Abstract
An optimum design of the onshore wind turbine (WT) tower structure is crucial for achieving an economic, efficient and safe design of the entire onshore WT system. In this study, an integrated structural optimisation framework for onshore WT towers is established through combining a parametric finite element analysis (FEA) model with a genetic algorithm (GA). The bottom and top diameters as well as the thickness distribution of the onshore WT tower are considered as design variables. The mass of the onshore WT tower is minimised by the structural optimisation framework under multiple design constraints. The framework has been validated and then applied to the structural optimisation of a representative 2.0 MW onshore WT tower presently installed in a wind farm in Middle East. It is demonstrated that the structural optimisation framework developed in this work can considerably lower the mass of the tower while fulfilling design requirements.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 469-491 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | International Journal of Sustainable Energy |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 15 Jul 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 28 May 2022 |
Bibliographical note
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of theCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
Keywords
- finite element analysis
- genetic algorithm
- Onshore wind turbines
- structural optimisation framework
- wind turbine tower
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Fuel Technology
- General Energy
- Process Chemistry and Technology
- Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes