MODELLING AND SIMULATION The presentation described
the development of mesh for the mast, which breaks the shape down into a number of cells. Yáñez described how the growth of these cells is very important to understand if the results of the computer testing can be verified in a real-world test. ‘We need to how close we are to the real conditions and with AcuSolve and FieldView we are able to understand the results, which allows us to transport the knowledge that we have obtained with this simulation into our devices,’Yáñez continued. Initial testing found some issues with the design that the team were able to overcome with some out of the box thinking. ‘We saw that the performance of our device was not what we expect. One day I started to study another area, which was an area of science where people were studying the vortices created by the tails of fish and in the wings of birds,’ comments Yáñez. ‘I took their formulas and mixed them with the formula used by structural engineers, and we obtained a new formula that led us to develop another geometry. With this new geometry we increased our performance.’ The changes to the mast design allowed the engineers to increase the size of the mast furthering development towards a full production sized system. ‘A few months ago we started five devices of 2.5 metre height that have more that would be suited to produce energy in homes. But we saw in real conditions that these devices are able to adapt very quickly to changes in the wind direction and velocity because we do not have any kind of spin or momentum,’ Yáñez concluded. While two-dimensional simulations are useful, VIV is a 3D phenomenon and as such it requires the large scale CFD simulations that have been developed by Yáñez and his colleagues. Since this is a new technology, a lot of work has to be done to ensure that the devices behave as expected and produce energy with the required efficiency. This means creating new models that
”Engineers use structural simulation to evaluate stresses at the neck and welding points”
must be validated. These 3D simulations are based on the Reynolds number, an important dimensionless quantity in fluid mechanics used to help predict flow patterns in different fluid flow situations These simulations require a
large amount of computational resources so the engineers have been pareterning with Altair and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) to find the best way to achieve optimum results in an affordable manner.
Simulating growth Another reason for large-scale simulation of wind turbines is to stay competitive in an increasingly difficult market. The global renewable energy market is expected to grow at a 13.1 per cent annual compound rate from 2018 through 2024, according to Envision Intelligence. This huge potential for growth drives competition. As a result, companies are searching for ways to stay one step ahead of competitors. Earlier in 2019 Ansys announced details of its partnership with WEG, a Brazilian engineering company looking to take advantage of
22 Scientific Computing World December 2019/January 2020
the growth in the energy sector. The company choose Ansys due to its ‘pervasive simulation’ which enables companies to iterate and innovate quickly across every aspect of a design life cycle. In a blog post, Ahmad Haidari, global industry director at Ansys, noted that ‘WEG chose Ansys’ pervasive simulation to assess the structural, electromagnetic, thermal and fluid performance of all of its products.’ ‘WEG engineers are
developing a 4mW direct- drive wind turbine with high-efficiency and low- maintenance requirements. By almost doubling the output of its current 2.1mW platform, WEG hopes its new design will keep up with increasing demands. The engineers use a variety of pervasive simulation tools to test and develop its designs throughout their life cycle,’ continued Haidari. The engineers in this project made use of several Ansys tools including Ansys Mechanical, Ansys Maxwell and Ansys DesignXplorer. The increased power output
involved in doubling the performance of a wind turbine causes high dynamic loading on the structural components. WEG engineers use Ansys Mechanical to evaluate the various load cases throughout the structure. ‘The nacelle tower-top
adapter, which sits on top of the concrete tower and bears the weight of the turbine blades mounted on its front, must
withstand extreme loads while avoiding plastic deformation and slippage. Engineers use structural simulation to evaluate stresses at the neck and at welding points. To complete their fatigue failure analysis, engineers use Ansys nCode DesignLife,’ added Haidari. ‘Critical welding spots
throughout the structure are potential regions of structural weakness. Using Mechanical and DesignXplorer, WEG engineers evaluate these spots to ensure they can withstand the largest loads they would experience,’ Haidari continued. WEG engineers use Ansys
Maxwell to simulate the low- frequency electromagnetic fields produced by the turbine during normal operation. These simulations evaluate torque, induced voltage, losses and magnetic core saturation. ‘Minimising harmonic
currents between the generator and the power converter is critical for safe and optimal wind turbine performance. To maintain low, total harmonic distortion, engineers used Maxwell simulations to analyse magnet positioning, determine the generated voltage and assess the harmonic spectrum,’ stated Haidari. ‘Pervasive simulation has made its way into every aspect of the design of WEG’s wind turbines. The same can be said about the other products made by WEG such as its turbo generators and hydrogenerators.’
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