Developing an Extended Virtual Blade Model for Efficient Numerical Modeling of Wind and Tidal Farms

Radfar, S; Kianoush, B; Majidi Nezhad, M; Neshat, M

Developing an Extended Virtual Blade Model for Efficient Numerical Modeling of Wind and Tidal Farms

Radfar, S Kianoush, B Majidi Nezhad, M Neshat, M

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Publisher:: MDPI
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Sustainability (Switzerland), 2022, 14, (21), pp. 13886
Issue Date:: 2022-11-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Radfar, S
dc.contributor.author	Kianoush, B
dc.contributor.author	Majidi Nezhad, M
dc.contributor.author	Neshat, M https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9537-9513
dc.date.accessioned	2023-04-16T22:40:18Z
dc.date.available	2023-04-16T22:40:18Z
dc.date.issued	2022-11-01
dc.identifier.citation	Sustainability (Switzerland), 2022, 14, (21), pp. 13886
dc.identifier.issn	2071-1050
dc.identifier.issn	2071-1050
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/169824
dc.description.abstract	Harnessing renewable and clean energy resources from winds and tides are promising technologies to alter the high level of consumption of traditional energy resources because of their great global potential. In this regard, developing farms with multiple energy converters is of great interest due to the skyrocketing demand for sustainable energy resources. However, the numerical simulation of these farms during the planning phase might pose challenges, the most significant of which is the computational cost. One of the most well-known approaches to resolve this concern is to use the virtual blade model (VBM). VBM is the implementation of the blade element model (BEM). This was done by coupling the blade element momentum theory equations to simulate rotor operation with the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equation to simulate rotor wake and the turbulent flow field around it. The exclusion of the actual geometry of blades enables a lower computational cost. Additionally, due to simplifications in the meshing procedure, VBM is easier to set up than the models that consider the actual geometry of blades. One of the main unaddressed limitations of the VBM code is the constraint of modeling up to 10 renewable energy converters within one computational domain. This paper provides a detailed and well-documented general methodology to develop a virtual blade model for the simulation of 10-plus converters within one computational domain to remove the limitation of this widely used and robust code. The extended code is validated for both the single- and multi-converter scenarios. It is strongly believed that the technical contribution of this paper, combined with the current advancement of available computational resources and hardware, can open the gates to simulate farms with any desired number of wind or tidal energy converters, and, accordingly, secure the sustainability and feasibility of clean energies.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	MDPI
dc.relation.ispartof	Sustainability (Switzerland)
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3390/su142113886
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	12 Built Environment and Design
dc.title	Developing an Extended Virtual Blade Model for Efficient Numerical Modeling of Wind and Tidal Farms
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	14
utslib.for	12 Built Environment and Design
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2023-04-16T22:40:16Z
pubs.issue	21
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	14
utslib.citation.issue	21

Abstract:

Harnessing renewable and clean energy resources from winds and tides are promising technologies to alter the high level of consumption of traditional energy resources because of their great global potential. In this regard, developing farms with multiple energy converters is of great interest due to the skyrocketing demand for sustainable energy resources. However, the numerical simulation of these farms during the planning phase might pose challenges, the most significant of which is the computational cost. One of the most well-known approaches to resolve this concern is to use the virtual blade model (VBM). VBM is the implementation of the blade element model (BEM). This was done by coupling the blade element momentum theory equations to simulate rotor operation with the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equation to simulate rotor wake and the turbulent flow field around it. The exclusion of the actual geometry of blades enables a lower computational cost. Additionally, due to simplifications in the meshing procedure, VBM is easier to set up than the models that consider the actual geometry of blades. One of the main unaddressed limitations of the VBM code is the constraint of modeling up to 10 renewable energy converters within one computational domain. This paper provides a detailed and well-documented general methodology to develop a virtual blade model for the simulation of 10-plus converters within one computational domain to remove the limitation of this widely used and robust code. The extended code is validated for both the single- and multi-converter scenarios. It is strongly believed that the technical contribution of this paper, combined with the current advancement of available computational resources and hardware, can open the gates to simulate farms with any desired number of wind or tidal energy converters, and, accordingly, secure the sustainability and feasibility of clean energies.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/169824