Model accelerates the design of ultra-long wind turbine blades

Wind turbine blades are getting bigger and longer — some now exceed 150 meters in length. Under normal working conditions, these massive blades can deform by more than ten meters from tip to tip. These large-scale deformations cannot be modeled by current methods, limiting the advancement of longer, next-generation blades.

To aid the design of ultra-long blades, Yazhen Huang and Mingwei Ge created a computationally efficient model for deformation in long wind turbine blades. The pair started by investigating the wake patterns caused by deformed blades. Since the wakes are curved, they create vortexes and affect the blade’s aerodynamic loading.

Using vortex theory, the researchers built a modified vortex cylinder model to reproduce key geometric and induction effects in the blades. The model was then linked to the standard model, called the blade element momentum (BEM) method. On its own, BEM assumes the blades are straight, but the combination allows the model to predict the aerodynamic behavior of bent blades.

“What excites us most about our results is that we have developed a model that accurately captures the complex aerodynamic effects caused by blade bending while remaining computationally efficient,” Ge said. “This means that designers can now evaluate ultra-long, flexible wind turbine blades more reliably and much faster than before.”

It also means future blade designs can be better optimized, safer, and more cost-effective. The researchers plan to extend the model to include more features, such as wake expansion and tip vortex curling, and to include unsteady conditions.

“Ultimately, we hope this research will contribute to the development of safer, more efficient, and more resilient wind turbines, supporting the growing demands of renewable energy worldwide,” Ge said.

Source: “Aerodynamic Modelling of Wind Turbine Blade Considering Bending Deformation: A Modified Vortex Cylinder Model,” by Yazhen Huang and Mingwei Ge, Physics of Fluids (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0286547 .