Open AccessWind turbine blade coating leading edge rain erosion model: Development and validation
Author(s) -
Eisenberg Drew,
Laustsen Steffen,
Stege Jason
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
wind energy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1099-1824
pISSN - 1095-4244
DOI - 10.1002/we.2200
Subject(s) - turbine , erosion , airfoil , leading edge , environmental science , offshore wind power , marine engineering , turbine blade , enhanced data rates for gsm evolution , aerodynamics , wind power , structural engineering , meteorology , geotechnical engineering , geology , engineering , aerospace engineering , geomorphology , telecommunications , physics , electrical engineering
This paper applies existing research to develop an analytical surface fatigue model to predict the initiation of leading edge erosion on wind turbine blade coatings due to rainfall. We have used rain erosion whirling arm tests to determine the surface impact fatigue resistance of different coatings used in the field. The analytic model has been validated to predict the initiation of wind turbine leading edge erosion by using a large data base of photos of leading edge erosion observations taken from wind farms in multiple countries, offshore, and onshore. The aerodynamic impact of the erosion has also been modeled and been used to determine the expected sectional efficiency loss of the damaged airfoils. Combining the leading edge erosion forecast model with the efficiency reduction model, we can predict annual energy production loss over time on different sites due to rain‐induced wind turbine blade coating leading edge erosion.