Numerical Modelling and Investigation of Longitudinal Flow Turbine Blades for Marine Applications

This paper investigates the structural behavior of an 8-meter rotor blade designed for a 1-megawatt floating tidal turbine developed by ÉireComposites Teo. Researchers at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) evaluated the blade’s performance under simulated mechanical loads within their Large Structures Research Laboratory. A crucial aspect of this study involved creating a digital replica (or “digital twin”) of the rotor blade using finite element (FE) modeling software like ANSYS. This digital twin utilized layered shell elements to represent the blade’s structure. The research team then validated the accuracy of this digital twin by simulating the blade’s response under its design load conditions. This simulation yielded a tip deflection value that differed by only 3% from the actual deflection measured during physical testing in the laboratory. These results achieve two key goals: 1.Structural Integrity Confirmation: The close match between simulated and measured deflections confirms that the actual blade can withstand the maximum design loads it might encounter during operation. 2.Digital Twin Validation: The small discrepancy between simulation and test data demonstrates the high accuracy of the developed digital twin. This validated digital twin can be used for future analyses and optimizations of the blade design.