Application of a Genetic Algorithm to Wind Turbine Design

Selig, Michael S.; Coverstone-Carroll, Victoria

doi:10.1115/1.2792688

Cited by 69 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The computer programs PROPID 6,7 and PROPGA 7,8 were used to carry out the blade design process. PROPID is an inverse design and analysis method for HAWTs that is based on the bladeelement/momentum theory PROP code.…”

Section: Design Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design of a Tapered and Twisted Blade for the NREL Combined Experiment Rotor

Giguère¹,

Selig²

1999

123

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ForewordPrevious phases of experimenting with the Combined Experiment Rotor (CER) of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have provided test results from two constant-chord blade sets. The first blade set had no twist whereas the second had twist. As the next step, the design of a tapered/twisted blade for the CER was contracted out to the Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This blade design work consisted of a systematic trade-off study where many blade configurations were compared to determine how much the design constraints affected blade performance. Based on the results of the tradeoff study, a blade having a linear taper and nonlinear twist, and that uses the S809 airfoil, was selected as the new CER blade. An extended version of this blade was also designed for a two-bladed rotor configuration. PrefaceA tapered/twisted blade set was designed for the Combined Experiment Rotor (CER) of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The objective was to build on the knowledge base of the previous CER tests conducted with constant-chord/untwisted blades and constant-chord/twisted blades. Such CER tapered/twisted blades will yield performance that is more representative of commercial blades. In addition, these new blades will continue to satisfy the scientific needs for fundamental research in rotor aerodynamics.This blade design work for the CER was performed during the summer of 1997 while the first author was at the National Wind Technology Center. The authors would like to thank NREL for providing funding under subcontract XAF-4-14076-03 and the opportunity to design new blades for the CER. Also, the authors would like to thank James L. Tangler SummaryA tapered/twisted blade was designed to operate on the Combined Experiment Rotor (CER) of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which is a stall-regulated downwind wind turbine having a rated power of 20 kilowatt. The geometry of the new blade set was optimized based on annual energy production subject to the constraints imposed on the design. These constraints were mainly related to scientific needs for fundamental research in rotor aerodynamics. A trade-off study was conducted to determine the effect of the different design constraints. Based on the results of this study, which considered nonlinear twist and taper distributions as well as the NREL S809, S814, S822 and S823 airfoils, a blade having a linear taper and a nonlinear twist distribution that uses the S809 airfoil from root to tip was selected. This blade configuration is the logical continuation of the previous constant-chord twisted and untwisted blade sets and will facilitate comparison with those earlier blades. Despite the design constraints based on scientific needs, the new blade is more representative of commercial blades than the previous blade sets.The new blade was designed to be applicable for three-and two-bladed rotor configurations. To enhance the performance of the new blade in a two-bladed r...

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Section: Design Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design of a Tapered and Twisted Blade for the NREL Combined Experiment Rotor

Giguère¹,

Selig²

1999

123

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“…The broad adoption of genetic algorithms, where a population of individual parameter values are encoded as strings of bits, was introduced in (Holland 1962), and has been used since many different disciplines including engineering design (Selig 1996), economic modeling (Arifovic 1994), and genetics (Hill 2005). A key component of genetic algorithms is the emphasis on crossover or recombination of individual solutions in a population rather than small, incremental mutations.…”

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confidence: 99%

Applications of genetic programming in cancer research

Worzel

Almal

et al. 2009

The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology

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The theory of Darwinian evolution is the fundamental keystones of modern biology. Late in the last century, computer scientists began adapting its principles, in particular natural selection, to complex computational challenges, leading to the emergence of evolutionary algorithms. The conceptual model of selective pressure and recombination in evolutionary algorithms allows scientists to efficiently search high dimensional space for solutions to complex problems. In the last decade, genetic programming has been developed and extensively applied for analysis of molecular data to classify cancer subtypes and characterize the mechanisms of cancer pathogenesis and development. This article reviews current successes using genetic programming and discusses its potential impact in cancer research and treatment in the near future.

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“…The blade design trade-off study was performed using the computer program PROPGA, 8,9 which is a genetic algorithm based optimization method for the blade geometry of HAWTs. In brief, PROPGA mimics Darwin's theory of the survival of the fittest over a population of candidate blade shapes that evolves from one generation to the next.…”

Section: Design Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blade Design Trade-Offs Using Low-Lift Airfoils for Stall-Regulated HAWTs

Giguère

Selig

Tangler

1999

Journal of Solar Energy Engineering

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A systematic blade design study was conducted to explore the trade-offs in using low-lift airfoils for a 750-kilowatt stall-regulated wind turbine. Tip-region airfoils having a maximum lift coefficient ranging from 0.7−1.2 were considered in this study, with the main objective of identifying the practical lower limit for the maximum lift coefficient. Blades were optimized for both maximum annual energy production and minimum cost of energy using a method that takes into account aerodynamic and structural considerations. The results indicate that reducing the maximum lift coefficient below the upper limit considered in this study increases the cost of energy independently of the wind regime. As a consequence, higher maximum lift coefficient airfoils for the tip-region of the blade become more desirable as machine size increases, as long as they provide gentle stall characteristics. The conclusions are applicable to large wind turbines that use passive or active stall to regulate peak power.

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Application of a Genetic Algorithm to Wind Turbine Design

Cited by 69 publications

References 5 publications

Design of a Tapered and Twisted Blade for the NREL Combined Experiment Rotor

Design of a Tapered and Twisted Blade for the NREL Combined Experiment Rotor

Applications of genetic programming in cancer research

Blade Design Trade-Offs Using Low-Lift Airfoils for Stall-Regulated HAWTs

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