Table of Contents

Demo 2 Fix Release (3rd September 2024)

Bladed Next Gen Python API Samples Schema Versions
Bladed Next Gen Windows Installer (0.5.1) dnv-bladed-models (0.4.1) Bladed Next Gen Samples (0.5.1) 0.4.0

⚡ Summary

This version of Bladed Next Gen includes:

  • Run steady operational load calculations to compute structural loading and power performance that includes the full turbine aeroelastic response;
  • Turbine control options to prescribe rotor speed and pitch angle against wind speed as a lookup table or use the traditional equilibrium calculation during initial conditions;
  • Model a full onshore turbine with new features exclusive to Bladed Next Gen, including translational and rotational offsets;
  • Model a simplified blade making use of the blade default behaviours for an easier aerodynamic blade design;
  • JSON editing usability improvements including auto-complete and validation;
  • Schema improvements to parameter names and data structure;
  • New tutorials and samples;
  • Extended online documentation with theory and modelling sections.

⚙️ Engineering features

Features ported from Bladed 4.x or Exclusive to Next Gen.

Steady Operational Loads

  • Compute turbine loading and power performance in steady conditions using the steady operational loads calculation type.

Onshore turbine modelling

Turbine control systems

  • Variable speed pitch regulated (VSPR) static control used to determine the turbine operating point for steady operational loads.
  • Override the VSPR static control strategy and instead enforce the rotor speed and pitch angle with respect to the hub wind speed as a lookup table. Exclusive

Blade

The following new features can be check in the simplified blade tutorial:

  • Improvements to the blade coordinate systems definition, including changes in the direction of rotation of sections to follow the right-hand convention. These rotations are used to represent a reference frame twist. The aerodynamic twist represented this way as the rotation of the aerodynamic reference system will have the opposite direction in Bladed Next Gen that it had in Bladed 4.x. Exclusive
  • Added RotationAboutReferenceZ option to all coordinate systems as an alternative to use vectors to define the system orientation, for a better human focused interface.
  • Option for user to define an unlimited set of aerofoils to interpolate across multiple blade sections. It includes ReynoldsNumber and ThicknessToChordRatio linear interpolations. Exclusive

Other new features in the blade component are:

  • Blade flexibility on each blade part can be simulated using the explicit finite element model.

Tower

  • Model a monopile tower composed by cans for closer alignment to tower design departments. This way of defining the tower means the user can define the tower as a succession of sections with cylindrical or conic shape and pile them on top of each other. This way the user does not need to know what it the absolute location of a can, instead referring them to the location of the previous can on the pile. Exclusive

Drivetrain and nacelle

  • The calculation of drag load on the nacelle cover is improved. The user now can specify the centre of pressure where the load is applied. Exclusive
  • Simulate direct drivetrain, geared transmissions, and mechanical losses.

Generator

Preview upcoming functionality

Upcoming model inputs are represented with a strike-through for visibility, however these inputs are not supported by the Demo 2 calculations.

🛠️ Tools and interfaces updates

JSON editing improvements in VS Code

  • Auto-complete: When creating new objects or fields, VS Code will provide suggestions and auto-populate any default values.
  • Template generation: Templates are available for Turbine.Assembly and ComponentDefinitions to make it easier to learn.
  • Input descriptions: Hover over any field name or object to get contextual information. See a description, the required JSON input type, unit and default value (if applicable)
  • JSON structure validation: Get real-time validation while you are editing. Syntax highlighting will indicate if there is a problem with the inputs.

Tools updates

  • Upgrade Bladed 4.16 $PJ and PRJ files for use with Bladed Next Gen Demo 2 schema.
  • Python inputs API compatible with schema 0.4.0.

🔗 Schema updates

The schema has been updated to version 0.4.0 with improvements to parameter names and the data structure. When updating the schema reference it may cause breaking changes to existing scripts or tools. It may will also cause errors when reading input files that were complying with older schema versions.

AerofoilLibrary and InterpolatedAerofoilLibrary

  • Changed AerofoilLibrary parameter names and data structure
  • Default behaviour for the aerofoil data parameter ChordwiseOriginForForcesAndMoments changed. If not provided, no corrective moment will be applied for any mismatch of the aerofoil reference data and the aerofoil location. You can see on the simplified blade tutorial how this can be beneficial in certain circumstances by assuring the aerodynamic data is always applied at the aerodynamics reference origin by default.
  • Changed ThicknessSet object to a straight list of aerofoils, using the aerofoils' ReynoldsNumber and ThicknessToChordRatio to interpolate.
  • Removed Ailerons (flaps).
  • Changed InterpolatedAerofoil object to a straight list of aerofoils, using the aerofoils' ReynoldsNumber and ThicknessToChordRatio to interpolate.

Blade parameters and BladeSections

  • Changed RadiusOfGyration to RadiusOfGyrationRatio.
  • Changed WholeBladeModes to WholeBladeModeDampingRatios.
  • Moved WholeBladeModeDampingRatios to FiniteElementBladeModelling.

AerodynamicSettings

  • Fix to typo in name Prandtl for input parameters UsePrandtlCorrectionForTipLoss and UsePrandtlCorrectionForRootLoss.

DriveTrainAndNacelle

  • Change PositionOfRotorCentre to PositionOfHubCentre
  • Change CentreOfVolume to CentreOfPressure
  • Change MechanicalLosses parameter names and data structure
  • Moved HighSpeedShaftInertia to InsertName
  • Added MaintainInitialValueThroughoutSimulation

Turbine

  • Moved MeanSeaLevel from TimeDomainSimulation to Turbine parameter, to make it available for steady calculations and make it a property of the installation.

Constants

  • Renamed GravitationalConstant to AccelerationDueToGravity.

🐞 Bug fixes

Solver (0.5.1)

  • A fix was introduced in the Bladed Next Gen Windows Installer (0.5.1) to correct the downwind behaviour of rotor only models.

Python dnv-bladed-models (0.4.1)

  • Fixed a bug where creating a model object in Python, and outputting to JSON, would not render 'library' properties. A consequence of this was that when creating a new Assembly in Python it did not save the Assembly to a JSON file.

  • Fixed a bug where assigning a new object to a 'library' property in Python was throwing an error, e.g.:

blade = models.Blade()blade.AerofoilLibrary = models.AerofoilLibrary()

⚠️ Known issues

Solver

  • PointInertias don't work on multipart blades: Additional point inertias on the Blade component type can only be added inboard of the first blade part boundary. If an inertia is added outboard of that, an error will be thrown saying that the point inertia could not be apportioned to a blade part.