Multidisciplinary aeroelastic optimization of a 10MW-scale wind turbine rotor targeting to reduced LCoE

Abstract

In the present paper, multidisciplinary optimization (MDAO) is applied with the aim to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) of the DTU-10MW Reference Wind Turbine (RWT) rotor. As application paradigm, the widely applied in the literature passive load control method of Bend Twist Coupling (BTC) is considered. The integrated optimization framework combines in a common loop, rotor aerodynamic and full wind turbine structural elasto-dynamic analyses, aiming at determining the optimum rotor diameter, the planform of the blade in terms of twist and chord distributions, the offset ply angle for BTC and the inner structure of the blade with cost function directly the LCoE. It is based on an in-house servo-aero-elastic analysis tool for determining the ultimate loads along the span of the blades and the power yield, whereas a cross-sectional analysis tool is employed for acquiring structural properties of the modified blade and stresses distributions over the blade sections. A cost model of the overall wind turbine is implemented by combining existing in the literature models and open data. The new rotor design is found to have a reduced LCoE by 0.71% and to produce 2.4% higher energy annually due to its increased by 3.7% diameter.