

80

Distance along pitch axis (m)

Flutter: Modified 5MW blade

Moving the mass axis toward the trailing edge decreases the flutter onset wind speed Both time-domain and frequency domain models predict the same decrease for the modified structural model

12

Overview
Unsteady attached flow aerodynamic model Classical flutter analysis Dynamic stall model Stall flutter

Trailing edge stall

Every aerofoil has a point at which the pressure generated by the circulation around the aerofoil causes the flow to detach At this point, lift forces stop increasing so quickly and drag forces increase But the transition from one state to the other cant be instantaneous

14

Trailing edge stall

The model of stall is a specific case of Kirchoff flow around a plate a steady wake region separated from the potential flow around a body by a vortex sheet The value of normal force is approximated as

1+ f C N = 2 2
Where f is defined as the separation and obtained from the steady aerofoil data Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (12 March 1824 17 October 1887)

15

Trailing edge stall

In the dynamic theory, the motion of the separation position is delayed according to deficiency functions with time period Tf which is assumed to be the time taken to travel 3 semi-chords Or a two metre section in travelling at 75m/s, this is 0.08 seconds A short time but it still can cause significant increase in loading compared to the steady aerofoil data (and the time will be longer for the inboard sections of a blade)

1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0

[.]

0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 -0.2 -0.4 -0.6 -0.8 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

Angle of attack for blade 1 [deg]

Lift coefficient Drag coefficient Pitching moment coefficient

16

Vortex detachment leading edge stall

The most severe kind of stall Pressure becomes so high at the leading edge that a vortex forms and detaches Sudden increase in lift and drag followed by sudden loss of lift Wind turbine aerofoils are designed with the aim of avoiding this phenomenon

17

Leading edge stall - validation

2.0 1.5

CN

1.0

Model also developed according to the Beddoes-Leishman paper Difficulties lie in producing a generic model for drag and pitching moment agreement Results can also be aperiodic

0.5

0.0 0 5 10 Angle of Attack, deg

0.6

15

20

0.5

0.4

0.3 CD 0.2 0.1 0.0 0 -0.1 Angle of Attack, de g 5 10 15 20

18

Overview
Unsteady attached flow aerodynamic model Classical flutter analysis Dynamic stall model Stall flutter

Stall flutter: comparison with experiment

Experimental work was done in the 1940s by Mendelson at NACA A similar model was recreated in Bladed Qualitatively similar results are obtained with differences assumed to be due to different aerofoil characteristics and structural differences

20

Stall flutter: wind turbine blade

Bladed

Flutter wind speed, m/s

Analysis of stall flutter was carried out for the NREL blade with modified mass axis This showed a 15% drop in flutter windspeed at moderately stalled angles of attack

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 -10 0 10 20 30

Angle of attack, deg

21

Conclusions
Attached flow and dynamic stall models have been implemented for a commercial wind turbine code Flutter has been analysed in the attached flow regime with both frequency domain and time domain methods Drop in flutter onset wind speed with stall angle can be significant Turbulence may take part or all of a wind turbine blade into stall and this could be combined with an overspeed for a variable speed turbine More work is required to establish how general the behaviour of stall flutter is across a range of blade designs including: Pre-bend Sweep Range of torsional stiffness, mass and shear centre locations

22

Thank you for listening

Further Information
Visit our website: www.gl-garradhassan.com Contact us: James Nichols Turbine Loads Analysis Department Tel. +44 117 972 9772 james.nichols@gl-garradhassan.com