Atmospheric icing presents serious challenges to the development of wind power of the wind energy industry in cold regions. The potential detrimental impact on the safe operation of wind turbines and the energy harvest hasn't been fully understood and requires further investigation. This thesis presents the research on icing profiles under different weather conditions and their impact on natural frequency, fatigue life, and lift and drag of the wind turbine blade. The research aims to develop a further understanding of the effect of atmospheric ice accretion on the structural integrity and aerodynamic performance of wind turbine blades through numerical and aerodynamic investigations to address the challenges facing the industry. A 5-MW NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) wind turbine blade was selected for this study, due to availability of required geometric design parameters and experimental data for verification. The turbine rotor and its three blades were modelled and numerically simulated with commercial finite element software ANSYS. Three icing scenarios were chosen according to the ISO Standard and the corresponding icing profiles were developed to investigate their influence on vibrational behaviours of the wind turbine blade and rotor under different weather conditions. Icing loads were applied on the leading edge of the blade and natural frequency results were compared between clean and iced blades. It was found that harsh icing weather drove the natural frequency down to the near resonance limit, which could lead to significant issue on structural integrity of the wind turbine. The effect of atmospheric ice accretion with additional load due to varying wind speeds on the fatigue life of the wind turbine blade has been investigated. Significant reduction of fatigue life was found due to the increase of the von Mises stresses. Finally, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was carried out to investigate the effect of atmospheric ice accretion on the aerodynamic performance of typical 1-MW and 5-MW wind turbine blades. Results of the drag and lift coefficients and power production under different icing scenarios were obtained for five angles of attack. Compared with the results of the clean aerofoil profile, remarkable reduction in the power generation was observed due to the accreted ice at various aerofoil sections in the spanwise direction of the blade, demonstrating the detrimental impact of atmospheric icing on energy harvest for the wind energy industry.

L'objectif de ce travail de thèse est de mettre en place une simulation thermo-mécanique couplée d'une aube revêtue permettant de modéliser l'écaillage de la barrière-thermique qui survient dans les conditions de service de l'aube. La barrière thermique est un revêtement isolant déposé à la surface du substrat monocristallin base Nickel AM1 constitutif de l'aube préalablement recouverte d'une sous-couche. Le mode de dégradation dominant dans ces systèmes est la création de fissures qui résultent de l'accroissement des ondulations hors-plan d'une couche intermédiaire d'oxyde formée en service entre la céramique et la sous-couche. En vue de modéliser ce phénomène d'écaillage, un ensemble d'outils numériques permettant de réaliser un calcul 3D par éléments finis thermo-mécanique couplé de l'aube revêtue est développé au sein du code de calcul par éléments finis Z-set. L'insertion d'éléments de zone cohésive mécanique et thermique au niveau de l'interface barrière-thermique/substrat permet de tenir compte simultanément des changements dans le processus de transert de charge et des variations du flux de chaleur causés par l'amorçage et la propagation d'une fissure interfaciale. L'élément fini d'interface mixte de Lorentz qui repose sur un Lagrangien augmenté, est mis en oeuvre. Afin de tenir compte des propriétés structurelles du revêtement, la modélisation de la barrière thermique est réalisée au moyen d'éléments de coque thermo-mécaniques reposant sur l'approche dite “Continuum Based”. Ces éléments sont développés puis validés dans le cadre de la thèse. La méthode utilisée pour réalier le couplage thermo-mécanique est l'algorithme partitioné CSS (Conventional Serial Staggered) sous-cyclé à pas de couplage fixe dont on montre les limitations dans le cas d'une simulation impliquant la propagation d'une fissure. L'introduction de pas de couplage adaptatifs contrôlés au moyen d'une variable interne du problème mécanique a permis de contourner ces limitations. L'ensemble des briques numériques est validé sur des cas tests de complexité croissante. Des cas d'applications effectués sur des géométries tubulaires à gradient thermique de paroi sont réalisés afin de tester le modèle couplé sur des structures et des chargements proches des conditions de service de l'aube. Enfin, des calculs thermo-mécaniques couplés sur aube revêtue sont présentés. / The purpose of this thesis is to perform a coupled thermomechanical simulation of the failure of thermal barrier coatings for turbine blades under service conditions. The thermal barrier coating is an insulating component applied to the single crystal Nickel-based superalloy AM1 substrate which is covered with a bond coat beforehand. The main degradation mode of those systems is due to the initiation and propagation of cracks caused by the out-of-plane undulation growth of an oxide layer formed in service. A set of numerical tools is implemented into the Finite Element code Z-set in order to perform a 3D thermomechanically coupled simulation of the failure of thermal barrier coatings for turbine blades. Inserting thermomechanical cohesive zone elements at the interface between the coating and the substrate makes it possible to account for the changes in the load transfer and the variations in the heat flux as a consequence of interface degradations. The mixed finite interface element of Lorentz based on an Augmented Lagrangian is used. The thermal barrier coating is modelled by means of thermomechanical shell elements implemented using the Continuum-Based approach to take advantage of the structural properties of the coating layer. Moreover, the partitionned CSS (Conventional Serial Staggered) algorithm used to couple thermal and mechanical problems is assessed. The limitations of sub-cycling with constant coupling time-step are shown through a simulation with crack propagation. The introduction of adaptative time-stepping allows to circumvent that issue. The numerical tools are assessed on test cases with increasing complexity. Numerical simulations on cylindrical tube with a thermal through-thickness gradient are performed with realistic loading sequences. Finally, thermomechanical simulations on turbine blades covered with thermal barrier coating are shown.

Developments regarding internal cooling techniques have allowed the operation of modern gas turbine engines at turbine inlet temperatures which exceed the metallurgical capability of the turbine blade. This has allowed the operation of engines at a higher thermal efficiency and lower specific fuel consumption. Modern turbine blade-cooling techniques rely on external film cooling to protect the outer surface of the blade from the hot gas path and internal cooling to remove thermal energy from the blade. Optimization of coolant performance and blade-life estimation require knowledge regarding the influence of cooling application on the blade inner and outer surface heat transfer. The following study describes a combined experimental and computational study of heat transfer augmentation near the entrance to a film-cooling hole. Steady-state heat transfer results were acquired by using a transient measurement technique in an 80 x actual rectangular channel, representing an internal cooling channel of a turbine blade. Platinum thin-film gauges were used to measure the inner surface heat transfer augmentation as a result of thermal boundary layer renewal and impingement near the entrance of a film-cooling hole. Measurements were taken at various suction ratios, extraction angles and wall temperature ratios with a main duct Reynolds number of 25×103. A numerical technique, based on the resolution of the unsteady conduction equation, using a Crank-Nicholson scheme, was used to obtain the surface heat flux from the measured surface temperature history. Computational data was generated with the use of a commercial CFD solver. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / unrestricted

Significant advances in wind turbine technology have increased the need for maintenance through condition monitoring. Indeed condition monitoring techniques exist and are deployed on wind turbines across Europe and America but are limited in scope. The sensors and monitoring devices used can be very expensive to deploy, further increasing costs within the wind industry. The work outlined in this thesis primarily investigates potential low-cost alternatives in the laboratory environment using vibration-based and modal testing techniques that could be used to monitor the condition of wind turbine blades. The main contributions of this thesis are: (1) the review of vibration-based condition monitoring for changing natural frequency identification; (2) the application of low-cost piezoelectric sounders with proof mass for sensing and measuring vibrations which provide information on structural health; (3) the application of low-cost miniature Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) accelerometers for detecting and measuring defects in micro wind turbine blades in laboratory experiments; (4) development of an in-service calibration technique for arbitrarily positioned MEMS accelerometers on a medium-sized wind turbine blade. This allowed for easier aligning of coordinate systems and setting the accelerometer calibration values using samples taken over a period of time; (5) laboratory validation of low-cost modal analysis techniques on a medium-sized wind turbine blade; (6) mimicked ice-loading and laboratory measurement of vibration characteristics using MEMS accelerometers on a real wind turbine blade and (7) conceptualisation and systems design of a novel embedded monitoring system that can be installed at manufacture, is self-powered, has signal processing capability and can operate remotely. By applying the conclusions of this work, which demonstrates that low-cost consumer electronics specifically MEMS accelerometers can measure the vibration characteristics of wind turbine blades, the implementation and deployment of these devices can contribute towards reducing the rising costs of condition monitoring within the wind industry.

This diploma thesis deals with dynamic analysis of the steam turbine blade. This blade is part of the last row of low pressure level of steam turbine. Computational analysis has been performed in first part using FEM and software ANSYS. A Transient analysis has been used to solve forced vibrations. Main goal is to obtain a behavior of main stresses and its directions as a function of loading of the blade in the crack initiation area. Second part deals contain a an experiment. Experiment has been set up to perform a modal analysis which is necessary to obtain a fundamental numbers. Then the vibration of the blade has been performed. To perform this experiment same edge conditions as which has been used during the computational analysis. Goal is the same as in the first part – obtain a behavior of main stresses and its directions as a function of loading of the blade in the crack initiation area. The comparison of results obtained during experimental analysis and computational analysis has been performed in the last part of the thesis. Also the question if any geometrical nonlinearities appeared during analyses is answered.

The master thesis deals with modal analysis of turbine wheel of aircraft engine. The first part is concerned with the modal analysis of the computational model of turbine wheel and separated turbine blade using the cyclic symmetry of the ANSYS software. This part of the thesis set the task of determining the natural frequency depending on the operating parameters of the motor. The second part of the thesis occupies with the experimental simulation of the task. The results of experimental simulation are verified and compared with the results from the computational modal analysis. The goal is to create a Campbell diagram and to determine the intervals of the critical revolution of the turbine wheel.

This master‘s thesis focuses on wind turbines. The first part describes the basic attributes of wind energy and wind turbines and is accompanied by a many images. The next section is a statistical processing of measured meteorological data from measuring stations of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. These data are then used for calculations of the blades of wind turbines. The calculations are carried by two different methods. The first method is called the blade element momentum theory, the second method is the theory of blade cascade. Using these methods are obtained by two different blades. The last section compares the two blades in terms of geometric and performance.

L’objet de cette thèse est de proposer et d’identifier un modèle de comportement mécanique en fatigue écrit à l’échelle du pli ou de la couche composite élémentaire. Le modèle doit permettre de prédire l’évolution des dégradations mais également la résistance résiduelle. Les matériaux concernés par cette étude sont des composites renforcés par des tissus de fibres de verre bi ou tri axiaux. Ce travail exclue les zones de liaisons ou de reprise de pli où des contraintes hors plan engendrent des couplages forts entre endommagement intra et inter laminaires. Les principaux objectifs de la thèse sont de : - Identifier sur le matériau de l’étude les mécanismes d’endommagement et leur couplage en quasi-statique et en fatigue - Caractériser et modéliser la perte de rigidité engendrée par les mécanismes d’endommagement - Caractériser et modéliser les cinétiques d’endommagement en fatigue - Caractériser et modéliser les pertes de résistance engendrées par les mécanismes d’endommagement - Implémenter et tester le modèle proposé (ou celui retenu de la littérature et qui sera modifié si besoin) dans un code de calcul EF / The purpose of this thesis is to propose and identify a model of mechanical fatigue behavior written for the lamina level. The model would be able to predict damage evolution but also residual strength. Studied materials are bi or tri axial glass fibre reinforced plastics fabrics. This work excluded joints areas where out of plane stresses generate strong coupling between intra and inter laminar damage. The main goals of the thesis are: - Identify on the material of the study damage mechanisms and their coupling in quasi-static and fatigue - Characterize and model residual stiffness caused by damage mechanisms - Characterize and model fatigue damage - Characterize and model residual strength caused by damage mechanisms - Implement and test the proposed model (or the one chosen in the literature and changed if necessary) in a computer FE code

Turbochargers are becoming an essential device in internal combustion engines as they boost the intake air with more pressure in order to increase the power output. These devices are normally designed for a single steady design point but the pulsating flow delivered from the internal combustion engine is everything but steady. The efficiency drop experienced in the off-design points by the fixed geometry turbochargers have made some research groups to look into new variable geometry solutions for turbocharging. A nozzle ring is a device which normally achieves a higher performance under design conditions, but the efficiency rapidly drops at off-design conditions. In this paper, a variable angle nozzle ring is designed and implemented in the model of a radial turbine of a turbocharger in order to study its potential when working under real internal combustion engine cycles. To understand the profit margin the turbine performance is compared with two turbines with the same impeller geometry: one without nozzle ring and one with a nozzle ring with a fixed angle. The results show that the maximum efficiency angle function calculated for the variable angle nozzle ring achieves an improvement in the total efficiency of 5 % when comparing with a turbine with a fixed angle and 18 % when comparing with a vaneless turbine. The improved guidance achieved due to the variable blade angle leads to less turbine losses and therefore more mechanical energy can be extracted from the exhaust mass flow throughout all the combustion cycle but a further study should be made in order to match all the engine operations points. Notably, taking the pulsating boundary conditions into consideration, a remarkable improvement is achieved already for the fixed angle nozzle ring.

This study aims to perform a feasibility study on the DTU 10MW-RWT wind turbine blades constructed in the fossil-free high-strength steel 1300 MPa from SSAB. The acceptance criteria, on which the study is based, are taken from the DTU composite wind turbine model. A maximum weight of 41 000kg and a maximum tip displacement of 12.5 m are chosen. By fulfilling the acceptance criteria, the results of this study could contribute to a more sustainable future by decreasing the carbon dioxide emissions of wind turbine blades and improving their  recycling options. To perform weight optimization the Finite Element Analyses software Abaqus and the optimization software Tosca Structure are used.  The study is conducted based on Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) up until the design concept SG2. The study results in a preliminary design of the wind turbine blade constructed in SSAB Strenx 1300 and proofs that Tosca is a suitable software for performing weight optimization. The results show that it would be feasible to replace the wind turbine blades with SSAB Strenx 1300 MPa, but it will result in a weight increase for the current design. For further studies, it is recommended to consult with the stakeholders on how much weight increase of the blade is acceptable and study on how to modify the design of the steel wind turbine blade.