Open AccessEfficient method for the computation of lightning current distributions in wind turbine blades using the Fourier transform and the finite element method
Author(s) -
Laudani Antonio Andrea Maria,
Carloni Lisa,
Thomsen Ole Thybo,
Lewin Paul,
Golosnoy Igor O.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
iet science, measurement and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.418
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1751-8830
pISSN - 1751-8822
DOI - 10.1049/iet-smt.2019.0343
Subject(s) - finite element method , lightning (connector) , superposition principle , computation , waveform , fourier transform , rotor (electric) , fast fourier transform , turbine blade , frequency domain , voltage , acoustics , engineering , computer science , electrical engineering , physics , turbine , structural engineering , mechanical engineering , mathematical analysis , mathematics , algorithm , power (physics) , quantum mechanics , computer vision
Rotor blades of large, modern wind turbines are susceptible to lightning strikes. In order to produce a design that resists lightning strikes, it is crucial to simulate lightning current propagation in the blade components. Since the current in the blade is generated by the superposition of potential and induced electric fields, a coupling exists between electric and magnetic fields which need to be calculated by an imposed integral constraint at each time step. Commercial software packages can deal with such constraints, but it results in time‐consuming computations. Therefore, this work aims to develop a numerical methodology able to compute the voltage which drives the lightning current through the structure. In this way, the problem is reformulated as a voltage‐driven one which in turn allows a simple subsequent coupling of electrical and magnetic problems. The computation of the voltage waveform was accomplished using the fast Fourier transform and the finite element method (FEM) to compute the structure impedance in the frequency domain. The developed procedure showed high efficiency for a blade subjected to different lightning impulses. It allows a description of the time‐dependent lightning current to be given, as well as the distribution of current within the blade conductors.