On the way to reliable aeroelastic load simulations on VAWT’s

In this paper a method for an implementation of a 2D actuator cylinder flow model of an Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) is presented. The model is implemented in a full aeroelastic code including consideration of structural dynamics, dynamic inflow, tower shadow and dynamic stall, which is needed for a full load analysis relating to eg. certification of a VAWT turbine. Further on, principal load cases according to the IEC61400-1 are simulated for a fictitious 5MW VAWT turbine in it’s simplest 2 bladed Darrieus configuration. The IEC61400-1 load cases, originally developed for Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT’s), are discussed regarding the application to VAWT’s. Further on a small section regarding aerodynamic flow in curved motion is included.