Stress Development in Droplet Impact Analysis of Rain Erosion Damage on Wind Turbine Blades: A Review of Liquid-to-Solid Contact Conditions
Source abstract
Abstract
The wind energy sector is experiencing substantial growth, with global wind turbine capacity increasing and projected to expand further in the coming years. However, rain erosion on the leading edges of turbine blades remains a significant challenge, affecting both aerodynamic efficiency and structural longevity. The associated degradation reduces annual energy production and leads to high maintenance costs due to frequent inspections and repairs. To address this issue, researchers have developed numerical models to predict blade erosion caused by water droplet impacts. This study presents a finite element analysis model in Abaqus to simulate the interaction between a single water droplet and wind turbine blade material. The novelty of this model lies in evaluating the influence of several parameters on von Mises and S33 peak stresses in the leading-edge protection, such as friction coefficient, type of contact, impact velocity, and droplet diameter. The findings provide insights into optimising LEP numerical models to simulate rain erosion as closely as possible to real-world scenarios.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Icing and De-icing Technologies · Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity · Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Bernal Institute, School of Engineering, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland
Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, South East Technological University, Kilkenny Road, R93 V960 Carlow, Ireland
Institute of Design, Innovation and Technology (IDIT), Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, 46113 Moncada, Spain
Department of Wind Energy, Risø Campus, Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Funding
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
References (36)
Show source-provided references
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