Fatigue Life of Pitch- and Stall-Regulated Composite Tidal Turbine Blades

Authors

Ciaran R. Kennedy, Mechanical Engineering, NUI Galway, Ireland.
Vesna Jaksic, Sustainable Infrastructure Research & Innovation Group (SIRIG); Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering Department, Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland.Follow
Sean B. Leen, Mechanical Engineering, NUI Galway, Ireland.
Conchúr M. Ó Brádaigh, School of Engineering, Institute for Materials and Processes, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

ORCID

0000-0002-0178-5546

Abstract

Tidal turbine blades are subject to harsh loading and environmental conditions, including large thrust and torsional loadings, relative to wind turbine blades, due to the high density of seawater, among other factors. The complex combination of these loadings, as well as water ingress and associated composite laminate saturation, have significant implications for blade design, affecting overall device design, stability, scalability, energy production and cost-effectiveness. This study investigates the effect of seawater ingress on composite material properties, and the associated design and life expectancy of tidal turbine blades in operating conditions. The fatigue properties of dry and water-saturated glass fibre reinforced laminates are experimentally evaluated and incorporated into tidal blade design. The fatigue lives of pitch- and stall-regulated tidal turbine blades are found to be altered by seawater immersion. Water saturation is shown to reduce blade life about 3 years for stall-regulated blades and by about 1-2 years for pitch-regulated blades. The effect of water ingress can be compensated by increased laminate thickness. The tidal turbine blade design methodology presented here can be used for evaluation of blade life expectancy and tidal device energy production. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disciplines

Civil and Environmental Engineering

DOI

10.1016/j.renene.2018.01.085

Publication Details

Renewable Energy

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd.

Publisher

Elsevier

Funder Name 1

Science Foundation Ireland

Award Number 1

14/ADV/RC3022

Funder Name 2

Science Foundation Ireland

Award Number 2

12/RC/2305

Funder Name 3

European Commission

Award Number 3

FP7-612531

Resource Type

journal article

License Condition

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Kennedy, Ciaran R., Jaksic, Vesna, Leen, Sean B., & Brádaigh, Conchúr M. Ó. (2018). Fatigue life of pitch- and stall-regulated composite tidal turbine blades. Renewable Energy, 121, 688-699. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.01.085