The e-learning course will take 1-3 weeks to complete depending on your experience (3 weeks for students with basic understanding of wind turbine technology and limited experience with numerical simulation, and maybe as little as 1-2 weeks if you are experienced in numerical aerodynamic simulation).
The following list describes the content and learning objectives of each of the modules in the online course are currently:
Module 1: Introduction
This first module will provide an introduction to the HAWC2 aeroelastic wind turbine simulation tool, its capabilities and the way the code is organized. Technically we could speak of aero-servo-hydro-elastic simulations if we have the following interactions:
- aerodynamics: wind forces on the blades, tower
- hydrodynamics: wave loading on the tower or submerged jacket structure, floating structures
- elasticity: structural dynamics and deformations of any body
- servo: controllers manipulating generator torque, pitch angle, or other mechanisms
Learning Objectives
After this module you will be able to:
- Explain what aeroelastic simulations are and why they are relevant for wind turbines.
- Outline the main characteristics of the HAWC2 code, its scope, potentialities, and limitations.
- List the main models involved in aeroelastic simulation in HAWC2.
- Outline and organize the file structures required to Interface with the HAWC2 program.
- Outline the structure of the input files required to run HAWC2 simulation, and the output files.
- Choose an adequate tool among the given ones (e.g. Pdap, animation) to visualize the simulation output.
Module 2: Structural Model
The material presented in this module covers the modelling techniques that are used in HAWC2 to represent the structure. Further, it is shown how to create and configure the input files for HAWC2 so the desired structure is correctly represented. This module does not go into the detailed mathematics behind the deployed structural models.
Learning Objectives
After this module you will be able to:
- Represent a wind turbine in a multibody modeling context in terms of bodies and nodes
- Create a cross-sectional representation of a simple structure
- Explain how structural properties, number of nodes and bodies affect accuracy
- Establish a rudimentary relation between Rayleigh and logarithmic damping properties
- Verify a structural input model using simulation outputs
- Create the input files, related to the structure, for a HAWC2 representation of a wind turbine
Module 3: Wind Model
In this module you will learn how HAWC2 reproduces the wind field in which the wind turbine operates. At the end the first two e-lessons there will be a small multiple choice test to ensure that the content of the e-lessons is clear.
Finally, at the end of the module you will be proposed with an exercise where you will will be asked to generate wind turbulence files using the build in Mann turbulence generator of HAWC2.
Learning Objectives
After this module you will be able to:
- List the different components that provide the wind field model used by the aeroelastic code.
- Describe the effects of terrain shear, tower shadow, and explain how they can be modeled.
- Illustrate the main characteristics of Mann’s atmospheric turbulence model.
- Use HAWC2 to generate a wind field with given characteristics, and perform simulations including the wind field.
- Monitor the simulation output and verify the correct implementation of the wind field.
Module 4: Aerodynamic Model
In this module you will learn how HAWC2 reproduces the aerodynamic behavior of the wind turbine, which models the program uses, and how to set up all the inputs required to include aerodynamics in the simulations.
At the end of the second and third lessons you will be proposed a small (and easy) test on the content of the e-lessons.
Finally, at the end of the module you will be proposed with an exercise, where you will power up your HAWC2 wind turbine model by including the aerodynamic part of the model.
Learning Objectives
After this module you will be able to:
- Distinguish the two levels in which the aerodynamic model used by HAWC2 is organized, and explain their mutual interaction.
- Illustrate the basic principles of the BEM model, identify its advantages and limitations compared to other types of models for wind turbine applications.
- Summarize the additional sub-models and modifications added to the standard BEM model in HAWC2, and explain their function.
- Illustrate how the aerodynamic forces on the blades are computed, explain which dynamics effects are accounted for, and identify the limitations of the available models.
- Provide the input data required by the HAWC2 aerodynamic model in the correct format.
- Use HAWC2 to perform simulations that include aerodynamic forces and rotor induction effects.
- Propose simulation test cases to evaluate the correct implementation of the aeroelastic model in HAWC2 and critically evaluate the simulation output.
Module 5: Control
The material presented in this module covers basic of control of a wind turbine can be implemented in HAWC2. This module will mainly focus on pitch control, the theory behind and implementation in HAWC2. Furthermore, a basic pitch controller developed by DTU is presented together with how to create and configure the input files for HAWC2. This module does not go into the detailed mathematics behind the developed controller.
Learning Objectives
After this module you will be able to:
- Understand the primary control objectives for a pitch regulated variable speed wind turbine.
- Understand the concepts of partial and full load operation.
- Learn methods to tune a basic PI wind turbine controller.
- Tune and use the DTU Wind Energy Basic controller in HAWC2.
Module 6: Hydrodynamics
The material presented in this module covers basics of using the hydrodynamic module in HAWC2. This module will give an overview of the theory behind the hydrodynamics and how to configure the input for HAWC2.
Learning Objectives
After this module you will be able to:
- Understand the hydrodynamic forces and response when applied to a main body in HAWC2.
- Summarize the theory and principle behind the hydrodynamic loading and water kinematics implemented in HAWC2.
- Provide the input data required by HAWC2 for setting up a model affected by hydrodynamic forces.
- Use HAWC2 to perform simulations that includes the hydrodynamic model.
Module 7: Soil Module
The material presented in this module covers basics of using the soil module in HAWC2. This module will give an overview of the different approached of simulating the soil response but will mainly focus on the p-y curve approach. This module requires a basic understanding of the HAWC2 coordinate system and constraints which is explained in module 2.
Learning Objectives
After this module you will be able to:
- Understand the influence of the using a soil model.
- Summarize the theory and principle behind the p-y method.
- Provide the input data required by the HAWC2 soil model in the correct format.
- Use HAWC2 to perform simulations that includes a soil model.
Module 8: Auto-generation of input-files
In order to ensure the structural integrity of a wind turbine during its lifetime it is required to get the turbine certified. The certification scheme can have different requirement depending on existing rules in the current country. Usually the IEC international standards regarding wind turbines are referred to. IEC 61400-1 standard for large turbines is normally used and contains a description of required Design Load Cases (DLC) that needs to be calculated. This module will deal with the challenge of simulating a lot of DLC´s as described in the standard.
The material presented in this module covers basics of for generating multiple htc input files based on a master htc file with a excel spread sheet.
Learning Objectives
After this module you will be able to:
- Understand the set up of the excel spreadsheet.
- Provide the input data required for creating multiple input files with the excel spreadsheet and creating a BAT file.
- Use HAWC2 to perform multiple simulations with a BAT file.
- Use the excel spreadsheet to generate a user defined set of loadcases.
Module 9: Post-processing
The material presented in this module covers the basics of using some of the post-processing tools dealing with HAWC2 results. This module will give an overview on how to use the Pdap to evaluate a large set of HAWC2 results.
In the previous module you learned how to autogenerate .htc files and how to make a .bat file for batch simulation.
In part 2 and 3 of the exercise a subset of load cases from the IEC61400-1ed3 standard were selected for simulation, and you are now supposed to have 24 result files in the iec_res folder.
Learning Objectives
After this module you will be able to:
- Understand the principal of how to evaluate loads from HAWC2 in terms of statistical results and also fatigue loads.
- Provide the input data required by Pdap to run a post processing case to get ultimate and fatigue loads.