The tower represents a significant portion of the materials and cost of the small wind turbine system. Optimization techniques typically maximize the tower loading capability while reducing material use and cost. Still, tower design focuses mainly on structural integrity and durability. Moreover, tower motion that intensifies drivetrain and structural loads is only rarely considered. The environmental impact of the wind turbine must also be considered since wind energy promotes sustainability. Trade-offs between the structural performance, cost, and environmental impact are examined to guide the designer toward a sustainable alternative. Ultimately, an optimal design technique can be implemented and used to automate tower design. In this study, nine tower designs with different materials and geometries are analyzed using finite element analysis (FEA). The optimal tower design is selected using a multilevel-decision-making procedure. The analysis suggests that steel towers of minimal wall thickness are preferred. This study is a continuation of the previous work that optimized energy production and component life of small wind systems (Hall et al., 2015, “An Integrated Control and Design Framework for Optimizing Energy Capture and Component Life for a Wind Turbine Variable Ratio Gearbox,” ASME J. Sol. Energy Eng., 137(2), p. 021022). The long-term goal is to develop a tool that performs optimization and automated design of small wind systems. In our future work, the tower and drivetrain designs will be merged and studied using higher fidelity models.
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August 2016
Research-Article
A Design Framework for Optimizing the Mechanical Performance, Cost, and Environmental Impact of a Wind Turbine Tower
Daniel Stratton,
Daniel Stratton
Department of Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: dstrat9@gmail.com
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: dstrat9@gmail.com
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Daniel Martino,
Daniel Martino
Department of Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: dmartino@buffalo.edu
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: dmartino@buffalo.edu
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Felipe M. Pasquali,
Felipe M. Pasquali
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: felipeme@buffalo.edu
Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: felipeme@buffalo.edu
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Kemper Lewis,
Kemper Lewis
Department of Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: kelewis@buffalo.edu
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: kelewis@buffalo.edu
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John F. Hall
John F. Hall
Department of Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: johnhall@buffalo.edu
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: johnhall@buffalo.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Daniel Stratton
Department of Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: dstrat9@gmail.com
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: dstrat9@gmail.com
Daniel Martino
Department of Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: dmartino@buffalo.edu
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: dmartino@buffalo.edu
Felipe M. Pasquali
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: felipeme@buffalo.edu
Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: felipeme@buffalo.edu
Kemper Lewis
Department of Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: kelewis@buffalo.edu
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: kelewis@buffalo.edu
John F. Hall
Department of Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: johnhall@buffalo.edu
and Aerospace Engineering,
University at Buffalo,
State University of New York,
Buffalo, NY 14260
e-mail: johnhall@buffalo.edu
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Solar Energy Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF SOLAR ENERGY ENGINEERING: INCLUDING WIND ENERGY AND BUILDING ENERGY CONSERVATION. Manuscript received June 10, 2015; final manuscript received April 22, 2016; published online May 12, 2016. Assoc. Editor: Yves Gagnon.
J. Sol. Energy Eng. Aug 2016, 138(4): 041008 (9 pages)
Published Online: May 12, 2016
Article history
Received:
June 10, 2015
Revised:
April 22, 2016
Citation
Stratton, D., Martino, D., Pasquali, F. M., Lewis, K., and Hall, J. F. (May 12, 2016). "A Design Framework for Optimizing the Mechanical Performance, Cost, and Environmental Impact of a Wind Turbine Tower." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. August 2016; 138(4): 041008. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4033500
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