Numerical simulation of vortex-induced vibration response of a single IEA 10-MW wind turbine blade

• Introduces the first open-source, prototype simulation methodolody for vortex-induced vibration of wind-turbine blades. • Systematically evaluates VIV response of four configurations, highlighting similarities and contrasts. • Results show clear VIV across all four configurations, but not at the same flow conditions. Three-dimensional simulation of vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of a single International Energy Agency (IEA) 10-MW reference wind turbine blade with a length of 97.325 m is performed using the ExaWind stack, an open-source suite of codes. This study aims to illustrate the spanwise VIV response characteristics and cross-validate the results with an existing commercial framework. Five near-body meshes and three time steps are selected for the convergence study. To improve computational efficiency, several VIV triggering methods are also compared to shorten the VIV development period. The ExaWind-based VIV simulation strategy for a single IEA 10-MW blade is determined. First, the modal shape is validated against published results. Then, spanwise VIV responses of four blade configurations under a fixed and varied incoming flow velocity are analyzed. Results show that the VIV response is dominated by the first edgewise (second overall) mode. Little first-mode contributions appear near the second-mode node, producing a π phase jump, and a higher harmonics response occurs near the blade root. Rotational degrees of freedom are minor compared with translational motion. The response versus reduced velocity is analyzed, showing a two-branch behavior similar to that of VIV for a bluff cylinder. Across all tested cases, the dominant frequency remains locked to the natural frequency of the second mode with no observed desynchronization. A mild deviation is observed for the case of 90-degree pitch and 310-degree azimuth rotation near a reduced velocity of 6, which will be examined with additional cases in future work. These findings indicate that severe VIV responses can arise under specific configurations and flow conditions, thereby increasing the potential for VIV fatigue damage and requiring greater attention during operation.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Fluids and Structures
Published
2026-03-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfluidstructs.2026.104537
Primary Topic
Fluid Dynamics and Vibration Analysis
Type
article
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article

Numerical simulation of vortex-induced vibration response of a single IEA 10-MW wind turbine blade

Michael Sprague, Ganesh Vijayakumar, Xuepeng Fu, Bumseok Lee
Journal of Fluids and Structures
Fluid Dynamics and Vibration Analysis
article

Numerical simulation of vortex-induced vibration response of a single IEA 10-MW wind turbine blade

Michael Sprague, Ganesh Vijayakumar, Xuepeng Fu, Bumseok Lee
article en

Abstract

• Introduces the first open-source, prototype simulation methodolody for vortex-induced vibration of wind-turbine blades. • Systematically evaluates VIV response of four configurations, highlighting similarities and contrasts. • Results show clear VIV across all four configurations, but not at the same flow conditions. Three-dimensional simulation of vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of a single International Energy Agency (IEA) 10-MW reference wind turbine blade with a length of 97.325 m is performed using the ExaWind stack, an open-source suite of codes. This study aims to illustrate the spanwise VIV response characteristics and cross-validate the results with an existing commercial framework. Five near-body meshes and three time steps are selected for the convergence study. To improve computational efficiency, several VIV triggering methods are also compared to shorten the VIV development period. The ExaWind-based VIV simulation strategy for a single IEA 10-MW blade is determined. First, the modal shape is validated against published results. Then, spanwise VIV responses of four blade configurations under a fixed and varied incoming flow velocity are analyzed. Results show that the VIV response is dominated by the first edgewise (second overall) mode. Little first-mode contributions appear near the second-mode node, producing a π phase jump, and a higher harmonics response occurs near the blade root. Rotational degrees of freedom are minor compared with translational motion. The response versus reduced velocity is analyzed, showing a two-branch behavior similar to that of VIV for a bluff cylinder. Across all tested cases, the dominant frequency remains locked to the natural frequency of the second mode with no observed desynchronization. A mild deviation is observed for the case of 90-degree pitch and 310-degree azimuth rotation near a reduced velocity of 6, which will be examined with additional cases in future work. These findings indicate that severe VIV responses can arise under specific configurations and flow conditions, thereby increasing the potential for VIV fatigue damage and requiring greater attention during operation.

Journal of Fluids and StructuresVol. 143
National Laboratory of the Rockies (US)
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 33%
Fluid Dynamics and Vibration Analysis
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